The same playing roster that noble had and had us hovering around 5th and 6th you mean?!

For me the major reason we are challenging is due to madge. Without him, while im not saying we're doomed, I just fear we'll fall back to being 'on the cusp challenging' again rather than challenging and leading the way.

As I said before, Wane is not the answer IMO- Cracking lad, and a great motivator but will prove himself not to be tactically astute enough IMO and sadly I think the push into the limelight could end his wigan career. Would much rather keep him as a number 2 as wouldnt want to risk losing him.

Isn't he going back to Oz once his contract is up? Sure it took all Huddersfield could muster to convince to stay on past 2010?

They like to say that but in reality he wasn't offered an NRL job so he stayed.

If the same happens again I'd take him at Wigan.

The players are good enough to challenge.

Simple as that.

Wane and Edwards partnership will do me.

If you had asked me would Edwards have been a great choice when Noble clearly wasn't going to get a new deal before we knew Maguire had got the job I'd have agreed with you. Now I have seen what a modern RL coach can do I think Edwards needs to go and work under Bennett before coming back to RL. Edwards has been away too long. This is an about face for me as I always thought Edwards would be dedicated and obsessed enough to be a coach with modern ideas himself i.e. teach himself to be on a par with the Aussies. Now I am not sure he could without an apprenticeship.




The idea because technically he can get a release does not mean he isn't in the wrong. There are loads of examples in every day life that show just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. He has broken his word and commitment (if he is off) because he signed a three year deal. It looks like it just so happens there was a mechanism there to allow to go back on his word and commitment.

Happens to everyone in the end - no matter how much they try to fight it.

For Gods sake all I said was I doubted it would take long to get resolved given it is just a coach resigning and getting a new job.

Coaches leave clubs in sport all the time without any long drawn out legal process. It's rare that happens at all even in soccer with its mega-bucks. They resign and get a new job. It's pretty simple.

Dave

If Maguire is to leave at the end of the season then I just hope we get it all out in the open so we can concentrate on the job in hand. I really hope it isn't true but can't see it not being and I think he will be off at the end of this season. That is fine aslong we don't bring problems upon ourselves by leaving everyone in the dark.

Get it out in the open, let the players and fans get their heads around it and lets kick on to some more silverware both whilst Maguire is here and after he's gone under Shaun Wanes leadership.

The culture that has been bread under Maguire is one of no excuses and that if one man exits the team via injury or other means that just means an opportunity for somebody else. The same can be said of the coaching role in itself. If one man in Maguire leaves then that becomes Shaun Wanes opportunity and i'd back him 100% to continue the great work that has been started.

One thing is for sure we can't all start getting all 'doom and gloom' over this. It's not great news if confirmed but it's far from being the end of the world.

that's because tony smith has now got a british passport and has expressed his desire to stay in this country, but don't let facts get in the way! god forbid!

And it's worth saying again he had a reputation as the best up and coming coach in the game, hence the recommendation by Bennett and Bellamy - if they're happy to put him on that pedestal what makes you such an expert we should believe you rather than them? Thankfully Lenegan listened to them, was proved 100% correct and we're now champions, but more importantly with a completely different attitude and ethos from even 18 months ago. I'd consider that a price worth paying, even if you can't.



Too many ifs and buts, yet you come up with load of ifs and buts. He's recruited players who contracts extend beyond 2012 anyway so why recruitment is now a problem only you know?

Yes it's disappointing but there's far too many prepared to throw the baby out with the bath water at the moment. Lenegan will take his time consider his options and will probably put in place a plan to continue the work that Madge has started and will continue until the end of 2011 at the earliest.

Wether Maguire stays or as excpected goes back to Oz we need to remember that all the recent success is not just down to him. He inhereted a decent squad with a good set of young players coming through. We just did not become a good side when Maguire arrived. He got the best out of the players that were there. Wether the uncertainty or other issues have caused recent results fact is this season we have struggled and look like most SL teams as average at present and we have just had our most embarrasing result at home since Easter Monday against Quins a few season ago. 1 great season does not make a great coach. Bennett, Bellamy etc have more than 1 season of success.

IL needs to make a statement sooner rather than later and Maguire needs to be honest about his plans. All this no comment means that the rumor is a fact. Gleeson was no comment but most knew some of the facts.

Correct... So how come nobby couldn't do that in 4 years?

Answer : madge is head and shoulders above any of the last 5 coaches we've had.

