Nick Stiles officially named new Reds coach

Bugger - so who is going to coach Brisbane City in this years NRC then??

Well I'd say the same for Stiles. There's nothing to suggest he will improve the Reds either, do you have reason to think he'll be as successful as Blackadder? Not likely. You may rate seven appearances out of 8 in finals poor but I don't. No other coach in history has done that so how ever you want to glean it that is a fact. Until Stiles makes seven finals playoffs he will never be as good as Blackadder...using your criteria of success of a side by looking up wiki of course. How can you base everything on results, then apply a process of undermining Blackadder? He didn't have the two best players for much of that period either due to injury or time off. Then who else was left? Dagg, Whitelock, Read? Where are the greats that suggest seven finalists out of 8? Crusaders had many All Blacks but so did a lot of other sides. Your criteria is too selective and inconsistent.

I've just heard that Digby Ionie has signed with the Crusaders for 2017. WTF? The Reds backline is bare and we allow a NZ team to sign him over the Reds? This failure demands immediate sackings at Ballymore. Absolutely unacceptable. Just when you think they can't possibly do a worse job... reappoint Richard Graham, purchasing useless Japanese import players that take no part in the season, conducting an exhaustive global search for a head coach and end up appointing the same guy in the job right now (we just finished 13th). Comedy of very costly errors.

I think Umaga has done a very good job at the Blues. He's immediately improved that side and I question whether Blackadder is actually capable of that.

'Matt O’Conner had a decent resume. Does anybody think we have missed out letting him go?' All it takes is a simple no.

Whilst I'm only new to the roar. I find it some what distasteful that someone with a "pro status" feels they can discourage or limit someone else's say in here. I happen to enjoy trains comms and if I didn't I would still respect his right to post them. Pull your head in sport, don't let that cyber pro status go to your head. Good luck to stiles! Not fan of the Reds I admit but I do admire G smith immensely, pure legend and absolute class. So looking forward to watching the old bugger tear it up! Time will tell if stiles has the goods, the only thing I do know is. All great coaches have to start some where lmao even if it's the Reds! Don't worry this will be my only post on this thread! Don't want to upset anyone ;-) cuz I'm no expert

Fair enough Twas, don't really know him so that will be interesting. Still comes back to livestock for me.

I'm happy enough with this, with Stiles staying the Reds will maintain their set piece excellence and can only improve in other ways with the new signings of Moore, Smith and (likely) Cooper. I think with Quade back at 10 the attack will look after itself. Cooper loves having big ball runners outside him so with ball runners like Kerevi, Magnay and Nabuli, he will have a field day getting them into space and over the chalk. Good assistant coaches are a must though, especially for the defence. I think the Reds are on the way up.

Imagine if they had a backline to play off that scrum!

Some coaches have favorite players they stick with even when they are not up to it. Early in the Super season they played Taefu instead of Fainga'a. They ran new boys on ahead of seasoned players and they did not perform and/or got injured. Laloifi didn't get a decent run despite his record try scoring in the NRC. They never found the right spot for Hunt; Did he ever score a try?. They kept McIntyre on the field too long and never gave Greene or Duncan P a proper chance. The Reds back-line attack was a the most flaccid in the comp and the team carried a few players who stood ball watching instead of getting organised in defense - like the useless Shoorks pack did on the week-end. Based on the above, I hope that Nick S is not the sole selector.

Yeah this sort of comment worries me: "He is a passionate Queenslander who understands the DNA of Qld rugby" That's not actually a real or relevant thing, is it.

If I am not wrong Reds under 20s dominated the competition this year they also have some very good coaches coming through and access to B. Thorn, M. Byrnes, I think Stiles has very good reason to be confident of a good showing next year.

Yep, it's been a wasted season, and this is not an awe inspiring announcement........... but give him a go. There was some improvement towards the end of the season when younger guys were blooded (Tongan Thor apparently ran amok in the semi final for Brothers last weekend btw). The forwards seem promising. Get Quade back and bring on another playmaker 10 (select the best one this time!!!) and a fullback who has a boot on him. Get 'em fit and inspired and get a proper defence coach. I'll renew my membership (let go this year, first time for donkeys years and didn't miss it at all) if they do most of this.

do you mean limited to only a few posts if he doesn't agree with you?

Post limit? What a dopey comment.

My humblest apologies, I was not at all aware there was a comment limit. Not sure how the buck stops with anybody specifically in a set up that involved multiple people, and without knowing who made the final decisions. Especially in an interim role that was put in place mid season. I assume you don't consider the pre-season to be very important... You reckon the Reds might have had a better idea of this considering they retained one, and let one go? What we do know is that the one let go was in charge of attack and it's been alleged defence. What we also know is that the one retained was the coach of an excellent NRC team, whilst continually improving the Reds set piece. What we also know is the one let go seemed to do more media appearances and had a more senior level CV leading in.

More significant than the supposed weakness of my criticism is the weakness of your reply TWAS. Why is it that you feel the need to reply to every rugby comment on The Roar? Is this website going to be re-named the TWAS Roar? Do everyone a favour and try limiting it to 2 or 3 comments/day.... Styles was co-head coach while they lost most of their games. Who knows exactly what part he played in the debacle, but the buck stopped with him and O-Connor, and that is reason enough to employ neither of them. This was yet another QLD Old Boys decision, as Hoy stated.

I actually believe Stiles is the correct appointment .... This is part of what the NRC is for - producing talent - both players and coaches - he's proven himself at 1 level and as such he should be getting an opportunity ...

I agree but how many coaches inherited sides with the long successful history at Super Rugby level underpinned by the same at ITM Cup Level though? The Crusaders are underpinned by a great system. I say that based on their long success and their ITM Cup successive championships from 2008-2013, 2015. They have to be one of the most successful provincial sides in a national competition in professional rugby history with that recent record.

Was reported that he was. The others were Jono Gibbes, John Mulvihill, Scott Wisemantel, Stu Lancaster, Laurie Fisher and Matt O'Conner as far as I'm aware.