Fair point. And that appears to be the Board's gamble in a nutshell. The Board should have backed the last coach but didn't and my own view is that they have decided to take a different approach this time. Maybe they are rewarding the big payout Agar gave them last year by reaching Wembley. Who knows ?

I disagree that it's childish because it's based in evidence. As you say it's not just down to being articulate (although he certainly isn't), but I'd say it is evidence of lack of intelligence to play Radford at loose forward, to manage our interchanges as badly as he has, to move
Thorman to FB the way he did against Hudds and to (rumour I know) be looking at signing someone as injury prone as Tate when we've had the injury problems we have for the last two years. He's spineless because he hides behind a litany of excuses rather than concede his own failings, the players, the fans, the injuries, not his team etc. Those are just off the top of my head, maybe if I met him I'd discover he was Albert Einstein but I very much doubt it.

You're confusing intelligence with common sense and/or technical ability. Being a bad coach doesn't make him stupid.


I'm willing to be corrected, but I don't believe that Agar has ever said anything about it not being his team. He has also admitted to not being very good at handling the bench rotations. As for the other stuff - do you [iknow[/i that it [iisn't[/i the players? And are you saying that injuries have had no impact on us this season?

The comment about the fans was ill-judged, but even then he didn't claim they were responsible for the situation, just that they were making life harder.

I've always thought Agar speaks fairly eloquently - by the standards of RL coaches at least. I don't think he lacks for intelligence necessarily. I do think he maybe lacks the force of personality and previous pedigree to implement and inspire changes amongst a dysfunctional squad.

Tony Smith could do it with a squad that wasn't his, Agar couldn't, fair enough. But having come this far, isn't it worth seeing how he manages a task for which he might be better suited next year?

Fair enough, my comments were ofcourse related to his decisions regarding the team so perhaps 'stupid decisions' rather than 'stupid man' is fairer.

I recognise fully that injuries and problem players have impacted our season but ultimately I am convinced that a better coach in the same circumstances would have achieved more.

Finaly, I do think showing a basic lack of common sense is a sign of an overall lack of intelligence though, that was my point re his fans excuses.

I can see the sense in that argument, but given that we've had two wasted seasons it's a risk I can't understand why the board are taking.

Taking Noble for example, he wouldn't be my first choice but with him in charge it virtually guarantees we will be in and around the too half of the playoffs next season (especially given the forward-orientated nature of next years squad).

He can't be that stupid, pulling in a £50k+ salary for a job he clearly can't do!

I have loads of experience of professional sport. I've seen hundreds of pro RL matches and hundreds of pro football games. I don't need to have played the game professionally to have a valid opinion.

I take it you've coached at SL level then given we're expected to value your opinion

No, he blames injuries and visa problems

Making the same mistakes over and over again are a pretty good indication though

That's what I was getting at, plus the fact that not once in his tenure has he done something remotely innovative or made me think 'that's a clever ploy'. I don't know the man so I don't know how bright he is in general terms but I've seen plenty of evidence to suggest he's far from a shrewd coach.

He did a good job at York.

That's kinda my point. I don't disagree with your assessment of his coaching and the lack of imagination displayed, but extrapolating that to 'he's thick' isn't justifiable IMO.