Noble inhereted the club in the worst situation it had been in over 20 years. In a relegation battle and a Salary Cap situation that was out of control. Not just going over the cap but spending too much on the top 2-3 players. You dont become a sucessful side over night does not work that way. Even Alex Ferguson took a few seasons to win trophies at Man Utd. Wether Maguire is a better coach than any of the others will greatly depend on how successful he will become. Though tbh i could have done better than Milward.

Lenaghan has as much credit as Maguire in how things have gone in the last 15 months.

That is not what I said was it. I said as he was not a first grade coach with a first grade coaches reputation so ought not to be in a position to dictate terms.



He has brought three players over who I am pretty sure came because he was the coach being ex-Melbourne and I would think other players knowing who the coach will be for the next couple of years will influence contract decisions on their part. Any player who viewed Wigan as a place to go to or stay at because of the excellent coaching might just be a tad disappointed. There are already people putting down the recent lack of form due to this issue. I have no idea if there is anything in that but its certainly not a minor issue if the coach decides to leave early. If the players really rate the coach as we are led to believe they do they are not going to be chuffed he's off.



IL seemingly hasn't got much choice but I doubt he is as sanguine about it as you are.

Noble was in a position where the team was his by the end of his time here and he had taken it as far as he could. Four and a half years was plenty of time for him. If he goes I may think Maquire is a dishonorable swine for leaving early but he took Nobles side further than Noble was capable of. It was obvious. I don't think we need to rehash that debate just because Maquire seemingly wants away.

I agree with you. If Noble was here last season it would be debatable if we would have go to the final and i dont think we would have finished top. Point i was trying to make is that we had a decent sqaud, but its apparently better now but results have worsened.

So he dictated terms did he? You don't think there would have been have a negotiation where there was a bit of give and take, like all others contracts? Maybe we should have just given him a take it or leave it approach, where he left it and we ended up with Noble on another extension.



I doubt players are signing 3, 4 and 5 years contracts based on Madge being coach for two years, are suddenly going to regret it because it looks like that two years is actually going to be one year.

People using what's happening as an excuse for our poor recent form, obviously didn't watch Wigan home games in the 2nd part of last season. I even started a thread about it last weekend pointing out how poor we've been at home for a considerable time stretching back to last season, yet are unbeaten in SL for over a year.

Browns an odd one, he wanted to leave last year, and came very close:
[urlhttp://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-premiership/huddersfield-coach-nathan-brown-likely-to-return-to-nrl-in-2011/story-fn2mcuj6-1225919715687[/url

and he has publicly stated that he wanted to go back and coach in the NRL.
[urlhttp://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/ill-return-to-the-nrl-nathan-brown/story-e6frexnr-1225787855432[/url

But last year he said his wife and kids asked him to stay (which is rare by Australian Family standards).
He reiterated that statement again in last Fridays Post match interview adding that he had his wife and kids to thanks for forcing him to stay on.

be interesting to see if St george offer him the job who wins the battle Brown or his wife
[urlhttp://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-premiership/wayne-bennett-to-make-decision-on-his-future-which-could-pave-the-way-for-nathan-brown-to-return-to-the-nrl/story-fn2mcuj6-1226035797671[/url

cant see him moving to Wigan to be honest

Hopefully the club announce something today, and clear up the circumstances around it, NRL release clause, only a 2 year deal etc. That way we can just focus on the rest of the season.

I have concerns about that in terms of how much focus will Madge have on Souths, players like Richards/Hoffman being courted by him and so forth, but hopefully those worries wont come to pass.

I dont really understand why Noble is being used so much as a stick to beat Madge/not beat Madge with, that debate has been done to death, Noble did a helluva lot of good work at all levels of the club, but Madge took us to the next level and won us silverwear.

I just find it hard to swallow given everything he put it place was about the team and we and at the first sign of $$$ he is off and running, despite his talk of legacy and dynasty and "being happy right here as long as we are moving forward". Souths are a big club, but in another 12 months, with another SL title in the bag, every club in the NRL would probably appoint him.

DEFO!!!!

The sooner it's official the better - gets rid of any 'sour taste' as you will and allows everyone to move on and concentrate on the season - starting Friday at KR.

I really hope we pull together with only Fielden and O'Carrol not present we should wipe the floor with any opposition (famous last words

)

so what if he goes he goes, id rather him go now, dont want anyone hanging around if they are not going to be interested in the club,
if he sings elsewhere get rid

At least he'll be leaving on a high note.

haha, yeah apologies for that was trying to stop a rant coming out and lost my typing ability (not that i really ever had it!)

Its Quite sad really, he was due his testimonial next year