So we have Brian Smith for one season and assuming he means what he says we need to think about a replacement for next season.

Before people say its to early, well if we ever want to be a top club it isn’t. Planning is everything and needs to start ASAP if we are to take full advantage of the BS factor and have some longed for continuity.

So for me we have two approaches, we go with Stuart Dickens or we get BS’s replacement from outside the club and get him in situ ASAP.

Stuart Dickens has come in for some stick, mainly because he’s associated with Agar/Webster and the Academy has generally performed poorly under his coaching. So let’s look at this in more detail. For me it’s totally unfair to judge him by comparison to his bosses. We have all worked under people who’s incompetence has left us frustrated and looking bad. So for me that’s a clean sheet, if Smith/Carter feels he’s good enough then fine.

As regards the Academy there is some mitigation. We all knew our under 19’s were a bit thin a few years back due to neglect and losses when the Glover regime collapsed so Dickinson was on a dodgy wicket from the start. However I’m told that at the time it was decided to concentrate on the under 17’s. This year I hope we should see that pay off as these lads move up and those retained have some experience now.

It will be interesting to see how he does - and for me would be a big deciding factor. I know coaching Academy teams is a different skill to 1st team but it’s a skill IMO that needs mastering.

One thing I will say about Dickinson (who I don’t know personally) is that he strikes me as a hard worker. As NGBC would say he was a midget Prop, yet he played many full seasons for Featherstone and had a decent stint at a poor Salford team in SL. In a size dominated game that can’t have been easy especially as he didn’t have any other particular skills apart from goal kicking to mitigate his size disadvantage. This leads me to suspect he understands hard work and is bright enough to learn. He’s seen first hand how not to do it, hopefully this season he will see how to do it.

If we are going for an outsider we need to get him signed and at the club the moment we are safe. That assumes we miss the bottom four. Half a dozen games understudying Smith would be worth every penny for me. Obviously if we are bottom four then the above becomes almost impossible. But then if we are in a state anything like last season then Smith will have failed so I suppose it wouldn’t matter.

However taking the best scenario Dickinson would be a smooth transition whilst a new Coach say a JD or a Morrison would benefit greatly.

Please discuss.

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.