According to todays Observer, Shaun Edwards has ruled himself out saying he has 2 years left on his Wasps contract and does not want to leave his 14 year old son in London. Edwards also admits that after being out of RL for 10 years he would expect to come back as an assistant and not a head coach.

Edwards goes on to endorse Waney as the next coach.

does anyone think we should bring betts in as an assistant? along with deacon.

No disrespect to the lad, but I would hope not.

Fair enough - somewhere down the line it will happen though.

Shaun Wane. It has to be Shaun Wane. The only reason for him not getting the job would be out of his own self admission. He's worked his way from the academy to the reserves. Maintained consistently successful, hardworking sides and has been at the forefront of our outstanding junior player development. He's worked with the Wigan trained lads throughout their entire careers and has the respect of everybody at the club. You have to hope he has learnt from Madge in his two years at the club and can maintain and develop this blueprint for the foreseeable future. I'm 100% behind Wane getting the job. IMO it's a simple decision to make.

It's his assistant that is the bigger task. We need someone prepared to take the no.2 role, but he can have some form of tactical input and expertise. There's only one man for the job - Adrian Lam. Just read Terry Newton's and Radders' book. He's the smartest and most insightful player the two have ever played with. Newton said he learnt more from Lam than any coach. His knowledge and passion for the game is exceptional - he's also worked here too as Reserves coach IIRC.

A couple of quotes about Lammy tells you all you need to know:

Terry Newton - "I learned more about the game from Lammy than from any other coach I've ever had... Lammy was a hard as nails, and Wigan fans loved him because they saw how passionate he was about the cherry and white - he absolutely hated Saints! I'd love to see Lammy coaching in Super League".

Kris Radlinski - "It's a question I get asked all the time: who was the best player I played alongside? I can see why people are intrigued. From Robinson to Offiah, Edwards to Farrell, Renouf to Connolly, Lydon to Bell, I know I am blessed to have played with some of rugby league's true greats. When I'm asked who was the best, my answer is always the same, and it's often unexpected: Adrian Lam. Of all my team-mates through all the years, he stands out as being the best of the very best. He made the game easy for me, he was a dream to play with. If you couldn't play well as a fullback with Lammy in your team, then you shouldn't be playing the game... As the forwards were driving the ball up, gaining us field position, he constantly talked to me. He'd ask where I was, if I could see any gaps in the defensive line opening up... his mind was thinking two or three plays ahead, yet he was still alert enough to react to the unexpected. I played the best rugby of my career with him in control. His outlook on life was so positive, it was infectious - he breathed confidence into the side. He played rugby with a smile on his face and lived for the game. He lived next door to me, and he had a large trampoline in his garden. We would spend hours lying on it, looking up at the sky, and reviewing and analysing games in our minds".

Head coach - Shaun Wane
Assistant coach - Adrian Lam.

Let everybody continue their current roles with Paul Deacon added to the backroom staff at the end of the year.

rlhttp://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/lam-organising-sowards-game/story-e6frfgbo-1225809525390rl

[iLam is due to take over the lead coaching job at St George for 2012 but he has stated on Sydney regional television sports hour TV show, he would be willing to quit the Dragons to coach at his former club Wigan Warriors in the European Super League.[/i Wikipedia admittedly.

Completely and utterly agree with you there. Great minds.

You've convinced me. Wane and Lammy it is.

I might stick it in my sig. I championed the signing of Madge in my sig and that came true.

Shaun Edwards has backed Shaun Wane for the job in tonights Observer and speaks alot of sense in terms of his own credentials. He says he won't be moving back up North for at least the next couple of years and if he ever did come back to a club like Wigan he'd expect it to be as a number 2 to somebody like Wane because he's been out of the game so long.

I thought that was a very honest point of view and his comments did sound like a guy that has a long term plan to come onto the coaching staff at Wigan at some point in the future.

I'd definitely go along with Wane and Lam.

Heart says give Wane the job.
Head says dont give Wane the job.

I think people are getting carried away a little bit saying their is only one candidate for the job. I do not think he has any sort of record to prove this. He only started coaching full time a couple of years ago.

Pretty much any average coach could come in and have any sort of success with Wigan's acadamy, we produce the cream of the crop year on year.

I just think the time is not quite right for Wane and he needs a couple of more years working under another top coach with fresh ideas.

If Wane did get it then would love to see Edwards in at assistant.

I have always maintained that Lam was Wigan's best player of the Super League era. Nobody made me more nervous than him when he had the ball, he was brilliant. A lot of my Wigan supporting friends disagree with me on that, but for me he had everything a scrum half should have. That kind of player is a rarity these days- the proper half back.

Seems to be highly regarded as a coach too, would not surprise me to see him over here but as a head coach rather than an assistant.

Having watched Brisbane for the last few seasons, I am convinced that they are the easiest team in the world to coach. Once the game begins, the only person everyone looks to to decide the tempo and plays is Mr Lockyer. When he speaks post match or generally, he is articulate and focussed on the way Rugby should and can be played.

He retires at the end of this year and I have no doubt he will become a very successful NRL coach in the future. If he is half the coach off the field as he is on it, he could be a Great.

If we ever hope to see him coaching on these shores, it has to be now. Give him the start at Wigan. He has said that he has no immediate plans to coach, but the lure of a few pies now he's retired might be able to convince him.

I'll meet him for the airport.


MATTY BOWEN - WIGAN WARRIOR - 2012

On the Lockyer wiki page
[iOn 28 March 2011, Lockyer announced his retirement stating that the 2011 season will be his final year in the National Rugby League after deciding not to go to the Super League with the promoted Widnes Vikings[/i

I guess that is someone messing around and he was never truly considering Widnes? Coz if he was considering Widnes I would have given him a shot for 1 year then tried to convince him to coach at Wigan