Re: Gildart Signs : Thu May 17, 2018 7:49 pm  

Considering Gildart (seemingly) hasn’t been given marquee status, one could assume that Bateman would receive it or we have a signing in the pipeline (if Bateman goes)?

[DaveO]

Re: Gildart Signs : Thu May 17, 2018 8:15 pm  

Wigg'n wrote:

Considering Gildart (seemingly) hasn’t been given marquee status, one could assume that Bateman would receive it or we have a signing in the pipeline (if Bateman goes)?

There is a rumour posted on the A&L facebook page from some NRL source that says both Sutton and Bateman are off to the Raiders.

Re: Gildart Signs : Thu May 17, 2018 8:33 pm  

DaveO wrote:

There is a rumour posted on the A&L facebook page from some NRL source that says both Sutton and Bateman are off to the Raiders.

They also said Gildart was going to Saints

Re: Gildart Signs : Thu May 17, 2018 9:02 pm  

Bateman is not marquee status!

Re: Gildart Signs : Thu May 17, 2018 9:43 pm  

Phuzzy wrote:

I think you need to reacquaint yourself with his career. He was England A captain at 20, made his full Great Britain debut 2 years before Bateman and won Man of the series for Great Britain at the same age JB is now. He did not 'become the player we know' in his late 20s at all and certainly not just because you choose to remember it that way. On the other hand, if you prefer to ignore the facts then be my guest. The fact that he is STILL better than JB, aged 35, really should tell you the full story.

Lockers had this weird stigma attached to him in his early to mid twenties that he was some sort of average Joe (by a section of Wigan fans and most opposition fans) and it took that man of the series performance you mention, years worth of ridiculously consistent performances for Wigan and latterly another couple of international man of the series awards before pretty much everyone has been turned around.

John Bateman is top superleague quality and has the potential to be a good international player but he isn’t and won’t ever be in Sean O’Loughlins League. He doesn’t have the natural ball skills or size of Lockers. These two things combined have made him the World Class player he has been (and on the odd occasion he still is).

Re: Gildart Signs : Thu May 17, 2018 9:54 pm  

jonh wrote:

Bateman is not marquee status!

This!!

Good player but never a marquee one.

Re: Gildart Signs : Thu May 17, 2018 11:25 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

Lockers had this weird stigma attached to him in his early to mid twenties that he was some sort of average Joe (by a section of Wigan fans and most opposition fans) and it took that man of the series performance you mention, years worth of ridiculously consistent performances for Wigan and latterly another couple of international man of the series awards before pretty much everyone has been turned around.

John Bateman is top superleague quality and has the potential to be a good international player but he isn’t and won’t ever be in Sean O’Loughlins League. He doesn’t have the natural ball skills or size of Lockers. These two things combined have made him the World Class player he has been (and on the odd occasion he still is).

I remember meeting Rouges Gallery for the first time, we discussed the fact that people on this forum failed to understand just how good SOL was, he was the focus of lots of negative comments at the time by Wigan fans and opposition fans too.

It’s interesting to see some of the posters we discussed that day now raving about Locky.

Bateman has the mentality to be a World Class player.

He however lacks the physical gifts that others have.

Too small for a World Class forward, too slow for a World Class back.

I’d be more than happy to see Bateman leave if we could get an aging Hoffman back.

Re: Gildart Signs : Thu May 17, 2018 11:54 pm  

Wow, re-signed a young lad that the club paid for and developed and he held the club to ransom, just like Tomkins.

Happy Clappers clapping, crowds are gone.

Long Live the Happy Clappers.

Re: Gildart Signs : Fri May 18, 2018 12:00 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

Lockers had this weird stigma attached to him in his early to mid twenties that he was some sort of average Joe (by a section of Wigan fans and most opposition fans) and it took that man of the series performance you mention, years worth of ridiculously consistent performances for Wigan and latterly another couple of international man of the series awards before pretty much everyone has been turned around.

John Bateman is top superleague quality and has the potential to be a good international player but he isn’t and won’t ever be in Sean O’Loughlins League. He doesn’t have the natural ball skills or size of Lockers. These two things combined have made him the World Class player he has been (and on the odd occasion he still is).

Couldn't agree more NK. I never got the negativity from certain fans as it just didn't equate with what we saw on the field, the opinion of his peers or, most tellingly that of the coaches he played under. I truly think the only reason was the old line that I heard peddled at the time that he wasn't Andy Farrell. As I used to say when I heard this "and Andy Farrell is no Ellery Hanley.. What's your point?"

Tbh, this is the main reason I called LSOW on his post. I thought we'd left this revisionist view in the trash heap of history where it belongs. Even opposition fans (well, enlightened ones anyway!) no longer subscribe to this view. I've seen Saints fans call him the best player in Superleague, I've seen Leeds fans say his withdrawal was the difference between us winning and losing the World cup this year. I guess it just galls me when our own fans trot out a long debunked line. Maybe it should be water off a duck's back by now! lol.

I'll share a little story with you though. When Daz Goulding was coming through the ranks I remember chatting to him (he was a good friend of a neighbour) and all he could talk about was how hard Gaz Hock was and how good Sean O'Loughlin was. I've seen nothing over the years to cast doubt on either of those appraisals!

Re: Gildart Signs : Fri May 18, 2018 6:41 am  

jonh wrote:

I remember meeting Rouges Gallery for the first time, we discussed the fact that people on this forum failed to understand just how good SOL was, he was the focus of lots of negative comments at the time by Wigan fans and opposition fans too.

It’s interesting to see some of the posters we discussed that day now raving about Locky.

Bateman has the mentality to be a World Class player.

He however lacks the physical gifts that others have.

Too small for a World Class forward, too slow for a World Class back.

I’d be more than happy to see Bateman leave if we could get an aging Hoffman back.

I used to get terrorised on the Virtual Terrace especially when I was trying to explain just how good O’Loughlin was. It was a losing battle for a long time.

There have been very few players who can mix their game like Lockers and play to whatever role you need them to. That recent performance at Catalans pretty much summed him up.