My point was people are suddenly heralding noble as the next messiah after some decent performances that came after he allegedly told the players he was leaving. I am merely trying to be open minded on the subject.

However , if by the "other site" (you make them sound like the enemy!!) you mean "WiganWarriorsFans" then I think you are being unfair as I do use that site and have found it to be fine.

It's not a theory. It's fact.

Your last sentance is laughable.

I have demonstrated the facts. You have chosen to ignore them (or more likely are unable to specificlaly tell me why I am wrong)

Instead you waffle on about the historical results in another country.

It's a bit like comparing the Premier League with La Liga.

Fortunately you are not the coach of Wigan RL, and if Nobby has done his homework, (which I am sure he has) then I expect a push come the playoff.

Basically because you would think that home advantage in the big games would be crucial, I'm not sure whether the stats back that up however.

People talk about how its now important to finish top 4 as it was top 2 last year but I certainly wouldn't fancy going away to Headingly or Knowsley Road in a playoff game. It seems unavoidable in this current season for Wigan if they're going to get to the GF.

We are 9th and the League Table doesn't lie!
Our start to the season was awful.
However change has occurred and with it improvement.
The signing of Martin Gleeson is a great boost for the squad being the quality player he is. We now have Tim Smith playing very well.
These changes together with Noble settling on Phelps at FB, stable 3/4 and halves that have TL starting 7 then to 9 are producing results, literally.
We look a far better team and a more balanced one too.
A far better attacking force with scoring an average of over 40 in the last three games.
The whole squad looks confident and that in itself can mean points on the board compared to a team lacking belief in themselves.
Noble and IL have turned it around with the signing of Gleeson and Smith's inclusion having been dropped has proved very successful.
If both BN and IL can sort out the pack then we can have a team competing for trophies.
We are not far off and if Ian Lenagan and Brian Noble can stay together then we may well be nearer the success we all want than we think.
The last thing we need is a change of coach and the disruption that will bring, it could set us back another 2-3 years.

You really do take yourself seriously don't you?

The only facts are those I posted - i.e. what has actually happened.

People basically have two options to base their position on:

1. What has happened in a comparable system used over a number of years.

2. A theory based on no evidence whatsoever, apart from the usual head in the sand rantings.

"Point 1

I'm aware of that which is why I said it was "similar", not the "same". The principles are close in terms of the advantage it gives to higher placed teams.

If you need any help in the definition of certain words I'll gladly point you in the right direction.

HTH.

What a load of balls.

Why can the PL not be compared to La Liga?

The indisputable facts are that a team finishes as high up in the league as they do because they are consistently better than other teams. To win the grand final requires a team to be 'consistently' excellent for three games, something that a team finishing 5-14th is unlikely to do.

This mythical peaking at the right time has been harped on about for the last three years but our lack of consistency in the regular season has meant we aren't used to peaking for three games in a row. Noble apparantly always got the Bulls to 'peak at the right time' - but this was only ever from third or above.

Actually a more accurate description would be "they have over the course of a season performed better than the teams below them".

Consistency is a seperate issue.

Both the above are not as important as peaking at the right time.

Why should we forget Aus? It's the only example of a top eight play off season in rugby league to hand. The gap between first and eighth in SL is 4 points. The gap between first and eighth in NRL is 4 points.

Unless we have an excellent last half of the season we are going to struggle in the play-offs due to the inconsistent early season form. Do you not agree with this point?

Do we need to add the word "fact" to the list of words you seem to need help on?

The evidence I've listed in terms of finishing positions, both in a top 8 system and from what we know of the previous system here show finishing in the top 2 means you are significantly more likely to contest the Grand Final.

I'm sure you'll be dying to show everyone these "facts" you have and the evidence they're based on?