So the club are surely going to need a new coach before too long. Who do people feel we could realistically target as a replacement?

It seems unlikely we have the resources to bring in an experienced head coach but perhaps more likely giving a SL assistant a shot. Few names that spring to mind:

Danny Orr - been an assistant for some time now, perhaps ready to make the step up?

Danny McGuire - probably unlikely he would leave KR and already being linked with Leeds.

Lee Briers - suspect he would definitely improve our brand of rugby, but perhaps not the discipline? Would continue the Welsh love affair though..

Paul Wellens - another unlikely one, however I reckon he will want to be HC before long but more likely at Saints.

Luke Robinson - been an assistant at Huddersfield for a while and overlooked for HC role, would he fancy a chance to prove his credentials?

Others options Richard Marshall, Keiron Purtil, Paul Anderson, Andrew Henderson?

Faxfan here , is it possible to find/employ a coach who can play expansive rugby at odsal ? The pitch quite clearly impacts the style of rugby that can be played , I’ve just watched the highlights and all the tries are scored from close range , Grix as a coach is basically an echo of tony smith and our threat is usually from long range especially last year , that expansive style of rugby is very difficult to execute on odsals pitch . The halves and backs are capable of expansive rugby but some of your forwards are just not fit enough. The game has changed and having four subs means a forward doing big minutes as opposed to big yards is paramount.

The pitch is an issue for sure but even so it seems to affect us more than the opposition.

I'd take any of the names mentioned above, don't think Paul Anderson is interested in being ahead coach anymore.

We won't have long to find out, with Fev up next at Odsal. To be honest the issue with the ground is another thread. It surely cannot be the long term option but it is hard to see any financial help forthcoming from the council like we've seen from Wakefield for their clubs.

Ultimately there is no quick fix but a s a fan I think you need to see a philosophy/direction which usually takes a minimum of three years to keep yourself interested, there are plenty of fax fans that are still on the fence regarding Grix ( even though we finished 3rd last year and achieved a challenge cup semi final under his tenure ) as a Halifax fan you still have stalwarts stuck in the 1985-87 era and ultimately it’ll be the same for the Bradford fans for there successful years. Kear whether he likes to admit it or not is coaching a style that is ultimately no longer appropriate, I’d start with a young coach with new ideologies but not expect instant results . Our coaching staff consist of three ex super league players in Simon , Scott Grix and Liam Finn , all halifax lads , Simon coaches, Scott who is basically a PT and also helps out at Leeds rhinos and Liam who is the half back coach , there is a structure and philosophy that is being implemented by people not long out of the game at a high level .

Ryan Carr

Hard to really choose one. Most are under contract and would be difficult to get here.

A few names mentioned that I’d try for is Paul Anderson and Andrew Henderson.

Another that I’d like to see is either Danny Ward or Jamie Langley. Both did excellent in London.

Or a left field choice and try to pry Paul Deacon, Mike Forshaw or Langley away from Sale. Deacs is the head coach but was the attacking coach for a few years before hand so he could maybe get more expansive rugby out of our team. Obviously his RL coaching pedigree, he’s been assistant to Shaun Wane at Wigan and assistant to Steve McNamara with England.

Forshaw is the defensive coach for Sale. And was an assistant at Warrington for a time. Be great if we could afford both. But can’t see it.

For me Anderson, Henderson and Ward would be the top 3 choices. Deacs, Forshaw and Langley would be outside choices.

Saying that. I think Lingard has done a great job at Batley. And I’d like to see him maybe.

I really can’t see you getting any of those named so far. The pitch would be off putting to an experienced coach to start with so you need to be looking at a much younger and far less experienced coach in my mind. Not got any names but not sure you have the money for the big boys either.

Whomever it is lets break with the harking back to the past and get someone who's had fek all to do with Odsal an isn't going to have memories of it in the SL days....

Kear ticks those boxes and this doesn’t look like ending well

I feel like our problems lie much deeper than just the head coach, but for the sake of the thread topic I'd sound out Lee Greenwood and see if he fancies a go. He can bring his backroom staff with him too because even Dewsbury look in better shape than our plodders.

Got to be the coaching staff surely? We’re capable of playing good rugby. We have the players to play decent stuff and we have shown that against Dewsbury, Leigh and last 20 against Barrow. So the head coach is obviously wanting to play percentage rugby.

