What a diffference he has made to the team already.

I love how professional he is in interviews and he never takes credit, always gives the credit to the players. I've been watching wigan for over 10 years and i dont ever remember us having a coach like this. I would bet every single penny i've got that we will win our fair share of silverwear under him in the next 3 years. I know one day we will lose him to the NRL but christ he is a cracking coach!

We just look like a completley different team compared to last year even though its all the same players bar one. Last year we would have just given up at half time in yesterdays game IMO, but we've been playing for the full 80 in every single game and its paying off big time. Keep it up Madge

All us fans have wanted over the past 5 or 6 years is consistant effort. I don't care if we win or lose as long as the players look like they want to be pulling on the shirt in every game.

We could have lost last night and i'd have still been happy.

Loving it so far.

I wouldn't have been. Not after half time anyway. The first half we didn't play like we had trained to play and didn't give a fair showing of how good we really are.

In the second half I thought we deserved to win and it would have been heartbreaking to see us lose in the last minute. I would have been pleased with the effort, but disappointed with the result.

And to think if I'd never put him in my sig, Lenegan may not have been aware he was available.

Good post, he's so far making the same type of impact that Graham Lowe did when he came in. We went from finishing 3rd in the league, to winning it by a record margin, with the same team. I'm not suggesting that's going to happen now, as tbh in 1987 we were blessed with the best 6,7,13 combination in the world and some other tremendous players - coupled with the fact that we were the first team to actually take the game a lot more seriously and approach every aspect in a professional manner.

It does go to show though what an impact the right coach can have, the same players are coming on leaps and bounds.

It’s so refreshing watching the team play

We seem motivated,
We’re defiantly fitter,
We have planned moves,
The players are a unit and fight for each other.

I honestly think that a lot of the progression we’ve made are based around my 2nd point. Extra fitness isn’t just being aerobically fit or losing some weight but it’s also about the extra bulk the likes of Joel, Coley, Hansen, Fielden and even backs like Gleeson have gained. It’s allowing us to play harder, faster and stronger for longer periods of the game meaning we are never out of reach from a potential victory.

Some times our attack is breath taking as it isn’t like it was in previous season were it would take a moment of individual brilliance for us to score as we’ve now actually got set moves which can open up defences.

Lets not get ahead of ourselves we will hit a bump at some part of the season as every team does but with Wane and Mage leading us I don’t think we’ll be down for a pro longed period of time.

From this time last year we have had a couple of changes that have made us a stronger team this season.
At 6 there was Tim Smith and playing 3 was Darrell Goulding with Amos at 2.
Our right side defence was awful.
During the season Gleeson was bought and Smith was replaced by Sam T.
All those changes made us a better team last year and a far better one in 2010.
MM and SW are a good twosome to me and the results are being shown on the field. Quality conditioning staff have made a massive difference too.

Maguire and Wane have done a fine job so far but lets credit Mark Bitcon and the other fitness coaches too. They must've worked their socks off to make us a very fit team.

Does no-one think that Mike MaGuire has a bit of a popeye lip when he's talking to Shaun Wane? He seemed to talk out the corner of his mouth to Wane.

i love the fact that he was hired for his tactical brilliance, yet Madge has concentrated on the basics - fitness, morale, pride, and leadership.

League gets ever more complicated, yet here is this coach with a back to basics approach.

I love it.

He has brought a hard work attitude into the squad. They look far more enthusiasic than they did last season and this shows.
MM has brought a different tactical approach. Our full backs now attack from deep, at speed and seemingly the same angles of approach that Slater uses down under. Both HKR & Wire had difficulty picking both Phelps and Roberts when they attack like that.
He also changed our dummy half player at Wire and it really did pay dividends. Also he played mostly without Feka knowing he would be down to 16.
He is very tactically aware and this shows more each time we play.

It is early days but the signs are very promising indeed. He has the makings of a world class coach. As someone said above we will hit a bump at some point so lets see how he and the team handle it when it does happen.

I thing it is frightening how much more Maguire has got out of the same group of players (bar one.) At the start of the season I said he would improve us but I am not sure the group of players we have are good enough to win anything. I think I am slowly starting to change my mind on that front.

