Former coach Craig Lingard has said there are no hard feelings following his unexpected departure from Castleford Tigers.
The Tigers announced on Monday that they had “parted ways” with Lingard, who had previously managed Keighley Cougars and Batley Bulldogs, just over a year after his appointment. This marks the first major move since director Martin Jepson reached an agreement to take ownership of the club last Thursday.
In a club statement, Jepson praised Lingard as “a really decent guy” but emphasized that “it was time for a new direction and a fresh voice in the dressing room.” Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post shortly after the news broke, Lingard acknowledged: “He bought the club, and he has the right to do what he thinks is best for it.”
Lingard added: “He’s invested in the club and has to take it forward as he sees fit. I don’t take it personally at all.”
“Professional sport is a tough industry,” Lingard remarked. “The same thing happened to me at Keighley—when new owners took over, they wanted to go in a different direction and bring in their own team. It’s not the first time it has happened to me, and I doubt I’ll be the last coach to experience it.”
Reflecting on the situation, he added, “Having gone through this before helps me handle and process it better this time. I’m quite pragmatic about it; it’s a business decision, and if a new owner wants to bring in their own people, they have every right to do so.”
During his tenure at Batley, Lingard earned a reputation as one of the most impressive coaches in the lower divisions, leading the Bulldogs to the Championship Grand Final in 2022 and a Wembley appearance in the 1895 Cup the following season. As for his next steps, he stated, “I’m open to conversations.”
“I’m not in a rush to jump into a new job,” Lingard explained, “but I’m more than willing to talk to people. If something comes along that catches my interest, I’ll have those discussions and see where it leads, but I don’t want to accept the first offer that comes my way.”
He added, “I’m not desperate to get back into coaching right away. If it takes a bit longer and new opportunities emerge, I’ll explore different areas of work. In rugby, there are only so many head coach or assistant coach positions available, so options can be limited.”
This year, the Tigers reduced their playing budget to focus on off-field improvements aimed at earning enough points to secure a place in the Betfred Super League under the new IMG rating system. While they were expected to finish 11th in 2024, just above the newly promoted London Broncos, Lingard, who had joined as assistant coach the previous season, defied expectations by guiding the team to 10th place, nine points clear of the bottom.
Although the team—comprising many inexperienced players—earned three more points than in 2023, when they finished second from the bottom, the season ended on a sour note with eight losses in their final nine games. In his statement, Jepson emphasized that the decision to replace Lingard “wasn’t an easy one.”
Jepson added, “With the players returning soon, I wanted to give the new coach a chance to shape the preseason and build a winning culture. We’re already searching for a new head coach and hope to announce something soon.”
Among potential candidates for the role is Danny McGuire, a former Leeds Rhinos star who served as one of Lingard’s assistants. Other contenders could include former Huddersfield Giants coach Ian Watson and York Knights boss Mark Applegarth.
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