This is a gamble for both and will prove if he is the real deal.
In many ways life was easy for Watson at Salford. I know it sounds perverse but no money thus no real expectations takes the the pressure off.
We’ve seen it ourselves, it breeds a one for all mentality because there are no egos.
It won’t be like that at Hudds. It’s a completely different skill set getting highly paid players with big reps playing to getting a bunch of journeymen playing for each other. I know that’s a fairly crude assessment and it’s a bit more complex than that but you get the idea.
We have seen it with Chester. When he took over we didn’t have a single player anyone was really interested in. After a few good seasons many of those players had gained reputation and I believe attitudes changed. Some started to believe the hype.
There are a fair few like that at Hudds and if Ken opens his wallet there may be a few more. The politics and dynamics at Hudds will be far more testing than at Salford. Ken will demand a return, where as Ian Blease will only have hoped for one, which indeed he got.
Not keen on Hudds never have been but I would like to see a good British coach really make the grade.
I suppose you could argue Watson is being smart, Hudds offer a nice stepping stone being a notch up from clubs like Salford and ourselves and a notch down from prize clubs like Leeds or Saints. If he cracks it at Hudds he’s probably got what it takes to run a genuine contender club at some future point.