Bradford to appoint new coach on Tues

[Man of Kent]

http://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/article/50558/head-coach-appointment-update-

Expected to be John Kear. If it is, that can only be good news for Bradford and the sport at large

[Scubby]

1 minute ago, Man of Kent said:

http://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/article/50558/head-coach-appointment-update-

Expected to be John Kear. If it is, that can only be good news for Bradford and the sport at large

And sad news for Wakefield. His influence was clear in last season's improvements.

[Man of Kent]

5 minutes ago, Scubby said:

And sad news for Wakefield. His influence was clear in last season's improvements.

Indeed. Fancied them to reach Wembley next year but now I’m not so sure they will continue to improve. 

[Lowdesert]

9 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

http://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/article/50558/head-coach-appointment-update-

Expected to be John Kear. If it is, that can only be good news for Bradford and the sport at large

He seems to have been getting the headlines again.  Seems strange, just 1 year at BV.  Wonder why???

Bradford could have done a lot worse than just keeping Rohan Smith engaged.  

[Wolford6]

The players liked Rohan Smith but I didn't think he was that good. We had a team that should have made the playoffs but failed.

[Lowdesert]

29 minutes ago, Wolford6 said:

The players liked Rohan Smith but I didn't think he was that good. We had a team that should have made the playoffs but failed.

I thought he did ok given the turmoil. Toovey was supposed to be better and wasn’t.

I’d have gone for a coach that was going to grow with the club.  If it’s Kear, what’s he going to do?  

[Wolford6]

I think it's strange if John Kear is coming, though I would welcome him with open arms. 

A couple of weeks ago, Jon Sharp was apparently nailed on for the job. If money was a factor, I'd have thought that John Kear could demand a higher salary.

[Scubby]

11 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

I thought he did ok given the turmoil. Toovey was supposed to be better and wasn’t.

I’d have gone for a coach that was going to grow with the club.  If it’s Kear, what’s he going to do?  

They may just need a coach to get them out of League 1 in the short term. With Workington, Keighley, York, Newcastle and Whitehaven in there it is not a cakewalk by any means. 

[Krzzystuff]

21 minutes ago, Scubby said:

They may just need a coach to get them out of League 1 in the short term. With Workington, Keighley, York, Newcastle and Whitehaven in there it is not a cakewalk by any means. 

And everyone improved last year especially when playing TWP so Bradford won't seem as large a task as it might have before, the fear factor is gone. Plus the home and away structure changes things up as well. York will be bouncing when Bradford come to town.

[Bullseye]

If it's Kear then great.  We've had too many inexperienced coaches recently.  He could bring on a promising assistant very well too.

[Blind side johnny]

But why has he left Wakefield? Is there yet more turmoil surrounding that club?

[Krzzystuff]

4 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

But why has he left Wakefield? Is there yet more turmoil surrounding that club?

The whole new stadium development seems like a cluster f@$# out of a fiction novel. outside looking it has only two plausible scenarios, 1 the mob is involved (not in Italy so thinking this isn't it) 2. the city council and/or club ownership are dumbass hillbillies.

[terrywebbisgod]

12 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

But why has he left Wakefield? Is there yet more turmoil surrounding that club?

I did see on Twitter this morning a journo (can't remember which one) saying the boxing day game v Leeds could be the last game played at Belle Vue.

[DavidM]

Bit surprised personally, that they’ve gone that way and more so he’s decided to leave a SL club seemingly on the up . I don’t know if other candidates fell by the wayside and he’s a bit of a last stop to steady things there . We’ll see . I agree they won’t have the fear factor of the TW for all the other challengers and it will  be a very interesting and competitive league , enhanced by the new system 

[Wolford6]

Lee Greenwood to be his assistant, according to the fans' site.

[Lounge Room Lizard]

5 minutes ago, Wolford6 said:

Lee Greenwood to be his assistant, according to the fans' site.

I would have had Lee as head Coach. Knows the amateur and semi pro game well. Is a young Coach who is high y regarded. Wouldnt cost too much neither.

[Lowdesert]

1 hour ago, Scubby said:

They may just need a coach to get them out of League 1 in the short term. With Workington, Keighley, York, Newcastle and Whitehaven in there it is not a cakewalk by any means. 

Agreed, but the point I’m trying to make is that the new management chose a wrong option in a coach who could have been part of Bulls resurgence.  It seemed quite clear were going to be up against it plus the 12 point hit.  Toovey came to provide a fire engine service and couldn’t do it.  Now they’ll probably choose Kear with a young understudy.  They had the same option with Smith!

