I think Cullen's problem was not knowing how to handle some players. When Smith came in he got rid of Gleeson and imo that sent the message through the squad that woke them up and made them work. The players new from that point that if they didn't try to achieve then he would bring players in that would.

I don't know whether Cullen tried to do the same or not, maybe he did but was not supported by the board.

When Smith came into Warrington I imagine that Cullen would've been watching events closely and may well have learnt a few things that he can use at Widnes. He could well prove to be a success at Widnes if they got a franchise.

People talk about him now like he never played for the club. I am not talking about this thread as it is obviously aimed at his coaching tenure. Just an observation in and around town whenever I hear anyone talking about him. I think it is a shame that people still hold some sort of childish grudge against him.

In 2005 he did coach us to 4th in the league, 1 point behind 3rd.

Admittedly he coached us to much more average positions than that during his time at the club but is this not demonstration enough he could have the ability somewhere to take a team to the 'next level'??

Thought that PC took us as far as he could of. With hindsight he should have
resigned earlier rather than let events carry on during 2008, when it was obvious that
everything was not right at the club.

Wish him all the best at Widnes and that he can take them back into superleague.

Tony Smith has shown was required as I never thought that we have the best defence in super league.

i only started watching 6 years ago so cullen was the only thing i ever knew....

He's a Warrington legend, and always will be.

I'm still a bit bitter about the way he was treated by supporters at the end of his days at Warrington, it was absolutely disgusting.

The bottom line is, he took us as far as he could, and that was still a hell of a long way.

An absolute legend as a player for us.The man oozed primrose and blue and played with a determination and desire that was largely unmatched by his peers.He gave his all for this club,on and off the pitch and i for one will be forever greatfull.
His time as coach had many highs and lows that largely mirrored the state of the club.But as the club has grown it probably just moved forward a pace faster than his coaching abilities allowed.He's a decent coach and good analyst and should be remembered for all the good things he did for us!

Said it loads of times. Coaches do different things in different scenarios. If you looked at Millward as a Wigan coach, you would think he was e. Noble now looks very poor compared to Maguire.

Coaches have different things to deal with. Cullen did a decent job IMO. People forget that when we moved into the HJ, we were still playing under the 50% salary cap rule, meaning we were still spending less than the top clubs. I think he had 2 years (maybe 3) of spending full cap.

As we have seen at Hull, who have been spending full cap longer than us, injuries and circumstance can completely cock you up. Leeds are showing that this year, despite people thinking they have far and away the best squad, and a champion manager.

I think it is a shame that once a manager has a bad run in a job then he is out of work at the top level.

I was really pleased he described Warrington as "well coached" tonight.

good luck to PC at widnes,

warrington born and bred,

top bloke.

I picked up on that as well. He said it a couple of times. It made me smile strangely. It was like we've all made peace. I think if you asked Paul at any point he would admit that Smith has aspects of his coaching that is better.