Not too sure about this appointment. He lost the dressing room at Saints and his dull brand of rugby alienated himself from the fans who once adored him. Hopefully he's come back refreshed and with new ideas that can help the coaching team.

Derek appears to have began the planning process for next season despite what the official announcement states.

I feel we are now beginning to see the changing of the guard.

How do you know it's [iJukes & Cooke[/i & not [iCooke & Purtill[/i or Purtill & Jukes ?

Something/someone is clearly wrong at/for the Club & the problem needs to be identified & cut out ! This is why *as I believe I have proffered previously* there needs to be a meeting, individually between each player & the owner D.B, with an open & free dialogue & no fear of retribution ! Only this way do you get to the crux of the issue & start to rebuild.

I am not sure that K.C is the answer to our problems but I don't offer a better plan.

Jukes & Cooke predominantly plan and manage the attack, the defence analysis is the key responsibility of the other two.

Excluding friendlies in 2017...

Average points For = 19

Average points Against = 26


Ultimately, the attack has been deficient.

The team did well last year with Jukes & Cooke. I think it was a poor move to add Purtill into the mix and this season has done nothing to change my view.

I can say with certainty that no-one saw that coming.

Interesting statistic, that. It's not the sign of a team getting battered out of sight, but it is the sign of a team that hasn't been able to create and execute scores. With the exception of the bizarre Wigan game, all our victories have come on the back of keeping our opponents' score down. Only one score above 30, in the entire league season, tells its own story!

St Helens 24-16
Huddersfield 30-0
Warrington 22-8
Hull 26-22
Salford 25-0

An average score of 25-9. Unfortunately, I don't believe any team's defence can maintain that sort of level, over a season!

No reason to dis-believe you, but really not convinced he would be the answer - his style of rugby seemed no better than what we have now

We couldn't half do with someone who is 'worldly-wise' in that job. A number of times our opponents have exposed our naivety this season - including Mr Sheens and his Hull KR side, twice!

I agree.

Cunningham's style may not have suited the Saint's brand of rugby. Doesn't mean it won't work at Leigh.

A little of both old and new may just be that spark we are missing.

So we employ another coach from the cautious rugby academy, there is a good reason Saints showed him the door he is no bloody good at it, talk about grouping birds of a feather.

And just how many tutors does a club need for one team, we have Jukes, Purtill, Anderson, Cooke and now Cunningham, I don't care how is title is wrapped up he will still be employed in that group, surely money spent on personnel who can actually do something on the pitch would be better spent.

Mr Beaumont should have a rendition from the North Stand of the ditty they usually reserve for the referees "You don't know what your doing, you don't know what your doing"

I'd be very careful what you wish for if I was you

Maybe you need to get some of your coaching staff on the pitch, they can probably do a better job out there.

We may need them yet - if we get just a couple of injuries or suspensions in the forwards!

INOUT
We must have the biggest Coaching Staff in Rugby,now obviously we don't know what Cunningham will be being paid, but he won't come cheap,then add all the other Coaching Staffs wages , and the Club keep telling us to support Fundraising,why when money is spent on something we don't really need?
I know Cunningham is taking Derek's place, does this mean Derek to a Salary from the Club?

Unfortunately, his appointment has not inspired me

There's no way i'm going to criticise DB though after all he has done for this Club! Probably more than any other individual in my lifetime?

None of this really adds up. What exactly is the role of Head of Rugby meant to do? If it's "helping out" the coach, isn't that what the trio of assistants already there are meant to do? If it's to do contract negotiations, he's not going to trust a 4 week temp to do it for a while.

Feels to me like a role that properly needs defining, if this means that DB will take a step back from playing matters, then I'd be in favour as he'll get far more value for his money if he steers clear of the training pitch!

Hopefully we'll have a reserves side without employing any more coaches next year.

I feel KC's appointment is one of an assessment role. The DOR bit making him only answerable to DB. Whilst everyone else answers to him.

An independent enquiry if you like,which will involve everything from coaches,players,training,structures and game plans.

He's there to assist, that doesn't mean everyone is on trial but it does mean they will be judged and hopefully assisted.

Just not sure this was the right time to do it.

Can never work out why some think a ex good player becomes a good coach, if it was the case we would be overrun with the likes of Powell, but he did he dis his training, not becoming a coach overnight.

Not convinced by Cunningham, St Helens my home town went mad, statue of him, a new housing estate on the site of Knowsley Road named after him, and what did he do, some of his after match press conferences were a joke, he was clueless! and his recruitment was dismal, even to a top club like Saints.

Was rumoured he was heading for Widnes, thought that was a major error! and not convinced about him with Leigh.

An assessment role? not sure he has those skills at all!

Time will tell whether it's been a good appointment or not, nothing else.

The decision to employ a new DoR is bonkers. Derek is only away for a few weeks and he's hardly going to Outer Mongolia (though some would say that's preferable to Hull) - so is he saying that he doesn't trust his coaching staff to make the right decisions? Was he really that involved in the day-to-day goings on inthe coaching side of things that he think is his current staff can't cope without him? I thought he always said that he wasn't involved in all that stuff, so has KC come in just as an admin guy? It all sounds bonkers and panicky to me.

[iDisclaimer:
Yes I have got a grudge (if it makes you feel better to believe that then good) blah blah blah
Yes I still have an opinion blah blah blah
No it might not be the same as yours blah blah blah
Deal with it and move on.[/i

Hi Mish.

A few clubs have a 'senior' former player/coach sitting in the role above head coach. John Kear immediately comes to mind in his role with Chris Chester at Wakefield - and very successful they have been too. Also Brian Noble is employed in that position at Toronto - but the success of that partnership won't really be proven for at least 2/3 years. It seems to be an attempt to provide a young coach with an experienced 'father' figure'. However, I can't really see Keiron Cunningham as a 'father figure!' Whilst he was incredibly successful as a player, he hardly set the world on fire as a coach and probably has less coaching experience than any of our 'fleet' of coaches. (wrong collective noun but seems appropriate!)

Hopefully some of his 'never say die' attitude, and experience as a player at a high level, will add something we have been lacking.

But that's always been Derek's role and we all know that he's never coached, so how does that work out? Look, you're either good enough to be head coach and to make all the decisions about your team or you're not - in which case, pack your bags and go home because you're not good enough. There's no middle ground with this - just ask Alex Murphy what he would think about another coach being brought in if he was head coach.





If you need assistants, or admin staff then fine, but you can't bring a guy in who knows nothing about the team and give him the top job - how humiliating must that be for Jukesy, despite Derek giving him the dreaded vote of confidence. As I said, bonkers.