Not the strongest of arguments?

I think the question is over Malc's ability as a coach

No-one can doubt his committment to Salford over the years the man's a marvel

But you have to ask, having spent all his professional life at Salford, what coaches has he worked under that he could have been learning from? Andy Greg, John Harvey, Steve McCormack, Karl Harrison, Sean Macrae.

I hope I'm wrong and I hope it works out well, but I do wonder!

I am undecided about him as a coach as you can only base it on results. You do wonder though what his influence in the dressing room will be when SM is still in charge, surely Alker and the current coach don't really see eye to eye after what happened in Florida and then his removal as club captain.

I do think that Alan Hunte will be thinking what have I got to do to get the full assistants role. I personally think he'd do a better job as a coach than SM but he runs the risk of the club moving to the new stadium at around the time that Mcreas contract comes to an end and the clubs desire to get a marque coach from Australia.

Recipe for disaster imo. Unpopular head coach with fans favourite as his number two. How long til the first Mcrae Out/Alker in thread?

Lets get real here.
Malcolm Alker has been a Loyal Servant to the club, but the way some people spout on about him you would think he is Gods gift to SCRRFLC and RL in general.
Statues to him, tribute days etc etc


He is a decent player who at any other club would not be first choice hooker.
He has too much power and making him assistant coach gives him even more.
Bad choice by McRae and Simms

And no I am not anti Alker I just say it as I see it and not through some misty eyed view.

Totally agree PR - What can Malcolm offer apart from desire/heart and tackling technique? He does not have an attacking football brain and for me its a poor appointment.

I can only presume Alan Hunte wants to stay grooming the young `uns as otherwise it would be a kick in the teeth for him. We dont want `closed shops` at Salford but I think weve got one.

This is a poor move imo. Surely if we want to move onwards and upwards as a club we need to get rid of the 'old guard'.

Provided there's sufficient funds at Salford why not go for something more radical .... why not take a punt on someone like Dennis Betts, move McRae to a Director of Rugby role and get rid of Simms. Surely the appointment of a local lad like Betts would be a step in the right direction, bringing new momentum to the club, especially with the new stadium around the corner

I would get rid of McRae now and get Betts in.
We are however stuck with him for one more year.

I have resisted commenting on Alker for a couple of weeks as I was disappointed after the last game. However I have had time and my views remain unchanged.


Alker, in his first 10 years with the club, was a legend, his contribution could not be faulted, he was loyal and someone to aspire to.


Alker in the last couple of years has tarnished what came before. He became involved in an incident that as club captain he shouldn't. He was sacked as captain and then aired his thoughts in the press.

We have had a young player leave the club due to issues with a coach and I'm not sure Malc has the management skills required to be a coach at a club where he has spent all his playing career. I'm not sure he has the vision to develop the team an feel he would be better served having an apprenticeship at another club.

The current coaching set up isn't working and I don't see the addition of malc helping that change.

Very well put ..RW.. I totally agree

To echo many on here I'd rather he'd gone and played elsewhere for a while. He has no track record as a coach. He would maybe make a decent defensive coach, but you wouldn't want him teaching our future young hookers passing or attacking from the play the ball.

I actually think he suffers from a lack of desire to push himself to be better. He's had plenty of chances to move on to bigger clubs and potentially fulfil his dream of playing for GB. Yet he passes all those over to stay at Salford and be a big fish in a small pond. That for me shows that he has a lack of drive and determination, to strive to be the best he can be. Is that the kind of person you want coaching our players?

Was it a lack of desire that kept him at Salford or the fact that he felt such an affinity to the club that he never wanted to play for anyone else even when the bigger clubs were sniffing after him? Could it not just be that Salford are "his club" like Le Tissier at Southampton, Totti at Roma etc?

Hes well on the verge on making 1000 tackles this season, considering he doesnt play as many minutes. Thats amazing

The fact that no one else wanted him possibly had something to do(please show me the proof to prove otherwise) with it and also the huge pay rise he got which made him the highest earner at the club.

I thought we at least would have been linked with a replacement by now?? Quite worrying really because there arent that many out there

I'm uncertain why some contributors are unhappy for Malc to have a go at this.
Who's to say if he'll fail or succeed before he's even given it a go. ??
It's often been reported that he trains as hard as any other member of the squad. Surely that's a good thing isn't it ?
He's put 100% into his playing career at Salford, and if he gives as much at a coaching role, then it may just work.
If he'd put in the same amount of tackles as all the other players week in week out for the last 10 or so years, we may have lost a whole load more games.
Sure, his 'skill' levels aren't the highest, but neither were those of Karl Harrison, and he seems to have a good reputation.
I for one feel that Alker and Alan Hunte would make a great young coaching team, but that may be a couple of years from now.
And I'm neither pro nor anti Alker. He comes after Lee, Edwards and Hulme in my list of recent hookers we've had, but there's no doubting his commitment.

