I'd agree with nearly all of this except Sharp is a much better coach than Harrison imo. The majority of Fev fans were very pleased with what he did at the club, especially turning round a team that was underachieving badly. His contract wasn't renewed because Mark Campbell has high expectations and top 2, rather than top 4, was the goal last season; additionally, he (Campbell) felt the brand of rugby wasn't very exciting.

I doubt you're going to see scintillating flowing rugby if Sharp is your new coach, but you're likely to be a very solid and well-motivated team under him, and it would be a mistake to suggest he is unpopular with his players; there were certainly a couple whose face didn't fit with him at Fev, but the experienced and well-respected Andy Ellis stated a few months into Sharp's reign that he had "brought the team together like never before".

I also don't agree with the poster who stated that Sharp is a boring speaker; in his pre-match and post-match interviews at Fev he was articulate and invariably made a lot of sense, which wasn't always the case with his immediate predecessors, notably John Bastian, who might be a wizard at developing youth players but seemed totally out of his depth as a head coach.

I did acknowledge this point in my original post - I accept that the governing body are somewhat lacking in professionalism, but I still think it's one hell of a leap to suggest that the behaviour of Jon Sharp led directly to someone committing suicide. There may have been stuff happening behind closed doors, but the press release at the time of his departure was nothing but positive. In my experience, if someone leaves a business 'under a cloud' the parting messages are somewhat neutral - certainly not the case when JS left the RFL.

If I remember correctly, allegations were made against JS by a particular ex-referee who himself was suspended three times during his career - the final time for behaviour towards female employees. He chose to retire instead.

So you can take the view of 'there's no smoke without fire' or you can accept that in any walk of life some people rub other people up the wrong way. In terms of his RL experience and coaching ability, I reckon JS would be a strong choice for us.

The head coaches position has not been agreed.

Summert needs sorting fast then. We are a week in to pre season and we dont have a coach. What a joke.

interesting coincidence that Toovey finally makes his mind up on same day as seat renewal deadline. Anyone would think they were hoping people would sign up before deadline on assumption Toovey was staying.

I understand your frustration on the matter, but Leigh Beattie is currently the interim head coach; taking pre-season training.

Why not give him job? He did good at start of last season.

These first few weeks of pre-season won't need a head coach. It is all being led by S&C department so the Chairman has a few weeks until the ground work begins on the field. Would rather they take a few days to think what is right than jump in to a rush move.

That said, Jon Sharp has been at Tong in the last week so I know where I'm laying my money at the moment.

He was interim coach in name only. Someone else was taking the coaching duties.

Except the seat deadline is on the 18th...

I thought that too but experts on this thread insisted that the coach is the only one that can operate the weighing scales used in the initial fitness assessment, so everything has to wait.

but lets face it, to be better than last year in addition to fitness all we need the team to do is get the basics right, and that should be phase 2 - catching a pass, catching a kick before it bounces, how to tackle, how to etc etc. One of the other problems of last year that contributed so we are told to the mid season malaise has pretty much been sorted, players that want to play - are there many of the tribunal claim players left?

So if having a head coach is phase three, wow, we should have a sweepstake on the most points we score in a game, and no Happyrchops your first choice is out, you cannot score nil points.

There will be a lot more expectation on the players keeping themselves fit this season.

Only so much they can do in an evening.

From the YP Ex-Huddersfield Giants head coach Jon Sharp, who parted with Featherstone Rovers in July, has been mentioned as the likely candidate to take over at the fallen giants although sources at the club last night distanced themselves from such reports. Read more at: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/ru ... -1-8859875 It wouldn't be a Bulls pre season if it all went smoothly!

From the YP Ex-Huddersfield Giants head coach Jon Sharp, who parted with Featherstone Rovers in July, has been mentioned as the likely candidate to take over at the fallen giants although sources at the club last night distanced themselves from such reports. Read more at: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/ru ... -1-8859875 It wouldn't be a Bulls pre season if it all went smoothly!

I like a bit of intrigue. I've read before that Cha- is building his team around ball handlers, so surely Sharp's brand of rugby would rub him up the wrong way?

Feeling happier this morning now 'sources close to the club' (i.e. Mick stood on Rooley) have distanced themselves.

Young coach, young team... let's have a real fresh start.