Richard agar he was never really given a chance

I think Matty Elliott had worked with BS for around 5 years prior to him taking over at Bradford and i'm not convinced that the time Stu has had with RA/JW and then with BS will be enough, although I may be wrong?

In the same way i think Kieron Cunningham has got the Saints job a bit early i think the full time job for SD in the next 12 months would be too soon and the possibility of someone slightly more experienced getting on board before BS goes would be more than beneficial.
Karl Harrison was the one name i thought of at the end of last year, but based on the current set up it would seem Brian is more than happy with it or alternatively he might be planning on staying on a bit longer.

For me, I'd be speaking to JD. There are a number of reasons:
1. As a head coach, he won something with his first team (forgotten the name sorry), and did so well he was headhunted as an assistant to an NRL side.
2. He will have had good experience with the current NRL champions as assistant.
3. He knows the club and knows the area, so there'll be no culture shock, and his club allegiance in the UK is Wakey.

The reasons I believe he won't come:
1. He will have his eyes on an NRL head coach position
2. He strikes me as a very devoted family man, and would he uproot his children from the heat and beauty of North Queensland to bring them back to Wakefield? I doubt it.

I'd agree with all the for and against on JD. Would love to have him here but being realistic he isn't coming. (If he asked me I'd advise him to stay there for now)

Morrison is name that always pops up and I think he would be good.
My preference for him over Dickens is simply that he has experience of being top dog. To take a top job in Super League I honestly think you need to be a head coach somewhere else first, not just an assistant.

I'd happily have Kear back.

My preference would be for Smith to stay another year and develop someone. If Dickens took more of a head role while Smith was here he would then be well placed.

Great topic. Quite correct in getting this sorted now. Players will be deciding deals for next around April time so coaches will be the same. Firstly I'd hope BS could stay for a couple more seasons after this. I really doubt this is an option. I prefer an outsider coming in as it shakes things up a bit and keeps people on their toes. I'd make a bee line for Geoff Toovey as head coach of available and if BS leaves.

The deciding factor for the coach role will be the form this year.

If BS can prove that the addition of a good coach can change the team in to something special then we will be able to attract top names.
If the form is poor and similar to last season, we will be getting ex players with no real experience applying with no choice about the matter.

And of course if we do hit form and surprise a few people, BS may well then want to continue his progress.

I think, however, you have not only got to have had the top job at some level, you have probably got to have played at a top level, so experienced good coaching systems. Or alternatively, been an assistant under a highly-rated coaching system. Maguire had the Melbourne experience, and Wane had the experience under him. Cunningham has played at the highest level and been coached by some of the best. Powell played at the top level, Great Britain, and has been head coach before his Cas stint. Dickens, however, has played at Featherstone and been an assistant to Wakey's worst ever Super League side. I know he played under Powell, but it was still only in a Championship environment. He just hasn't earned his spurs.

Morrison is always a decent shout, because he had nous and leadership on the field, not just a journeyman prop.

I might be doing Dickens a huge disservice, and he might learn a lot from Brian Smith, but I only ever see him as the replacement water carrier.

Persuade BS to do another year, and get Andy Kelly back to work with him for that year, before taking over as HC; I know he's got a decent gig at Shudds, but surely another crack at coaching in SL would be tempting?

Hopefully Brian Smith will stay on.
If not, we have to go with the best that there is at the time.

Over the past 25/30 years we have really struggled to entice many quality coaches, with some obvious exceptions.

Typically we have had to gamble with up and coming coaches without a proven track record and this usually ends up
in disappointment.

We need to hope for a good season and hope that Mr Smith wants to stay, if not, we will likely end up with another "Agar" type coach.

I don't think 12 months will be long enough to turn Dickens into what we need but, IF we could keep Smith for a few seasons then maybe ?

Dont think Dickens would have the discipline without Smith may do for a few month but thats it. I personally think Smith may do another year. After that only one man JD!

I hope he does another year beyond this, but if things don’t go well there will be people on here screaming for his dismissal by June.

If he plans to go home after this season I would hope he can advise the Chairman on a suitable replacement.

Morrison or JD for me. Dickens is a big no no.

