Things are looking up for sure, but, to say we are going to dominate is utterly ridiculous. We haven't even competed for 5 years [Yes we got to Semi-Finals but we have bottled every single one. A competitive Wigan is what to expect next year.

lets wait and see.

over optimism has an habit of coming back and biting your bum

The futures bright I might just wear my shades

There is no doubt the club as a whole is heading in the right direction. As for a revolution, well i'd prefer to wait and see if our results prove this.

Our problem will be that our pack is the same.

But it should be a lot fitter

Can we stop the 'year of the warrior' crap?

Let's not get carried away. Being a head coach COULD be a bridge too far for MM. Let's comment in June/July.

But they will all be bigger, fitter and more motivated by Wane. They will be running in like Wane used to because they won't play if they don't.

There's no problemns in being optimistic, hell with the set-ups in place and the things coming out of the club, why should we not get excited?

BUT....

We are building us up to be the Harlem Globetrotters of SL. We will not win 'everything before us' this season. That's not me saying I don't think we can because I do think we are more than capable of winning a trophy.

The posters posting that we will 'dominate' SL will be IMO among the first to post 'Maguire Out' when we don't dominate SL.

Be patient, success will come in time.

Lets walk before we can run. We need to simply start the season off strong.

To be fair, the only person who used the word dominate was Odemwingie. However I suspect he didn't mean we were going to win everything, or even to do it next season - I merely think he was being a little over zealous at the prospect of us being a real serious challenger again over the next few years.

For however poor we were at times last year, and for however much the fans of some clubs decry us as rubbish we were within 13 points of the challenge cup final (or more rightly a stupid 20 minutes of play), and 4 points of the grand final.

Now if we can do that with a side that most can see isn't playing to it's potential.......

I remember feeling really optimistic about our chances before the Millward season. I'd hate to see some of the posts in this thread in sigs on other forums. Let's see what happens

Been reading this board for a couple of weeks and finally dicided to have my input and ask a question?

Why do you think that you will have a better season than last year?

From looking from the outside you seem to putting a lot of faith in a untested first grade coach, now while he has a great assistant caoch pedigree, that doesnt mean he will make a great SL coach.

The other reason seems to be that your youth players and their are some great ones will be a year older, but isnt that the same with all teams?

A few other teams have strengthen(some more than others), while you have signed Deacon who should be no more than a back up.

Unless you sign at least another (top) prop forward I cant see you challenging for a trophy and would expect you to finish outside the top four (before playoffs).

I can see on and off the field that Wigan are haeding in the right direction (hopfully like my team Hull), but it may need another season where Mcguire can bring in his own players and get the team playing the way he wants too.

EXACTLY. Thank you

Like i said, if we can be within 20 minutes of the CC final, and 4 points of the grand final, with a group of players who most of us know we're not getting 100% from, then it's not unreasonable to be happy about a new coaching setup (not just head coach, assistant, bigger and better conditioning team, more specialist coaching like deacon + rads) and thinking they might just might be able to deliver more.

Seriously for all the flack Wigan cop for 'being crap' and having 'crap players' what does that make most of the super league teams over the past few years who've not done as well?

I also think it's fair to say there are some people you just know will be a success at the profession they've chosen and Maguire (and a lot of his peers in the NRL seem to back this up) definitely comes across as one of them.

Spot on.

I'm a little worried as to what the reaction will be if we lose say 6 or 7 games out of our first 10. Will people show the guy some patience? When expectations are so high and everybody is so positive a bad start will only be magnified and the dissapointment will make some people go way overboard.

I just want to see improvment accross the board in time. That time could be aslong as 2 or 3 years but the guy has to be given a crack of the whip like that to really stamp his mark on the place. He may be able to bring some short term success but if he wants to change the whole culture of the place back to what it once was he'll need more then a few months.

In what way does losing a player of Tim Smith's calibre possibly make us stronger ?????

The problem for Smith was that he was last year's "Calderwood" - You know, the guy that Noble had to blame and drop whenever things went wrong for the team (usually due to Nobby's complete lack of tactics and subbing by the clock).

If Tim Smith was playing under Madge, I have absolutely no doubt that we would have the top half-back in the competition, as he'd be fitter, faster and (with Shaun Wane riding him) *much* more positively motivated to come up with the goods.

I actually feel sorry for Tim Smith. He came here to get his career back on track and unfortunately became the coach's scapegoat (as well as half of the fans).

Wigan has set him back a long way.

Feel free to disagree and try to convince me that he was as bad as Denis Moran though.

Id expect someone will have a swipe at Mcguire even if we lose our first 2 games, Some people expect instant success, it doesnt work that way in the real world of RL

Dave K speaks sense, although i expect we will be more consistent this season, its important we get a good start to the season i dont think we have had a good start since 2002 am i correct?

We have an extremely talented bunch of players (despite what some on here would have you believe)

BUT they simply aren't (or haven't been) playing to the best of their ability in the last few seasons and only showing glimpses of what they can do (wins against Saints and Leeds for example)

Now we have a new coaching set up who will demand nothing less than 100% so they will have no choice but to pull their fingers out, they will also be a lot mentally stronger when it comes to these big games we have struggled in.

This is not me saying we're going to win trophies straight away but I do expect improvement.

...That's me! Because I 'evolve' but I don't 'revolve'....*


* Courtesy of Alan Partridge. All rights reserved.

Far too defensively suspect for me. I still can't believe Noble kept him in the team after he was embarrassed down in Wales against Celtic. They ran over him three times! And it wasn't the only time it happened last season.

He was improving in fairness but not a loss in my view.

IMO there are alot of positive vibes coming from the club at the moment. New training methods, new coach, assistant coach and conditioner i suppose that is rubbing off on the fans as we all have high expectations. I just hope the positive vibes can be turned into performances. I do not know why but even with almost the same squad as last year , i actualy think we will be a better team. Like i said i am not sure why but am certainly looking forward to seeing the team run out in a competative game where points are at stake. Fingers crossed we dont get the wind taken out of our sails.

I agree there are positive signs and the set up throughout the club as an organisation seems the most professional and focused in a long time. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The team isn't going to change over night and we can't really have a full view of what we can achieve until we've seen the team play.

Every year we get excited and filled with huge expectations. I'm not being pessimistic but don't want to set myself up for a major disappointment.

On balance we have every reason to be optimistic. The side we had last year wasn't a million miles away from Leeds and Saints.

It is possible of course that the new coaching team won't gel with each other or the players, that we'll have an injury crisism, that the young players who have broken through will take backward steps or that other youngsters won't develop into real first team players or that fitness levels won't improve.

But the glass is not half empty; in fact its more than half full. We have people in place now who understand what the Wigan club means and what we need to do to get this club back to the top.

I don't expect us to win a trophy next season or even necessarily to finish higher in the play-offs than we did last year, though I have a sneaking suspicion we might just surprise a few people, particularly if we get off to a good start.

What I do expect is two things: firstly to feel like the club is moving in the right direction but secondly and most importantly for the players to look like they understand what it means to wear that cherry and white shirt.

Everything about Maguire's record and background suggests he is not a man to accept anything other than the very highest standards and I think we all know where Messrs Wane and Radlinski stand on issues like pride, discipline and effort.

Whatever happens, win or lose, I don't expect we'll be seeing many gutless performances or unfit players next season.

Personally I can't wait for next season. Bring it on!

As long as the team turn up for first game fit and ready to play, with a look like they have actually done something in the offseason, ill be happy.

We all know we can do it when they want, its doing it when they dont want to that needs to be changed. If i hear out enthused one more time im going to have and aneurysm