Sentiment wins nothing.

Wwe stuck with Paul Cullen for too long due to sentiment n now we're doing the same with Tony smith. Top clubs with ambition would not have kept him on after this season irrespective of a few cc wins and grand final defeats.

Smith`s & Agar`s contracts at Wire expire at the end of next season.

I expect that they will both leave in 2016.

Smith`s general demeanour, gives the impression of someone who doesn`t want to be here any more.

His media interviews have always been weak, and his arrogant, smug and indifferent attitude is doing Warrington no favours, with Sky,the RFL, & the media.

I think he will honour his contractual obligations to Warrington.......IF he is allowed to, but that will be the end of the line, for his Warrington Wolves career.

With regards to his successor, as I indicated earlier, Agar was Smith`s appointment & should leave with him.

Currently personnel in Super League who could be in the mix would be Brett Hodgson (Once Smith has severed his links with the club), Michael Monaghan, or maybe Darryl Powell.

There will be other candidates in the NRL, but I am unaware of their availability, or ability.

I hope that the new CEO will make Smith & his future successor (Whenever that is) more accountable to the club`s Board of Directors.

Draper is attempting to revive the club`s fortunes, & enhance the future of the Wire. He will fail miserably without a winning team, on the pitch.

Smith has had a free hand to sign, release or retain players up to now, & has made some significant mistakes.

The Leeds model, with the CEO ruling the roost over their club would be my preferred business model.

Smith's always been a bit annoying to some when his team loses. He doesn't show a lot of emotion about it, but do you really want Alex Murphy reincarnated, frothing at the mouth after every loss?

As it is I think in Gidley you've got your replacement for Briers. He was always going to be incredibly hard to replace.

When you're on the train or coach home having paid £60 overall to watch a terrible performance, you want to hear a bit of fire in the belly rather than an excuse which contradicts that which we heard the week before.

This season has been a reality check for those who thought Smith would become the Alex Ferguson of Rugby League. Coaches have a shelf life and it's quite unpleasant watching Smith's tenure come to an end.

For those with the 'shelf life' theory how do you explain McDermott at Leeds who has been there since 2010? Seems to be getting better....

Shelf life of 6 years and Mac has done 5. So he still has a years grace.
Just saying!

I think that Smith's tenure as coach is crumbling because of the signings he has made to cover the out going players, whereas the players signing for Leeds and the youngsters coming through are of sufficiently high quality to continue the work. However, if this is not checked losing Sinfield, Peacock and Leului (sp?) could have a significant affect and this will be the test for McDermott.

Another issue is that players at the other top clubs appear to want to play and give their all for the shirt. I can't really say that all of our players have done that. Yes we have had a few really good games but more dross than we should have. Smith/Agar don't appear to be able to motivate the team to a higher level and that is worrying. Each time I watch us at the minute I see the same sort of performances on the field and the same type of half baked comments from the coach that I/we have seen previously before we change the coach and it is very sad.

The strange performance of the team and the coaches appears to have intensified since Mr Draper has arrived. Is the new guy holding more power than others would like? I guess people are now more accountable than they were previously?

Is it coincidence that TS hasn't so much as cracked a smile since he arrived let alone spoken about him with relish?

Quote ="morleys_deckchair"Michael Monaghan please... ive had a night to sleep on it and im still all for it. The days are long gone of having to appoint established coaches with a proven track record.... The Mcrae's and Nobles arent in the frame for the top jobs anymore.... There are plenty of coaches doing well these days who were playing not that long ago Cunningham, Mcdermott, Anderson, Powell, Harris (haha)..... It's a young mans game now. Monaghan is a very intelligent and well respected man, who as a player was brilliant at changing the game and effecting its outcome. He would have all the players behind him... AND all the fans... If you're going to rebuild, you need to do it with the fans onside... I would rather have someone come in that knows the club and could get everyone onside. The bottom line is that no one is being entertained here anymore.. The side is as poor as the results indicate... its the same old excuses now. The writing was on the wall a few months ago when the players called a meeting with the management to 'air their grievances'... Things can never end well after something like that. about 5 years ago Sally said this day would come.'" I see where you're coming from but all of the names you've mentioned have a fair bit more experience than Monaghan. Powell has been head coach on and off since 2001, consistently since 2006, and only in the last two or three years has started to receive the plaudits really. Anderson had been assistant coach for 6 years when he took over and he's still only won 1 play off match from 6 attempts. McDermott has been a head coach since 2006 and an assistant since 2004, and again only in the last few years has become to be seen as a good coach. Even Cunningham has been an assistant coach for 4 years, and most Saints fans will tell you he seems to have landed the top job a year or two too early. The best place to scout coaches IMO is either NRL assistant coaches (at the decent clubs) or the top NSW/QLD cup coaches IMO. You'll only get them for two or three years but they'll be driven, they'll have up-to-date knowledge and they've served their apprenticeship and they've made their rookie mistakes at a club that isn't yours. Two decent choices (if possible) would be Garth Brennan and the Walker brothers. Garth Brennan has coached the Penrith NSW Cup team to a premiership last year and they're joint top this year (despite huge injuries apparently). The Walker brothers are really interesting, they coach the Ipswich Jets in the QLD Cup and "are changing the way rugby league is played" - "they don't use second man plays, they kick off/drop out short EVERY time, they don't care about completion rates", which is so far away from the conventional wisdom. Yet it seems to be working - Ipswich Jets are joint 3rd in the league despite spending less than a third of what the league leaders do on player salaries. Both Brennan and the Walker brothers have been linked to the Newcastle job but look likely to miss out to Nathan Brown. www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 7380230376 This is worth a read on the Walker brothers, would love to see them coach a top level side.

