Jukes nailed it and you have in there too - ‘Kieron Cunningham’.

I can’t remember who posted it but it was the “Jobs for the boys” thread. This is what Lam feels like. A brilliant player for us and one of the lads, let’s give him a job despite his lack of credentials. Same for Paul Johnson in the S&C role. Is it any coincidence we look like we’re unfit and can’t play?

For me it’s a full clear out of back room staff when Lam goes. We need fresh blood, fresh ideas and a fresh direction.

Easter would be decision time for me. We’ve got 7 games before Saints and they’re 7 winnable games (with varying levels of difficulty). We’d then go in to that acid test against Saints, a side we were a million miles away from last year and it would tell us plenty. We’d then be ten games in to the season and even if we’re in a bad spot, we’d have time to recover under a new man.

If Lam was to still be the man then we need to see some of the following in the build up to that Good Friday game-

-better selections

-an increased go forward to allow the backs to play

-A game plan, a style of play. I want to watch a side and think ‘that’s what we’re trying to do’.

-individuals being left out on performance, not picked on popularity. A genuine competitive edge to selection, driven by players being rewarded for playing well in the first team and in the reserves and losing their places for not doing so.

I’m not holding my breath.

Looking at the match stats last night Clubb played only 22 minutes in the match, Jake Shorrocks played 18 minutes. IMO we could have had another forward on the bench in place of Shorrocks, Morgan Smithies could have played hooker for that same spell.
As it was it meant the younger forwards had to play longer minutes, although I would agree that Byrne, Havard and Smithies were among our better performers.

The guy just isn’t capable of doing even one of those suggestions.


I dread to think what Saints will do to us in our present mindset. We look a shambles but the guy who has created the shambles is oblivious to it.

To turn it around he would have to admit that he has been wrong and from what I see and hear from him suggests that his ego won’t succumb to that.

I’d love to know what Hastings makes of it all

Kieron cunningham...words you strike fear into any fan of any RL team when discussing players turned coaches but the comparison is spot on

I’ve not been convinced by Lam since day one and still not but it’s getting worse not better with him,his only answer seems to be pick more kids,no real clue as how to change it

For me the problem we have is that non of our senior players can do long minutes bar Isa and LF both of whom are too lightweight and both last night were poor in the extreme.
We need Powell back (never thought I’d say that) to enable us to have at least 3 props on the bench. Play Smithies in SR with LF and Isa out of the 17. When SOL goes off put Partington at 13. If LF doesn’t improve bring in Wells or Greenwood.

I don’t see a place for Isa but it’ll never happen in a million years with Lam in charge as he protects the owd guys at the expense of the kids.

22minutes for any prop is absolutely ridiculous and embarrassing unless their injured but with Clubb it’s a common occurrence. How he gets into the team is utterly bewildering.

Shorrocks is nowhere near good enough and 18mins is a complete waste of time giving him a bench spot.

More baffling decisions from Lam

I’m confused why Shorrocks still wants to be here tbh. He’s no kid and his career is basically a few reserve team games and the 15 minutes for the first team. I’d have thought he’d have begged to leave by now but maybe he’s just happy trotting around in his Wigan tracksuit.

His contract is up this season and it’s time to part ways, he’s never going to make it here at Wigan and he needs to realise that. Lam’s doing him no favours by playing him and giving him hope.

Other than aggression and not being scared, I don't see why Partington is in the team. He offers next to nothing going forward. Yes he gets stuck in in defence, but that's not enough. Clubb is a waste of space entirely now. That's our starting props who offer no go forward.

Byrne and Havard look like great prospects, one of them warrants a place, not both.

Not sure of Lams though process in all this, it is going to be interesting to see what he does now.

I do like Partington but I think that’s mainly down to his aggression and fearlessness. If he was the size of Tony Clubb he’d be up there with Luke Thompson as the leagues best IMO. But I can’t disagree with what you say about OP in attack.

We need to be careful with Havard, Byrne and a little into the future in Kilner. Playing prop is the most physically demanding position a RL player can play in and they both shouldn’t be first team regulars at this stage of their career. Especially as we’ve got Flower, Bullock, Clarke, Isa and Lockers who can adequately play at prop.

I think Lam has taken Wane’s youth policy on and I commend him for that but it’s at the expense of the team and will ruin some players. There’s a fine line to walk between youth promotion and first team success and Lam is treading too far over when we have the players available to ensure we don’t tread that far over IMO.

Somebody mentioned trying Partington a little wider in the second row and I’d buy that. He’s got a decent set of hands on him and has a bit of pace but he lacks genuine size to play in the front row on a week to week basis. I don’t like how he’s not only been elevated to being a regular starting 17 player but he’s now actually a regular starter at prop and he’s no way ready for that. He needs managing correctly and to me that would be playing a game or two here and there, where he can absolutely throw himself in to it and then be taken out of the firing line for a few weeks. It’s as though Lam thinks he’s a senior prop just because he isn’t afraid to stand up to other teams experienced heads. He needs saving from himself.