wonder if the rfl count on wire salary cap as half the players dont seem to, I tried to be sensible on here but others cant so might as well join in the cr~p comments

This.

Sour grapes being devoured in Pie-Land this evening it would appear.

Whats a salary cap just out of interest ?

So you think Maguire always condoning his players ill-play ("there was nothing in it!" he said about the Hock eye gouge!!!) is within the spirit of this sport?

I bet he watched the Mayweather fight lastnight and thought the headbutt and the knock-out whilst he wasn't looking was all fine. He's that sort of bloke

I cant agree more, i am firmly in the camp of you win or lose with grace, i firmly belive that Mcguire is a win at all costs coach and although he may be good company or a nice bloke as most people seem to say away from rugby i dont think he is good for our game.
If Wayne Bennet or any other top aussie coach coached over here would he have the same win at all costs attitude?

On a side issue i think many of the issues from gloden boy sam are currently being created by the enviroment he finds himself in, created by Mcguire!! So for me i cant wait till Mcguire sods off and then tompkins will get proper coaching and hopefully his behaviour will improve.
I know this would make this more difficult for my team to win but perhaps that just confirms the original point !

I agree. Look at Mourinho in footy - When he was at Chelsea I hated them, everything their players did annoyed the out of me. Then when he left they all seemed to stop all the stupid antics.

Then look to where Maguire came from before he went to Wigan; Melbourne. What is everyone always complaining about with Melbourne? Answer:ill-play, tackling technique, not playing within the spirit of the game, they've got the dirtiest moron in our sport playing for them in Cam Smith (hate the guy!)...

I accept your opinion as it's a forum, but for me this is one of the reasons why as a nation we aren't very good competing at an International level in any sports. We always take this attitude and it starts from very young, that it is "ok" to come 2nd, as opposed to just doing whatever it takes to winning.

Things like Sports Day in some school's have been banned now as it's seen as competing

Integrity synonyms: candor, forthrightness, goodness, honestness, honesty, honorableness, incorruptibility, incorruption, principle, probity, purity, rectitude, righteousness, sincerity, straightforwardness, virtue.

Integrity Antonyms: corruption, disgrace, dishonesty, dishonor.

Remind me who you support, and then go and look in a mirror.

I'm guessing you didn't read my post then?

Nothing wrong with playing to your strengths to win. I'm just glad we prefer to try and score off every set of six, rather than hoping to bore our opponents to death like Wigan do. I don't have a prob with macguire though.

I agree to an extent. Aussies and Yanks aren't happy with silver and bronze etc. I do think in some sports the win at all costs attitude hampers progression when younger. Look at football as an example, when kids play football you have parents shouting angrily most game and a manager telling his players how important winning is. In spain they don't have leagues at youth level and a highe emphasis is placed on playing the game the right way.

I'm just not sure about Madge, he looks like an angry bloke trying to stay in control all the time to me. I reckon if you were his son, and you drew a moustache & some glasses on Ian Beale on the cover of the TV Quick, he'd go off his head.

Take a chill Madge, you've a team who've been saving juice in victories all season just for this time of year, when we've been rattling 70's & 80's on teams, sensible Wigan have only been winning by the odd ten or 20, but it'll be us that it'll bite on the 'arris as we know doing all that stupid entertaining.

I wouldn't say I had a problem with Maguire as such, but I do find it a bit off that he has worn the same shirt for every game in two years. I'm guessing Wigan are paying him enough to buy a second one. I wouldn't mind but I have a very similar shirt which, for that reason, has had to stay in my wardrobe for two years because I couldn't bear to resemble, the lizard-faced, gormless thug.

Still, I suppose he doesn't have to try too hard to look cultured when sitting next to Shaun Wane - jeez.

Shaun Wane was rocking back and two in the changing room yesterday. Did anyone else notice it on sky? It was very strange. Both his feet were on the floor the whole time but he was definetily doing the jailhouse rock up top. Weird.

Cant wait for him to ruin Wigan.

Send him off, send him off. Mard a'rse. Is poor ikkle Michaels team not winning...awwwwww.

did anyone see his post in the programme against hudds about our game, he said that he doesn't take fatigue into account for the loss but strange things happen when a team is fatigued??

Wigan looked exhausted with 20 to go with some forwards still getting back behind the ball on the 2nd tackle. Saints defended very well and should take all the credit for the win but unless Wigan can get some energy from somewhere Saints (or us) will be playing those Frenchie types in a fortnight. Even Leuluai who rarely has a bad game for them was nowhere to be seen and with Tompkins trying to score on his own from almost every carry Wigan looked disorganised as well as tired. Big job on for Fadge this week.

I know profanity is standard fare on here but I thought you would be able to see that. Obviously not.

At the end of the day Saints where worthy winners , the score flattered Wigan thanks mainly to the poor ref'fing. As for the coach screaming for a dismissal the sooner he fly's home to Oz. the better.

I agree with you to a point but I don't agree that 'accepting 2nd place' and 'doing whatever it takes to win' is the same thing. There are plenty of sportspeople out there who will put every ounce of their being into winning, wether that be a single match or an entire tournament. But there is a line between competing to win and using dubious tactics to win and I don't think anyone should condone the latter. It's the same as telling your kid "it doesn't matter if you break his leg as long as you win". That's what people's problem with Maguire is.

A truly great thread.





I thought Eddie Braben wrote some great stuff for Morecambe and Wise but you Wire fans really are the true writing geniuses of the modern comedy era.

You don't actually believe any of this stuff "win at all costs" nonsense do you? (Whatever next, Coley armed with a chainsaw on Sunday?)

Madge was and remains a well-respected coach in Australia. Whatever the Wigan haters here think of him, in the land where RL is a big sport, Maguire is a big name.

I don't dispute his qualities as a coach, his record at Wigan emphasises how good he is.

However, there will always be lingering doubts about his methods of gaining success, and his hollering antics on Sunday simply added fuel to the theory that he is a 'win-at-all-costs' type of guy.....Yes, to some that will be a positive quality, but to some it is an unlikeable trait that doesn't need to be promoted in the manner that he does.

On a footballing level, he is the despised Don Revie ....Very successful, but not fondly remembered, because he made his teams snarl, instead of purr their way to glory.

I can't believe you have compared Michael Maguire to Don Revie.

At times the criticism of anyone connected with Wigan gets a bit silly.

What has Madge done to be "despised"?

Deano, mcguire is from a hau5 melbourne team that got in a lot of trouble, he comes to these shores and brings the chicken wings and lying on (cannot be disputed) tactics. He may well have got a job again over there due to bending the rules to win but he is by no means well respected.

I echo dita's statements.

Madge(sick) was a number three behind Bellamy and Kearney at Melbourne.

Maguire is not a "big name" in the NRL - he may turn out to be but at present he is not. The likes of Bennett, Sheens and Stuart are.