When Shaun was announced as Maguire's successor, I was very apprehensive. On one hand, I felt Shaun deserves his 'shot' but Maguire had transformed Brian Noble's team beyond recognition and was very hard act to follow. As a fellow Wiganer, I wanted Shaun to do well, but at that time, that was more in hope than expectation. It's fair to say that he exceeded my expectations and then some - and I, for one, was delighted. His record speaks for itself and he will go down as one of the most successful coaches in the club's history.
But the 'official record' doesn't tell the full story - he held the post of head coach when the club pursued a strategy of bringing through academy players at the expense of more experienced signings. So, there's no way that his success was 'bought' on the back of high-profile recruitment and I think he deserves even more kudos for bringing the young lads through and keeping us competitive.
He's also been in position for a long time in a sport where coaches (particularly at our club) don't stay in the job for seven seasons. Watching the team week-in, week-out, it's obvious that we've sustained the defensive ferocity that was a hallmark of the Maguire team, but as an attacking force, we've been fairly one-dimensional for a while now. For me, that's a combination of poor recruitment and Shaun's preferred mode of play, which is to focus on the defensive qualities of his halves. That aspect of team tactics is in urgent need of a refresh, particularly with Sam leaving - and in this respect, with the changes in playing personnel for next year, perhaps this is a good time for him to go.
I'm pleased that, to all intents and purposes, he's left on his own terms because of the many years of service he's put into the club.
And now there should be no shortage of motivation for our players to go out and win everything this season.