[Wolford6]

I don't see the connection between John Kear and Lee Greenwood. I'd have thought that the Coach would choose his own Assistant Coach.

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

42 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

But why has he left Wakefield? Is there yet more turmoil surrounding that club?

How could there be any more?

There are many positive reasons he could be job changing for.  More money and a new sharp end coaching challenge being just two of them.

[Adeybull]

2 hours ago, Scubby said:

They may just need a coach to get them out of League 1 in the short term. With Workington, Keighley, York, Newcastle and Whitehaven in there it is not a cakewalk by any means. 

That is absolutely, totally, completely right.

I don't know of any (remaining) Bradford supporters who expect it to be anything other than chuffing hard work getting out of League 1.  I DO know of plenty who believe the club will only have one chance of doing it, before it goes for good.  So getting the right coach - someone who knows how to get 150% out of his players, and knows backward the competition outside of SL, and has a track record of doing precisely what Bradford need, is surely an absolute essential?

History has shown that Toovey was not that man, as he did not meet any of those criteria. If Kear IS the new man (and it still remains all speculation, albeit the media reports are from sensible and usually-trusted folk) then my own feeling is he would be as good a choice as the club could realistically ever have hopes of or dream of attracting.  Bring in a promising #2 to be groomed as successor as well, and the perennially-battered supporters might just feel the corner has finally been turned?

Just the obvious question of where would the money be coming from?

[Rioman]

2 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

But why has he left Wakefield? Is there yet more turmoil surrounding that club?

I'm sure it will disappoint you but the answer is no. 

Michael Carter said at the fans forum tonight that this had blown in over the last couple of days and that they had a meeting with JK at 4pm this afternoon where they asked him to stay and offered him a further extension on his contract. He apparently has gone away to think about it and will probably give the club an answer.

I suspect it may be more of a case of JK getting that itch to be a head coach again and possibly wanting to scratch it again.

[Scubby]

20 minutes ago, Rioman said:

I'm sure it will disappoint you but the answer is no. 

Michael Carter said at the fans forum tonight that this had blown in over the last couple of days and that they had a meeting with JK at 4pm this afternoon where they asked him to stay and offered him a further extension on his contract. He apparently has gone away to think about it and will probably give the club an answer.

I suspect it may be more of a case of JK getting that itch to be a head coach again and possibly wanting to scratch it again.

I can understand that. I think Kear knows his real strengths and Bradford is a lucrative challenge in an environment he knows inside out. I'm not surprised Carter wants him to stay. He has taken the pressure off Chester and allowed him to flourish at Trinity.

[Adeybull]

23 minutes ago, Rioman said:

I'm sure it will disappoint you but the answer is no. 

Michael Carter said at the fans forum tonight that this had blown in over the last couple of days and that they had a meeting with JK at 4pm this afternoon where they asked him to stay and offered him a further extension on his contract. He apparently has gone away to think about it and will probably give the club an answer.

I suspect it may be more of a case of JK getting that itch to be a head coach again and possibly wanting to scratch it again.

Thanks for update. News from your fans forum was eagerly awaited, since Carter is known for being generally candid.

Some interesting deductions from that:

1 - Heptonstall and Bower look to be correct, in that Kear HAS been offered the Bradford gig?

2 - How likely is it that Bradford and Wakefield have done any deal over compensation (if any would be due?), given the timescales and that Wakefield seemingly did not speak to Kear until this afternoon? 

3 - If no deal has been agreed, then unless Kear has a clause permitting him to leave (e.g. if he is offered a head coaching appointment?) or is on short notice, please don't let this become yet another litigatious mess!

4 - If Wakey are able to make him an offer to stay that he cannot refuse, where will that leave Bradford?  Given how fans' expectations have just soared, a press conference has been called for tomorrow, and how "it is understood" that several other candidates have withdrawn?  And that everyone will know that anyone (still in the running...) subsequently appointed was not first choice?

I hope now that this DOES go through, and without any more litigatious issues. If perchance it does not, then Ross and Aaron breaking the story might just have put a lot of nails in the Bulls' coffin?

[Wolford6]

History indicates that, whatever happens over the appointment at Odsal, it will be a fiasco played out in public.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Could it be that, despite the rantings of the Wakey conspiracy theory clique, John Kear's just looking for a last challenge before he retires?