Such a loyal coach, seems his teams just can't get over the line recently.

No cups for two years, young players love him.

Other teams fans hate him (not a bad sign)

So, after two years without success how do we judge the man?

Shaun will be with us for a long time. It really is pointless debating this.

What ever we, the "other teams fans" think of him, he's Wigan to the core, he may never live down the image" that" video gave us of him, but he showed class tonight and you'd do well to keep him.

Now back to celebrating

I think Wigan deserve him ....
Long may it last.
And long may Matty Smith stay too ...

There hasn't been success in terms of silverware but, if you look at the bigger picture, he has given game time to the youngsters which can only benefit the club more in the long tern.

He stuck with George Williams at stand off who has made the spot his own. Burgess came in seamlessly and Manfredi has done the same. Young Gildart looks to have a great future if he progresses as he should and let's not forget Crosby in the pack. There has been a good balance with the older, more experienced players such as Lockers, Mickymac, Bowen, Smith etc.

Back to the trophies. In his four years in charge he has won the LLS, the Challenge Cup and a Grand Final. The last two Grand Final defeats could have gone either way. The Saints final has been done to death with the Flower incident and yesterday there really wasn't anything to separate the sides. In those games it's often a bit of good fortune that's the deciding factor - perhaps yesterday was Smith's knock on for their first try to get them straight back in the game and also the knock on that should have ruled out Leeds' second.

We have the best production line/academy in Rugby League. It's great to see that we're using it. You don't want to overdo it at the expense of trophies but all in all I thing Shaun has the balance right.

The big disappointment for me this year was the exit from the Challenge Cup with barely a whimper. I think SW will recognise that.

All things considered, I think he's doing a great job and he'll do for me.

Three grand finals in three years... We are clearly a crap side with a crap coach...

No one can question he is loyal but the biggest disappointment for me this season and not just last night has been the quality of out attack.just think we lack that killer instinct at time. I think if we are to sign anyone else then it needs be an attacking minded assissant coach.

We're a young side and we're developing. There's some tough calls to be made but if the right ones are made we'll have plenty more opportunities to win the Grand Final and also the challenge cup.

It was the end of an era last night IMO. We've done well to win as much as we have at a time when Leeds have been able to keep their squad together (unbelievably impressive in a salary capped sport). We need to make sure we're the team for the future now because there's no reason why we shouldn't be.

I have no problem at all with the perceived lack of success that has others up in arms on here at times.

We play a good brand of rugby - Not just grinding out every game.

We also have some of the most exciting youngsters in the game right now.

Yes, we needed to be more consistent for the first half of the season, but that proved not to matter at all in the end (2nd in the league table should NEVER have been possible given our complete lack of away form until about June/July).

We are unbeaten at home in more than a calendar year.

We finished second on GOAL-DIFFERENCE from the so-called runaway best team in the competition.

We have contested the last 3 Grand Finals.

We lost one of the closest Grand Finals ever due to a couple of mistakes (Matty smith knocking on and IMO the referees for Leeds' second try).

I have no problem AT ALL with us winning nothing this year, as we seriously contested everything but the Challenge Cup.

And next year, the kids will be even better.

Yeah, I think Wigan hating aside, SW is exactly what we need in this country if we are to develop youngsters good enough to challenge the Aussies etc.
Youth development is crucial.

And so it begins....we might as well just copy & paste the Waney out posts from 12 months ago. I [ido [/ibelieve there's a huge amount of arrogance from some sections of the fan-base whereby they demand we win everything every year & anything less than that requires heads to roll. I long for the day when rational argument can be had without some troll (home or away) decides they know everything going on in the dressing room, or parachuting in some (currently) out of work high-flyer to take over is the answer to life, the universe and everything.
But then this isn't the Oxford Union debating society, and life would be boring without a bit of free cabaret & a bust up every now and again.

Everything in this thread pretty much spot on. He's a brilliant coach developing what will be a formidable side in the next few years. He's won all 3 trophies and been unlucky in the last two years not to pick up 2 more GFs and a LLS (although Leeds would have been equally as unlucky if we had won either, if that makes sense).

I'm not actually sure why opposition fans hate him so much, bar the usual anti-wigan brigade. He always seems very complimentary of the opposition, he even seems to have stopped the Saints hating and is very complimentary towards KC and his team. He doesn't complain about refereeing decisions half as much as other coaches- last night when asked about the Joel Moon try all he said was 'well it was given'.
He's an English coach loyal to his home town club and is bringing through some brilliant young english players, as he always has- sending up the likes of Tomkins, Farrell etc. when he was coaching lower down. He really has worked for everything he's got with this Wigan side and should be admired.