I think we may be pushing it expecting BS to stay beyond this season although I will gladly eat my words if he does. Likewise I think we may be pushing it to expect JD to come back to our lovely climate. For me BS will no doubt have a big say in his successor and who better to know if SD is up to the mark more than him.
If all else fails, then I too would look at Morrison and an outsider Andy Kelly. Thought he got a raw deal last time he was here!

The club seem to be going in the right direction and are prepared to take difficult decision. The whole culture at the Trinity seems to have changed. I'm sure the players are in no doubt of what's expected of them both on and off the field and will be expected to deliver. If B S leaves at the end of the season as expected the club and M C will need to have an opinion now on S D. The people in the know must have an opinion on his ability and if he's the man to take over, if there's a doubt then a replacement should be integrated in to the club sooner rather than later.
I'm expecting much better things from Trinity over the coming season and would fully expect the club to have plans in place. I do not expect the club to leave it to the end of the season unless they are in S D s corner.

If the club dont dont go for a supposed high profile coach wakefield should look at ryan sherridan at cas weĺl thought of by powell

I'm reading Phil Larder's book (which is very interesting if you like the coaching and development side of sport)
One thing he details early on in the book is when he met with the Management team from the 82 Aussies. They were clearly far ahead of us and actually agreed to share a lot of their procedures and methods to give us a chance to catch up.
One of the first things they pointed out was that English coaches tended to be ex players with no real experience, and that was a primary issue that was holding the game back.
There have been lots of coaching courses and training plans developed since then and life has changed for a top coaching appointment but Wakefield as a low budget club run the risk of making the same mistake.
I'd rather have an experienced coach who didn't play at the top level over a top player who is learning on the job.
The reason Kear or Smith are good for Wakefield is that they have experience and know how to steer the ship even when it appears to be sinking, rather than the guy with lots of new ideas and a potential great career ahead, who hasn't even learned what his own limitations are.....like Webster.

Don't know if I've misread your post, but don't Wane, McDermott, Anderson, Cunningham, fall into that category? They don't seem to have done too badly.

Wane, Cunningham, and McDemott
Inherited excellent teams and well established infrastructures that needed no real changes
Anderson has a money bags chairman who funds big money aquasitions

That's immaterial, the quote was this...
One of the first things they pointed out was that English coaches tended to be ex players with no real experience, and that was a primary issue that was holding the game back.
Which covers the above players.

Exactly Ryan Sheridan is well respected by the club and players alike and for the last 2 seasons has worked under arguably the best coach ìn super league, so if the club are going to take a chance on a young untried english coach where is there a better place to lòok asduming he'd want to come.

Each of these guys served under a top coach at a top club for a number of years before taking over.

Also, and more specifically to the 82 story, they are qualified coaches. The guys in 82 hadn't done and coaching courses at all.

I don't agree Jinjer, Brian McDermott served a fairly comprehensive apprenticeship as assistant to a couple of notable coaches before heading off to London where he learned a lot. He's obviously a very disciplined individual who has the presence to control and influence a squad full of big characters and egos. He's been exceptional in his style of meticulous and rigid structures that are proven to work.

Anderson was also an assistant for quite some time before eventually getting the top job but the jury is still out on him as he's largely dealing with Nathan Browns squad and structures.

Wane in particular served a long apprenticeship which included amateur level and being Head Coach at Wigans Academy before serving as assistant to McGuire. He like Anderson has inherited the squad and culture from the previous coach and they also have the pulling power of being a bid club.

I think there are exceptions to Poptarts rule but in general unless a player learns how to coach from the basement right through to the penthouse then I think they're going to struggle.

There is of course those cases, like Cunningham, where the squad and culture they inherit is so good that it's hard not to have some short term success. If the individual concerned learns quickly during that short term period they can grow into the job and remain successful.

nobody has mentioned Willie Poching.He has served his apprenticeship and if he could spend a couple of seasons under BS could be a safe pair of hands.

JD has just been signed to the NRL dragons to be assistant coach to the NRL side and also head coach of the reserve grade team..maybe another year with a big NRL club and then to WAKEY?

OR maybe another year with a big NRL club and then to a better position with another NRL club - if that was the case would he risk all by uprooting his family again to come to a coaching job with Wakefield, let me think about that one......