Noble on a crusade to make Super League work in Wales

The fact another Super League season beckons but one of the most successful coaches in the competiton's history is working at a football ground in Wrexham is bizarre enough.

However, when the former Bradford and Wigan chief finds himself preparing for life at the bottom looking up, it all becomes somewhat surreal.

"It is a big challenge, the toughest of my career," said Noble, ahead of his first match in charge at the hugely-ridiculed Crusaders club.

"But every time I think about it, it's still always very exciting. It is a different prospect for me but one I'm really anticipating."

Noble admitted the Crusaders, who won just three fixtures in their debut campaign, were in such a mess when he took charge last October he feared they might not even get to the start of 2010.

Their future in Bridgend was shrouded in doubt for two nervous months before a consortium led by Wrexham FC chairman Geoff Moss completed a takeover and moved them north.

"I was sat up in bed at five in the morning wondering whether or not there'd be anything to go to," conceded Noble, who then had just a matter of weeks to assemble a squad.

It may have been a printing error but when the Super League handbook, handed out to journalists at Monday's season launch in London, has a blank page where the Crusaders' squad list should have been, you sense it might be fate.

Noble does have a side for tonight's opener against champions Leeds Rhinos even if some of his new captures are still to arrive from Australia and two players got crocked in training.

Despite the troubles faced – they have not managed the luxury of a trial match – he is relishing a new start at the Racecourse Ground.

"It's not been ideal preparation but the players have been first class," added the experienced 48-year-old, who has former Huddersfield coach Jon Sharp and former Man of Steel Iestyn Harris as his assistants.

"All those things are forgotten. It's game day and everybody wanting to be successful at this club gets the chance to prove their worth.

"It's looking like a full stadium tonight, we're facing the champions who have won Super League three years in a row and we have an opportunity.

"We want to keep hold of the people who come along and see this."

While many critics feel taking the sport outside of the northern heartlands is a pointless exercise, Noble remains a firm advocate of the on-going strategy.

With around 10,000 mainly local supporters due at tonight's fixture – dwarfing their previous best of just over 6,000 against

St Helens in Bridgend last March – the former Great Britain chief said: "I am a big believer in expansion.

"If we are going to help improve our international game then we have to provide more domestic players. This is one of the avenues we can go down.

"We've seen the number of young players coming through in London after a lot of hard work and the same will be needed here in Wales and not only in Wales.

"We're talking about places like Chester down to even Shrewsbury as well."

But in a Sunday tabloid last weekend, veteran Leeds centre Keith Senior fired a scathing attack on the Crusaders' worthiness in Super League, insisting Widnes should have got the nod and stoking the fire ahead of this evening's clash.

"Keith's entitled to his opinions," insisted Noble.

"He's an iconic Super League player who has achieved great things but there's greater brains than Keith – and me – to be making decisions like that.

"I'm not sure he's up to speed on all the politics involved in who should be in and out of Super League but I don't find it disrespectful. It's his opinion."

Achieving a result against Leeds would count as one of Noble's finest achievements.

The man who led hometown Bradford to three Super League titles between 2001 and 2005, each time making them World Club champions as well, has only been able to sit back and watch the Rhinos' recent domination.

It has hurt seeing the Bulls fail to add to their tally since he left for Wigan four years ago but Bradford were not the only ones who fell behind in Leeds's slipstream.

Noble could not touch them with Wigan either – part of the reason the Warriors opted against renewing his contract last year – and he concedes it is understandable why the Rhinos have become such an all-conquering force.

"It's testament to Gary Hetherington and his staff there," he said.

"They looked at the success story of Bradford, took the best bits of that and other clubs, and looked at what they needed to do to emulate them. They have done just that and have the facilities, administration and obviously those awesome international players, who they know how to keep."

Noble – who still lives in Guiseley – accepts anything above last spot would be deemed a success for his new charges but added: "Six years ago, Leeds were far from the successful entity they are now.

"There's no reason why with our ambition we can't be challenging ourselves in a couple of years. The aspirations are to have a Super League club in Wales and I feel it will be very, very successful later down the track. But people need to be patient."