WIDNES VIKINGS have a hit a bit of a slump in the Championship.
Following a great start to the 2023 season, the Cheshire club now sit outside the top six play-offs following six losses in the last seven games.
That run of form culminated in a shock 25-18 home defeat to the Swinton Lions on Sunday – a fixture which led to the sacking of head coach John Kear.
Now, Widnes’ new Head of Integrated Operations, Chris Hamilton, has explained the reasoning behind the dismissal.
“It was the club’s decision. We had a meeting after Sunday’s game,” Hamilton told League Express. “We had lost six out of the last seven games and we felt we needed to do something to turn it around.
“John was naturally disappointed but he accepted the decision. We didn’t go into a lot of depth about what went wrong.
“There are some things generally that need addressing which is part of the reason as to why I am here, but it was just a slump in form.
“The team started off well this year and then just nosedived and that’s what we are trying to turn around now.”
With Kear no longer at the helm as assistant Mike Grady also departs the club, the search for a new head coach has begun immediately, with fellow assistant Neil Belshaw taking over the Vikings on a temporary basis.
“Neil knows he is doing it on a temporary basis, it’s not helped this week by the fact it is a short week with playing Toulouse this weekend. There is a lot of preparation that needs to go into organising that,” Hamilton continued.
“Neil has thrown himself into it and everyone is behind him. All the players and performance staff – including Neil had a meeting Monday and we move on from here.
“We have begun the search already, but because of the situation this week it has not been able to be at to the top of our priorities but we have already had a number of applicants.”
Though Widnes currently sit in seventh in the Championship, they are still five points behind sixth-placed Bradford Bulls.
That being said, Hamilton is determined to make something of the 2023 season.
“It’s very much about making sure we salvage something from this season. Everyone accepts that we need to go back to basics and start again and that’s what we will be doing. If we get the performances right the results will follow.”
Hamilton also has a message for the Widnes fans.
“Fans have made their frustrations known for a little while now and it probably reached a crescendo on Sunday given the manner of performance.
“The board have taken action on the back of recent performances and the message is we will be getting the right people in situ to move forward as a club.”
