Edinburgh gamble with the man from Middleton

By Neil Drysdale
03 May 2011 19:56 BST

Bradley was a hard player in his day. Can he toughen up lacklustre Edinburgh? Pic: © SNS
Those of us old enough to recall the 1980s will vouch for the combative qualities of Michael Bradley, the feisty Irish scrum-half, who helped his country win the Triple Crown in 1985 and was a  tough-as-teak customer throughout his 40-cap Test career. Yet the news on Tuesday that Bradley had been appointed as the Edinburgh coach, following on from January's sacking of Rob Moffat, and the imminent return to Australia of interim mentor, Nick Scrivener, surely posed as many questions as it answered.

It isn't, after all, as if the 48 year-old is the sort of high-profile character, such as Todd Blackadder, who could command respect even from the uninitiated. Nor does he have a stunning record of success in his homeland, whether during his lengthy stint at Connacht, or his subsequent time with the Cork-based second division club, Middleton. On a positive note, his achievements at the Irish province, who have always been the poor relations in their homeland, saw Bradley receive the inaugural Magners League Chairman's award for excellence in coaching last August, and he has a lot of experience in developing talent; a quality which will be required as he attempts to improve Edinburgh's recent poor fortunes.

But, despite the gushing tributes paid to Bradley by the SRU on Tuesday - with their chief executive, Gordon McKie, declaring: "Michael has a track record of inspiring players to achieve" - it was difficult to escape the feeling that this is another underwhelming appointment and that, although Bradley might be an acceptable candidate to steer the Scotland A team forward, the job at Edinburgh requires somebody who can do more than simply attain damage limitation or prepare the next generation for success. In other words, the Murrayfield-based administrators have virtually admitted that their pro teams are simply development squads, from which Andy Robinson can cherry-pick the leading lights. That might - just about - be acceptable if all that mattered was Scotland flourishing on the Test stage, but it is a state of affairs, which is unlikely to inspire potential Edinburgh season-ticket buyers to part with their cash.

There is also the issue of why the SRU felt obliged to look outwith their homeland and particularly to somebody with the limited cv of Bradley, who has been in charge, at various times, of Connacht, Ireland A and Georgia. What about somebody such as former Grand Slam star and British Lion, Craig Chalmers, who has performed wonders at The Greenyards this year, winning the Premiership, the Border League and his community's own prestigious Sevens? Or Kenny Murray, who has steered his Ayr charges to a string of prizes in the last three seasons? For that matter, what about the redoubtable Peter Wright or Ally Donaldson, both of whom have shone in their coaching berths at Glasgow Hawks and Currie?

None of this is designed to denigrate Bradley, who has grown used to working with limited budgets and resources and will have to cope with that situation again at Edinburgh. In the 2011-12 Celtic League campaign, his side will have to do without players of the calibre of Fraser McKenzie and Scott Macleod, whilst his squad will be further weakened before and during the World Cup. In these circumstances, Bradley will probably seek to invest in modest recruitment during the summer - although there is little time for him to do that - or make an immediate impact on a side which, along with Glasgow, has failed to hit the heights, either on league or Heineken Cup duty, with any regularity or consistency this season.

To be honest, he doesn't have an enviable task. And although his salary is his business and the SRU's, one suspects he won't be earning a king's ransom in Scotland either. To that extent, it has to be hoped that he fares better than his predecessors, albeit with a depleted squad in an environment where the Italians will probably get stronger and the Scots will be fighting, at best, for mid-table respectability.

At least, the SRU has chosen a battler. But one trusts Bradley realises the scale of his mission.

This article was originally posted on 3-May-2011, 19:20 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 4-May-2011, 07:54.