The next appointment needs to be exciting enough to bring fans back to the games. I don’t think the likes of Winder, Betts, Powell etc would do that and would put more fans off if anything.
Edwards would really capture the imagination and I think would put bums on seats. It might even bring new fans from Union just from an intrigue perspective. I think IL has a hell of a decision to make here and I’m confident he’ll get it right.

IFL has a track record for getting it right.

I think you will find Edwards has accepted a part time coaching position with a Welsh Union outfit. Whilst keeping his coaching role with the Welsh National side.

Surely the most important consideration for the new coach is whether they would be any good? I get that Edwards would provide intrigue. Perhaps I'm just not from the right generation to think that Edwards is the second coming but I really don't get this desire to bring him back ahead of all others when he has no experience coaching in rugby league. As great as he was as a player he's been out of the game for decades. There are coaches within the game who start to look out of touch after just a few years within the game.

I'm sure if he became head coach there would be quite a media buzz and plenty would show up to see his first few games in charge but if the results didn't come then we'd be left with a very expensive flop and lots of pertinent questions as to why we hired someone with zero relevant experience for one of the most high pressure jobs in rugby league. The man said himself that if he returned to rugby league he'd need to spend time as an assistant and couldn't go straight into a head coach role.

The fact is the right coach might not be a particularly exciting prospect. Usually it's big name former players that fans really want and generate excitement, until the club finds themselves in the situation Saints were with Kieron Cunningham. Oh how great it was to have a club legend in charge - for about 30 minutes.

Michael Maguire wasn't exactly a big name appointment but look at what he did with the team. He may have been someone building a good reputation but to most he was a complete unknown. Likewise, Shaun Wane wasn't exactly an exciting appointment although it was quite clear that he was the best man for the job at the time so there was little resistance to that appointment.

The best coaches don't always go straight into the big jobs. There are plenty of promising coaches who will be biding their time and improving their knowledge as assistant coaches. Big names aren't always the best coaches. I'd be happy with the club bringing in someone with some good ideas and plenty of ambition.

All reasonable points mate and I don’t disagree with you. All I’d say about Edwards is that I’ve never seen anybody from the world of rugby league with a better rugby brain than Edwards. Regardless of codes, Shaun Edwards understands rugby inside out and just because he hasn’t been involved in RL for 15 doesn’t mean he hasn’t kept up with the game.
Let’s not forget that he had no RU experience but won 3 premierships with Wasps before going into international rugby. Just my opinion but I think he’d be a breath of fresh air.

We are at a critical point in our Club’s history in that crowds continue to fall despite a relatively successful era. We really need the chairman to get this appointment right, whoever he decides to bring in. Of course some would like to see Edwards come back, supported by Lockers etc could be a real boost for the club but equally, I understand some people would be reluctant to go down that route. If it’s not Edwards (which seems less likely now) I’d hope for another Aussie and not a current SL coach.

Michael Maguire found himself out of date in the NRL just a few years after winning the title. Souths look a far better team this year under a new coach. I'm not saying Edwards couldn't be a success, but RL has changed enormously since he played. In fact it morphs a bit every year, and underestimating the way it changes has caused many a coach to lose their job.

I understand and agree with a lot of points about out of date coaches but Brad Fittler hasn't coached full time since 2009 and now he's in charge of New South Wales. In some instances it works when a player keeps in touch. Anyway I'm not a great lover of State of Origin, since it is overhyped beyond belief, but I want to see how Fittler gets on with his 11 rookies, it could reveal a few things.

His success in rugby union despite never playing the sport previously is a valid point. He seems like a pretty good man manager and he's obviously studied rugby union extensively. However, he did come into the sport initially as a defence and backs coach, under the tutelage of Warren Gatland, one of the biggest coaching names in rugby union, who won 3 consecutive Premierships, plus a Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup while head coach at Wasps. Edwards certainly got his rugby union coaching education from one of the best. He also had very recent knowledge to bring to the game from playing rugby league. He came to union at a time when it seemed to be a bit creatively bereft and there was a lot that Union stood to learn from League.

I think Edwards himself understood how important it was to have the guidance of someone like Gatland. If he came back to rugby league I can't help but think he'd need to get acquainted with the game again. He may always be interested in the game, watch the game, study the game, but it's still very unlikely that he'd have the time to pick apart and study things in the minute details that most modern coaches seem to. It's entirely possible that he could just come back into the game and pick things up naturally, and just have that innate ability to generate performance from players, but I think it would be a risk for the club to assume that he could do that. After all, it's been quite a few years since his last experience of coaching club rugby union, and he's only ever been at one club. So with that in mind I still think the sensible route for Edwards to get back into rugby league would be as an assistant coach.