The conditioning staff, well, we look unfit. I understand that a part time team won’t be the best but even the lower sides look fitter and more lean.

If there was financial issues then there would have been something coming out, someone somewhere would know.

If it’s purely an attitude thing well the coaching staff recruited these players. And it’s the coaches job to create a good atmosphere.

The team's tactics are stale and they're unfit, what else can this be about other than poor coaching?

The coach has nothing to do with keeping them in shape.

Would love to know what Kear thinks of the fitness levels. It's his job that's on the line because of it. The players are taking the mickey by turning up with beer bellies. It shows Kear and the club as a soft touch.

I've been questioning if Kear is the right person to take us forward for a while now and that has been purely my own opinion based on the way the team have performed, the way I have witnessed them being trained and the style/tactics that has been employed. For me the team is way better on paper than the results have been suggesting.

On Friday I spoke with a few of the players after the game and I would suggest going by their comments, Kear has lost the dressing room. I'm not going to name names as it would be unfair on them, but they can see the same things that are wrong that us fans see. One suggested that Kear cannot see those issues and insists on playing to a certain structure that clearly isn't working which is frustrating a large number of the playing staff.

Fitness is one of the areas of contention, as is the ruck speed and in particular the ability to get a quick play of the ball/slow the opposition doing the same. The lack of mobility in our forwards means that we struggle to regain our feet quickly and cannot defend competently at marker defence.

We have a number of talented squad members who deserve their shot, but JK insists on playing his favourites even when medical advice suggests otherwise. Prime example is Sam Scott leaving the field, which won't have come as a huge surprise to many who know the actual extent of his knee injury. Why would a coach chose that option when he has a number of other players waiting for their chance, AJ Wallace being one?

I am convinced that a change of coach would have an immediate lift to this team, and hopefully provide a lot of them with a clean slate and genuine chance of some game time which won't happen with the current set up. That said, I don't think the club can afford to pay him up so unless JK has a change of heart, its going to be a long long season.

Assuming we don't renew his contract, I'd personally go for James Webster if he was available. He coached Fev on a PT basis and if he work/studies at Leeds Beckett will allow it, then I think he would be a very good appointment. Another option for me would be Rhys Lovegrove who has done a great job in L1 with Keighley and could potentially be interested in a step up.

From what I know, Kear doesn't think its a fitness issue.

Yeah you can talk all day about tactics but the game we're asking the players to play requires 80 minutes of fitness and enthusiasm and without it, there is literally zero hope.

That said, Kear said at the start of the season that he and Aaron Murphy spoke and said they were miles ahead of where they were last season. Crossley has been injured and seemed fitter this week but I actually think some players have put weight on since the start of the season. I've never seen anything like it.

It would probably take a huge offer to get Lingard to make a step down.

My 3 would be...

Danny Ward - Out of work, Tom Tsang - Previous head coach at Coventry, London Broncos and now head of Huddersfield Giants academy might be tempted by a head coach job or Simon Grix - Untested at such a high profile club but would probably jump at the chance of a step up to one of the big boys and a sleeping giant.

Simon Grix leaving fax for Bradford would be like leaving the love of your life for Katie price .

Good bit of bait that was Keith!

On the comms from the Bulls it at least shows some acknowledgement that there is a problem even if Kear thinks everything is fine. I fear things will have to get worse before he goes. The brand of rugby needs to change and to do that successfully players need to be fitter and some need to change their attitudes.

Will that happen? I live in hope.

In fairness, you’ve not met the love of Keith’s life…

Bravo Keith. It gave me a good laugh

I just don’t understand where it’s gone wrong for Kear. He was the perfect coach to help stabilise the club and could get players to play for him even in League 1.

I get he still messed a couple of things up as we should have won League 1 instead of coming up through the playoffs.

Even against Leeds in the cup we threw the ball about. Even simple thing like a tip on from a prop to a prop to create a 1 on 1 situation. To get a quick ptb. I think that’s how Kirk broke their line in the first set.

Since then we’ve had maybe two or three games where I think we’ve thrown the ball around and played well. The other times we’ve played alright, we’ve ground out a win doing the basics right and playing percentage rugby.

But now. We should be playing well, throwing the ball around. But it’s so boring to watch and I can’t understand why this is the tactic.