9 Feb 2016 | Cricket
The former Glamorgan player, captain and icon has now been appointed to the role as the county's new head coach.
Croft will step up from his role as Assistant Coach after joining the coaching staff following his retirement from playing in 2012.
The 45-year-old was told about his new job when he was in South Africa working with the England one-day squad on a temporary basis with the spinners.
He returned this weekend after being appointed last Friday by Glamorgan director of cricket and chief executive Hugh Morris.
Croft was an ever-present throughout the successful seasons of the 1990s and 2000s with the all-rounder becoming the only player in the club's history to take over 1,000 first-class wickets and score more than 10,000 first-class runs.
His talents were also recognised by the England selectors, with Croft appearing in 21 Test matches and 50 one-day internationals before retiring from the highest arena in 2002.
The Welsh speaker made his county debut in 1989 before his off-spin and assertive batting was a feature of the Welsh county's success in winning the Sunday League title in 1993.
Four years later, these skills were to the fore again as Glamorgan won the 1997 County Championship, while in 2000 he was, once again, a key member of the side that appeared in the Benson and Hedges Cup final at Lord's against Gloucestershire, before winning the National League title in 2002 and 2004 and reach the Twenty20 competition finals day in 2004.
Croft took a wicket with his final ever ball for the Welsh county in 2012 against Kent at Cardiff before retiring to undertake a role as a coach and ambassador for the club.
Now Glamorgan supporters will be keen to see him bring back the Glamorgan glory days as coach that he enjoyed as a player and also help to develop Welsh stars to play for England.
In his opening press conference at the SSE SWALEC he gave an assured performance and ambition was the buzz word as Croft outlined his vision for his beloved Welsh side.
Here's the Q&A:
Q: How proud a day is this for you?
RC: Pride can be a dangerous word but on this occasion I am a proud person to be representing such a great club.
I am more excited than anything. Our academy has been in place for some time and it's stable now. The squad we have is talented in a lot of areas and off the field there is stability at the top. For successful teams you need that cohesion and synergy off the field and we have that as well now.
Q: Is it the right time?
RC: Yes. That's what really appealed to me about the situation right now. I have been out of the dressing room for three to four years.
I have had opportunities to see how the players are developing their own games and how they are as a team and hopefully I can hit the ground running in that respect.
Q: It is such a different role for you though isn't it?
RC: It is but I am aware of what the role requires. I have played with and under a lot of experienced coaches throughout my career and I did reflect on what each one has brought.
It's amazing there is not one word that sums up any coach because everyone is different.
I will do it my way but what's important is there is a strong bond with captain Jacques Rudolph and director of cricket Hugh Morris. We have spoken at length and we are all on the same page.
Q: What have you learned in the last two years as an assistant?
RC: How long have you got?! To put it simply, you learn to trust the people around you and how important relations are with your players and support staff. Hopefully that brings a successful formula.
Q: Is it difficult to make the transition to coach after playing with a lot of these men in the dressing room?
RC: Very good question and something I have reflected on. I felt I had left the dressing room when I was still a player because there was such an age gap!
As a 42-year-old playing with guys in their early 20s, what you do off the field is very different! I think there had been a natural space made and I have been out of the dressing room since I retired as a player for three years anyway.
I have also captained teams before. It is always a challenge but I am more than comfortable where I am now.
Q: It's a rolling contract. Are you happy with that?
RC: Yes. It's the same contract as all the senior management holds and everyone is more than happy with that.
Q: Is coaching England on a full-time basis an ambition?
RC: I haven't thought about it. I left these shores for South Africa knowing I had an interview for this job and when I was told out there, I was told I got the job.
I was sitting in my room in Bloemfontein when I was told. I can't tell you my exact response but it was one of elation!
I enjoyed my time with England and hopefully what I learned I can bring back here. All my efforts are at this club now.
All the discussions I have had since with Hugh Morris have been about Glamorgan.
Q: What did you learn about the England set-up and are they setting the template for one-day cricket?
RC: I believe so. From what I saw in South Africa the beauty was the simplicity. They had full trust in their players who were under no illusions what the ambition was and they were allowed just to play.
England are excellent. They have a very good balance at the top and captain Eoin Morgan comes across as a very good leader and knows what he wants.
The style of play is no fear and what was impressive was the different style of play in their first two one-day victories.
Q: Will anyone replace you in the coaching staff?
RC: We have spoken about this and we will be discussing the situation further. No decision has been made as of yet. We will be working as a trio with Hugh Morris and Jacques Rudolph.
Q: How will you reign be judged?
RC: Everyone will judge me in their own way. I want to see a team that is proud to represent this club and is fully aware of what it takes and what an honour it is on and off the field. to play for Glamorgan. I want to see a fiercely competitive on the field and good people off it.
Most coaches are judged by wins and losses. We will be challenging ourselves to be competitive in every competition and not going there to make up the numbers.
When we talk about the county championship we got close last year and I would like to try and build on the success of that after we faded away a bit at the end. But we have some fresh legs coming into the squad this season.
In the T20 we have box office players and we would like to get through into the knockout stages. If we can get close to that and promotion in the four-day stuff that would be great and we also have the one-day tournament as well.
Q: What is the one thing that has been missing here in the last couple of years?
RC: Every coach who has been here has had their qualities. It's just the timing is right for me now. The experience is there and the young Welsh players are not novices anymore. In past years there has been a group of players who have been in the infancy of their careers and the expectation level might have been lower.
But there is an expectation level there now and the boys are aware of that. The ambition is there and it's crucial you have that in professional sport. It's not about coasting.
Q: Do you want more Welsh players in the side?
RC: There might not be as many as there used to be. We have a short, medium and long-term goal. I don't want to use throwaway lines like that but it's true.
I played in a team where lots of young Welsh players were involved but they weren't ready and potentially we lost a generation.
What we are mindful of is if you are a Welsh player then great, but you have to be a very good Welsh player. When you do break into the side there are quality players who can help them. We don't want any quick fixes, we want quality.
The mission statement at this club is to 'Make Wales Proud' and we are looking to do that every day.
Q: How can you get Glamorgan back into the sporting pysche of Wales?
RC: It comes down to ambition. Where is the end of your rainbow? That is something the players will be challenged for in a positive way.
Whatever time we are here representing this club, we want to leave a positive mark and look back on our time with smiles on our faces and believe we did everything we could to get things better.
What I am saying won't be unique and will be repeated in every other county, but it's a point I will be pressing home.
Q: It has been 11 years since any Glamorgan cricketer has played for England. How important is addressing this issue?
RC: Very important. For the spread of the game we want to create sporting icons in Wales. Team success first and individual success comes after that. That is what I believe.
If you have ambition you can push the boundaries. The game is going forward and you have to keep evolving.
Q: Will you be making any more signings, most notably a second T20 player?
A: We are in strong discussions among ourselves and the style of T20 player is crucial.
Once we decide the style of player, you then put a name to that. It won't be left to the last minute and it's something which is at the top of the agenda.
We are close to what we want. I believe there is a budget there.
I wasn't part of things when budgets were decided last year but I believe there is the budget there to chase the player we would like.
Q: Can Glamorgan get back to the glory days?
RC: Yes. If I felt not, I would not be sitting here. We have ambition but I'm also mindful of how hard success is.
Even if you have a good side you can't just turn up and expect things to happen.
But it's one challenge I am looking forward to. I understand there will be ebbs and flows as I have had in my playing and coaching career.
But it's about having good people around you and I'm confident in them which is a good place to start from.
LISTEN: Rob Croft will appear on BBC Wales Today tonight, here's the interview