Does this need a thread of it's own?

Me, I would.

No way.

If McNamara goes then it depends who's available. He's got plenty of experience and knows the club inside out but I wonder if bridges have been burnt. I think he's probably had his time with us and we need to look elsewhere.

If Nobby remained coach we wouldnt have dropped from near the top and if he came back we'd return right back up there.

Deluded.

We've had this debate in another place, young Michael - more than once!

Noble was fine coaching a team full of seasoned professionals. The sort that cost a lot of money. The sort that a club losing over £1/2m p.a could not afford. When the money ran out, how did Nobby react? Noble was not fine at developing young players (I read only the other day a quote from JP in his book which bore that out). The sort that this club needs plenty of going forward, with the reduced overseas quota, the "home-grown" requirement and the financial constraints on the club.

Had the club been in the situation it was in the early noughties, where we could have loads of overseas players and the coach could spend without having to worry unduly about financial constraints and could afford (although not, as it is now clear) to sign seasoned professionals in preference to developing in-house, then I would not have disagreed with you. But the whole playing field has changed since then. And in my opinion Nobby is not best-equipped for the new reality in which we find ourselves.

Interesting to see how Wigan have soared on a change of coach?

If Macca goes (and I have heard things from several different sources now), we surely have to look to Oz? And hope the club can afford to put together a package sufficiently attractive to give us a chance at some decent ability and expertise.

whilst I'm sure nobby would be tempted to come back and take the credit for the currrent team and youngsters about to break through put in place by macca ( and didn't he basically do this last time, getting credit for work done by smith and elliot) don't think its the right move for the club going forward. Cant see an english coach who'd be a significant improvement on macca so if he goes then we need to look to Oz.

I don't see much point speculating until a decision is made regarding McNamara but I can't help feeling our next Coach should be a complete fresh start.

Indeed.

Didn't Noble have a fall out with Peter Hood when he left ???

You thinking of Gareth Davies? Dunno whether there was any truth in that rumour though.

No thank you. Never go back.

PGF did ok.

I recall he said some things when he left, to the tune of that he had been forced out by Davies IIRC?

I have always assumed that Davies was the one who had to explain the financial realities to one or two people.