Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:19 pm  

The Yellow Giraffe wrote:

Correct. It's the reason we pulled out of the verbal agreement we had with Dwyer.

As for Woolf, it'll be sad to see him go but it's also exciting to see Wellens take the job on. There'll always be the fear of another Cunningham scenario happening but I feel like Wellens is more prepared and has a bigger and better standing within the game than Cunningham had.

Someone mentioned Peet and Watson battling it out but what about Peet and Wellens. Two locals lads head to head coaching their boyhood clubs at the top. Can't ask for better than that as far as the derby goes.

He’s also got a far far better side than the one Cunningham took on. I’m not sure the worst coach in the league could fail to make you extremely competitive. Guys like Roby, Lomax, Makinson and Knowles won’t let standards slip. He’s really lucky in that regard Wellens.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:38 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

He’s also got a far far better side than the one Cunningham took on. I’m not sure the worst coach in the league could fail to make you extremely competitive. Guys like Roby, Lomax, Makinson and Knowles won’t let standards slip. He’s really lucky in that regard Wellens.

I bet Adrian Lam could...

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:40 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

I bet Adrian Lam could...

I’d love to see it!

So difficult to judge what type of job Lam has done at Leigh. I think anybody on here could throw that group of players out in the championship and get similar results.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:42 pm  

I'm a little bit biased here as one of my best mates was involved working for Wigan with Lam and despite the banter we had and continue to have, I still stick up for him.

What I will say is that Lam was without French and Field for all of last season and if you look at the number of tries scored and the assists from both this season then if you take them out of the current Wigan team, you wouldn't have won the CC or sit 2nd in the league. In 2020 you were inches away from winning the Grand Final having finished top of the league. Lam had a hell of a lot of bad luck despite everything and I know a lot of what went on behind the scenes trust me.

As good as Wigan have been in parts you were less than 4 mins away from losing that CC Final. Things could look very different had that not gone your way.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:44 pm  

The Yellow Giraffe wrote:

Peet and Wellens. Two locals lads head to head coaching their boyhood clubs at the top. Can't ask for better than that as far as the derby goes.

I obviously hope there is another KC scenario, but you're right. It would be brilliant for the derby and there is always that little something extra about the sport as a whole when we are the top two.

Winning trophies is great. Beating Saints to win trophies is even better.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:45 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

I’d love to see it!

So difficult to judge what type of job Lam has done at Leigh. I think anybody on here could throw that group of players out in the championship and get similar results.

He'd be cr@p, simple as that. Zero structure, motivation or guidance etc.

Let's not forget this is a guy that coached a team with 2x MOS winners and a Daly M 2nd row of the year, but couldn't get them to score a single try Vs Leeds.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:49 pm  

Stu M wrote:

I'm a little bit biased here as one of my best mates was involved working for Wigan with Lam and despite the banter we had and continue to have, I still stick up for him.

What I will say is that Lam was without French and Field for all of last season and if you look at the number of tries scored and the assists from both this season then if you take them out of the current Wigan team, you wouldn't have won the CC or sit 2nd in the league. In 2020 you were inches away from winning the Grand Final having finished top of the league. Lam had a hell of a lot of bad luck despite everything and I know a lot of what went on behind the scenes trust me.

As good as Wigan have been in parts you were less than 4 mins away from losing that CC Final. Things could look very different had that not gone your way.

We were poor to watch in 2020 though and had it not been for moments of brilliance from French would have lost a lot of games that we narrowly won. You may say that is no different to now, but everything about watching us is better than it was under Lam. The same pack that we have now (minus Ellis and Mago) got battered week in and week out last season, but this season it is dominating more often than not which is seeing the likes of Harry Smith finally show what he is capable of.

We have put sides to the sword a few times this season and we never did that apart from playing a 12 man Leigh.

He will point to bad luck (he has) but that doesn't explain some of his team selections and some of the performances we put in under him especially in big games. (See performances against Leeds and Hull in the cup 2020/2021 compared to our cup displays this season)

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:50 pm  

Stu M wrote:

I'm a little bit biased here as one of my best mates was involved working for Wigan with Lam and despite the banter we had and continue to have, I still stick up for him.

What I will say is that Lam was without French and Field for all of last season and if you look at the number of tries scored and the assists from both this season then if you take them out of the current Wigan team, you wouldn't have won the CC or sit 2nd in the league. In 2020 you were inches away from winning the Grand Final having finished top of the league. Lam had a hell of a lot of bad luck despite everything and I know a lot of what went on behind the scenes trust me.

We were on about the absence of Field and French at the game on Friday gone and the general thoughts were that had Lam had those two in his side last year, we’d have scored more points, won a few more games but still not won a trophy. We just couldn’t win big games under him. You clearly know more than me about what went on behind the scenes but just on face value, on the field, he just couldn’t seem to get improvements out of hardly any of the players and that wasn’t just in 2021.

On the plus side for Lam, I presume he played a fair part in getting French and Field here, so he’s certainly left behind some quality, that is really helping us at the moment.

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:54 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

We were on about the absence of Field and French at the game on Friday gone and the general thoughts were that had Lam had those two in his side last year, we’d have scored more points, won a few more games but still not won a trophy. We just couldn’t win big games under him. You clearly know more than me about what went on behind the scenes but just on face value, on the field, he just couldn’t seem to get improvements out of hardly any of the players and that wasn’t just in 2021.

On the plus side for Lam, I presume he played a fair part in getting French and Field here, so he’s certainly played a part in what is happening this season.

Don't get me wrong he was hard work and without going into details with a bunch of strangers on here he made some daft decisions. But the fact remains that he was without two superstars. As good as Woolf is as a coach, how would we have gone this season with no Welsby or Lomax all season when you look at their stats and creativity?

Also I can't stress enough how Harry Smiths confidence was shattered last season with Hastings alongside him. Its why he looks a completely different player now, free of any shackles.

I just feel that Lam gets a raw deal overall. And for all the big game comments, Holbrook only won one big game at Saints and that was against Salford in the GF. We lost a CC Final, a CC semi final and a play off game under him. With Woolf I always feel we will never lose a big game (obviously we do!)

Re: Wigan v Sts discussion : Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:59 pm  

You also had the blueprint to beat us at the end of 2020. You beat us convincingly at Langtree towards the end of the season (I'll always call it that name) and as I said earlier, inches away from wininng that GF.