When was the last time Wigan absolutely pumped Saints in a match? The only one that sticks in my mind is the Magic Etihad game, if there's been a more recent one I've forgotten it.

There was the season Ben Barba was at Saints and he packed his bags when he got a NRL deal, Gildart went round him like he was a dustbin, that was probably the last time we never had to break sweat to beat them.
I just hope Saints don't do what Wire did prior to the cup final and play a load of kids, that was horrible for us.

Any of the 9 missing from Friday expected back this week?

As has been pointed out Saints never really get hammered by Wigan but if it’s Fridays team I feel they will.

But the issue is who is responsible for it happening?

It is cyclical Stu but the period of success can be far longer if the correct decisions are made by those in authority at the club. Man Utd under Ferguson and Wigan in the 80’s and 90’s are prime examples. However, in order to extend a period of success the people in charge need to be ruthless.

Seems like Clarke, Hurrell, Knowles and Matautia will be.

I think a calculated gamble was made by Saints with regard to their team selection against Cas and it backfired. I expect a good few to be available this week.

I'm not going to bag Saints for giving Wellens a crack. You could be ultra critical and say they should have learned from KC that giving a completely untested coach a top job first is a very big risk, but the word around the place and from people like Holbrook and Woolfe was that Wellens is the opposite of KC, very tactically minded and very smart about the game etc. I wasn't overly enthused at the appointment, but I didn't see it as a terrible decision. Giving a young British coach a go and someone well thought of, I think we all hoped he'd do well.

But if the rumours are true about them offering him a 2 year extension then it beggars belief. I cannot, for the life of me, see what they've seen over the last 2 years that's made them think yep, this guy is a great fit and he can lead us to success. Absolutely crazy decision that smacks of cost cutting. I'm 100% sure they thought it was a decision they could just about get away with, rather than would be met with enthusiasm. Well the performances of the last few weeks, coupled with our fixture list over the next month have completely buggered that thought. They'll be absolutely slaughtered if they announce that now.

I was never going to advocate sacking him, and I still don't think they should sack him before the end of the season as I don't think it would make a difference to this year anyway, and would just desecrate his legacy as a player. But his contract should have been let to expire with the agreement that it hasn't really worked out and he won't be offered another, maybe even a return to being the assistant coach as he seems to do well there. As it is, I just can't see how this doesn't end badly from here.

I'm not going to bag Saints for giving Wellens a crack. You could be ultra critical and say they should have learned from KC that giving a completely untested coach a top job first is a very big risk, but the word around the place and from people like Holbrook and Woolfe was that Wellens is the opposite of KC, very tactically minded and very smart about the game etc. I wasn't overly enthused at the appointment, but I didn't see it as a terrible decision. Giving a young British coach a go and someone well thought of, I think we all hoped he'd do well.

But if the rumours are true about them offering him a 2 year extension then it beggars belief. I cannot, for the life of me, see what they've seen over the last 2 years that's made them think yep, this guy is a great fit and he can lead us to success. Absolutely crazy decision that smacks of cost cutting. I'm 100% sure they thought it was a decision they could just about get away with, rather than would be met with enthusiasm. Well the performances of the last few weeks, coupled with our fixture list over the next month have completely buggered that thought. They'll be absolutely slaughtered if they announce that now.

I was never going to advocate sacking him, and I still don't think they should sack him before the end of the season as I don't think it would make a difference to this year anyway, and would just desecrate his legacy as a player. But his contract should have been let to expire with the agreement that it hasn't really worked out and he won't be offered another, maybe even a return to being the assistant coach as he seems to do well there. As it is, I just can't see how this doesn't end badly from here.

I'm not going to bag Saints for giving Wellens a crack. You could be ultra critical and say they should have learned from KC that giving a completely untested coach a top job first is a very big risk, but the word around the place and from people like Holbrook and Woolfe was that Wellens is the opposite of KC, very tactically minded and very smart about the game etc. I wasn't overly enthused at the appointment, but I didn't see it as a terrible decision. Giving a young British coach a go and someone well thought of, I think we all hoped he'd do well.

But if the rumours are true about them offering him a 2 year extension then it beggars belief. I cannot, for the life of me, see what they've seen over the last 2 years that's made them think yep, this guy is a great fit and he can lead us to success. Absolutely crazy decision that smacks of cost cutting. I'm 100% sure they thought it was a decision they could just about get away with, rather than would be met with enthusiasm. Well the performances of the last few weeks, coupled with our fixture list over the next month have completely buggered that thought. They'll be absolutely slaughtered if they announce that now.

I was never going to advocate sacking him, and I still don't think they should sack him before the end of the season as I don't think it would make a difference to this year anyway, and would just desecrate his legacy as a player. But his contract should have been let to expire with the agreement that it hasn't really worked out and he won't be offered another, maybe even a return to being the assistant coach as he seems to do well there. As it is, I just can't see how this doesn't end badly from here.

Christ this forum is dreadful. No idea how that posted so many times, other than the forum kept reloading on me lmao. Won't let me delete the extras either

The other Wigan forum has always been far superior

I've no doubt! I haven't seen many forums or even websites in general that are as awful to use as this one in my life

That Saints result/performance v Cas was the worst possible thing for Wigan.
Saints are a very proud club and will come out on Friday and throw everything at us. The players, staff and fans will demand nothing less, they'll all be fired up, Wigan beware.
On to Wellens and that performance, he didn't coach Welsby, Blake or Ritson to drop those kicks or Paasi to drop a simple pass with the try line in sight. They won't do it on Friday. Wigan beware.

I'm expecting a tight game, both these teams can defend, there won't be much in it.

Won't let me quote you RG but I couldn't disagree more with you. Normally I agree with more or less everything you say but not this time.

We were supposed to have a reaction to the pummeling at HKR which never happened, then it was from the Salford game away yet here we are. This team isn't capable of turning this around in a week with the quality of Walmsley, Makinson and Batchelor still missing amongst others.

Wigan will have too much pace and class in the backs and I'd be staggered if they don't win by at least 12. There seems to be apathy between the players now with Lomax blowing up a lot on Friday even though he was at fault for a lot of our awful attack. Wellens is now in that situation that coaches find themselves in where he has now thrown the players under the bus at his post-match presser. This only ends one way.

This isn't an emotional reaction but I said to my lads walking back to the car on Friday that I can see us losing every game in July. Friday is a defeat and then Warrington at home (they have a great record at our place) and Leigh A are both games we could conceivably lose.

I can only then imagine the fans reactions as toxic given the decline of a team that less than 2 years ago won the WCC in Australia (regardless of what some thought of Penrith's attitude)

It is going to be a very interesting few weeks

Of note is that Vaughan made his debut for the last 10 mins or so on Friday and it was clear how skinny he looked. How can Wigan produce the likes of Nsemba and Farrimond and they look like men in comparison? Robertson is another who is clearly going to be a superstar but at this stage looks like a skinny kid.