Some good points, particularly around the coaches previous input and the sporting headlines around Hull city etc. This appointment does show a lack of ambition on the clubs part.....for as many happy fans there will be at this appointment there will be a fair few disallusioned ones also - me being one of them (which i never thought i'd say).

Well said. I don't want Rich to fail, i hope he proves me wrong, i just can't see why we would appoint him at this stage (struggling).

It's intresting that you mention Hull City.

I'm sure that alot of City fans where underwelmed when Phil Brown was appointted from assistant, do you still think they think like that?

I'm not 100% certain but i don't think Phil Brown was parkinsons assistant?
forgive me if he was, i honestly don't remember.

I hear what you're saying but I don't think it's quite the same.

He was his assistant.

they where near the bottom like Hull, the club had faith in him, it paid off.

The big different is that he had the backing of the board to sign the players he wanted, i have doubts that Agar will have that.

Spot On!

And before he came to City he was manager at Derby and got sacked after 7 months.

All the best RA.

thing is that when brown took over City were almost relegated and then spent the first half of this year looking very ordinary.

Bet Agar won't get a season and half to turn FC round. And I bet paying him off if he fails won't be too much of an issue either, guarantee he won't be on the sort of salary that most coaches are.

he should be given enough time he also should be in charge of signings and resignings because if carvell, thackray, king and wheeldon all leave there isn't a coach in the world who could acheive anything with us next season.

He should be given to the end of the season and see if things are improving, if not he's out. A good coach will turn things around straight away like Noble did at Wigan

so when are we announcing the signing of two players?

I expect to see improvments, Wigan brought in Dobson and spent nearly 500K on one player, and still didnt make the play offs.

Too expect him to turn things around straight away with the same squad is just stupid, your attitude towards Agar is embarrasing.

agar has just been given the hardest job in super league if he can get 8th i'd say hes done very well.

Last is definitely Agar's assistant. Quote Agar has also confirmed that 27-year-old Andy Last - who also served under Sharp - will step up as his right-hand man but accepts he will need to strengthen his coaching staff in the long term. He said: "I have worked with Andy Last for the last four years and he is someone that I trust and have faith in. He is a tremendous coach and person and this is our chance to make our mark. "I am happy to continue to work with Andrew in the short term but long term we will need to bring someone in as we are quite light-handed at the moment. "I have a couple of names in mind and I need to check out their availability and see whether or not they can compliment what Andrew and I bring to the management team." '" www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 12,00.html

Last is definitely Agar's assistant. Quote Agar has also confirmed that 27-year-old Andy Last - who also served under Sharp - will step up as his right-hand man but accepts he will need to strengthen his coaching staff in the long term. He said: "I have worked with Andy Last for the last four years and he is someone that I trust and have faith in. He is a tremendous coach and person and this is our chance to make our mark. "I am happy to continue to work with Andrew in the short term but long term we will need to bring someone in as we are quite light-handed at the moment. "I have a couple of names in mind and I need to check out their availability and see whether or not they can compliment what Andrew and I bring to the management team." '" www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 12,00.html

Wrong.

My main concern about this situation is the familiarity the players will have with Agar and Last and the possiblity that we will just carry on where we left off. I'm quite prepared to give Rich my full backing here and really hope he can turn us into a successful side. Having said that I do have my doubts and worry that Rich has been too close to the action to perhaps be objective enough to make the touch decisions. Time will tell I suppose but for now I will reserve judgement and hope the board and Agar have got this right.

Agree completely.

Would have been happy if we got a big name but i think it is a good decision to give in that role

and a brave decision at that

Confident he can acheive things for us


Good luck to Rich Agar!!

Got to say that I am not overly excited by this appointment. I feel that it is an indication that the board is doing things on the cheap, yet again. That said I will give Agar and the team my full support and wish them every success.


I suppose we will never know if Hull sounded out Folkes for the vacant job, but either way I feel that it is an opportunity missed. Agar has bags of potential, and every coach needs to be given a chance at some point, but with Folkes we would have had a tried and tested coach. If he comes over to the super league at some point I believe that he will be one of the most experienced coaches to every come to the league. And I think that is what we need right now. It is not every day a top coach with bags of experience comes on the market and I really think that we have missed the boat on this one.

I am also surprised people are happy just because the players like Agar. If I was on the board the thought of who the players may or may not like would not cross my mind. The players are obviously going to say they like him as it is a case of better the devil you know.

This is not a rant about Agar, as I do believe that he has the potential and will hopefully deliver the goods. But I do think that the board has yet again been short sighted with this appointment.

Here’s hoping that I am proved wrong and the board have made the right appointment.

I think the very fact that he has familiarity with the players will encourage him to shake things up and try different things, and the players will trust him with his new ideas and join him in hopefully successfully implementing them. The players don't have to take time to build up a rapport with Agar, and vice versa, so the familairity issue is not necessarily a bad thing.

Feel a little unsure about this tbh.

Positives for Agar is he's young, well thought of by most fans and players and deserves his chance.

Downsides are that I wonder if he has the ability to take us the top when hes been assistant to a very poor side. I also wanted someone who came in to lay the law down to Kath and say its this way or no way and im not sure whether Richard will do that. But I could be massively wrong so he'll get my full backing.

So congratulations Richard and lets hope you can take us back to the top.

Not how I see it at all. The fact he will have "friends" within the team may cloud his decisions when it comes to who to play and how play them or even who to get rid of, ie Yeamo moved straight back to the left, was that his decision or did Yeamo ask to move back and Agar let him? Not saying that is the case but a Head coach should have a certain distance between himself and the players so they know who is boss and it may be difficult for Agar to stamp his authority on the players after being the assistant. Just my opinion of course and not saying that is is the case but it could be a potential problem IMO.

That to me is one of the reason he could make a good coach, players have favoured positions and play better usually in that favoured position. Wingers and centres are usually comfortable at either side of the pitch so if a player has expressed a favoured side to the coach surely its worth playing them there for a couple of matches to see if his game improves.

I doubt Agar has done it just to appease the player but to try and get the best out of him.

Personally I think the side has had a better balance with Yeamo on the right, and it appears to me that he can only pass right which is why he never gives it to Raynor.

On the other hand, moving Hall to the left had given our most dangerous winger - Raynor - more and better quality service than he's had since joining the club. Moving Yeaman back was a backward step IMO.

Thats what coaches are paid for to make the big decisions and the little decisions. Only time will tell if they are right or wrong.