It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

When Steve McNamara agreed to become England coach back in April, foundations for the fairy tale had been set.

Following in the footsteps of national-team predecessor and good friend Tony Smith – who enjoyed Grand Final glory with Leeds before answering his adopted country’s call – the 38-year-old was supposed to sign off in style, by furnishing the Odsal trophy cabinet with the first piece of silverware of his four-year reign.

At the time, the dream was not an impossible one, with Bradford comfortably fifth in Super League and still confident of an extended Challenge Cup run on the back of just two defeats in their previous ten games. Unfortunately, reality rarely measures up to the ideal.

A season which had promised much for the Bulls ended in ignominy for McNamara, his reign brought to a premature end on Tuesday following a sequence of eight straight defeats.

Since his appointment as England boss, he had overseen a run of three wins in 12 games and a parting of the ways became the best possible option for both parties.

The fact that parting should have happened in April is the fault of neither coach nor club. McNamara never really wanted to combine both jobs, wary he may not be able to do either full justice, while the Bulls were backed into a corner by the timing of the decision.

But one element that leaves a slightly bitter taste in the mouth is the role of the Rugby Football League.

Red Hall’s search for a new coach began when Smith announced his intention to step down on November 14 and it took more than five months before they returned to the start and handed the job to the most obvious candidate – one whose credentials were not exactly unknown after three years as an assistant within the national team set-up.

By leaving the decision until two months into the club season, the RFL knew they would ultimately cause maximum possible disruption but continued to drag their feet anyway, leaving Bradford to count the cost.

The botched process didn’t do McNamara any favours either. His hard work, passion and dedication to the Bulls job deserved more than a hurried exit and although he has consistently split opinion among supporters, the former Great Britain international departs with his head held high.

Put in black and white, the assessment is simple – results, particularly over the past two years, have simply not lived up to expectations – and the lack of on-pitch success is particularly glaring when set against the records of previous incumbents in the Odsal hot-seat.

But context is absolutely essential. When McNamara took over from Brian Noble midway through the 2006 season, he inherited a team already in decline, amid a climate of cut-backs and belt-tightening to secure the very existence of the club.

Looking deeper, while his time as coach has been far from an unmitigated success, a strong legacy waits to be picked up by the next in line to the throne.

A revitalised youth programme has already begun to reap rewards, producing a greater depth of talent than in the past, on which the basis of future sides will undoubtedly be built.

More than the actual players coming through, it is a whole-hearted commitment to junior development that has made the next generation of Super League stars feel a valued part of the organisation, often turning down more lucrative offers from elsewhere to stay put.

Furthermore, the move to a state-of-the-art training base at Tong School provides an attractive prospect for both the current squad and for prospective future recruits – both on and off the pitch.

Ultimately, the present hasn’t been kind to McNamara but the future will likely tell a different story.