If look back to the start of Nobles reign and he had a similar start and won a good few games on the bounce when he took over, we really must not count our chickens just yet.

Who would you say the one is? (just out of interest).

To me he's got alot more out of some of the underachievers but then guys like Carmont, Richards, Leuluai, S Tomkins, O'Loughlin etc are at the same level as they've always been because they are natural competitors and don't need a new coach to give them a boot up the backside.

I would say Deacon, as nobby didnt have him, but thats how i read it

Its like a breath of fresh air. just what we needed. we were standing still under noble. great team effort from all the coaching staff and fitness team.

Of course.

Just me being thick. I thought he might have been on about one of the other players who haven't quite hit top form yet.

???, Noble won his first game (Hudds, away) then lost his next 6 !!!!!




p.s. I dont think anyone should underestimate the impact Shaun Wane has had.

Never ever let the facts get in the way of a good story!!!!

We have never gotten off to a good start under Noble. The last 3 years we have looked sluggish and unfit right from the off. This year we look fit, healthy & enthusiastic. If we can get off to a good start [say 10 wins out of 13 in the second half of the year we should be really in good shape for a top 4 finish.

If we can get 10 out of 13, I would have us as being in a good position for a top 2 finish.

The way we are playing right now still has a few rough edges that will be ironed out over the season.

However, I'm struggling to remember the last time I saw a Wigan that looked as desperate to do well both in attack AND defence as this one - Probably when Mike Gregory was in charge.

If we keep going exactly as we are now, I would put us in the top 3.

If we iron out some of the little issues (penalties conceded, allowing the ball to be stolen, etc.) then I personally think that we can finish in the top 2, with no reason whatsoever that we couldn't grab top spot.

I know, I know - Too early in the season for such abject optimism, but I just can't help myself.
MM and SW have made a true believer out of me.

10 wins out of 13 would put us in a fantastic position and after starting with 3 wins from 3 it's not unachievable(although is still a tough ask).

If we managed to do it and then replicate that form in the 2nd half of the season we'll be nailed on for the top 2 and in all honesty probably finish top. I'd imagine whichever side does finish top this season will probably lose 7 or 8 games because theres just so many tough fixtures out there.

Leeds must still be favourites to finish in that top position but they've lost 2 games already you'd have expected them to win. When you consider they've still got away games at places like Wigan, Saints, Hull, Bradford, Warrington, Catalans, Huddersfield etc those 2 defeats could end up costing them.

The downside to that is bar the Warrington fixture we've still got to go to all those places aswell.

Well we have won three now so that means we need 7 wins out of our next 10 games...not undo-able. Massive ask with big games against Leeds & Saints coming up.

I think we can get one win from those two fixtures, that should put us in a good position

If show we can compete with those two, and back it up with a solid performances week in week out, then we can talk of a top 2 finish

The big tests for our hopes of finishing top 2 will be at places like Bradford next week and at Castleford a couple of weeks after that. They are both decent sides but if we look at the game between the 2 last Friday then compare it to our game the night after against Wire they're both clubs we should be well capable of beating.

As ever it's all about the attitude. If it's as good in those games as it has been upto now we'll stand a fantastic chance.

Games against Leeds, Saints and Wire could go either way and in reality any wins picked up in those are like bonus victories. They're hugely important but they're not our bread and butter.

Maguire always talks about improvement throughout the group.
This is what is being acheived so far.

Against Crusaders we were scratchy in part and understandable being the first game.
When HKR were here we improved and Morgan said that at times Wigan's kicking game was perfection. After that game MM said we needed to improve for the visit to Warrington.
At the HJ I thought it was a massive improvement on the HKR game in most things apart from perhaps the kicking game. We raised the pace and intensity of our play and the players out there gave it absolutely everything.

In the first two games at DW the opposition only scored one try in each game. If Cats are restricted to one or two tries then it will be another good performance.
As improvement is what MM is seeking and getting then we have every right to be optimistic. At the same time we are all realists.
The comparison of our first three game this season with the first three last year shows the degree of improvement made.
Well done all, long may it continue!