Tomkins is leaving after the world cup next year, never been any doubt about that with the contract he signed

Bobby Goulding reckons it's a done deal and that Parramatta have paid a big fee. 3 seasons of making a title challenge then rip the team up. Joke, What is the point of even watching next year. Won't surprise me if Sam just decides to announce this WILL be his last season. I thought IL taking over was supposed to be the best thing to happen to us. We got 3 world class players by fluke and had a stormer in 2010.

Since then they have all gone, Tommy has gone, Hock (allegedly) gone, Fielden gone, Russell gone, Joel gone, Gleeson done for drink/drugs (delete as applicable), Coley, Roberts and Deacon retired and not replaced with the same quality, forward line destroyed, Rumblings about Sam going.

Doesn't really bode well. The players brought in are the equivalent of schoolboy players in comparison to what we have let go.

Someone on the Saints board has hammered the nail on the head.

'Rats leaving a sinking ship'

Sinking very very quickly. And the silence from the club is deafening. It isn't fair on the fans. They want bums on seats then they have to prove they want us there rather than just pocketing the gate cash.

At the moment we are on par with the likes of Huddersfield and Hull KR, the likes of Wire and Saints will smash us next season.

Onion or NRL?

Just been reading the Oz links posted on here, and apart from the Hock story, there is also mention of George Carmont being signed. We were told he was 'retiring' .


[iMeanwhile, Hock's Wigan teammate George Carmont is expected to be among four signings new Warriors coach Matthew Elliott hopes to announce later this week,

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It is his inability to hold them to contracts that is the problem. There is no doubt in my mind a reason for this will be the club is being run as a business rather than being bank rolled at least to some degree by a wealthy owner such as at Warrington. In order to be able to resist offers of large doses of cash and hold players to contracts you have to be prepared to forgo the cash and let players leave for free at the end of contracts. We seemingly prefer the cash.

I fail to see the point of spending money supposedly got for selling Joel on Taylor if a few weeks later we have to replenish the coffers by selling Hock!



I can't see it. Being able to sell a player for big fee when you would be offering him around for sale doesn't work. That makes it a buyers market. A big fee, if that is what Wigan got, implies compensation not a nominal fee I'd expect for a club to take an unwanted player off our hands. In fact such a player would more than likely just be released not sold.

just about to get my season ticket but it makes you wonder if its worth bothering.

What sort of fee do you think would be appropriate if Wigan do sell Hock.

If only Parra had the decency and bought Hock before Ellis came available, I don't see any feasible replacement to Hock and if he does leave it'll be another set back in what has already been a talent depleted off season. Central contracts for the England team any one?

Talk about feeling disillusioned with the club, after the feel good of 2010 we are now looking at serious player drain if Hock does leave, which he will. Next years squad looks average at best at the moment.

Either Hock has done something to make the club want rid, or he just wants to leave, either way its an unbelievable lack of respect and appreciation for how much the club has stood by him. If its just the the big transfer fee then what's the point in us buying average players in Smith and Green and funding it by selling arguably the best forward in SL?

And there I think is the problem for the fans.

Lenegan wants to make a profit, I feel.

We, the fans, want a successful team.

Il doesn't want the club to run at a loss. There is a difference.
IL also wants a successful team, and to keep the club out of the red he will need the club to be winning things and his vision for the likes of Central Park to work.

He's got a very good track record up to now.

Time will tell.

Without a dead king the pretenders an't become the new kings. But knowing how some fans on here minds work, a few more scape goats is probably more accurate though.

I have faith in IL as no one buys a rugby league team to make profits, Ian would have a lot more prosperous investment options available to him than Wigan RLFC. As previous alluded too IL is conscious of avoiding substantial losses, if you want an example of a club who disregarded finances and went for glory look no further than Bradford, if fans ran a club it would end up like that.

I have been a massive supporter of IFL and I think he has done an outstanding job thus far at Wigan.

For those saying this is a business decision I would question that as the finances we must have invested in Hock including his 2 year ban will be massive. Also IFL is a business man and the first key to making a business tick is generating income from sales, and the key market is spectators. Selling Hock will really take one of our entertaining assets from the team and also harm our chances if success, we will not be in a position to recruit a like for like replacement as there are non in the UK and the cap means non will come from the NRL.

The recent trend is a worrying one and if Hock goes I personally feel it will be a massive mistake, but only IFL knows all the facts and from that point if view only he is able to make the fully informed call.

From my point of view I will be less prone to pay to watch games at an increased rate with a massive reduction in quality and entertainment next year. It is a worrying trend that appears to be developing.

there can be no excuses for the way the club is being run the most inportant people are the fans and IL doesen't seem to care about them.
the fans i speak to are completely disillusioned, the heart is being ripped out of the club and i think we will see this in poor crowds next season.