18 with william hill.

Initially I felt like most this Friday would be a thankful task, but the more I think about it the more confident I am becoming.
Lets get it right this is nowhere near the Wigan side of last season, that been said we have to lift our game massively to be in with a genuine shout, the players owe the coach and the supporters a proper performance.
I would definitely start with our best forward last year Adam Walker, he has started off the bench in all the games for some reason. Poore and Weyman are tackling ok but not making big yards so need to give more. And the backs need to go back to basics and start passing,catching and tackling like professionals and not under 6s.

Wake up Rovers!

If rhys,horney and hally are missing this week it leaves us a little stretched but hopefully still competitive, the main omission from last week was costigan?
Anybody know why he was omitted.

Eden
Gardner
Salter
Welham
Charlie
Burns
Keating
Walker
Hodgson
Poore
Larroyer
Cox
Langley

Rep:
Weyman
Costigan
Green
Carlile

I'm apprehensive about this game. We have been looking shakey all season, our kicking is shocking at the moment, our fullback (if it's Bowen) is still getting used to the game and we can't seem to perform is lockers isn't playing.

Should be a good game either way

How do you work that one out? I said you'd lose to saints by 12-18 points (nearly right, bl00dy luke walsh and his 90%+ kicking accuracy) and that you wouldn't get the bumming most on here predicted. I don;t think wigan are up to much and if o'loughlin isn't playing you mght just nick it. Would be a typical sandy result - pulling an unexpected win out of the bag when he's under pressure

Pay him off & get rid if the decision is made. Hanging on all year could cost more than the 6 months left on his contract. Best case would be dwindling gates, worst would be that plus relegation! Not worth the risk for a measly 10 grand.

Give him another extension. He's been unlucky, he's travelled all this way and left his young family. He works incredibly hard and all the players like him. If we gave him an extension more or less out of pity last term, what's changed?

Realistically I think most of us expect nothing from Friday, but we need to see some positives, be it defence or just some fluency to our attacking play. Going into what could be two important season defining games we need something to build on.

Surely the board know he's not the man and are looking around now for who is available? Difficult one though as there's no real prospect of attracting a good experienced coach so it's another risk with an untried assistant or maybe a lower league coach?

Shaun Wane says O'Loughlin, Goulding and Dudson are fit to play although Sarginson might not make it. McIlorum obviously missing.
Wane will be looking for a big response after a last second defeat at Cas.
With Lockers back it usually changes everything in the Wigan performance.

I think its a little early to start panicking just yet.

Taking the top 5 out of the equation (Wigan, Wire, Sts, Hudds and Leeds) to make it a league within a league for the other 9, every club will of targeted clubs outside of the top 5 for victories.

IMO beating these sides will be the difference between achieving a play off spot or fighting off relegation, whilst picking up points against Top 5 teams is a bonus.

We have played one side out of the top 5, admitably we lost to Cas but on the other side of that they have won all 3 against teams they will have targeted to beat, plus picking up a great win against Wigan last week.

Bradford have won 2 from 4, FC 2 out of 2, Cats 0 from 3, Salford 2 from 3, Wakey 1 from 3, Widnes 2 from 2, London 0 from 3 and us with 0 from 1.

At the start of the season form our first 5 games, the realistic supporter would of thought we would have 2 points from a possible 10.

Don't think we will turn Wigan over this week, particularly as we are front of the Sky cameras and generally have a holocaust.

Get this one out of the way with no injuries and hopefully build up a bit of momentum, as our next 10 games only include Wire from the top 5, with the other 9 all more than winnable.

Wigan 19 Man Squad ( in alphabetical order)

1 Matty Bowen, 32 Joe Burgess, 2 Josh Charnley, 24 Tony Clubb, 17 Dom Crosby, 16 Gil Dudson, 12 Liam Farrell, 10 Ben Flower, 3 Darrell Goulding, 6 Blake Green, 14 Jack Hughes, 28 Jordan James,13 Sean O'Loughlin, 22 Eddy Pettybourne, 7 Matty Smith, 8 Scott Taylor, 4 Iain Thornley, 15 Logan Tomkins, 27 George Williams

Maybe Crosby & James to drop out.

With McIlorum out, a lot on Logan Tomkins to lead the team around (only had 5 starts in career I believe) not a rubbish player admittedly but a lot of weight on young shoulders. The loss of sam Tomkins and Richards from the backs and Harrison Hansen from the engine room would affect any side. bowen at full back looks terrible under the high ball. Not the wigan of last year and shipping a lot of points, averaging nearly 30 points a game against, even when they won they're only game of the season they conceded 24. A tough ask all the same but stranger things have happened at sea. On top of this, if we can frustrate them the fans are quite fickle in pie land and can get on the teams back. not expecting a win but a small part of me see's a possible upset


till the video ref screws us over ....