I think the question is over Malc's ability as a coach

No-one can doubt his committment to Salford over the years the man's a marvel

But you have to ask, having spent all his professional life at Salford, what coaches has he worked under that he could have been learning from? Andy Greg, John Harvey, Steve McCormack, Karl Harrison, Sean Macrae.

I hope I'm wrong and I hope it works out well, but I do wonder!

I am undecided about him as a coach as you can only base it on results. You do wonder though what his influence in the dressing room will be when SM is still in charge, surely Alker and the current coach don't really see eye to eye after what happened in Florida and then his removal as club captain.

I do think that Alan Hunte will be thinking what have I got to do to get the full assistants role. I personally think he'd do a better job as a coach than SM but he runs the risk of the club moving to the new stadium at around the time that Mcreas contract comes to an end and the clubs desire to get a marque coach from Australia.

Recipe for disaster imo. Unpopular head coach with fans favourite as his number two. How long til the first Mcrae Out/Alker in thread?

Lets get real here.
Malcolm Alker has been a Loyal Servant to the club, but the way some people spout on about him you would think he is Gods gift to SCRRFLC and RL in general.
Statues to him, tribute days etc etc


He is a decent player who at any other club would not be first choice hooker.
He has too much power and making him assistant coach gives him even more.
Bad choice by McRae and Simms

And no I am not anti Alker I just say it as I see it and not through some misty eyed view.

Totally agree PR - What can Malcolm offer apart from desire/heart and tackling technique? He does not have an attacking football brain and for me its a poor appointment.

I can only presume Alan Hunte wants to stay grooming the young `uns as otherwise it would be a kick in the teeth for him. We dont want `closed shops` at Salford but I think weve got one.

This is a poor move imo. Surely if we want to move onwards and upwards as a club we need to get rid of the 'old guard'.

Provided there's sufficient funds at Salford why not go for something more radical .... why not take a punt on someone like Dennis Betts, move McRae to a Director of Rugby role and get rid of Simms. Surely the appointment of a local lad like Betts would be a step in the right direction, bringing new momentum to the club, especially with the new stadium around the corner

I would get rid of McRae now and get Betts in.
We are however stuck with him for one more year.

I have resisted commenting on Alker for a couple of weeks as I was disappointed after the last game. However I have had time and my views remain unchanged.


Alker, in his first 10 years with the club, was a legend, his contribution could not be faulted, he was loyal and someone to aspire to.


Alker in the last couple of years has tarnished what came before. He became involved in an incident that as club captain he shouldn't. He was sacked as captain and then aired his thoughts in the press.

We have had a young player leave the club due to issues with a coach and I'm not sure Malc has the management skills required to be a coach at a club where he has spent all his playing career. I'm not sure he has the vision to develop the team an feel he would be better served having an apprenticeship at another club.

The current coaching set up isn't working and I don't see the addition of malc helping that change.

Very well put ..RW.. I totally agree

To echo many on here I'd rather he'd gone and played elsewhere for a while. He has no track record as a coach. He would maybe make a decent defensive coach, but you wouldn't want him teaching our future young hookers passing or attacking from the play the ball.

I actually think he suffers from a lack of desire to push himself to be better. He's had plenty of chances to move on to bigger clubs and potentially fulfil his dream of playing for GB. Yet he passes all those over to stay at Salford and be a big fish in a small pond. That for me shows that he has a lack of drive and determination, to strive to be the best he can be. Is that the kind of person you want coaching our players?

Was it a lack of desire that kept him at Salford or the fact that he felt such an affinity to the club that he never wanted to play for anyone else even when the bigger clubs were sniffing after him? Could it not just be that Salford are "his club" like Le Tissier at Southampton, Totti at Roma etc?