At age 20 both Burrow and McQuire featured in every game Leeds played that season. They started some games and came off the bench in others but they played in something like 26 or more matches.



It is a poor excuse but not just because we have some experienced players around. Other sides besides Leeds and Saints are playing younger players than Tomkins and Ainscough regularly. Is Myler at Salford suffering because he hasn't got top class players to guide him? Seems to be doing OK to me.

Dave

Not to mention Joe Westerman and Sam Burgess. Hardly in a quality world class outfits themselves.

At the height of are success, I always remember my dad pointing at the opposition team and saying that they were already mentally beaten, and all it would take would be an early try and the opposition team would crumble even further, that was a major difference for me that helped the great team of the 80's and 90's have so much success, that the opposition would turn up already mentally beaten.
ST Helens on Friday night put 50 past Cas, don't tell me that those Cas players don't remember that hiding they got earlier in the season from Saints and were probably dreading playing on Friday night in fear of what might happen. Once somebody's mentally beaten there pretty much out of it.
We at Wigan are suckers for always going down first against less fancied teams just like Celtic on Saturday, Celtic once they scored visibly improved and gained in confidence, had we gone on to score early and first I can just imagine there heads dropping and the game becoming increasingley easier for us.

The difference between us and saints before the game has even started is that we look at the other team and think we can win but saints look at themselves and know they are more then capable of beating any team.

Add to that the likes of Ellis at Wakey, Wilkin at Hull KR, im sure theres plenty more. Its common knowledge IL is looking hard at why so many youngsters come through at Wigan but dont go all the way to the top.

Kris Radlinski explains why in his book. Read it.

I think I may have caused some confusion about drip feeding players into the squad by giving numbers of games. I wasn't stating that there should be a concrete plan set out where a young lad will play only x number of times and no more at 18, then y number of times and no more at 19 and so on. These were just arbitrary numbers to put accross the point that I think players will cope better if given an increasing number of games each season from a younger age rather than waiting two more years in the reserves with no first team experience and then being thrown into most games when either the coach willingly chooses or is forced to. Whilst there will be some players like Sam Tomkins who can do well if thrust straight in (Myler in my view is a different case as he played NL for Widnes and Salford before SL) many more will fail so going from nowhere to first team regular is not a good way to introduce young players.

Considering I warned you yesterday, that was a bit of a stupid comment wasn't it?



Bye!

Imagine what it'll be like on here if they beat us in the semi

At present it's not a matter of 'if' it's a matter of 'when'.

Hate to say it but it's true.

I think we have established on here that the title of this thread is all wrong, there is more than 2 major problems at Wigan.

One of the things that certainly isn't wrong with Wigan is the fans. I am constantly impressed with their commitment to the "team" if the team had half the same commitment they would be top 4 easy. The squad is good enough, on paper, but where is the direction and / or coaching? It pains me to say it but if Saints were in the same position as wigan, we would struggle to get 7000 on.