According to this mornings 'Sun' we have made a 6 figure sum bid for Hulls Tom Lyneham

Why?
We haven't a hope of getting him and after the recent shambles at the KC Pearson would be publicly hanged and Radford probably keel hauled!
Offer them £100k and guess what their reply would be. Polite answers please!
Their poor fans have had K Hetherington as CEO who sold us Ryan Hampshire as due to her in depth knowledge of youth development she knew full well he hadn't the talent to make it. Selling us Lineham now would really do it!
They are the club who probably are one of the best examples of buying in players when you've got better ones in your own youth system.
They bought Jason Crookes and Joe Arundel and gave them the 2 & 3 shirts.
Come injuries, Tom Lineham and Ben Crooks suddenly appear and really do look the busniness. Both are by far better players than Crookes and Arudel yet Hull are now stuck with them.

We should avoid that mistake.
Thank goodness Briscoe has signed for Leeds. I'd rather us stick with Burgess and Manfredi than go for Briscoe. Him and Watkins might be good with the ball in hand but both together will be a defensive nightmare. They'll concede as many as they score if not more!

Any further signings will be here for the pre season so we will see how they go.
Last year everyone and his dog told me Matty Smith was a poor signing and was nowhere near Wigan standard. They ain't saying that anymore!
Let's see if Sarginson and Clubb sign and how they go 2014.
As for International Quality left centres, like who that is likely to sign and is available, even with a barrow load of cash?

Since IL got his own coach, Mcguire, we have won five trophies since and
including 2010. If we win the GF that will be six. Yet there's only 3 available each season. That's brilliant.
For people like me who went to the 1965 C Cup final v Hunslet which we won, then had to wait another 20 years to see the Cup again, what's been achieved now is quite remarkable.
It seems to me the club know who to sign and who to bring through our junior system into the first team.
I'll go with the signings as 2014 is the only time we'll see if they are good for Wigan or not!

Justin Carney?

Good post FT.

Highlighted is the game that got me into Rugby League. I was almost 15 years old I got bitten and bitten badly, by the Rugby League bug.

Good player, outplayed Charnley when we played them at their place early in the season, but too much of a disciplinary liability IMO - picked up 3 bans this season I seem to remember, which makes even Hock look an angel!

I'd love him at 5 for Wigan. He's an absolute beast, might be a bit of a liability, but get Shaun Wane on him like a tramp on chips, he could be a revelation for us

How has he performed against Leeds and Warrington? Did they find him a handful? Also, the frustration of playing for CAS might be why he's gettting himself banned, if he was playing for Wigan he may be happier.

Sorry, give budgy a go. let him and mafredi share the role next year.

No, no, no!!

12 months too early for either. Send both to a local Championship club for the first half of next season (Leigh preferably), then in the 2nd half of next season either bring them back and spell them in the lessser league games or send them on loan to a SL club (Widnes, Hull KR) away from the spectator pressure of our club!

Such a move worked for Charnley, Mossop, Goulding, Prescott...etc!

Lets not get back to the 'throwing them in early' days ala...Brown/Robinson!

IL has stated that young players will not be 'thrown in' until physically and mentally ready. If we don't sign a winger I think Gelling will play there with burgess and manfredi getting some game time.

agreed