We played some great rugby during his days here, I only watch the saints away game from 2006 a few months ago think we won 27-16 late Cooke drop goal and the team were fantastic. A few morons started whinging and that was it, never ever given enough time, and the injury crisis he had was as bad as ever seen.

In hindsight I think he was harshly treated, the whole Cooke fiasco destabilised the team, and we never replaced him properly.

in 2008 we had our worst season for injuries, having to bring in short-term loans just to field a team.

He never really recovered from some of his sarcastic comments to the press being taken the wrong way by the fans, such as his 'i've got a beach house in Manly to go back to' joke which the fans seemed to take as an insult??

the only negative i'd say was the quality of his signings, we should have never been signing the likes of Byrne & Cusack using quota spaces, and Sing was past his best. However I'll give Sharp the benefit of the doubt as it seems that Hetherington/Rule were having a big say in signings, and you wonder whether Kear, Sharp & Agar had much say in some of them.

Yup, Paul Cooke told me that.

Shouldn't have got shut at all,had to contend with Cooke buggering off,a horrendous injury list and having his hands tied when he wanted to sack a certain prop who liked a pint.

Decent coach but his recruitment was poor

Did he bin Danny Brough?

he did, but Brough himself has admitted that being booted out of Hull was the wakeup call he needed to improve his off-field behaviour. So right call at the time IMO.

Definitely.

He was binned from Hull because he lost his temper with James Rule and Kath Hetherington. They had asked him what he thought the team needed for the coming season (2007 I believe). He sent them over the Australia for a proven 6 or 7 that could come in and lead the side around the park. They came back having agreed a deal with Michael Crocker. He then lost it with the pair, and from then on in his days where numbered.

If you speak to any of the younger players that played under him, they will tell you he is the best coach they have ever had.

He was a ruthless man, who knew his rugby and didn't stand for any s%$t!!

Paul Cooke has said he was the best coach he's had.

He left in 2008 (after the away defeat at Harlequins, IIRC).

He had wanted to retain Mat Head for 2008 and Head wanted to stay but Hetherington and Rule wouldn't have it. We signed Adam Dykes instead.