Good luck Mark, I mean it most sincerely, this bottom to top coaching has been tried before & will be again after Mark etc.
However, his toughest problem will be seen by some very experienced & international players not listening to him, but I hope
He has the guile to win them over !
Good luck Mark - please ensure they are Super Fit for 80 minutes, each match & at the business end of the season.

Not sure why the senior players wouldn’t listen to him. He’s the head coach with the backing of the board and appears to be very driven and have a strong idea of what he wants based on hard work.

It’s suggestive that some senior players won’t be professional. I think Apelgarth will get the respect of the players and I can’t see an issue on that front. The bloke has played at the highest level, has the knowledge, has achieved results at academy and reserve level as well as contributions within England youth set up.

I actually think the players will be looking forward to working with a young coach who clearly wants them to succeed and is wanting to lay the foundations and standards for them to achieve success.

We have to remember that he will be much older than any player signing for us. It's not as if they're being coached by someone younger than them. We have to remember that most of the players are in their twenties. In real world terms, that is not senior.

He needs a decent captain out on the field too. If we do get Taylor from Salford I think he could be that guy.

Applegarth is 37. He'll be an 'old head' in comparison to the majority of the team.

Don't bank on it.

That actually did make laugh out loud.

FWIW if that signing was on it was a Poching signing, be interesting to see if Applegarth feels the same.