On behalf of the Club can I start by thanking all those fans who turned up at Batley last night and cheered the team on in what was ultimately a disappointing result.

Everyone at the Club is concerned about our dip in form and there has certainly been a drop in the players confidence, and it’s at times like these when we should all get behind the players and try to help them find those earlier performances. Not easy by any means I grant you

As supporters everyone has the right to criticise the team, but some of the posts on this forum recently have gone well past proper criticism and to be honest some of the posts are almost “libellous”

For the record players have all been paid up to date, they do NOT drink the night before games nor at half time(how anyone could believe that a player would be taking on alcohol at the interval is beyond me), Martin Hall is still a director at the Club, Matt Calland is concerned about the teams performances, we are NOT saving money by not taking all the players on a team bus, etc etc.

I was on the touchline at Batley last night taking photos, and was closer to the actual game than many. I can say categorically that all the tackles from both teams were hard and committed, I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be on the end of any of them. Both teams were desperate to win and being that close to the action, it was obvious to see. Our Players WERE trying hard, perhaps even too hard. . the old maxim of trying too hard might be part of our current problems.

I have supported my Club for over 50 years now and there’s been lots of ups and downs in that time, unfortunately probably too many downs. But my Dad’s ambition was to see his team at Wembley and he never did. . But I did, that was certainly one of the ups

I was talking to a Widnes Director this week and he told me that his team have lost more games than they’ve won this season, but that their supporters were still behind their team. . but they won the Northern Rail I hear you reply. . perhaps that's because their supporters remained positive? When our supporters turned out and were positive we almost beat Castleford. . but you were our 18th man as Matt said at the time.

I don’t read this forum much any more because I find it generally too negative. . I have been on the receiving end of negative posts in the past and to be honest didn’t like it. . I know the players read this forum and I’m sure they don’t like the current posts either. And the more they read the more their heads go down!

So as a supporter not a Director, can I ask you to count to ten before you post, don’t keep rehashing rumours, criticise by all means, but if it’s positive it will be more helpful, perhaps think about ways you can help us do better and achieve our mutual goals. . .you could join Cashfax, ,(Claire one of our supporters has taken 20 CashFax forms today and that’s £1000 a year for the Club) you could buy a season ticket, you could persuade friends and family to come along, but most of all you could support your team.

Mike Riley

Well said Mike. Let's be fan(atics) of the club and the best supporters we can be from now, until the end of the year. Let's cheer the lads on and help them lift their form when it matters most! Bring on the Grand Final the easy way or the hard way!!

Once the problems are addressed and put right, the players will be happier.

I'm a big fan of Matt, and there isn't a player in the squad who I wouldn't want, but something is wrong somewhere and that problem needs finding and sorting and sooner rather than later.

Supporting the team is a must, and despite all the rantings, all the posters on here will still be supporters months or years from now.

The squad had a fantastic start to the season and probably thought they were invincible, but the league is getting more competitive and players in some squads are fighting for survival, so for our players it's reality check time and they need to just think about the next game rather than what's happened in the past.

To the fans, I'd say, stop calling for Matt Callands head. He was a Superhero as far was we were concerned earlier in the season, and so what, we've lost a few games, but he's still learning his trade and he's up against some seasoned veterans in the coaching arena, who may not have his flair which probably caught them out earlier in the season, but who may now have spotted his tactics and are now learning how to defuse them. Matt needs to learn from the mistakes we're making, but give him a break, we're all human.

Come on FAAAAAAAX!

we are top points scorer to date 2nd best defence to date,3rd in the league, exciting to watch major leap forward from the recent past,club prospects looking well,new management team working hard what is the problem with the supporters?

great post mike

Disappointment!

Really good post Mike.

I dont think that all the posts on this board are negative, there have been some really good threads early in the season, but the small amount of fans who do post on here are getting increasingly disspointed and frustrated at the way the team is performing at the moment. This is the same team, coached by the same coaching staff that beat all-comers, playyed scintilating rugby and defended like no Halifax team we had seen in many a year, but look what is happening now.

I was sat at Batley and while I argee with you (I wouldnt want to be on the receiving end of some of those tackles either) the first half was extremely dissapointing and thats what frustrates the fans.

I for one have not called for Calland to go, I think he has been a breath of fresh air for the team and I think he can take us all the way to superleague.

I think you will find that most of the posts that are creating rumours about the teams drinking habits and the lack of payments are actually started by "non fans" who seem to have hi-jacked the board at the moment.

I for one are 100% commited and behind the team. I still believe that we can turn this around and, yes we could end up 5th in the league after Sunday, but we need to do the right things at the right time, and if that is in the play offs then so be it.

Come on you FAX

Well put Mike, and Thank You! Certainly cleared a few things up.

Good post Mike but it strikes a bit of paranoia.
This is a fans forum and a team that was top of the league has just lost 5 games in a row. There will quite rightly be fans asking why, and as such there will be negative comments. This doesn't mean that we aren't behind the team when they are playing.

