Its a very fair point. However, purely my opinion but, the whole Super Eights thing muddies the water too much for that. In other years when plain and simple, if you finished bottom you went down then maybe. But there are too many variables i think with this format. Don't get me wrong, there will almost certainly be some players for whom being relegated would make their lives massively easier. I just think there's too much water to flow under too many bridges to be clinging onto that at the moment though.

I know what you mean but i can guarantee there is one player who is in this very position and if there is one there are probably others. And no i won't name names. But if there is a complete lack of desire in the dressing room then it matters not who takes the job, they cannot drag something out of the players that just isn't there. Brian Smith has history of dividing a dressing room. His appointment could turn into a masterstroke if the players buy into his methods but it is far from certain they will.

[urlhttp://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/players-shed-few-tears-for-sacked-coach-brian-smith/story-e6frexnr-1226465966793[/url

A sad reflection on the group of players at the Roosters during that time, I've heard a few horror stories about Pearce being a diva and a very obstructive and difficult bloke. He has a reputation for gathering a clique around him and brewing up trouble.

I think you'll find that more ex B Smith players will vouch for his superb man management abilities than wont.

Someone has put a lot of time and effort into digging up some early negative dirt regarding our new coach. How dare you come along and try to put positive spin on the appointment.
It's not the Wakefield way is it?

To be fair Pearce and the Roosters seem to have done ok since Smith left, they've gone from 13th in 2012 to finishing top in the last two seasons and have won the grand final once. Being a roosters follower it was obvious that by the end he had lost the dressing room, a bit like Webster had here. I guess Smiths supposed abrasive nature could go either way, it will be interested to see how the players react to him.

He's not even in the country yet, he's been far more successful than All our recent coaches including Kear. We needed someone from outside the club, a person with a track record and yes a strong personality who will speak his mind to both the players and those in charge.
He may upset some but when you have lost 13 on the trot the majority by 40 + points I doubt it could do anything but good. I hope he sticks to his beliefs and does not pick the team based on if it saves the club money. He is a fresh face coming in at a difficult time obviously up for the challenge because I doubt he needs the money.

I bet Carter wishes he had you're experties

Good point.

Think we will see a very different Tim Smith when Brian Smith gets here.

Tim Smith made his NRL debut in 2005, for Parramatta, under Brian Smith.

He'll know how Tim Smith plays and he will know exactly how to get the best out of him.

It's obtuse in the extreme to pin our current woes on Tim Smith; he remains one of the best ball handlers in SL, but has a particular skill-set that requires the players around him to do their part. Paul Sykes was a superb foil for him - he was a runner with a good, mature head and an instinctive understanding of the game - and his extreme strength and physical fitness meant that if a play broke down, he could take the line on, absorb a tackle and reset the play. Smith can't do that, and Miller is like a headless chicken - he has none of the attributes of Sykes and doesn't free Smith up to do what he does best.

Couple that with our inability to field a proper pack for most of the year and the MIA status of Danny Kirmond, who scored a stack by running the right lines to exploit Smith's thread-needle passes, and he ends up looking like a fish out of water.

, Smith has proven his class over a lot of wakefield games over the past two seasons, it's already proven with the right players he can create and organise the plays that score us points. Shame the players he have around him this season are about as willing and organised as a bunch of fleas. Wait, that would be rude to fleas.