DaveO wrote: I agree with the salary cap you have to plan your squad recruitment carefully not react to events which is what the club seemingly did with Roberts and then Bird when he suddenly became available.
I said signing Roberts was event driven and not planned at the time we were rumoured to be getting him early but IL was still flavour of the month so I am not sure my view was very popular.
I had thought there was some planning going on for example the length of Phelps contract coincides (when it expires) with a further reduction in the quota. He wanted a longer deal and Wigan didn't give him one as it would have meant a precious quota spot going on him that year (whether he should have been signed at all is another matter). But then when the club signed Roberts early that didn't look like planning to me.
I really do think IL used the Roberts situation to try and gain more brownie points with the fans by making it look like he had pulled off some kind of great business by getting Roberts here early. It seems Roberts becoming available just papered over the fact that we had failed to sign anyone bar Riddell.
DaveO wrote:As to the half backs I had hoped Smith and S Tomkins could pair up and form a new partnership but this is/was too radical for Noble. Smith is a 7 and S Tomkins a better stand off than either Smith or TL. I doubt Noble will try it given Smith's defence but I don't reckon he has worked out half the positions in the side in terms of his best combination including half back. Noble's solution was to go for Bird and when that could not come off he has been left with what he has got but has not made the best of it IMO.
Dave
In fairness i think you kind of answered your own thoughts when you said 'I doubt Noble will try it given Smith's defence'. Smith has now sent a message out to the rest of SL that if they run big men at him they will eventually score trys. Not only is his defence very,very poor,he looks seriously unfit. I really dont see how Noble can try Smith and Tomkins together as i dont see how Smith is going to get back into the team unless he suddenly learns how to tackle. I really dont see how you can point the finger at Noble regarding the halfback problem especially when he was desperate to sign a replacement for Barrett but ended up with a winger a year early.
