For me, Madge made a huge impact on a team that was packed with talent but severely underperforming.
It was difficult to work out what was wrong with Wigan in the late 2000s. They had so many good young players, and yet, while Mike Gregory's illness was a huge blow and Ian Millward;'s brief tenure seemed to be riddled with behind-the-scenes issues (plus I don't think Millward was that great - I just think he inherited a very well-oiled machine at Saints), Nobby took over with a rep for being one of the best coaches in the UK. And yet he never got us higher than 4th or 5th. He stabilized the ship, but I don't remember us ever really getting a sniff of any silverware.
Maguire changed all that in one off-season. By all accounts he was a real task-master. The stories of pre-season commando training were everywhere. the intense one-to-ones he did with players were legendary.
We were evidently miles fitter than before when we finally took the field. But also the attitude was markedly different. It was that 'search and destroy' attitude that was so exciting about 2010.
Would it work now? Again, it's difficult to say because we've hit our straps early this season, so we need to see where it takes us. It might be a culture shock to some players, though. I hear we're not big on backroom discipline, though to be fair, the ones I heard whispered about have mostly now left.
One thing I do believe is that, burned out in the NRL or not, Madge would still work wonders at clubs like Hull, Huddersfield, Catalans and Warrington, where the raw talent is immense but the attitude and performances are patchy.