Quote ="morleys_deckchair"Michael Monaghan please... ive had a night to sleep on it and im still all for it. The days are long gone of having to appoint established coaches with a proven track record.... The Mcrae's and Nobles arent in the frame for the top jobs anymore.... There are plenty of coaches doing well these days who were playing not that long ago Cunningham, Mcdermott, Anderson, Powell, Harris (haha)..... It's a young mans game now. Monaghan is a very intelligent and well respected man, who as a player was brilliant at changing the game and effecting its outcome. He would have all the players behind him... AND all the fans... If you're going to rebuild, you need to do it with the fans onside... I would rather have someone come in that knows the club and could get everyone onside. The bottom line is that no one is being entertained here anymore.. The side is as poor as the results indicate... its the same old excuses now. The writing was on the wall a few months ago when the players called a meeting with the management to 'air their grievances'... Things can never end well after something like that. about 5 years ago Sally said this day would come.'" I see where you're coming from but all of the names you've mentioned have a fair bit more experience than Monaghan. Powell has been head coach on and off since 2001, consistently since 2006, and only in the last two or three years has started to receive the plaudits really. Anderson had been assistant coach for 6 years when he took over and he's still only won 1 play off match from 6 attempts. McDermott has been a head coach since 2006 and an assistant since 2004, and again only in the last few years has become to be seen as a good coach. Even Cunningham has been an assistant coach for 4 years, and most Saints fans will tell you he seems to have landed the top job a year or two too early. The best place to scout coaches IMO is either NRL assistant coaches (at the decent clubs) or the top NSW/QLD cup coaches IMO. You'll only get them for two or three years but they'll be driven, they'll have up-to-date knowledge and they've served their apprenticeship and they've made their rookie mistakes at a club that isn't yours. Two decent choices (if possible) would be Garth Brennan and the Walker brothers. Garth Brennan has coached the Penrith NSW Cup team to a premiership last year and they're joint top this year (despite huge injuries apparently). The Walker brothers are really interesting, they coach the Ipswich Jets in the QLD Cup and "are changing the way rugby league is played" - "they don't use second man plays, they kick off/drop out short EVERY time, they don't care about completion rates", which is so far away from the conventional wisdom. Yet it seems to be working - Ipswich Jets are joint 3rd in the league despite spending less than a third of what the league leaders do on player salaries. Both Brennan and the Walker brothers have been linked to the Newcastle job but look likely to miss out to Nathan Brown. www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 7380230376 This is worth a read on the Walker brothers, would love to see them coach a top level side.

People have been saying this, but I don't buy it. If you don't want to be somewhere, you're not going to stay and be miserable. If he were to leave, I'm sure he wouldn't be short of offers from teams in England or in the NRL.



And coaches like Brian McDermott, Shaun Wane and Keiron Cunningham are all sweetness and light and embrace the interviewers they talk to? Give me a break. McDermott tried to make Rod Studd look bad a couple of weeks ago but it backfired and made McDermott look like a right mug.

In my opinion, Tony Smith just doesn't like giving interviews, especially to Sky. I've never seen any issues with the interviews he has given to the BBC. It's only because the likes of Clarke, Hemmings and Stephenson gave him nothing but crap when England were knocked out of the 2008 World Cup. And Hemming's off mike outburst about him a couple of weeks ago, just confirmed why Smith doesn't like them.



Of course he will honour his obligations, he's a model professional. Did you not see him congratulate every single Hull KR player after the semi final?



Agar's been given a lot of crap (including from myself), but what people need to realise is that if they want Smith out, Agar will be the natural replacement. Then what will the people who wanted Smith out think. It's a double edged sword. If Smith stays, the likelihood is Agar will stay. If Smith goes, then Agar could move up to Head Coach.



Hodgson and Monaghan are just starting their coaching careers, I doubt they have the experience to step up as a Head Coach just yet. But you never know. Briers' name has been in the mix too but he's already come out and said it's too early for him to be thinking about a HC role, he just wants more experience first.



Geoff Toovey is still coaching Manley, but he's being sacked at the end of the season to make way for Trent Barrett.



Speaking of the Board of Directors, what is it that Broomhead does apart from choosing the ClubCall whenever we had the choice? Is his position as chairman just an honourary title? It seems like a lot of the changes being made are Draper's, so what does the "Professor" actually bring to the table?



