According to sportinglife.com this morning, Michael Maguire joined Wigan for two years with an option for a third.

So all this talk about him ducking out of his contract and being dishonourable is a bit off the mark

Coach speculation is usually the worst type, two examples off the top of my head are Nathan Brown at Hudds, the team took an almost instant nose dive when it looked like he was going and Alex Ferguson a few seasons back also hit an instant slump when it looked like he was going.
Makes you wonder if the players were already aware of this before everyone else.

Based on previous announcements, I would reckon we may be waiting until about the 5th game of 2012 before the club announce that Madge actually left last November!

If he did sign a 3 yr deal and if he leaves after 2 yrs, then I sincerely hope that we are financially compensated by Souths or whoever is lucky enough to secure his services for 2012 - We've just had to pay off Gleeson for being a failure, in addition to having paid £100,000 for signing him, so what price for a successful coach with 12 months left on his contract?

i think its been said elsewhere but i remember its possibly being 2 with a 3rd year option

Madge has a 3 year deal with us with a get out clause according to this

[urlhttp://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-premiership/south-sydney-expected-to-name-former-melbourne-storm-assistant-michael-maguire-as-their-coach-for-2012/story-fn2mcuj6-1226038307128[/url

HOWEVER - others on shortlist

if he goes we should have some sort of compensation

Interesting that Phil Gould confirms his contract staus and intent on honouring it:

"I have a contract with Channel 9 for the next 18 months," Gould said.

"After those 18 months, I would seriously consider a coaching job.""

Thats the same length of contract that Madge has remaining.

If Mr Crowe wants MM, then I hope he has deep pockets....

No its not.

What would you rather believe? The Sporting Life or the clubs official announcement when he signed which said:

"Wigan Warriors are delighted to announce the appointment of Michael Maguire as their new Head Coach. Michael has signed a three-year Contract with the Club for Seasons 2010, 2011 and 2012."

You can't get a more categoric statement than that saying it was three seaosns with them spelled out with no mention of an option.

Read it for yourself. It's in the October Archive of the news on the official club web site.

[urlhttp://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.aspx?id=4168&type=news[/url

If it turns out that all we've got to grumble about is a misleading article on the club's website, then I'll grumble along with you. And much good it'll do us. But some of the language you are using is very over the top. Tems like 'dishonourable swine' and calling for people to be pilloried. You sound like a big kid.

Why don't you just wait and see what happens before assembling your lynch mob.

If Madge goes then good luck to him. He has come into Wigan changed the way we play and the way we train (for the better) and that will continue with Wane. The fact that Madge is sought after is a compliment to Wigan and what he has done here. Instead of some people having a go we should be thankful of what he has brought and i am confident with Wane's passion and what he has learned from a technical point of view he will make an awesome coach and i cant wait.


Good luck Madge!!!!

Well said and to be honest surly people on here must of had an idea this would happen sooner or later regardless

I'd believe Sporting Life before Whelan any day.

Where does Whelan fit into this discussion?

That is something I've often thought about.

He has done well for you, Will his number two be the man for you or would you try & get someone like Andy Farrel of Shaun Edwards back into League?

as much as I would love Faz and Edwards to be part of Wigan again I would'nt be happy if either were appointed infront of Waney

From everything we've been told, Waney steps up when Madge leaves.

Wasn't this the reason Wane gave up his job to become full time as MM's assistant? TBH I was always comfortable with the planned progression but now it looks like a very real possibility I'm not so sure.

Noble offer of a contract for 2010 - no comment

hock returning to Wigan - no comment (well not until recently )

gleeson leaving - no comment

makes me believe he is on his way at the end of the season and the delay in announcing it is down to IL scouting either a replacement or a decent assistant for Wane. Even maybe a big name signing to sweeten the pill

I don't have aproblem with someone using a get out clause if they or their family can't settle. But to activate one to take a job with another club smacks of using Wigan as a stepping stone which I don't like

if we were talking the Brisbane Broncos IMO biggest club in Oz or Maguires home town club , ala Stuart Raper, I may not mind as much

Wane has everthing you would want as a coach tons of passion and love for the club , a desire to win and for Wigan to be the best and he also looks at Wigan like us fans do which for me is what i want put that together with two years of technical coaching training with Madge and Wane is going to make 1 very good coach.

i wouldnt of liked to of been the players on Friday night after playing that bad going in it at half time and facing Wane if he was coach

Did you genuinely think Maguire was coaching in SL as anything other than a stepping stone? If you did, you were hugely naive.

I would venture that every coach that comes from the NRL would want to go back there if they were offered a job. They're here because they weren't offered a job or they were sacked.

No talk of Hanley?

absolutley agree, as I've said a thousand times before he was only ever seen as an assitant and now he has proven himself he will go bak to the bigger stage. As disappointing as that is it's totally understandable.

Correct. This was going to happen next season anyway. I hadn't given it much thought until now but I am worried about the rest of the season now. I don't wish to denegrate the man but will Madge be able to give it his all? If it's all confirmed then IMO Madge will have 2 jobs at once - coaching Wigan and sorting player retention/recruitment for Souths.

[urlhttp://www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-warriors/maguire_set_for_aus_return_1_3283247[/url

I think everyone is aware of this.

The way I see it, the annoyance (which is very OTT in some cases) seems to be stemming from two main sources:

a) The sudden and unexpected nature of this apparent development

and/or

b) The fact that Madge appears to be trying to duck out of his contract early

Now, if in fact it's true that Madge only ever had a two-year contract with Wigan, which is what many sources are now saying, or if he had a get-out clause in the event of very strong interest from the NRL, then neither of the above apply. He isn't trying to get out of his contract early, and this development should not have been unexpected - if his contract ends at the end of this year, then it's only natural he'd start looking for another job with which to follow it (and everyone knows, or should, that the NRL is his ultimate target).

As to whether he can continue to do the job for the rest of this season, when it's known that he'll be leaving at the end, is a moot-point. Personally, I'd give him the chance. It's not like he hasn't earned it.