Note success in quotation marks making the word almost sarcastic

With a outstanding squad led by a outstanding captain and two great halfbacks which when it broke up, exposed McDermott limitations as a Coach with the result that he left the club and no other club in our country made a move for him.

I think McDermott would be bottom of my list tbh. I just couldn’t comprehend being coached by the bloke. He’s had some success and he must be a good coach but the guy is just so difficult to like. I’ve had him described to me as a bully by somebody who has dealt with him and you need a particular group of players to work well with a coach like that. It reminds me a bit of Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, were his antics seemed to work but he’s struggled to replicate that with different groups of players in this country.

I don't think we should get rid just yet (ie Lam should be extended another twelve months). That doesn't mean IL and KR shouldn't be identifiying potential replacements for 2022 season right now. My favourite would be Ian Watson of course but 1. He may prefer to want to stay at Salford. 2. Salford may throw big money at him to stay. 3. He will be a target for all other clubs in SL and maybe even the NRL too.

At the end of the day at this moment in time we are 2nd in the table, a top four place is looking likely (with hope). Do we have the calibre to make the GF and win it? It's doubtful but not impossible, which we could have said a couple of times under SW, however he could get an extra 10% on GF night and win it!

Watching Wigan these days feels very much 'Brian Noble' we aren't a million miles awaybut we need to be careful, it's as easier to go down the league as it is to go top. We are due to lose a lot of quality at the end of the season (as we do every year) and will néed to be smart when replacing. Smarter than we have been (Due diligence on George Burgess signing for instance) plus the re-signing of Clubb.

It was over four years ago that Wigan (KR if I remember correctly) stated that our forwards were mobile but too small and we needed to change that. Have we really? How many times we only make 10-30 metres out from our own try line in five plays?

Interesting times ahead. Will IL spend to the cap for next season knowing we may not start the season with crowds or even season ticket sales?

The point about Salford throwing money at Watson could be a good one. I smile when I keep reading they’re this poor club who can’t afford anything. You’d think they were signing players from the open age teams at Eccles and Folly Lane. Yes they don’t spend anything after what they spend on a first team and they’ve taken opportunities to get some players cheaper than what they would’ve been in previous circumstances but there’s no way guys like Lolohia, Watkins, Sarginson, Burgess, Escare, Mossop, Brown, Pauli Pauli, Inu and so on are playing for peanuts.

Watson has done an amazing job and so have the Salford directors. They still won’t be spending near what the big boys are doing but they seem to find money from somewhere and they’d offer Watson an increase to stay I’m sure. Even if nobody comes in for him, I guess he’ll want a new deal after taking them to the last two club finals.

Adrian Lam to win coach of the year?

New contract announce this week maybe?

Would offer him another year on the strength of getting us to the Grand Final but I'm definitely not over the Salford play off or Leeds Challenge Cup losses.

Agree. He has been saved by the last few weeks.

He’s staying so there’s no point me saying it but I would still stick to what I said after the Leeds semi. He needs to win the Grand Final to stay at the club. We’re ticking all the boxes a Wigan side ticks in this play off mode, we’re full of energy, desire and we’re defensively very sound but I still don’t watch us and think we’re coached well in attack. He promised a lot on that score and as yet, he hasn’t delivered IMO.

In saying that I don’t care how we attack as long as we win and if we win on Friday, he will deserve a new deal. If your team isn’t playing eye catching rugby though, you only have one avenue of keeping your job and that’s to keep winning trophies. You will get no leeway from those that would say ‘well at least we play entertaining rugby’ when we get beat.

I always think that being entertaining is shaky ground. What one person thinks is entertaining, won't always march what someone else thinks.

I personally loved the tactical & hard defence approach of Madge to say the free flowing stuff under Lam.

I also know that the ultimate goal is to be to be the champs, but that doesn't always erase some of the low points that happen through the season too.

He’ll get a deal for 2021. The only way he might not is if we get obliterated by Saints on Friday (which I clearly and obviously hope doesn’t happen!). Even then it’s slim. I think he’ll be here next year and the pressure on him has turned up a notch. He simply has to deliver and deliver consistently rather than an end of season spurt of form. We can’t have the complete collapse in games that we’ve seen all too often this season, I’m honestly amazed we finished top and IMO is testament to how weak the comp is rather than how good we are.

Up until recently we’ve been a team of individuals, heavily reliant on the likes of French to make something happen. It’s because of that I’m still on the ‘Lam isn’t for us’ wagon, regardless of the praise I’ve heaped on him and the team in recent weeks which has been deserved.

He’s definitely staying and it’s a fair call all things considered. Friday will be tough and if we get the win then full credit to him because it could’ve gone either way after Leeds semi. He’s going to have a cracking squad to work with next season and that’s is both good for him but also adds pressure. Regardless of the result on Friday he’ll have no excuses for not winning a trophy next season. I’d really like to see a better quality attack from us next year on top of competing for trophies. I think there have been a few signs it’s clicking a little bit there’s still work to be done.

OK, so I made this post over five weeks ago. Where do I stand now and what's changed if anything?

So I still stand by my comments that Lam should be given a contract extension, that's probably already been agreed. For how long? I reckon two years, I think successfully guiding us to the top of the table has secured a longer deal.

Re: Watson, obviously that's off now. Didn't expect that to happen.

I will hold my hands up, I didnt expect us to finish the season top of the league (albeit a few games early) that was an unexpected bonus. I do think the team in the last five weeks have upped the intensity (especially in defence). We've let one try in three games which is tremendous stuff going into the GF. That's up there with the best defence we got from Waney.

The forwards are making more metres and we are flinging the ball wide to the fringes with ease. The only thing letting us down is our kicking game still,will need to be on form next Friday, turn them round and make them come from deep.

Oh, fair play to IL for the recent signings (even though he's announced that we will be going forward with a smaller squad).

Yep, completely agree with that.

This is the crux of the matter. He’s slowly built up a head of steam, improved on last year, in both style of play and position in the competition and I finally get the feeling now that the players will run through brick walls for him. He will have been instrumental in bringing in Field and Bateman for next season and helping to acquire Hastings when we did. He failed miserably this season in missing out on Challenge Cup silverware but, overall, he deserves continued support for another season at least, irrespective of the result on Friday. However, as NK points out, there will be no excuses if we lose on Friday and then go backwards next year. It has been nice to see a bit of backing for the Head Coach, ie. giving him time when there were calls for his head earlier but, a club of Wigan’s stature can’t go three years without winning any meaningful competition. Not under IL’s watch anyway. Let’s hope we can do it on Friday as, if we do, then next season should be even more enjoyable.