Bradford Bulls Q&A with T&A gives insight into appointments

After Mark Dunning departed his post after a ghastly defeat to Barrow at the start of May, Lee Greenwood and Brian Noble took interim charge, leading Bulls to four wins and a draw.

Ahead of last Saturday’s game at Toulouse, Hirst confirmed that Greenwood and Noble would be in charge until the end of the season.

Plenty of speculation surrounded the decision, and the lengthy wait between it and Dunning’s departure, but Hirst was happy to clear up some burning questions that newspaper and fans had.

He was asked about everything from the candidate shortlist, the reasons behind sticking with Lee Greenwood and Brian Noble, and whether finances played a part in who the club could appoint.

Hirst was happy to answer openly and honestly, with this being what he had to say when we put our questions to him.

Q: Was there a decisive moment or change of thinking at any point which led you to believe Lee and Brian were the best candidates to take on the permanent role at present?

A: To reiterate and avoid any confusion, it’s not permanent, they have agreed to continue on an interim basis.

There was no change of thinking, we were always open-minded, although being five undefeated, at the time, obviously made it easier to announce that Lee and Brian were staying in interim charge and gives us more time.

Bulls have had some good results under Lee Greenwood and Brian Noble, not least this win over London Broncos last month. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Q: Did finances play a part in who you were able to appoint?

A: We haven’t appointed anyone permanently yet.

Finances obviously play a part in any professional RL coaching appointment in this country, not least in the predominately part-time Championship competition.

Unlike a lot of other Championship clubs, however, we are looking for a full-time appointment.

That signifies our ambition and the scale of the club. As always, under our current leadership regime, we will not pay an over-priced salary or one we cannot afford.

Q: Obviously we accept that, like last year, you’re unlikely to name names, but just how many candidates were spoken to over the three-week interview period you had?

A: We had double-figure applicants and drew up a shortlist of six.

Q: Are some of the candidates you’ve spoken to, including Lee and Brian, potentially in line to take this team forward in 2024 and beyond?

A: Some of those candidates remain on our revised shortlist.

Q: It’s been another long period, like last year, of someone being in interim charge. There was some disquiet over the length of time it took but was that just to ensure a right decision was come to, rather than a quick one?

A: No decision has been made yet, with regard to a permanent appointment. Obviously, we’re taking our time to ensure we appoint who we believe to be the best candidate.

Q: You’ve said: “you don’t envisage any changes to the first-team coaching set-up”, when announcing Lee and Brian’s appointment. Does that mean an acceptance that Lee or Brian’s other commitments could take them away from the role at any point?

A: No, it doesn’t, they are both committed to our great club.

Q: Mark Dunning’s results obviously dipped after a decent spell in interim charge but from what you’ve seen in Lee and Brian’s first few games, are you confident that won’t be the case again?

A: Yes, we have every confidence in Lee and Brian delivering winning results this season.

Q: Was Lee and Brian’s strong existing relationship with the players and extensive knowledge of the club (Greenwood’s spell as No.2 and Noble’s long history here) a key factor in the appointment?

A: That’s fair to say, yes, but there were many other key factors. Not least, their considerable coaching abilities.

Lee Greenwood at the Summer Bash, where his Bulls side thumped this weekend's opponents Keighley. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Q: Will there be an upcoming fans’ forum with the likes of yourself, Lee and Brian in attendance?

A: The date of the next fans forum is to be confirmed and once it is, we’ll communicate that to our fans.

Ideally, we’d like to do it once we’ve appointed someone permanently, so the fans have the opportunity to ask questions around the appointment.