The "Noughties" - A wasted decade for Wigan RL : Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:25 am  

Thats my feeling.

1 Trophy (still more, or as many, than most!)

but

4 finals lost and 8 defeats in Semi Finals.

Bad management from the top led to us wasting a generation of youngsters due to very poor salary cap management. That for me is a major reason why we always came so close but failed.

We were never run as a proper club with a proper business model and proper ambitions. Our salary cap management was a joke and only now do we finally seem to have it in order and our priorities towards our youth rather than over paid Aussies

Just a badly, badly run club.

Makes me think though we were so badly run but yet still came close so many times.

Now that we are finally looking positive in all departments we surely can't be far away from winning things again?

My view is ambition at the top will reward on the field - I think Warrington have proved that this year despite not having an inch of the youth development we have.

We have a good chairman with the right ambitions and his appointments for next season are giving off the right vibes.

Bring on the next decade!

Re: The "Noughties" - A wasted decade for Wigan RL : Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:35 am  

Bilko wrote:

Thats my feeling.

1 Trophy (still more, or as many, than most!)

but

4 finals lost and 8 defeats in Semi Finals.

Bad management from the top led to us wasting a generation of youngsters due to very poor salary cap management. That for me is a major reason why we always came so close but failed.

We were never run as a proper club with a proper business model and proper ambitions. Our salary cap management was a joke and only now do we finally seem to have it in order and our priorities towards our youth rather than over paid Aussies

Just a badly, badly run club.

Makes me think though we were so badly run but yet still came close so many times.

Now that we are finally looking positive in all departments we surely can't be far away from winning things again?

My view is ambition at the top will reward on the field - I think Warrington have proved that this year despite not having an inch of the youth development we have.

We have a good chairman with the right ambitions and his appointments for next season are giving off the right vibes.

Bring on the next decade!

lets hope so no more excuses now IMO we have everything a top club needs

: Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:20 am  

I prefer the term "lost" but wasted is close enough.

[DaveO]

Re: The "Noughties" - A wasted decade for Wigan RL : Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:00 am  

Bilko wrote:

Thats my feeling.

1 Trophy (still more, or as many, than most!)

but

4 finals lost and 8 defeats in Semi Finals.

But there is nothing to say the best run clubs would not have had those statistics. Saints who are considered experts on managing the cap have just lost three finals in a row. The only way for trophy success now is to win a knock out competition. I can't remember which Aussie side it is but one of them was a well run club, was always at the top of the league but had no success for decades. IL can run the club like a well oiled machine but given the nature of knockout football there are no guarantees.

Most of those semi-final defeats also can in the last few years under Noble so we can't simply blame the record on the finances or off field issues. There are plenty of the opinion Nobles "it will be all right on the night" approach to the league only peaking at the end was completely misguided so there are footballing issues behind this as well.

Bad management from the top led to us wasting a generation of youngsters due to very poor salary cap management. That for me is a major reason why we always came so close but failed.

There are now very few players with contracts signed under Mo but each time a player with a supposedly big contract either leaves or gets a new ans presumed lower cost new deal we have not yet seen any great recruitment going on. In fact with the likes of Roberts and Riddell IL's regime has done a good job of matching any of the mediocre players signed previously. In fact bar Gleeson recruitment under IL has been less than inspiring.

We were never run as a proper club with a proper business model and proper ambitions. Our salary cap management was a joke and only now do we finally seem to have it in order and our priorities towards our youth rather than over paid Aussies

The business model and managing of the salary cap are completely different things. If IL had decided to bank roll the club as Whelan did but managed the cap properly and had done things like recruit MM, SW the new fitness coach and all the other stuff people are positive about it would not matter a jot he was doing it out of his own pocket. I don't care how the club gets the money it needs to compete provided it gets enough of it.

Just a badly, badly run club.

Makes me think though we were so badly run but yet still came close so many times.

Now that we are finally looking positive in all departments we surely can't be far away from winning things again?

My view is ambition at the top will reward on the field - I think Warrington have proved that this year despite not having an inch of the youth development we have.

We have a good chairman with the right ambitions and his appointments for next season are giving off the right vibes.

Bring on the next decade!

I don't think anyone is not positive about next season and given we look unlikely to recruit new players it is going to be interesting to see what MM & SW can extract from the current squad for that reason alone. The decision to go with local talent over "overpaid" Aussies is also popular but players like Barrett are not overpaid and hopefully we will still see the club recruit class players when they are available. When it has been successful it has always done that and its part of the entertainment value to see top class players in the side.

Dave

Re: The "Noughties" - A wasted decade for Wigan RL : Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:31 am  

DaveO wrote:

There are now very few players with contracts signed under Mo but each time a player with a supposedly big contract either leaves or gets a new ans presumed lower cost new deal we have not yet seen any great recruitment going on. In fact with the likes of Roberts and Riddell IL's regime has done a good job of matching any of the mediocre players signed previously. In fact bar Gleeson recruitment under IL has been less than inspiring.


