There is plausible deniability. IL should practice some.

Why? To save face with the fans?

If IL is looking for a new coach then BN will know he’s not going to be here next year already and so do the players. It’s only the fans that are in the dark over this whole situation imo.

If you think that this publicity stunt by the NZRL is going to in any way suddenly effect the team moral then you are sadly mistaken.

The players know what’s going on at the club and I’d suspect some players like Tommy L will have heard something well before us fans as he’s got a foot in both camps.

The news of this has been common knowlegde within the club for three weeks.

Exactly.

It's a the most basic rule in sport that one day all players, coaches and administrators will leave the club.

The players accept it, the coaches accept it and people like Maurice Lindsey accept it but never the fans.

Yes BN will be gutted he didn’t do as much as he probably would have liked here but he certainly knew he’d be leaving one day. Nor will he suddenly decide not to bother with the rest of the season.

Same goes for the players most if not all have been at a club where there’s been a change of head coach and it’s something they learn to deal with.

I still think IL hasn’t done anything wrong it this situation.

I am one of Nobles biggest critics but it is blatantly obvious what IL has done wrong.

As soon as either Noble said he didn't want a contract for 2010 or IL decided he wasn't going to get one and Nople informed ( I seriously hope these press articles are not the first Noble heard about it) it should have been made public.

That is how most clubs do it and indeed how Wigan have done it in the past for example we all knew Monie was off to coach Auckland. Saints new Anderson was off, Les Cats knew Potter was and so on.

We on the other hand find out because a prospective candidate turns us down and it gets reported in the press. That is IMO bad enough and unprofessional but it isn't the biggest problem with what it appears IL has done.

According to IL it's all down to results for Noble to get a new deal and wait for it, that was said as recently as the Salford game AFTER he had been to Oz and apparently offered the job the Kearney!

Now if you can't see anything wrong with going on the radio telling the world it's all down to results if the coach gets a new deal but having already offered the job to someone else, then we have a different idea of how things ought to be done.

Not the first time this has happened though is it? Higham was told to play for a new contract and Wigan had already lined Riddel up. Seems Noble could be a victim of the same way of working.

Dave

Correct.

Exactly my sentiments.

]

Not only that, but who's in charge of player recruitment? Did IL take a list of players that BN asked him to look at, even though he knew that BN wouldn't be getting a new contract? So who's actually in charge of player recruitment, our coach or owner? Did BN want Amos Roberts, Riddell or did IL just announce that we'd signed them out of the blue. Although i think BN's number is up, the way this has been handled is pretty shoddy. As was the treatment of Higham. C'mon Wigan, sort it out...

I think most people regardless of their opinion on Brian Noble and whether he should stay or go would have to agree that if the articles in the Australian press are the way that he has found out what has happened then he has been treated unfairly. It is common courtesy that someone who is in his position should be told the situation by his employer rather than hearing or reading it second hand.

It may be the case that Ian Lenegan has told Brian Noble that he will not get a new contract or that potential replacements are being checked in case results do not earn him a new contract before this story emerged. However there is reason in the eyes of the fans to doubt that he has. The situation involving Higham last season has helped to create a situation where observers may be wondering whether everyone has been treated fairly in terms of being truthfully informed of their position regarding a contract for next year.

Hopefully the club will make an announcement to clarify the situation in terms of what is being done with regard to the coach's position for 2010 as this would quell any worries among the fans over what was happening and may also prevent any potential (now or in years to come) coaches or players from having their perception of the club detrimentally affected.

If Noble does go (that should now be when really), he sure as hell didn't deserve to be treated like he has been by IL. The backhanded way IL has gone about this utterly stinks.

He has been bleating on to the press about how he hopes Noble is here etc but yet offering the job to all and sundray.

To come out and publically state he hopes Noble is here for 2010 AFTER he has offered the job to someone else is disgusting and is telling a blatant lie. There is no sugar coating or media friendly IL soundbite, he lied.

Noble has underperformed and rightly isnt going to see his contract renewed, that being said, he deserves to be treated in a proper way to mark the work he has done outside first team level if nothing else. Personally im gutted its gone this way, would have loved nothing more than to see such a hard working genuine guy succeed at Wigan, sadly it isnt to be, but IL certainly has gone down in my estimation here.



I agree.



Give over. With the amount of stick you give him, I fully expect you would be happy if Hull/Bradford appointed NRL coaches ahead of him as well.

What would people have IL do out of interest?

Wait until the end of the season and only then start looking for a new coach.

Noble knows full well he is off at the end of the season.

It makes good sense for IL to be sounding out who might be available for next season.

I don't think it's that bad.

As long as Noble and IL are straight with each other it doesn't matter what he tells the world imo.

We won’t know for a long time if Noble knew about this or not but I’d personally like to think that he did.

At the end of the day we are looking for a new coach and everyone knows it. IL has gone out to get one of the future stars and he’s being slated for it cause it upsets some fans that he’s not told them the full story????

Honestly some fans can moan about anything these days

FWIW my sources in Aus tell me this guy is now being looked at...

rlhttp://www.melbournestorm.com.au/default.aspx?s

Ths only purpose that would serve is prevent people like you having a pop.

Noble knows he's going. The players know he's going. 90% of the fans know he's going. The relevant discussions were held weeks ago.

What this really boils down to is do you want a new coach or don't you? Most Wigan fans would say yes. But to bring that situation about, and keep EVERYONE satisfied, is virtually impossible.

This year, Noble has proved himself an ineffective coach both on and off the field. His response to being told that he had to turn things round was to go bleating to the press, and, when p1ssed, telling any fan that would listen that he didn't get on with the chairman.

At the end of the day, no-one enjoys being forced to leave their place of employment. There's no happy way to resolve that.

It's far more interesting - and a greater talking point, I'd have thought - that we approached Kearney in the first place. It's certainly disappointing that he said 'no', but it proves we're looking in the right sort of places.

But no, to some folk the relatively minor negatives are more important.