Castleford Tigers owner Martin Jepson has backed Danny McGuire to prove his doubters wrong at Wheldon Road, insisting he has no regrets about taking a chance on the rookie head coach.
Jepson showed his ruthless edge shortly after striking a deal to purchase the Tigers in October, replacing Craig Lingard with McGuire despite signs of progress in testing circumstances.
McGuire, who served as Lingard’s assistant in 2024, has found his first full-time head coaching role just as challenging.
Castleford sit 10th in Super League approaching the halfway mark of the season, with their only wins coming against the bottom two: Salford Red Devils and Huddersfield Giants.
McGuire has also faced resistance from sections of the fanbase due to his strong Leeds Rhinos ties, while the recent appointment of Chris Chester as director of rugby has raised questions about the long-term coaching set-up.
However, Jepson remains fully behind his man.
“Danny is in his first head coaching role,” said the Tigers chairman.
“I’m sure he’s learning a lot as he goes along. What I’m trying to do is provide him with the support network he needs to succeed.
“I’ve got no regrets about making that call – no regrets at all. He’s bought into the professionalism that I want to pervade across the rest of the club.
“He’s a very professional person in his own outlook. I think given time you will see the success of that come through.”
Jepson has backed McGuire in the recruitment market since the start of the season after being left behind the eight ball when he took control of the Tigers.
With the likes of Tom Amone, Brad Singleton and Chris Atkin on board, Castleford’s recent performances have offered hope for the rest of the campaign.
“It’s a period of transition, on and off the pitch,” added Jepson.
“Although I was a shareholder last year, I only took real control in November when most clubs had already done their business. That’s a difficult place to be.
“We’ve had to almost beg, steal and borrow players to strengthen and improve the squad, so it’s not been easy in that respect.
“We’ve slightly managed with one arm tied behind our back, with no disrespect to the playing staff that was already here, because we did bits of recruitment when we were already into the season.
“On reflection, we’ve done okay. The reality is we’re two kicks at goal away from being in the pack chasing the top-six spots.
“We’ve also got to accept we just weren’t good enough in some of those games. The most disappointing game was the Magic Weekend game.
“We know we’re not the finished article – but I would hope that we pull out some improved performances and surprise a few people.”
A date with McGuire’s former club offers Castleford the chance to claim their biggest scalp of the season.
Jepson is hopeful Saturday’s derby against Leeds will bring the best out of the Tigers.
“We need to start producing displays against teams above us in the league,” he said.
“For us as a club, it doesn’t get any bigger than playing our nearest and biggest rivals.
“It’s very important that we put a show up against them. The last two seasons we’ve managed to do that occasionally but not consistently.
“What we now need to do is put consistent performances together so even if you lose a game, you can go out with your head held high. That’s why the Magic Weekend game was so disappointing.
“For whatever reason, we don’t have the consistency to compete week in, week out. We need to change that.”
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