Dave

Riddell and Roberts are improvements on Higham and Calderwood. The only thing I would say about them is that they are taking quota spots up, which is a concern.

Are they on higher salaries than the players they replaced, we don't know but as IL is more conservative with the salary cap money, then I doubt it.

Just have look at this


Wigan tries per season
Newton as hooker
2003 - 125
2004 - 125
2005 - 119

Higham arrives
2006 - 110
2007 - 102
2008 - 104

Higham leaves
2009 - 130

: Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:32 am  

I have never been as excited about a new season as I am for this. I think the only time that came close was the year Trent came over to play, as I always thought him as one of the best players of his generation.

Next year I really am hopeful that we can make some huge strides forward! I don't care if we don't win any silverware, just so long as we compete and every single game. No more beating Leeds then losing to Celtic the week after [Don't think this actually happened but using it as a general example]. Good times should finally be ahead for us Wigan fans. God knows we deserve after the last few years!

Re: The "Noughties" - A wasted decade for Wigan RL : Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:47 am  

Bilko wrote:

Thats my feeling.

1 Trophy (still more, or as many, than most!)

but

4 finals lost and 8 defeats in Semi Finals.

Bad management from the top led to us wasting a generation of youngsters due to very poor salary cap management. That for me is a major reason why we always came so close but failed.

We were never run as a proper club with a proper business model and proper ambitions. Our salary cap management was a joke and only now do we finally seem to have it in order and our priorities towards our youth rather than over paid Aussies

Just a badly, badly run club.

Makes me think though we were so badly run but yet still came close so many times.

Now that we are finally looking positive in all departments we surely can't be far away from winning things again?

My view is ambition at the top will reward on the field - I think Warrington have proved that this year despite not having an inch of the youth development we have.

We have a good chairman with the right ambitions and his appointments for next season are giving off the right vibes.

Bring on the next decade!

Wasted more in terms of youngsters who left the club. I think there may have been a few Shaun Long's let go - kids who could have been gems but didnt get the lucky break of being picked up by a big club.

Every team enjoys its shares of success - Wigan gouged on it in the 80's and 90's; but like all RL clubs bad management caught them up.

Like Saints, they had the fortuity of a good chairman coming to steady the ship - the only difference being that the former were in a golden run, whereas Wigan had lost the momentum at this point.

Re: The "Noughties" - A wasted decade for Wigan RL : Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:54 am  

Bilko wrote:

Thats my feeling.

1 Trophy (still more, or as many, than most!)

but

4 finals lost and 8 defeats in Semi Finals.

Bad management from the top led to us wasting a generation of youngsters due to very poor salary cap management. That for me is a major reason why we always came so close but failed.

We were never run as a proper club with a proper business model and proper ambitions. Our salary cap management was a joke and only now do we finally seem to have it in order and our priorities towards our youth rather than over paid Aussies

Just a badly, badly run club.

Makes me think though we were so badly run but yet still came close so many times.

Now that we are finally looking positive in all departments we surely can't be far away from winning things again?

My view is ambition at the top will reward on the field - I think Warrington have proved that this year despite not having an inch of the youth development we have.

We have a good chairman with the right ambitions and his appointments for next season are giving off the right vibes.

Bring on the next decade!

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Re: The "Noughties" - A wasted decade for Wigan RL : Thu Nov 12, 2009 11:04 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

Riddell and Roberts are improvements on Higham and Calderwood. The only thing I would say about them is that they are taking quota spots up, which is a concern.

Are they on higher salaries than the players they replaced, we don't know but as IL is more conservative with the salary cap money, then I doubt it.

Just have look at this


Wigan tries per season
Newton as hooker
2003 - 125
2004 - 125
2005 - 119

Higham arrives
2006 - 110
2007 - 102
2008 - 104

Higham leaves
2009 - 130

Last year our crowds went down but Wigan scored more tries. Therefore Wigan score more when there are fewer spectators.

: Thu Nov 12, 2009 11:06 am  

Supporters from Saints and Leeds especially, on the train home from the GF were all saying they think Wigan wil be the next team to dominate the league and cup for a few years. I personally think that with these young players and if we get the right people in being trained by the right people we are on to a winnner.

I believe that the reason so many people are excited about next season is because it will give us a real indication of what the next era of Wigan RL is going to be like, the new culture, playing style etc there are big changes at our club and this season will show us if they can work boht short term and long term.

Under IL I am confident that Wigan RL will once again be winning things and known nationwide as the best RL team.

I am really excited for next season and there will be a real buzz next year if we have some short term success straight away.