Moving on from my thread about Noble's win record in regular SL games, here's what our win % is since Superleague begin:

SL1 86%
SL2 64%
SL3 91%
SL4 70%
SL5 82%
SL6 79%
SL7 68%
SL8 68%
SL9 61%(Farrell left after this season)
SL10 50%
SL11 43% (Noble 61%)
SL12 56%
SL13 48%
SL14 30% so far

It's pretty much been a steady decline since around 2000 looking at those stats and after a bit of a boost in his first season and a half, Noble hasn't been able to address it. So is it really Noble or are we just a club that's been badly run from top to bottom and we're reaping what's been previously sown?

Could be either of those, to be honest. But a start would be the appointment of a head-coach who can actually coach modern rugby league.

Having said all that I still think Noble we be here until at least till the end of this season.

There's no point getting rid unless there's someone better to replace him with, and I doubt that could be arranged before the end of the season.

Trent Barrett covered over a lot of problems with the club.

The fact is we have a coach and a chairman who cannot identify the problems with the squad.

Last season it was evident that we needed a prop forward. Instead we bring in Amos Roberts a year earlier and leave ourselves short upfront.

Again we can all see that we lack power and "grunt" in the front row and instead the club identify we need a game breaker and sign Martin Gleeson for a six figure sum. Although I would agree we do need a player of his caliber IT IS NOT THE PRIORITY. Our priority should have been to bring in a prop forward to bolster our front row. Otherwise we can have the best backs in the world but unless our forwards are laying down a platform for them to work from they can't do anything as was evident against Catalans and for the whole of this season.

Ouch, that's depressing. That's precisely the sort of thing that needs presented at a Fans Forum as a counterpoint to the "things are getting better" type comments and happy clapping.

How would I interpret those win ratios? Go back to SL7 and I've had said the only way from the top is down and this is a short term blip. Now I'd say there's an inherent rot at the club and this needs identified and addressed.

I also think that there have been major problems in the coaching staff/regime for too many years. Other clubs have appointed better in the backroom than Wigan and left us behind, it is no co-incidence that other teams look fitter, sharper and stronger than Wigan and better drilled in the basics of rugby league (such things as support play and passing ability).

You have hit the nail on the head. The Gleeson signing was not a priority and the only way you can say it was a good signing is if IL and the fans allow Noble to bring in the rest of the players he needs for next season and finish the job.

Why? If he can't get the results you may as well appoint someone like Wane as caretaker because they won't be able to do any worse and might even improve matters. Then at least a new coach for 2010 would not have a completely demoralised squad to deal with.

No change in coach and results could also see crowd figures slide and prove very costly making it harder to amass the funds to pay a top coach.

I find it sad that Noble inherited a demoralised dressing room and in reality has failed to fix it. It is as plain as day the 2007 and 2008 seasons were not as bad as this one is turning out to be because of Barrett.

Dave

I can't be doing with this kind of thing.

The person most responsible for the current poorly prepared state of the team is the head-coach.

The chairman certainly has some responsibility, but he's not in charge of team matters in training or on match days.

And what responsibility do 'the fans' have in all this? - apart from having supported this team through thick and through thin, at a time when they didn't really deserve it. If Noble and his players make any further catastrophic errors, it won't be the fault of the fans.