I've been watching Wigan for a long time and I've seen the best and worse of our great club. From the champagne rugby that led to the magnificent successive cup and league championship run in the 80's & 90's to being relegated!
I'm not a happy clapper at all and I can see very clearly that we are not firing on all cylinders. My point is that of all the clubs in SL, I think we have more potential improvement in us than anybody else.
Wire have been probably close to their best early on, Widnes have too. Saints are really struggling and I don't see where their improvement will come from. Leeds are too good to be where they are and will come good soon and I'm sure Huddersfield will improve somewhat.
We on the other hand have managed 7 wins from 8 without a host of key players and with our international players missing pre season. We are therefore in a better position than the other clubs and our standard of rugby can only get better when have our spine at full throttle!

Great win from the Wigan lads last night. I was really pleased with the props who all played well. Hull KR came with a simple game plan and executed it perfectly. They had a really good go at us. Credit must go to them. Anyone expecting a repeat of last years' score was going to be disappointed, especially with what was a scratch side.

After Friday's efforts I think that it was great just to get two points. Looking at results elsewhere to get 4 out of 4 over Easter keeps us in a good position. Joel's return was good to see. If we can get Faz back for Wire and John Bateman is ok (touch wood) then the pack could really be firing.

Another great effort from Sam Powell too.

Waney continues to get the maximum out of a very game group of players. To be 7-1 without Sam Tomkins, Micky Mac, Williams and long periods without Joel, Willie Isa and Faz is remarkable. Unlike Leeds (or the media on their behalf, because to be fair I don't think Brian Mac has a moan), Wigan don't bleat about injuries, we just get on with it. Every game we play Sky mention the injuries at Leeds, Huddersfield, Widnes etc etc, but because we cope it barely gets a mention that we have been without our 1, 6 and 9 for most of the season.

Congrats on your win but all this talk of Wigan's scratch side and no one has mentioned the side Hull KR put out. I was proud of the team that was out there and IMO thought the score didn't really reflect the effort put in by a severely depleted Hull KR side.

You are quite right to say that. The score flattered us and without Josh Charnley 8-10 points would have been more fitting. I was pleased for Thornley. He didn't get much credit from the Wigan fans in his time here. I hope he puts in more game time than poor old Daz Goulding was able to (through no fault of his own), though I don't think he'll be quite as good.

Hull KR were impressive last night and especially after the disappointment of Thursday. The two halves kicked very well I thought, and Blair was excellent overrall. You had a game plan and executed it perfectly. I think it augers well for the rest of your season because there is clearly some desire in the squad. When you get Kelly, Campese, Lunt etc back you should be in better nick.

No, no, no.

It is short-sighted and wrong-headed to clap your team when they've won 7 out of 8 games with several key players missing. The players might be deluded into thinking you appreciate their efforts.

Sarge a big game player? It's the exact opposite in my view. When he is up against good opposition is when he looks like he doesn't know what he is doing. Prior to the HKR game he lead the way in the entire SL in errors made (17, next highest in our club was Gelling with 10 to put this in some perspective) and that fits in with a lot of peoples perceptions of him as a mistake ridden player.

I don't think we will notice when he leaves and when Sam is fit where is he going to play anyway? Replace Gildart who already looks better than Sarge at centre?

As to the HKR game itself it's a case of job done after a tough weekend. The fact they had a weak team out or Wane made some rather odd selections (weird bench IMO) is all by the by. Two games in four days is nuts and no basis to judge anything. We should just be glad we got the points.

Correct
Don't they know they're just wasting their time?
I mean what's the point of winning the league leaders, challenge cup or grand final?
Were not as good as the Australians so it's pointless.
In fact what not petition the RFL to scrub every record since we last won an ashes, I mean as ultimately it doesnt matter if we win the WCC if we can't beat them at test level?




Let's just give up,

Don't worry, if he does prove some people wrong and does well it'll only be because he'll be being coached better etc. hence it'll be (you know who's) fault he was "Rubbish" for us.

I do hope you're right I really do. But I've stated previous that my observations stretch back to the end of last season also. Even when the ball sticks and we complete our sets, if one of few set moves doesn't work we look clueless. Will the return of a few players fix issues that were there last season? I hope so and I hope all the ones saying this are correct, because trust me I don't enjoy feeling this underwhelmed by what I've seen over the last year.

I know Cruncher and Co seem to be content, and I'm glad for them, however I look past the results and look for improvement, we haven't improved, from the start of last season, I think we have gone backwards and that view seems to offend people on here for some reason, like an opinion is a crime.

What's with the idea of holding the ball loose in one hand while running. It is asking for trouble and of course it eventually cost us a try. Get them to cut it out Coach.

I thought it made sense: try and rest Sarginson and Powell for Friday, but have them ready to come in if we were struggling, which turned out to be the case. He gets criticised for not having a "plan B", IMO that worked perfectly as such.

We can only beat what's in front of us. The league may be as weak as it's been in a while but it's all relative and we're not exactly throwing our best side at team's each week.

We always start seasons slowly but usually when we do that it's with a pretty much full team. We've really suffered with injuries to key men this year. Most clubs have injuries but ours have been to our best players in the main and our pivots and the team has been totally disrupted as a result. Yes we've not been perfect and I'm the first to admit it's dull but we've still churned out the wins and I take that as a massive positive. If we can get close to a full team out on the field at some point with our 1,6,7,9 and 13 as strong as it can be and we can get a run of games together with those players playing we'll soon start to put on bigger scores and play more entertaining rugby.

As for 'happy clappers' it isn't that at all. It's an appreciation that we've had to really grind results out and at times we've had to do it in a pretty dull way but we've done it. As pointed out I believe we've got as much if not more improvment in us then any other team and that's both from a personel point of view and from a playing style point of view.

The club is in fine shape.

He didn't do too badly on Good Friday in our biggest game of the season, he was excellent in the Grand Final of 2014 in a losing cause, he was sensational in an England vs Australia test match in Melbourne and so on.

He switches on for the big games IMO and has done very well in some very big games. He's blooming at full back and we missed him when he didn't start last night.

It's all opinions but I rate him and believe he'll step up to the plate in the NRL.

I've gone on record this season as saying that I don't think everything in the Wigan garden is rosy. I have doubts about Matty's ability (sadly, because he's a nice guy), I have concerns about both Sarge and Josh (playing well now - all of a sudden - because they are looking to leave maybe?), I wonder if we could and should fight a bit harder to try and keep players from going to the NRL (and certainly from going to Union) and I don't feel we've recruited enough experience and/or star quality in recent years (as much as such a thing is possible in the age of the Salary Cap). I've said all that before, and my views on these haven't changed.

But to call people 'happy clappers' because they are applauding what the team has so far achieved in 2016 (especially over the toughest weekend of the year, Easter) is the kind of casually scornful mentality that pervades the other online forum and makes it such an unpleasant place to be.

It's a bit rich complaining that being critical of the club is apparently 'a crime', when so many in your camp are so remarkably quick to call those who disagree with them happy clappers.

Fair enough, I retract my earlier comment. I still stand by all my observations and opinion though.