Yep a 50% success ratio.

Two top 8 finishes.

One CCup semi.

Not getting knocked out by championship teams in the CCup.

Beating Cas nearly every time.

Finally overcoming our Leeds at home hoodoo.

Quality signings like Brough and others who wanted to play for the club.

Defence!

Decent Rugby (in the minds of most people).

With a four point deduction and a scratch team, still didn't finish bottom. But hey let's remember their basic but effective 5 drives and a kick style and not the skillful team that got us to 5th two seasons earlier.

I reckon I could bare that and some rather than the crap your mate Carter has helped serve us up - some people aye

I'd take 5 drives and a kick over the current 2 drives and a knock-on.

Try watching Batley and see if you think it's 5 drives and a kick. Plying some great rugby at the minute

There were times in 2007, 2008 and 2009 where we played some enterprising rugby under Kear.

Unfortunately, after finishing fifth that squad broke up, and the players that came in just weren't of the same standard. I think JK realised that, and the 5 drives and a kick, was probably a statement of back to basics.

This isnt a bad ploy if you have decent props to do the drives, and then a decent player putting the kicks in, but Korki, King and Moore, doesnt really inspire confidence. For a start to drive the ball in it helps if you can keep hold of the ball, these couldnt. We then go to the kick and after Brough went, we brought in Cooke, who was just uninterested, and from then on, I just felt that the remaining halves Obst and jefferies, just had their noses shoved out of joint

AGREED - In all my time supporting Wakefield, Kear was the only coach where I've turned up to matches and felt confident of 2 points.

Yep. I agree with all the above

I don't know where this 5 drives and a kick statement came from. Maybe it was towards the end of JK's tenure when we were down to the bare bones but in all the time he was here I saw the best rugby from our team in Super League apart from when McNally was coach. There was structure, passion, quality, fight, togetherness, fitness, good recruitment. For the first time in years you just knew you'd give everyone a game. John Kear is a motivator, an inspiration! You only have to look at Batley now to know just what that guy can do. He's a great bloke too, I've met him a fair few times and he always has time for a chat be it about rugby or even music I recall discussing with him one time. It'll be fantastic to have him back.

Play Misty for me Steve!!

Got to say most of this is true but the season when McNally was in charge and it was Ellis's last season with us, when we had Geoff Evans as conditioner, that was a pretty special season.

Me personally think the biggest mistake JK made was spending his surplus cash on a reluctant Matt Peterson.
But apart from that he did what he had to do, at a club that is not flush with money and knew what was required.

It's another building block and from my view a welcome one .

" Mighty oaks from little acorns grow "

funny how peoples opinions change, couldn't wait to get him out, me I never forgive him for turning his back on the club when we was on the up but wanted to better his career at catalan, from there it all went sour to what we have now

JK had a young lad by the name of Dally Cherry-Evans and another halfback by the name of Gregory Bird lined up, unfortunately the then chairman wouldn't speculate that much. It was the year when we finished 5th I believe it was. DCE was only looking for 40k bird about 120 and the chairmans bottom fell out so to speak. Kear believes to this day had we had those two in place then Wakefield would have been super league champions. All ifs and buts but it would be hard to argue against this opinion but that would really have put the cat amongst the pigeons!

But wasn't that when things were starting to go pear shaped at the club. Anyone in their right mind would want out. He's got a great affection with the club but you've got to remember it's still a job

I do and professionally he's probably the only one that is available for the job, shame he didn't know what to do with that winning under 18s at the time, was only talking tonight to the mother of one of those said players and she said the same, I've a lot of admiration for Tony and Richard in getting the best of those lads I feel it was wasted

We're covering old ground here snowie so try and keep up, Kear was out of contract at the end of the season and been told his contract would not be renewed, by coincidence Catalan had sacked their coach and asked Wakefield about the availability of Mr Kear, Mr Richardson bless him instead of saying go on John as a reward for 5 good years for us go fill yer boots in France, as per could not see past the £ sign and demanded 25k on the grounds that they'd have to replace him with beans, it's all there on wikipedia old boy.

2007/8 especially were very enjoyable years watching Wakey we played decent rugby

Hang on Vasty,

Kear has some good qualities there is no doubt about that .I am sure he will do better in the signing department than the present people. However Kear has also dropped a few howlers.

Firstly he did not sign Brough, that was down to Steve Ferres and that deal was done before Kear arrived.
Then don't forget the howlers he did make, Tommy Lee, Side show bob, Paul Cooke, Jeremy Smith. I also remember
he wanted to sign Keith Senior and thankfully Jimmy Elston put a stop to that.

However he certainly will bring some good rugby knowledge and hopefully improve things but I am not expecting too much

Prince Buster, most of those signings you mention were when we didn't have 2 farthings to rub together. Just like the signing of Jarrod Hickey. Not a great signing but we didn't have the funds to entice anyone who was half decent.

I'd rather assess Kear's judge of player signings before the 2010 season. Even then, at the start of 2010 we had Newton and Morrison signed up but then the bubble burst big style. Imagine a bidding war for Broughy now, didn't we only get £30k for him and he was our best player.

Was only thinking about the Brough transfer the other day, due to the crisis we have in the halves at the moment.
Wasn't the rumour going round that he had a gambling tab that needed paying off and if this was paid, he would re sign?
It was quite a wedge of coin to pay off but probably nothing compared to the money that has been lost since his departure.

Fair enough I don't want to come over as having a downer in JK because I am sure he will improve things. There is no doubt he will be better at making signings than the people who have being do so over the last 18 months or so.
Lets not forget we still don't have those two farthings, so it will be interesting to see what sort of player we can sign.

One other thing to consider is the amount of poor players we have already got on contract. That could be the biggest initial problem
because we will need to free up a fair bit of cash flow before the squad can be significantly improved.

Really? Kear came in 2006, Brough in 2008. You're saying the deal was done 18 months in advance when we looked odds on for relegation?

There was a rumour that Brough needed to sign elsewhere due to some gambling thing but, he wasn't in a much mire as the club and the transfer fee (rumoured to be 200k) helped keep the club alive and was the point in time that the brown stuff started hitting the fan, which dramatically changed the club's on field performances..

You have to say that, whilst not all fans like everything that MC has done, he's certainly steadied the ship financially and long term this can only be a good thing for the club.

IF we'd been in better health (financially) we could have built a team around Brough (just as Huddersfield have done) but, that's life.

Sorry

Got mixed up a bit with the dates. You are correct Kears first full season started after we relegated Cas in £1m game.
The deal was also done with Brough that same season , So I was wrong Kear WAS at the club but the deal was down to Steve Ferres I am 100% certain of that. It was all through his connections with York and I seem to remember Blaymire was also signed up.