Opposition fans go on about him being dirty and encouraging his players to go out and commit foul play. Literally this just comes of one comment in the WCC documentary and any fans who think their coach doesn't do exactly the same is either naive or stupid.
Do we really think the likes of Kieron Cunningham and Paul Anderson are telling the players not to be too aggressive and go out and play nicely with the other boys? Give over.

He's restored my faith at the back end of this season and I'm again convinced he's the man for us. We need to grow and evolve and to do that he needs to make some tough calls but if he can do that I genuinely believe we can have a hugely successful period.

With players like Sam Tomkins, Farrell, McIlorum, Williams, Bateman etc in the side we're going to continue to be there or thereabouts.

Looking at what we need to improve id say Gildart developing in to a top Centre will be huge for us and we could do with Ryan Sutton really kicking on to become the prop that he's capable of. We're covered on the wings, in the halves and at back row for a number of years.

I think there's a difference between expecting to win everything and expecting to win some trophies. In three of his four seasons Wane had failed to win either major trophy, and we have been knocked out of the challenge cup by Cas and Hull KR in that time. I know it won't happen but I'd like to see us try someone new. Darryl Powell would be ideal

We need strengthening in the three quarters for next year. Burgess has gone and I believe Sarginson deal with Bath is done. If Charnley does go to Union then we will be pretty low in strength and cover. Perhaps our biggest requirement is a reliable goal kicker.
Sam coming back is fantastic but Joel and MM need to improve vastly next season on this for me as they will be the senior players as SOL looks unfortunately like his best days are behind him.
I'm not being negative but hopefully IL is looking for further signings before the new season.
I'm more than happy with SW and I don't think there is anyone better than him in bringing top class youngsters through the system and with a touch of luck a trophy or two will come our way.

Don't want to sound like a broken record but for me the majority of this falls at the feet of Smith again. A scrum half should be attacking the line and creating things but he is too predictable and slow near the opposition line but the return of Sam T will increase the intensity in that area tenfold.

On the original subject. Waney is creating a dynasty here and needs to stay. He is blooding a very good young local side and the future looks excellent. I see a mini domination on the cards for us in the near future.

Without doubt he needs to stay, no question.

Next year is career defining however for him. We need a major trophy, and we need to come out of this transitional phase we seem to have fallen into.

We have everything in place to create a generationally dominant team, like Leeds have, and that needs to become a reality next year.

If we don't come away with either the Cup or SL title should and I think will go.

I know it's early but I am genuinely already very excited about 2016 and he has to deliver.

Do you honestly think that Powell is a better coach. Based on what?

Shaun Wane beats Powell on any criterion you care to name (except as a player).

Powell is doing a similar job at Cas to Stuart Raper. Maybe we should learn from history. Because I don't think one Challenge Cup success, which is what Raper achieved, in three seasons is what you'd be looking for from someone who is expected to improve on Shaun Wanes record.

There is nothing that Powell has done that would lead you to expect better than Shaun Wanes achievements.

Pretty sure Raper was here for 2 years and we managed 1 CC and a GF loss (plus another at the end of the season he left).

However I fully agree with jonh.

Powell's teams regularly play far better than the sum of their parts, look at the squad Cas have had the last two years and tell me they should be getting to a cup final or finishing at the top end of the table. If Powell had our resources at his disposal he could do great things IMO

I disagree. Holding a ridiculous opinion like that is easy because it'll never be tested. I can't prove you wrong because Powell will never get a top job. Ask yourself why?

He had the chance to do at Leeds what Waney has done here. And he wasn't up to it.

This Wigan team that Wane is building will be the dominant force in Rugby League over the next five years.

We got knocked out of the cup by two teams having a hot season... We were their cup final.

I wouldn't be too sure about Powell never getting a top job but we shall see. Judging him by the standards he set in 2001 is beyond harsh, he had only just stopped playing! I hope you're right about us being the dominant force but I'd be more convinced if we were winning these finals and not getting knocked out of the cup by lesser sides. Leeds have a bloody good squad with some quality young lads coming through who are already building up vital experience of winning finals. I'm not confident we can top them with Smith, McIlorum and Wane in key positions, particularly once Lockers calls it a day

Neither looked too hot against Leeds in their actual cup final!

And the 2010 side containing Sam, Joel, Hansen, Mossop, Tommy, Goulding etc should have dominated for the last 5 years but didn't. We had the players then to create a dominant side but all of the above moved on. Why won't it happen again?

Simply put nothing is locked in and I'm sick to death of this living for the what's supposedly 24 months on the horizon. The notion that another trophyless season is acceptable because in 12/24/36 months we maybe dominant is fools talk imo.

Delivering success last night was just as important as winning SL next season. There's too much talk and emphasis on the future and not enough attention to the here and now. FWIW that's not all down to Wane some of it lands at the feet of IL