Plus, y'know, he's just got a new job...

I'm convinced Edwards would be a success in RL coaching. I'd hope that would be with us.
As we all know the difficulty is we need a head coach from 2019 and he's only available from 2020.
As for what happens to 2019 is one that IL really has to work out.

Edwards will increase the crowds, improve the teams performance and overall I think the club will be far better off with him as head coach than not.

I suspect that Edwards personality may be too intense for the job of head coach. He's very good at what he does but unless he's mellowed over the years he'll probably upset a few people.

Denis Betts has just been sacked from Widnes. I hope to the high heavens IL isn’t considering Betts for the job.

No chance.

Hope not, but having said that, I always thought he was hard done by when we sacked him. He had a horrendous injury list, and still managed some great results...and his successor was not exactly an improvement!

I think he's been hard done by at Widnes. They seem to have next to no investment in the squad. They rarely get any good/new players in. Then they eventually got Chase, and he gets banned for drugs. This year they've had a horrific injury list again. Inu along with Mellor was their best player this year, and then he breaks his arm.

Look at the players he has at his disposal, even when fully fit that squad isn't good enough, and I'd put that down to investment rather than Betts.

Sadly it looks like they may be the ones to lose out to Toronto, and maybe another club will lose out to Tolouse (unless they alter league structure).

According to reports in Australia Bennett had been told he has no future at the Broncos beyond this season.

Wigan have it seems reportedly offered Bennett a massive deal to come to coach here.

Bennett chose Dennis Betts to be his number 2 for England.

I’m not saying the Bennett/Betts coaching team will end up at Wigan but it makes things interesting as it appears on paper at least that all the stars are aligning.

I don’t have anything against Bennett, as it happens I think he is doing a grand job with England, but I’m hesitant about him when it comes to Wigan.

With England, he came in to steady the ship and make us competitive with Australia, if not beat them (which we very nearly did in the WC Final).

With Wigan he’ll be coming in to rebuild and whilst doing that have continued success. I’m not saying he isn’t capable of it; he clearly is and he’s an extremely well liked and well respected coach, but I just wonder if the job would be better suited to a younger candidate with fresh(er) ideas.

I wouldn’t be up in arms if he were appointed, I’d probably be content with it. But for me it’d be a very short term appointment at a time when I’d be looking for some medium to long term stability given the likely staff turnover.

If Bennett wants to come I’d be amazed, he’s mentioned in the past how he likes to be near his family. On the off chance he’d come over here we’d get 12 one season.

I’d still take that with a coach of his calibur, I’d then look for his successor and try and get them as assistant for that season.

Won’t happen though.

Wouldn't advocate Betts, but I do feel for him. Seems like there have been pleny of occasions when they have looked pretty decent, then injuries strike and they just don't have the resources to sustain it.

Think there's a decent coach in there, so hope he gets the chance at somewhere where he'll be able to show it a little better.

I don’t think Bennett would have the same commitment to youth development that a local coach would. Not convinced he’d be right for us.

Dennis is a really nice lad. But my view is that he's had his day as a head-coach. He's been in and around that role for 14 years and had no success. I honestly believe it would be a backward step to give him the top job at Wigan, for him as well as us.

I wouldn't be surprised if IL didn't surprise us all by recruiting an unknown, perhaps someone who's currently an assistant somewhere.

He's actually had success with that method in the past. Brian McDermott was an assistant when IL signed him for Harlequins, and though he didn't win a trophy with them, he wasn't a failure and he then went on to win several at Leeds. And at Wigan, IL recruited both Michael McGuire and Shaun Wane, again both assistants, and yet both switched comfortably into the head-coach role and had great success.

Just because it's happened before doesn't mean it should happen again of course, but why change a winning formula?

-Bennett
+any Aussie coach

I notice Warren Gatland's (Wales RU coach) interview yesterday was hardly adamant when asked about Shaun Edwards's future. He said arrangements were being made for Shaun to link up part time with two regions in addition to his Wales duties next year but that if "opportunities come along you've got to look at them if they are the best option for you and your family and the future" hopefully that is hinting at contact with Wigan rather than England RU

Interesting spot, definitely sounds like he's gone out of his way not to be too definitive.

Having said that, I'd expect we're probably still at the stage where we're working out who our number one target is.

I’d have thought by now a list has been compiled of applications 4/5 coaches with interviews etc set up.

I think in his mind IL knows who or what combo he wants in the coaching department and for me it needs to be announced sooner rather than later so we can start to build the squad for next season. Wigan at the minute aren’t looking too attractive with coaches and players leaving in quick succession. A head coach 2019 announcement would go a long way to redress that balance IMHO.