With your announcement as new Coach imminent may I start a wee thread wishing you all the best for the upcoming season. You have taken on the job in very difficult circumstances and that will have to be taken into account as you start your career in the big chair. (Yes, yes, that means that folk like me need to cut a wee bit of slack.

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Your predecessor did not do too much wong and his thoughts of you are very positive so good luck in your bid to get this great club back in the big time.

All the best Franny.

Good Luck Franny!

If you can manage a couple of seasons of good rugby with the odd surprise win against the big boys, I suspect most of us will be happy.

Good Luck Franny!

Hopefully the continuity will help settle the players a bit more. Lets trust Potters judgement and get behind our new coach.

A freelance tweeted he's got a 3 year contract

Well, I hope he does well.
My thoughts on a previous assistant getting the job too soon have already been recorded. However, I'm willing to accept that Cummins is taking over a squad which has been through the ringer and will need to keep up the siege mentality but basically the only way is up, where as McNamara took over a championship winning side and dismantled it.

Great to see the new regime rewarding Franny's commitment.

Whoever is running the League Weekly twitter account appear to have a crush on our new coach:
“@LeagueWeekly: Welcome to the hottest Franny.

It begins.

3 years is a big vote of confidence, especially for an untried head coach.

A gamble but hopefully it'll come off.

What's a reasonable expectation for next season? A bit early to say with the squad yet to be confirmed but I would say the 8 is probably beyond us due to the lack of depth in the squad.

With reasonable expectations the pressure shouldn't be too high.

I'm sure we'll be fine, I mean, the last time we gave a three year contract to a totally unproven former assistant coach, everything went great right? Right???? Oh.

I'm amazed the contract is 3 years - did we learn nothing from the McNamara episode?

Still, I'll get behind him - and support him and the team. Onwards and upwards eh?

We can all see some paralells with Macca from when he started, but there are a few differences as well, I wish him all the best and hope he does prove to have elusive quality that makes for a winning Coach!, but he will need time and money both of which will be in short supply for a least 2 years

I was thinking this was reminiscent of the McNamara decision. I just hope that Cummins proves to be more up to the job. Cummins has been an assistant longer than McNamara was I think so should be more experienced.

Even Potter only got 2 years.

Like I said it's a gamble. What I hope we don't hear is the old chesnuts about "best young British coach" and "still learning" and all that.

Hopefully what everyone's been though will unite the dressing room behind him.

Potter only wanted 2 years when he signed, as he was off back to Aussie then

Franny getting 3 years is right,

year 1 - recover and re-stabilse the club
year 2 - strive for the playoffs
year 3 - top 4

Thats what I would be looking at in Mr Khans shoes, anything shorter sends the wrong message

That's rather optimistic. I'm not saying this to have a go, but I think hoping for a top four finish within three years, after the havoc McNamara brought to the club and your off-field troubles this year is a bit much. I think if you can make the play-offs in years 2 and 3 then that would be a massive achievement.

Hes young but im happy with the appointment of Cummins I think he will do a good job just what him to get all our star youth players on big contracts and let the rebuild begin

Especially if, as someone else has reported, we have to do it with half the Sky money that other clubs receive?

Year 1 - Play with Passion and Pride, try get the club back on tis feet
Year 2 - More stability, push to be in or around 8th
Year 3 - Playoffs as a target

That may be more realistic imo, although when you look what Wakefield have done then it is encouraging.

I agree with this.

Top 4 teams usually have more than a few players with real winning pedigree. We're not going to be splashing much cash in transfer fees so we'll have to develop our own. That means top 4 is some way off IMO.

I suspect that the commitment of the fans in signing up for season tickets will probably have a massive bearing on what the club is able to offer?

Much though I would like to agree with your timescale I think next year it will be a major challenge just to get 13 players out on the pitch - so more realistically it going to take all three years to recover and re-stabilse - but maybe play-offs in year 3. I really hope I am wrong but we find ourselves in a position similar to Widnes for the 2013 squad, and I don't think OK will be able to bank-roll the Bulls in the same way Widnes have enjoyed or make up the alledged shortfall in Sky money.

This.

Think a lot depends on how many of our current contracted and ooc players we manage to retain. If bulk of them go the widens comparison seems fair. If we manage to keep majority then I'd say we're more on a par with situation widens will be on next year. A good core of players used to playing together, with a handful of new faces, is a different kettle of fish to a squad full of players still learning each others names. Think we're bound to see some signings that are of a stopgap 1 yr deal type just to give us some squad depth, although I'd expect some of younger player to maybe be thrown in earlier than we would have liked too.

Firstly, well done franny, and well deserved appointment given the loyalty demonstrated this year.

As for expectations, I understand we are looking to run the club on around 2/3rds of the wage bill of this year, so it will certainly be a big ask for the top 8. I like the fact that its 3 years, as this gives time to build, rather than FC be faced with making more short term moves for the sake of his own job.

I'd agree with this. And on this timescale, with realistic expectations from the terraces cheering on (hopefully) a group of commited and passionate players including plenty of our own youth products then I think FC's appointment is the right one for the position we find ourselves in. Its a bit of a gamble, but then any appointment we could afford would be , and I'd also have taken this one, on a loyal coach whos served his time as an apprentice and knows our players and systems.

Good luck Franny, 100% support from me. Now lets get the core of our good players and prospects signed up and lets see what sort of team we can put out next year. COYB!

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