Aboveus - Burgess is clearly 'his own man' but without having someone from the England RU setup in his ear, no doubt about how he could make the RUWC in 2015 his decision to switch would probably have been harder and may not have been made at all.

I appreciate that people are offering praise like this with caveats - like we haven't got a space for him etc. But where is the actual evidence for the above?

He's never coached RL in his life, and in RU - where he had the country's best players at his disposal - he failed miserably. Granted the latter wasn't all his fault, but we can't pretend that he wasn't integral to the most disastrous coaching team England RU have had in God knows how long.

I too have very fond memories of Farrell's days at Wigan. But they're long, long over. And this idea that former great players will automatically make great coaches is surely an idea we dispensed with years ago, especially as he would probably expect big bucks.

Don't want him anywhere near Wigan; or Saracens for that matter. I don't think he has anything new to offer. Great player but let him go coach elsewhere.

New Ireland RU Defence Coach.

Been away too long. He was at the top of the sport but that doesn't mean he knows the sport now. The game is quite different to that Farrell left 10 years ago. I also don't agree that League is simpler or easier to coach than Union. There are plenty of intricacies to coach in League. I think Farrell would be very much out of his depth, as would anyone who'd been out of the game for so long.

To be honest, I doubt a return to RL was even on his radar. He's a fully signed-up Union man these days, probably for the reasons you mention but also because that's where he's now made his home, spiritually as well as physically. What would RL have to offer him anyway? An asst. coaching job at one of the lesser SL clubs? Because that's the most I'd have expected he could get, and it's hardly what he's been used to. For the same reason, I doubt we'll ever see Shaun Edwards return.

Yes he's signed a deal with Ireland RU. till 2019.

Don't kid yourself. Faz would walk into a Head Coaching job in Super League tomorrow if he was interested, and if they could afford him.

All of this "he's been out of the game for too long" nonsense doesn't wash with me. How do any of you know what Faz does or doesn't know about the intricacies of RL? For all you know he may spend his every waking moment watching Premier Sports coverage of the NRL, and talking to his old mates from Wigan.

Consider the irony of some guy who supports Wigan and works full time, who has never played the game professionally, but feels qualified to go online and pontificate upon the prospects of one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.

I mean really, of course we are all entitled to our opinions, but lets remember who we are talking about here. A bit of respect might be in order - not to mention ordinary common sense.

This

Spot on.

I got involved in this argument early on with a challenge to some ludicrous comments made against some one who is essentially a Wigan great. There's been a great deal of disrespect shown towards him because he essentially left the club at the twilight of his career.

How do you know I've never played the game professionally?

And respect has to be earned. Both as a player and as a coach. And these days, the two are very separate things.

and yet on the other thread you're talking down the qualities of easily the most successful club captain in Super League history.

Just a wild guess. The fact that you even write that last sentence suggests not.

Anyone who was that good has INSTANT respect. Of course that may not last if you turn out to be as successful as Garry Schofield, for example. It is much harder for a coach who hasn't played at the top level to gain respect, because many players have a "show me your caps" mentality, so a great player has a head start.

Wild guesses seem to be your forte.

You here admit that being a former top player and a good coach are not necessarily the same thing. Schofield is indeed the perfect example of that. But closer to home we had Andy Gregory and Andy Goodway, while even Ellery Hanley failed to deliver on his early coaching promise. Conversely, two of the best coaches Wigan have had in modern times - Graham Lowe and Michael Maguire - were non-too-memorable as players.

So why would you take a gamble on Farrell?

All I'm saying is that I'd need proof before I gave him the top job. Not hand it to him on the basis of a guess.