Quote: The Dentist Wilf "I think in hindsight having had time to digest what he actually said and indeed what he didn't say and assessing his career to date, he's probably the best thing we've had coach wise for a while and as I said a few weeks ago, if he can't turn the ship around, then I don't know where else we could go, it feels very much like the last chance saloon to me.
However. He has got a historically significant and a much loved club behind him which has a great fanbase but he recognises that counts for nothing if we don't perform and although he is very measured in what he says however prepared he is I can assure him that having spoken to both British and Aussies Coaches and players that have come into the club, he won't yet realise the depth of the passion, the amount of wanting and the fickleness of the fan base he's inheriting, nor can anyone from outside the British game ever appreciate the cauldron that is Rugby League in Hull, for you can keep Wigan and Saint Helens and Leeds and Bradford nothing compares with the loathing and hatred that comes for both sides of the City and the respective fan bases.
Although he has had a say in 6 or 7 of the current seasons signings he is inheriting a lot of players that for one reason or another have attitude, ability and indeed in a couple of cases weight problems and if he can get a tune out if therm where others have failed he will be doing well. The new coach certainly comes with a reputation for being a great communicator and not suffering fools gladly and everyone will be given a clean sheet and a fresh start. The way even in the first interview he thought about his answers was very succinct and measured and so we all tended to hang on every word he said, possibly indicates a good communicator who won't continue the baffling answers of Brett Hodgson, the rambling, muddled 'talking down', 'I know best' type of rhetoric we got from Smith or the 'I'm as baffled as you all are', commentary from Grix.
This guy has a reputation for developing players and understanding the dressing room dynamic which has to be good at our club where he faces the million dollar conundrum concerning years and years of an attitude problem, that travels through owners coaches and players alike. We need to manage ourselves better on the pitch and he has certainly had a hand in bringing in some characters to a rudderless ship, who can lead that. You can certainly see what he is trying to do, but can he succeed where so many others have failed. At least for once he isn't a cheap and cheerful solution and is a person with some gravitas and reputation behind him.
Do we believe in magic wands, miracles or indeed Miracle workers, well not really, but we all need I think to stay off his back and at least give him until he has had the benefit of a whole season assessing the market and his players and had the opportunity to operate through a full round of recruitment for the 2026 season.
Let's wait and see how we set the team up and how organised and most importantly committed we are. Those of us who lived through the late 60's and early 70's will remember how many coaches and false dawns it took before DDD and then Arthur Bunting (and a shed load of money) turned it around. DDD set up the systems and the heart and the team spirit and Arthur continued by spending loads of money improving the team and for many of those I speak to, we are now in bigger hole now than we were back then.
And as the survivor of more false Dawns than you would get at a club for transvestites, I do feel heartened by what I'm hearing so far, so let's just see how it goes.'"
Great analysis as always Wilf.
For me, the key is giving him time. All coaches need time, particularly when they are inheriting a club in disarray as we have been. No doubt there will still be some idiots that say Cartwright Out after his first loss but hopefully the majority of us will back him and give him that time.
It does feel like a good appointment (I thought the same of Smith though so maybe not the best judge!) but crucially I feel that he's not coming in with his hands tied behind his back too much as some of his predecessors have. The backroom staff has been strengthened, he's had players brought in that he knows and trusts, he's saying there's room available to do further recruitment... it feels like he has resources and tools to work with and I think that is crucial for a coach of any club in any sport if they are to succeed.
