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?

Hes well on the verge on making 1000 tackles this season, considering he doesnt play as many minutes. Thats amazing

The fact that no one else wanted him possibly had something to do(please show me the proof to prove otherwise) with it and also the huge pay rise he got which made him the highest earner at the club.

I thought we at least would have been linked with a replacement by now?? Quite worrying really because there arent that many out there

I'm uncertain why some contributors are unhappy for Malc to have a go at this.
Who's to say if he'll fail or succeed before he's even given it a go. ??
It's often been reported that he trains as hard as any other member of the squad. Surely that's a good thing isn't it ?
He's put 100% into his playing career at Salford, and if he gives as much at a coaching role, then it may just work.
If he'd put in the same amount of tackles as all the other players week in week out for the last 10 or so years, we may have lost a whole load more games.
Sure, his 'skill' levels aren't the highest, but neither were those of Karl Harrison, and he seems to have a good reputation.
I for one feel that Alker and Alan Hunte would make a great young coaching team, but that may be a couple of years from now.
And I'm neither pro nor anti Alker. He comes after Lee, Edwards and Hulme in my list of recent hookers we've had, but there's no doubting his commitment.

Have to say I agree with that.

Although didn't Hulme play Loose forward for us?

JJ I agree with you on every point that you have made and as you imply, if every player,coach and spectator put as much into the club as Malcolm has over his career then we would be in as much better state than we are at present