Tigers fans' delight at Pat Howard tinged with concern for club hero

Leicester Tigers fans are rejoicing after club legend Pat Howard has returned to Welford Road in a mentoring role to help head coach Geordan Murphy.

Howard had a long career with Leicester, both as a player, where he won the Heineken Cup and Premiership, and a coach, where he guided them to another Premiership win. He was a central figure in the Tigers team during their glory days of the 2000s, as was Murphy, and the board are clearly seeking to rediscover those days.

Leicester endured a horrendous campaign last season by their standards, finishing 11th in the Premiership, crashing out of the Champions Cup in the group stages, and failing to qualify for Europe’s elite competition for the first time.

For a club that is used to being at the pinnacle of English and European rugby, last season must have come as a shock for their fans. That is why they are welcoming back Howard ahead of a more promising season.

However, some fans have also highlighted that this appointment may indicate that the board do not have full trust in Murphy. The former fullback is entering his first full season in charge at the club, after replacing Matt O’Connor in September 2018, and throughout his troubling first year his credentials were questioned.

Murphy is relatively inexperienced to take charge of such a big club, and some felt that he was given the role simply because of his history as a player with the Tigers. That is not always a recipe for success, and that is why Howard may have been recruited.

This is what the fans have said:

All Leicester fans will be hoping that this reunion between Howard and Murphy will help them revive the success they both had as players at Welford Road, but it has left some skeptical.

What certainly is promising is the number of signings that they have made ahead of next season, and given a full preseason under Murphy this time around, they could be a completely different force come the beginning of next season.