Have to say I agree with that.

Although didn't Hulme play Loose forward for us?

JJ I agree with you on every point that you have made and as you imply, if every player,coach and spectator put as much into the club as Malcolm has over his career then we would be in as much better state than we are at present

Ave it ! Of course your right, Hulme was at loose, I was thinking of him mainly at acting halfback !
Although I'm sure he covered for Edwards now and again ?

ITS LIGHTER ON THE BACK POCKET

PR, please tell me which of the 4 things listed below Malcolm Alker has done to you.



1) P!ssed on your cornflakes
2) Drowned your cat in the Irwell
3) N0bbed your missus
4) All of the above

I am a massive Alker fan and will readily admit it. I'm not old enough to have witnessed the heady days of the 70's and apart from beating Wigan in '96 there has been little else than heartache and dissappointment over the last 20 years. The fact is that "great" teams, ie the Watkins, Charlton etc team of the 70's/Wigan of the 80's etc will throw up numerous world class players that can be genuinely classed as "legends" or "greats" which is why they were/are great teams. Sh!te, or to put it politely, distinctly average teams tend to throw up lots of mediocrity with a few class players and if you're lucky the odd "not quite as great as he used to be but still bl00dy good" players.

IMO, Malcolm Alker, at his peak, was a player that deserved international recognition. Was he in the class of Kieron Cunningham or Steve Walters? No. Has he got his limitations? Yes (and I'm sure you could give me a piece of A3 listing them

). Has he made mistakes? (Jacksonville). Yes, show me a human being that hasn't. However, if the best you can come up with to describe him is "he's been a loyal servant" then I think you're being a tincy wincy bit harsh. IMO, Malc has been as good as we've had in the last 20 years and as fans we should appreciate the MANY great performances that Malc has given us over the years and not try to belittle his status amongst Salford's greatest players. He has stood out head and shoulders above the vast majority of his team-mates over his career at Salford and his longevity, passion, commitment etc etc is good enough for me to (in my own little world) give him "legendary" status

.

Now (rant over), whether he can cut it at the top level in coaching is another matter. He should certainly command respect from other players and his knowledge of the game should be up there with the best of them. However, being a good/great player doesn't necessarily equate to being a good/great Coach/Manager (Bryan Robson anyone?). I think he deserves a chance though and if it doesn't work out then we should thank Malc for years of great service and wish him all the best in his future career. If it does work out I'll be more than chuffed as Malc is part of the Salford family and it would be fantastic to see him stay at the club.

Holding off on this topic for a while however a few choice opinions thrown in has caused me to add my two penneth worth



First : Has Malcolm Alker officially accepted the position ?

Secondly : ( He Has no Track record as a coach ) , Correct , only in Barla to date , but alot of todays ' SL Coaches ' started off as assistants at their home town club - Steve MacNamara -Brian Noble - Karl Harrison , and there are plenty of ex hookers turned coaches - Nathan Brown - James Lowes - John Lang - Brian Noble. but if he puts in as much effort and determination to the coaching role as put in on the field who's to say he won't suceed ?

Thirdly : Alkers Playing career is overstated ( 1 Club , Limited Representative honours - '[iBig Fish in a small pond would'nt have got similar game time and plaudits at other SL Clubs [/i). Hugely unfair. IMO granted but believe he sacrificed representative call ups by staying LOYAL to the club that gave him his break , safe to say he would have been snapped up by Wigan or Bradford 2003/2007 , his reputation would've probably been enhanced had he chosen St George when the opportunity arose 2007. His Playing career aswell as his loyalty and determination should be appaulded.

Fourthly : Alkers Reputation tarnished over the last couple of years . ( jacksonville? ). name me someone who's worked 15 years at the same place , whos a taskmaster and has not p1ssed people off along the way ?

Personally my first choice would be Alan Hunte from within the club , Martin Crompton from outside. Alker would be Fitness conditioner - Defence coach for all teams 18's Academy / 1st team .

You seem to think I am a Alker hater, I am not but I see the bloke for exactly what he is and that is a hard working, tackling machine.
An Assistant coach or Legend NO

If you use the dictionary definition of "legend" as "[ia person whose fame or notoriety makes him a source of exaggerated or romanticized tales or exploits[/i" then I suspect you could easily argue that Alker is, or at least will soon become, a Salford legend.