BRIAN Noble admits time is running out for some of his players.
The Wigan coach was scathing of his side's performance following last Sunday's humiliating 57-16 defeat by St Helens at the Millennium Magic.
Warriors are in Challenge Cup action tonight when they take on National League One's Whitehaven in the fourth round.
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And Noble has warned his stars that they must start performing, or else.
"Excuses are running out for certain people," said the JJB boss. "We were very, very disappointed.
"It hurt everybody. It hurt me and it hurt the Wigan fans who have been very, very loyal.
"It's important that we respond but we have to stay tempered. We have to keep doing some of the things we are doing but we certainly have to change in relation to what we did at the weekend.
"While you don't want it to affect your next performance it is important that we recognise we were well off the pace in relation to a lot of things.
"It's important that we recognise that everyone has to show up for this team. We have to re-instill some confidence and the back-to-basic beliefs I have."
Wigan are set to give a debut to teenage half-back Sam Tomkins.
Tomkins, the younger brother of first-team forward Joel, who this week signed a new two-year contract with the Warriors, gets his chance because New Zealand's Thomas Leuluai is expected to be jet-lagged following his whistle-stop trip to Sydney and back for Friday's centenary Test.
Wigan welcome back second row pair Gareth Hock and Phil Bailey from suspension and illness respectively as they look to bounce back from the embarrassment of their 57-16 defeat by St Helens in Cardiff.
Wigan, whose tie was delayed because of Wigan Athletic's Premier League clash with Manchester United yesterday, are expected to make progress against the National League One part-timers.
Whitehaven suffered a club record 98-4 defeat when they visited Wigan in the fourth round in 2000 and have not beaten the Cherry and Whites since scraping an 8-5 home win in 1982.
Their only away win was back in 1972 at the old Central Park ground in the last season of the old one-league system and they are forced to field a severely weakened side.
The Cumbrians will be without recent signings Martin Gambles, Andy Gorski and Tane Manihera, who are all ineligible, and long-serving overseas duo Leroy Joe and David Fatialofa, who both broke their arm in the last game against Leigh.
Hooker Carl Sice is also sidelined with a fractured bone in his hand.
"The St Helens result was probably a bad one for us but it shows they have areas we can work on," said coach Ged Stokes.
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