Dan McKellar to join Leicester Tigers as Head Coach

[FrontRowUnionMember]

I think pragmatic moneyball appointment sounds about right, which I’m actually ok with. Key here will be the makeup of the rest of the staff, as it is quite clear Borthwick ran the ship, but Sinfield and Walters were also hugely influential.
If it’s true that the Borthwick cash was ringfenced for coaching appointments, then grabbing a young head coach of some repute with international aspirations is a smart move, assuming we bring in equally influential assistants. Attack, Defence and Fitness. Borthwick was able to build a top
tier coaching panel, McKellar hopefully gets same opportunity.

[Tigers86asw]

It seems better to maintain our current structure and style rather than ripping it up and having to start again in 2/3 years.
By recruiting McKellar we should have more money for other coaches.

[KiwiTig]

We can only wish him every success

[TTRITH]

I do wonder if a lot of us, myself included, are victims to the club being linked in the media with this that and everyone, yet McKeller has always been on the shortlist.

Look at people like Chieka, Erasmus, Cotter, they aren't going to be happy being dictated by the moneyball approach, whereas McKeller might be more malleable to it and seems to play the way the club have bought into.

The success in this appointment would be the coaches selected alongside him. Another Forwards coach who specialises in the line out (Geoff maybe?), a defence coach (Everard perhaps?) and an attack coach, probably a more senior coach (Wisemantle, linked with a return to Australia as a consultant) to sit as his number 2? What can't be allowed to happen is that his coaching staff ends up being Brett, Smith and Everard. Although, realistically, that might be all we can afford in the short term.

There are positives and negatives, but I don't feel comfortable with his lack of experience of English rugby. That being said I'll give him a chance.

It's underwhelming, or at least it feels it, but I don't think it's a bad appointment.

[TigerBoy1880]

Just thinking. Hasn’t Geoff Parling worked as Australia Forwards in recent years?

Could Parling be coming with him to be our forwards coach?

[sam16111986]

The success in this appointment would be the coaches selected alongside him. Another Forwards coach who specialises in the line out (Geoff maybe?),

I'd be surprised if Dan McKellar the Aussie forwards coach who is supposed to be a good lineout and maul coach opts to bring in a specialist lineout coach despite how good it would be to have Parling back.

From what I've heard and read he's a pretty pragmatic guy who built up the Brumbies over his time there. The players we have should suit his style and as a pragmatic bloke who's had to build a squad before he should hopefully like our recruitment policy.

[RagingBull]

Dan McKeller is prob the best assistant coach in the world imo.

[Tigersunited]

Really interesting to look through this comments, let’s not forget, the club have not announced anything yet but I feel it’s a shrewd appointment if true;

Want a big name - but don’t want rassie
Want cheika - don’t want cheika
Got to be GT - can’t lose another year if coach starts after w/c

Ultimately we will all have opinions and rightly so, Andrea and the current incarnation of the board have done pretty well so far, and I’m inclined to support them. Albeit they are only as good as their next decision!

As for the other coaches, hope Everard has been signed up as feel the defence is better now than with KS.

[TigerFeetSteve]

Dan McKeller is prob the best assistant coach in the world imo.

And this is why the appointment should excite us!

[Pellsey]

Ultimately we will all have opinions and rightly so, Andrea and the current incarnation of the board have done pretty well so far, and I’m inclined to support them. Albeit they are only as good as their next decision!

As for the other coaches, hope Everard has been signed up as feel the defence is better now than with KS.

I completely agree with this. Our defence especially last week has been great.

A decent attack coach is definitely needed, and we really could do with some help in the scrum, as we have not been dominating this like we should! Our mauls have been poor this season but McKeller should hopefully sort this out!

I'm looking forward to this new era!

[TigerFeetSteve]

https://twitter.com/jbhifi_23/status/16 ... HtrSQ&s=19

It's comments like this from Australians that know about him that excite me.

Only problem is the bit where the suggestion in Australia is that they're keeping him for the world cup...

[mightymouse]

Hopefully this fella is a sound appointment but more importantly I hope he and who ever comes with him are affordable.
I suspect we offered Vern Cotter and possibly even Cheika the job and they asked far too much money. If that is the case and we walked away without putting more money on the table then good. We want this club to be here for another 150 years and we need players and coaches to be paid what we and rugby as a business can afford and no more.
If the French game can afford Vern Cotters wages then good luck to them I’m just pleased we may have someone sensible looking after our finances now and not the jokers who were at Wasps.
The two Toms have been overly generous so far but I suspect both of them only have pockets so deep and we need to start making this a sustainable model fast.
Good luck to Dan Mckeller and whoever coaches alongside him .. I shall be on the Crumbie terrace yelling even if they had Kenneth Mckeller in the dugout.. and wherever we are in the table for as long as there is a terrace to stand on and there is breath in my body.
“Keep right on to the end of the road!” ( McKeller Joke)

[fentiger]

Shrewd moneyball type of signing IMO, I reckon we’re far better off with a lesser known who is hungry for success than an established ‘coaster’. We’ll be better off with this guy than many people think.

[wigworth]

Looking forward to seeing what McKeller does. I always had a nagging feeling Townsend was being coy about us so he could sign a nice fat contract extension with Scotland, especially given their hot start in the 6 Nations.

[baz1664]

Dan McKellar would be a good appointment, as said before he wants to win and clearly has ambition, not just a name who wants a fat cheque!! Be funny if EJ has a stinker and Mckellar slots into the Oz number 1 spot in a couple of years!!