His injuries have ruined him

He has lost his confidence

He isn't brave or couragous enough to be a top full back

A coach can have a massive influence on the passion and pride in the club a player has, that's what good coaches do. Am I alone in thinking we should be spending money on a decent sports psychologist/motivational coach as a priority? A few years ago you could see the players run onto the field and looking at their faces you could tell they were going to win the game, I can't remember the last time I saw this from a Wigan side.

Sports psychologist yes (Hock and Fielden would benefit IMO)

Shouldn't are first team coach or an Assisstant be the motivational coach?

Shame he only gets them up for it around play off time

used to be a v good player - sadly not anymore

Yes but something's obviously not right in that department and as its unlikely from IL's comments that Noble will only go if we lose 6-8(?) games in a row he needs to think of alternatives so we can start to put a few wins together (how many times did we win 3 or more in a row last season?). I honestly believe that the squad Noble has put together is good enough to challenge Leeds and Saints. Its the way the squads are playing thats the main difference. I think the fact that nobody is overly confident we will beat Huddersfield on Friday speaks volumes, I would swap very few of our players with theirs.

Agree with most of that

I don't think our current squad is good enough to challenge Leeds and Saints

Prop, centre and SH is needed before we can topple them (At least 2 if we want to get to their level)

If I was IL I would set him a target (something like get to a major final) and if he does that he gets a new contract (1 year please IL) and set him a new target for the season after if he achieves it

It's all well and good having a decent cup and play off run each season but everyone involved wants to get to finals and win things, thats why we all show up every week.

I watched the replay of the Grand Final the other day and was just thinking how much I would love it if it was Wigan taking to the field

Send him to Barrow! Thats if the stuck up s will have him tho

When he was at Leeds he had speed off the mark and was really evasive running the ball back. Seems like his knee injurys have took that yard of pace away from him and he no longer has the ability to step around defenders. Add to that he seems to try too hard and is scared to death of making a mistake (which makes him make more mistakes).

Wigan aren't performing because we haven't got the players to compete and get us to finals.
Noble can get teams to finals and win them provided he has the quality players. At Bradford he had, at Wigan he hasn't.
If Ian Lenagan signs the right quality players Noble is the coach to win us finals. If IL doesn't sign them then we are wasting our time no one more so than Noble.
IL signs the cheques not Noble.
Noble can only coach the players he's given.

Last year Wigan played crap one week, got booed by the fans because the attitude of the players stunk, came out the following week and beat Hull 66-6. Some of the players wanted to use this as proof that they were trying but all that it proved was that they were underperforming the rest of the time.

Your post simply highlights the fact that people will find any reason possible to defend Noble. IL made it clear that he would let Noble make decisions on which players we would get and who we wouldn't get by your rationale it would make no difference who was coach because however crap the team play it wouldn't be down to the coach... On a couple of occasions this season we have shown that we are capable of playing as a team, we have some quality players but simply don't know what to do when our backs are against the wall, no plan B, same as last year!! That is the coaches fault he should be teaching the players about fighting spirit.

The other thing is there has been many times when Noble hasn't even picked the best side out of the players he has got, 3 props against Leeds in the playoffs last year for example. Don't tell me that was IL's fault too?

Was just about to post the same.

Mathers never had anything to lose, injuries or not. He never had bottle, and has never had heart.

He was made to look better than he was by playing in a good team, supporting the man with the ball. He never made his name with any defensive qualities.

Let him go now, if a club wants to come in for him, permanently or on loan, let him go.

radder's phone won't have a battery long enough to last his desperate need for help. mathers i thought was a good full back at leeds but has completely lost his confidence which i don;t think he;ll ever get back

I have been hoping for this kind of scenario. Hopefully Richie will take up Rads on his offer and if anyone will be able to up Mathers' game at full-back it's Kris Radlinski I'd like to think.

Who knows, it might work.

I know this is a Rads/Mathers thread so this is slightly O/T but I have to agree. For far too often we have performed less than the sum of our parts and the coach has to take the rap for that, whether it's his poor tactics or losing the dressing room, etc. The buck stops with the coach.