Quote: P-J "Maguire set up the systems, but had no interest in playing the youngsters.
He threw away any chance of winning the league his second year by flogging the players to win the Challenge Cup.
Great coach, but he's not a saint.
Wigan are succeeding under difficult circumstances - when your 20yo winger would rather love off to Australia rather than establish himself in SL what can you do? Youngsters are the way forward, as Saints/Warrington/Leeds are finding now - we've just been ahead of the curve as usual.'"
First of all we aren't succeeding. Two trophies in one year mixed in between two barren seasons isn't great. Let's not sugar coat that we had a lot of luck in that one season as well - Hull FC cup final, 70-0 vs London in the Semi Final and luckily with injuries in the GF. In contrast we won the CC under Madge by going though Wire, Saints and Leeds, it's little wonder we ran out of steam.
Flooding the side with inexperienced youngsters is not the way forward. Letting guys like Green go and replacing them with an out of position 20 year old isn't good for anyone.
Also Madge brought young guys through it's just he did it when he knew they would make an improvement to the side i.e Charnley and Faz He didn't just give game time to anyone for the sake of it. He also recognised there were enough young lads in the side with Sam, Tommy, Mcilorum, Joel & Mossop and he focused on improving that small core by putting experience around them.
Let's not forget Madge signed one player in his first season and took a side that had finished sixth to the title.