Never scared to make some hard decisions though. With more experience more of those decisions are likely to be the right ones.

I'd have Stuart Raper back along with Adrian Vowles, Brad Davis and Tawera Nikau.

Don't fear - it will be Kear.

Unlucky, He will be at Wire next season for a fee thought to be around 300k. Leeds were interested, But not in paying a fee.

The team he had at Saints was packed with internationals and only had one serious rival for honours (Bradford). That team could have won trophies with anyone in charge, it coached itself. He left that job 8 years ago. He has won nothing since. (Same happened with Shaun McCrae who had been a success at Saints)

When having to lift a team from mid table he has failed miserably on both occasions. He took Wigan from mid table to bottom. He took over Cas who under Terry Matterson had been mid table and challenging for (and sometimes getting) a playoff spot and took them from mid table to bottom. 7 wins in nearly 40 games and only seeming to get worse as this year goes on, I'd say Cas have given him enough of a chance.

Rush stated last year he didn't want the saints coaching job on a number of occasions. He has a much more secure job in their youth development so probably won't be a head coach anywhere. Cunningham is probably being prepared for the Saints job in a few years time.

I would like it to go to Aston or Powell or another young British coach from the championship, someone who has done an apprenticeship in coaching. I think Kear is thinking about retirement as he is 60ish and aren't Batley part time? If so putting 2 and 2 together.

I wouldn't be surprised if it is someone with Austrailian accent who will be in charge come the end of the season though.

John Kear is 58.

And there's no chance of us paying a fee!


I reckon Kear or Powell for the Cas job.

Correct, anybody who knows RL knows Kear is the best man but I doubt he'd do it at this point in his life - but who knows.

and would come in like some returning messiah, what's more, as definitely one of, and probably the best, man managers in the game, the situation at Cas is tailor made for him. He's a shoo in..

I wouldn’t say he’d be like some sort of messiah, remember he orchestrated their relegation whilst at Wakefield.

But he’s a Cas lad through & through, I’m sure he would jump at the chance, however, the length of any contract may be a quibbling point.

If we get Kear it will be to the end of the 2014 season. I don't think he would leave Batley for anything less.

For me it should be John Kear. In fact should've been him instead of Millward, I never rated the guy. He's done nowt since his Saints days, and Stevie Wonder could have coached that team.
However, rumours abound that Stuey Raper is coming in to 'assist' for the rest of the year, it could be worse, he's been through it all before.
I've always had a soft spot for Castleford, so I hope whoever comes in with Danny Orr has some success pretty quickly