Well of course, that's natural. It helps behind the scenes if you have a team that is successful on the field. He's only been here a few months though, and people are saying that we shouldn't be backslapping him just yet, to wait 12 months. He's doing quite a few things already though, so at least we know he's having an impact already at the club.



He has, but hasn't anyone else made mistakes? Koukash for example? (though I know he's not a head coach) Plus if you're talking about Roy, yeah, he's not had the best of tenures at Warrington but would you have known that from the way his career was in the NRL? No-one would have known that.



Would you want Draper to end up being like Hetherington though?

Toovey is the favourite for the Australia job I think.



A head coach is a person with the ability to build a team and a structure/gameplan for that team, and the ability to judge players' attributes and potential. Surely the person employed to perform that role is the person you want to judge players' attributes and potential (and therefore sign/release/retain players), not a businessman?

Gary Hetherington is the CEO for Leeds Rhinos, which is the business model I specified in my post. He has been superb for Leeds as an administrator AND has managed a succession of Leeds` coaches, (Including Tony Smith), on a short leash. He has been the lynch pin (With the coaches involvement), for their recruitment, retention or release of players.

Tony Smith at Warrington has had a free hand, with virtually, no intervention by the club`s hierarchy. His succession planning, has been less than successful. Some of his recruitment has been p!$$ poor (Eg Asotasi.....Should have been paid off after his 1st season with us, with a "convenient" career ending injury; Gary Wheeler .....As you are a Saints fan, I don`t see any need for further explanation; NO halfback signing to replace Lee Briers for virtually 2 seasons etc. )

Which do you you think has been the more successful regime, Warrington`s under Smith, or Leeds` with their CEO calling the shots via the coaching staff?

Warrington needed a CEO to take charge of the club, & hopefully Draper will show the necessary leadership.

Good post BH.

Has the Draper's appointment peast TS off?
I think perhaps it has.

Who knows, but Draper has made several comments in public regarding our on field struggles, where as I can't remember Sutcliffe saying anything of note in recent years.

Whatever happened to lord tony smith? paraded before the golden gates in his #hardwired slippers with challenge cup in hand (thats what she said).

From hero to villain in one season, good book title that.

Draper is ,after all ,here for a flipping good wage & no doubt his money is performance related & unfortunately ,unless there is some other way of the club earning revenue then the main aim is a successful team putting bums on seats.
On the other hand the reputation of TS must way below what it was in 2011. For his own sake Tony Smith needs to rebuild a successful team.

Gatcliffe never ever commented on the team, he left that alone, and to be fair to rog, he's done a lot of interviews as part of his 300 days project and he's been asked about the team, as its coincided with us being this year. However he's never been critical, he's given a politiciana answer then moved back to whatever else is going on.

smith was on gmr earlier this year and he sounded pretty happy with draper, and his appointment, almost ecstatic.

I admit I am guessing, but I would be very surprised if Roger Drapers remit was anything other than the day to day running of the club and targets set around improving the business activities. The new players will surely be a discussion primarily between TS and SMJ with Draper included for communication because it impacts on the finances. Since Simon Moran 'pays' for the club and is a fan, you would imagine that he would at least allow himself the fun of discussing new player recruitment with Smith, if not suggesting possibilities himself.

Love is very fickle. One minute you have bought a state of the art pitch, the next you are using re-cycled plastic as a cheap alternative.

Difference between Draper and Hetherington at the moment is Draper is the CEO of Warrington Wolves and he's doing things for the club itself.

Hetherington wants to control the world.........okay, maybe just the RFL/IRLF. He could be a product tester for Hollands he has his fingers in that many pies. Didn't he give Hardaker his 100% backing after his antics with alcohol on England duty, being homophobic to James Child and then beating up a student, and then get hit with a misconduct charge for claiming there is a witch-hunt against poor old Zak?

Also, I wonder if Draper's missus needs a job at another Super League club.....

What evidence do you have that Hetherington is the driving force behind player recruitment at Leeds? You want Draper, a man who since 1992 has worked within rugby league for 6 months (and on the business side), responsible for assessing what the team needs and what players are suitable, rather than a man who has been coaching, creating game plans and assessing players his whole career?

Gary Hetherington is also an ex-player and coach. Roger Draper is neither ( ok, a bit of amateur-level as a player ) and neither was Andy Gatcliffe. They can hardly be expected to come up with authoratitive views on player ability that would be of value to Tony Smith and/or Simon Moran.

Why would they need to, isn't that our job!

Hetherington definitely does the signing at Leeds, it's effectively a football manager role over and above the CEO one. But that can't really work anywhere else that doesn't have a very astute judge of RL players as the boss. Hetherington built Sheffield Eagles, on and off field, from scratch and has coached at the very top level, including as part of a GB coaching team in an Ashes series. You can't expect to get that same skill set in many club bosses. Would Tony Smith would work well with a conventional football manager?

So When are we having the Tony Smith sit in?

after Hull beat us on sep 6th?