McNamara gets his chance to shine

Having learned his trade as assistant to Smith and Brian Noble for the past three years, McNamara now gets his own chalk and blackboard, his own opportunity to teach, a chance to put his own ideas into action.

Almost four years ago to the day, McNamara took over as Bradford coach in accordance with the Bulls' policy of "appointing our most senior coaching personnel from within". The Rugby Football League has gone down exactly the same route of continuity by giving him the England job.

Several fans have told me it's a poor call, however, highlighting the former Great Britain international as the best of a bad bunch of available coaches. I would agree that the RFL has hamstrung itself by insisting on a full-time successor to Smith.

The shortlist - McNamara, Harlequins coach Brian McDermott, Hull coach Richard Agar and Wigan great Dennis Betts - may not have screamed international pedigree, but it shows the RFL's desire for both continuity and young British talent. Indeed, you could argue that with England building towards fielding an exciting, youthful, new-look 2013 World Cup side, a young manager completes the picture nicely.

That said, there are likely to be many knockers. Firstly, when Smith told us live on BBC Radio 5 live back in November that he was walking away, the RFL stressed the search for a new coach would start straight away. Five months down the road, we have finally got there.

In terms of full-time v part-time, Smith told me he walked away from England because he was bored. He was frustrated at the lack of hands-on coaching, frustrated at missing the day-to-day cut and thrust of rugby league. The RFL's insistence on his successor staying full-time means there must be a real risk of that happening again.

The RFL tell me the appointment itself is more about McNamara being part of a jigsaw than the Bulls coach being an outstanding leader in his own right. They see him as the right man to work with head of youth Barrie Jon Mather, performance boss Clive Brewer, and head of elite training Paddy Mortimer, formerly of Chelsea FC.

The brief is not about selecting a coach to come in and win this year's Four Nations. It is about assembling a team - of which they hope McNamara will be the final part - that can succeed at the 2013 World Cup. McNamara's first task will be to pick a side to play France on 12 June.

The appointment of Australian Brian Smith - Tony's elder brother - as a mentor, is key. The pair worked together at Bradford and Smith is widely regarded as one of the world's best coaches.

He is also proven in the mentor role. He coached the Bulls for a year in 1996, winning 17 of 22 games, before handing over to his assistant Matthew Elliot the following year. Smith was also coach at Hull FC in McNamara's first season as a player in 1989, so McNamara has come full circle.

So what will McNamara bring to the role, and where are the big question marks over his credentials?

Despite a lack of club success with Bradford, his coaching skills have never been doubted by the players and fellow managers who know him. His travails can largely be attributed to the circumstances he has had to work in, although Bulls fans may well question some of his recent player recruits.

I understand the majority of the England playing squad wanted McNamara as coach, regarding him as an exciting, innovative young guy with bags of ideas. He is not a man who lacks confidence and has always backed himself.

So why the scepticism over a man who has so far failed to bring Super League success to the once invincible Bradford Bulls, the only man in history not to have led the club into the end of season play-offs?

McNamara has operated within some severe restraints since taking charge of the west Yorkshire club four years ago. The squad he inherited from Noble was poor and was hardly strengthened when Noble pinched Stuart Fielden and took him to Wigan.

McNamara has had to fight a series of fires since, including a financial plight at Odsal so bad last year that players had to start bringing in packed lunches after their cook was relieved of his duties.

There are signs of recovery on the field this year but all the new faces brought in are in the pivotal playmaking positions, which always takes time to gel as a unit.

That said, some players have expressed doubts over McNamara's man-management, which is, I'm sure, where Brian Smith comes in. It could be argued that this is a result of moving from top-class player to top-flight coach too quickly, which may cause motivational problems within the dressing room. This is where McNamara and Noble worked so well together, as the latter is one of the best motivators in the business.

What concerns me for McNamara is that he will feel huge pressure to succeed with England given his lack of standing currently in the club game.

He now has a focus for the rest of this season with Bradford, where he will want to leave a legacy, much like Tony Smith, who signed off for international duty by winning the Grand Final for Leeds at Old Trafford.

But if McNamara fails to guide Bradford to the play-offs again, he will leave as the only man ever to miss out with the Bulls in successive years. In stark contrast to the standing Tony Smith departed the club game with, you already wonder where McNamara would go if he failed in the England job.

Negative thoughts out of the way, I shall try, as an England rugby league fan, to be as optimistic as my realism allows.

The players wanted McNamara and they know him far better than I do. The pool of talent available to him is arguably far more exciting than that at the disposal of any of his recent predecessors. By 2013, we should have a mature sparkle in the halves with Kyle Eastmond and Sam Tomkins, while the new breed of players, like Shaun Lunt and Danny Kirmond, should see the great servants of the past in Paul Wellens and co long gone.

As for the Bulls, they could go down a number of routes. I still reckon Noble could go home to Odsal and leave Iestyn Harris in charge at Crusaders. McDermott may fancy coming back from Harlequins, too.

The RFL is putting a lot of faith into this new-look England coaching structure, and it is one that must do justice to the terrific young pool of players eyeing up that World Cup.