Dave Woods BBC rugby league correspondent looks ahead to 2003

Former Great Britain scrum-half Bobbie Goulding will start the new season clubless and needing surgery.

But he is refusing to call time on his eventful career.

In fact, the 30-year-old, who has played for eight different British clubs, says he is ready to take his next big step in the game - coaching.

"I'm only a baby at 30," he jokes, " And if any Super League club came in for me I'm convinced I could do a good job for them as a player.

My downfall has been that if I didn't agree with people I would go and tell them Bobbie Goulding

"I'd also be interested in a National League club, but it would have to be as a player-coach."

Goulding has been meditating on the idea of coaching for some time, and he believes he has the right credentials to take on any job.

His playing career saw him play in five Challenge Cup finals, winning four of them, and perform at the highest Test level.

"I've got a big head start. It's not always the good players who become good coaches. But I've been around top quality teams, and you get to know what works," he says.

But Bobbie's had his scrapes as well.

Differences in opinion with several coaches were behind some of the moves from Wigan to Leeds, Widnes, St Helens, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Salford and Leigh.

He believes, however, that those "difficulties" will also aid his route to the top in coaching.

"My downfall has been that if I didn't agree with people I would go and tell them," he says.

"That's what I'd like to encourage in players. I'm all for ideas. I'm all for people coming to me with ideas."

Business interests

Bobbie remains busy despite his lack of playing opportunities at the moment.

He is promoting a high protein drink with two business partners that has the backing of a big manufacturer and a couple of high profile sportsmen, including Paul Sculthorpe.

In a couple of weeks he will have what has become an annual operation on his ankle to clean up problems caused by arthritis.

And he is coaching the amateur team, Widnes St Maries. But he is ready, should the phone ring.

"I'm still keen and I still want to learn," he says.