I hope he gets the Saints job, he ruined Bradford now he can ruin them as well

He did a good job with england in fairness, never had any luck when it really mattered but got us very close a couple of times.

I think he would come back a far better and wiser coach than his last stint here with Bulls. Like you say, probably a better option than many other names that will get banded about.

I commentated on the Huddersfield v Catalan game, and based on last night, plus against Leeds I can't see Huddersfield anywhere other than the bottom 4, they were awful, with the exception of Ikahihifo.

Doesn't help though when your captain decides to get himself sin binned because he can't keep his mouth shut and the whole game turns on that.

Will Brough ever learn?

No.

Not as if he's going to change now either though is it?

Tend to agree. Inept at times with the media and how he handled players but he managed to create the first proper "team" spirit we'd had for many years. You could see the guys were actually a team not a bunch who brought club rivalries and practices (eg. heavy drinking) to the international side. He deserves much credit for that.

Tend to agree but lets not forget the International set up isn't a week in week out Coach & players always together.
I wouldn't want him in charge at Leeds he was imo found out at Bratfut & being an assistent Coach is now his level imo.

Agreed. McNamara had years at Bradford before the finances started to impact on the playing squad yet after a semi decent first season he took them into the equivalent of the Middle 8s on a regular basis. I thought he did well for England, but it is a different kettle of fish to being a regular coach.

not so sure about that on reflection, he finished 3rd and 5th first two full seasons (2007,200icon_cool.gif with them which was not too shabby to say they were way past their dominant best by then, yes by 2009 they finished 9th but had a first choice three quarter line containing Platt, Sherrife and Sykes i think the writing was on the wall by then!

i agree he wasn't great mind, but that was his first job and surely the Subsequent England Job and NRL role will have only improved him I'm sure he would make a better club coach these days for those experiences. Anyway, we will only find out for sure when a club takes a punt on him.

Cunningham should never have got the job in the first place. Too little experience, no time away from the club between being a player and then coach. He didn't 'do his time'. Former players need to really commit the time and have the humility to start lower down and build up the experience. Love him or hate him Wane did that and he's a damn decent coach for it.

I think they'll make the same mistake with Long. They'll have some good results and McManus will give him the gig. Within 2 years he'll probably be gone.

McManus has really dropped the ball in the last 7 years. He's made a succession of mediocre coaching appointments and has been fast to pull the trigger on them, coupled with uninspiring recruitment.

Thats what happens when all your cash is tied up in a new stadium.

Good job were not embarking on any construction plans in the near future......

Judging McNamara on his time at Bradford is the same as judging Powell based on his time at Leeds. I'm far more impressed with someone who recognises the need to learn than someone who doesn't. Its plain ignorance to assume that McNamara isn't a completely different coach now than he was. That doesn't mean he's definitely a good coach now, but Powell and Wane aside I can't think of a single English coach who could possibly be considered ahead of McNamara. Plus he has the advantage of working in a far better competition than anyone else whose name might come up, including Powell and Wane.

you dont rate McDermott then?

TBH he completely slipped my mind! In all seriousness he'd be up there but if I was looking on behalf of another club, particularly one thats looking to rebuild, I'd probably go for McNamara ahead of him.

Powell's time at Leeds was a positive one though. League position improved, and he blooded a generation of youngsters that went on to form the nucleus of a title-winning team for the next decade. McNamara lacked more at Bradford than a killer instinct in finals.

I get it that McNamara has improved since his time at Bradford, but he was there a longer time than Powell at Leeds, in which time there wasn't much to speak of in terms of improvements. While the decline of the Bulls was undoubtedly primarily a factor of the financial situation, McNamara accelerated the decline IMO by dismantling the successful team inherited from Noble and replacing players with mediocre also-rans. This is the guy that kept faith with the likes of Halley, Sykes, Platt, and Sheriffe on a regular basis (among the worst backlines in SL), pinned the team's hopes on the back of flop signings like Matt Orford, and allowed other marquee players to lose condition i.e. Solomona, whose weight ballooned.

In terms of results it is also worth mentioning two huge capitulations in knock-out matches under McNamara, including a play-off match against Wigan in which they were leading by 30 points, and a CC match against the Catalans in which a similar lead was squandered. McNamara's Bulls were also the first SL team to lose to the Celtic Crusaders... I could go on. Interestingly, Mick Potter managed to do a lot better in his second season before the Bulls suddenly needed a big bailout...

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Don't think you can blame McNarmara for dismantling their successful team. From the 2005 GF, Peacock, Pryce and Paul were already lined up for other clubs for 2006 and don't know how he could've stop Fielden's big money move to Wigan or Vianikolo and Hape going to RU. I'm sure he'd like to have replaced these guys with better players than he got.

His first full season in 2007 he would've finished above us into 2nd had it not been for 'that' Tansey try at MM.