BRIAN Noble believes the appointment of the Bulls’ next head coach is “vitally important” to the club’s future – but admits it will not be him.

The legendary former Bradford boss remains an iconic figure at Odsal after guiding his hometown club to five successive Grand Finals and winning three of them.

Noble says the Bulls will always be in his heart but he has not been contacted about the vacancy and was this week confirmed as director of rugby for the newly-formed League One outfit Toronto Wolfpack.

Manly Sea Eagles assistant coach John Cartwright, a 50-year-old former Australia second-rower, is understood to have applied for the job along with Glenn Morrison and Scott Naylor, with an announcement on Jimmy Lowes' successor expected next week.

Noble reckons that, with the right recruitment ahead of the middle eights, Bradford could yet mount a serious challenge for Super League.

Noble said: “I’m sad for Jimmy because he’s a friend of mine and whatever he was doing as a coach, he clearly had some issues he needed to sort out.

“But I’m pretty confident that Bradford will be in that top four and if they get the balance right and recruit properly for the middle eights, then who knows what can happen?

“The draw at Batley and the Challenge Cup defeat at Dewsbury marked a low point because they came on the back of each other.

“Then you had the Halifax and Sheffield defeats, which are never great because they increase the scrutiny on everybody.

“That poor run was clearly a dip in form but once you get all the players on board doing the right things, then confidence returns.

“The Bulls appear to be getting a bit more fluid with the ball in the past two games and they are scoring a few more points.

“A lot of people there have got to hold their nerve because there will be a lot of nervy people – but they’re not far off at all and there are some really good players at the club.

“The next coach is vitally important and Glenn Morrison looks like a natural fit because of his association with the club previously.

“He’s local and is over here but perhaps Matt Diskin could do it until the end of the year.

“There are other good coaches out there too and in terms of recruitment, I still think Bradford need a half-back and maybe one other strike player.

“I just feel they need someone who can do something different to what they have already got.

“They are hard to find, trust me, and the reason there isn’t a scrum half in their team is because they haven’t found one.

“I’m confident that they are looking, but they need an element of quality and strike play that can get them over the line.

“I could throw a few names out there, but that can sometimes compromise the situation so I think they need to be smart and do their work behind the scenes.

“For me, they need to do it relatively quickly, even if it’s a player from the NRL who comes at the end of the regular season in time for the middle eights.”

Asked about whether he could ever be tempted to return, Noble said: “Definitely because it’s my hometown club and I’ve got a lot of love and passion for it.

“It has given me the life I’ve had and, amid any turbulence, I would do anything for the club.

“You never say never and I love Bradford but the reality is that there has been no contact, so it’s a non-starter.”

Noble is focused solely on helping Toronto head coach Paul Rowley to assemble a squad for next season’s assault on League One.

The Wolfpack will be full-time and will share the Tong training facility with Bradford.

Noble added: “It’s great for the Bulls and it’s great for us.

“We will get to compete against each other throughout the year and could even look at a dual-reg partnership.

“There is a lot of goodwill in rugby league towards the Wolfpack.

“The Toronto project is very exciting and something I want to help Paul Rowley get over the line.

“I’ve been to the top of the mountain and I want to see somebody else get there.

“I also want to see Bradford climbing Everest again and staying at the top of Everest.”