In between wasp
As a Backs Coach some of the non-Welsh Lions players were pretty critical of him, suggesting that they ran the tactics such was his lack of imagination and ideas.
It's an interesting thing with coaches that I never really understand.
Someone like Brian Ashton is often heralded for letting players make the decisions themselves and come up with their own attacking patterns.
Eddie Jones is often criticsised for controlling things too much.
He’s had Gatland and Edwards hand-holding him and it’s unclear how big a part he played in Wales’ successes, especially considering they have often been cited as a team who struggles to score tries.
That's a bit harsh.
A coaching team, like a playing team is meant to work together and be more than the sum of their parts.
I don't see Edwards or Gatland being the kind of individuals who would keep someone around of they weren't pulling their weight
Walder was a fairly conservative Fly-Half (by comparison to the likes of Nicky Robinson at the time), but had Newcastle’s back looking very good, even in the year of their demise some of the tries they scored were sublime.
As for Walder, he's had a very short coaching career. You could argue that Dean Richards could have been hand holding him in the same way that Gatland and Edwards hand hold Howley.
Newcastle obviously had a great season, but then a very poor one. With the wingers they had they were always going to look very good at times.
Lee Blackett looked like an attacking genius with Wade and Varndell at his disposal, now people are critical when he's working with Bassett and Watson
As with any new arrival we'll never know until they try and get some time under their belts.
However, on paper Howley is up there with the best that we could get
Always a Wasp