Most important qualities in a head coach are man management and the right mix of pride and humility. The pride to set and maintain standards, and the humility to delegate, to always be ready and willing to yield to the best idea.
The really technical & tactical head coach... while those traits are useful, it does seem like it's not what you want now. Likely the job is just too big for one guy to micromanage it these days. My suspicion with AOB has always been that his main issue is that he's a bit overbearing and overly technical, he's a bit in the Anthony Griffin camp - a coach whose record is decent, but there's just something not quite there. Seems like he's respected but not necessarily loved.
For me Craig Bellamy is still the best coach in the game and he'll be the first to tell you that he's not setting out witch's hats or drawing up plays. He's the co-ordinator of a big team. Players and assistants are empowered to do their jobs. The only things that aren't flexible, that are non-negotiable are effort, attitude and character. Everyone at that club obviously loves the bloke.
We're seeing how good Wayne Bennett is in action this year and the set up isn't that different to when Souths went into a long tailspin last year. Ben Hornby's doing heaps of the actual coaching still. But there's just something about Wayne players respect. They're willing to run that little bit harder. Ivan Cleary's vibe is very Bennett as well.
If it was easy to find this type of person, this guy that others would run through a brick wall for, there'd be more of them around. The only guy we've had at the club where I've heard anything like those kinds of wraps about, really, is Rory Kostjasyn.