If the players do read these comments and don't like them as you say, then they are in a great position to do something about it.

Whereas we as fans can't do anything to change the form of the team. Hence the frustration shown on the forum.

Mike didn't say that criticism isn't allowed. He just said some of the e-mails were basically a bit over the top.

good post mike
come on fax.......

Im personally really pleased that a director has found the time to come on to this forum to express a few concerns and clear up a few issues. I agree with Mikes comments. Its all too easy to pass judgement in difficult times. We were all praising the team and the club for much of the season and now in times of adversity we should be sticking together.

At Batley last night there must have been 500 of us and we are on a losing streak. If we want the club to succeed long term we should back them in every way possible and this proves that the support is still there. I have personally sponsored the club every year for the past 6 years one way or another and like most of our fans i too am gutted when we get beat....oh to just get to a final and win it....thats what we all want! So come on, if it doesnt work out then the club will deal with it but slagging people off wont help. We can just keep doing our bit and with a little more confidence or the rub of the green it will come back our way. Anyone who has watched Fax over the years or Rugby League in general will know that sometimes it can be just around the corner.

Ok! So it looks like the top two places are probably going to be beyond us but that doesnt mean we cant win it. We are close to knock out football so once again lets get behind the lads.....come on Fax!

Peter McNamara.

its definately a confidance thing, because last night we started the game well, glees won a penalty and we ended the set on their line. the problems started when we gave a penalty away and handed them the momentum. Due to the lack of confidance we couldn't stop it hence the ht score.

but half time allowed us to re-group and the attitude was fantastic we just gave ourselves too much to do. don't forget we missed some key players for last night.

we have to stay positive, one piece of luck/individual brilliance could snap the streak and see a return to form. we are in the playoffs and this years results show it doesn't really matter where we finish. we have beaten batley/haven/fev away and lost to haven/fev at home

Its obviously a difficult time for the club on the field but we need to harness some of the positive work being done off it and pull together!!!

All we as fans want is effort and last night at times it was lacking, that said in the second half it improved dramatically. If we had 17 James haleys or mark roberts on the pitch I can't help thinking we'd have won a couple of games out of the last 5, Haley and Roberts certainly aren't the best players in the world but they give 100% every week.

I appreciate that a lot of things posted on this board are negative and this post maybe seen by some as negative, it's just hard to be positive at the moment. That said i will be at leigh and at home against toulouse.

I don't expect Matt calland to come out and make a statement but I wouldn't mind knowing if he regrets his 'country mile' comments? I suspect he does, however i told him before the game last night that were all behind him and I think most of us still are, he seemed to appreciate my telling him this.

Hope i haven't turned this into another negative thread but just wanted to give a couple of my thoughts.

disagree with the haley comment he is one of the most intelligent players in the team, he always make the right choice in attack and defense.

Nobody always makes the right choice in attack or defence never mind both. I think he's a very good player, probably first name on the teamsheet everyweek but he's certainly more a grafter than a luxury player.

what people have forgot its was a 3 year plan to get those boxes ticked untill super league pick the team to go up, so we dont have to win anything this year, would be great to win the grand final this year, but if it dont happen then there is next year, we are buliding towards super league,if we win nothing this year keep heart, we are heading in the right direction, in my imo matt will get us there

Thanks for taking the time out to post Mike what with your TV career taking off as it did last night, the amount of times you were on



It is incredibly frustrating seeing the same group of players who were beating teams comfortably earlier on in the season, now on a 5 match losing streak, particularly when the coaching staff said before a boot was laced that the training would be tailored so that we peak at the END of the season rather than the start.

However, they still have my 100% support. Yes we will have down games, or a few games, 2003 anyone? But Matt Calland is a young British coach who obviously has a lot of passion for the club and wants to achieve things with us, why else would he sign a two year contract?

The players do not turn from world beaters to half hearters overnight, the cup game against Cas took a lot out of us but when we lost the NRC semi final against Widnes, and the manner we lost it, obviously was a massive hammer blow to the players who are tight knit and before that hadn't lost to a team in our division. Also the claims that the players who have signed extensions playing badly is a load of jack. As sportsmen they have some professional pride and if they don't take to the field wanting to win or do their best then they wouldn't take to the pitch in the first place and put their bodies on the line for the cause.

Last night was a despairing defeat but it wasn't through lack of effort, it was through poor defence and ill-discipline, which ALL sports teams are guilty of. Now the team have 10 days to recharge the batteries, get the frustration and tension out of their system and get our season back on track at the LSV on Bank Holiday Monday.

A lot of good posts on here which is nice to see. Lots of intelligent conversation rather than slating people and rumour spreading.

I came away depressed last night as I'm sure we all did but at least there have been improvements. We all know the Widnes away game was awful and ok we haven't won since then but we have improved. I felt there was a lot of passion in that second half last night and that the players genuinely seemed gutted when we lost. I really hope we get back on track against Leigh I really do. Lets stick together and show the players that our frustrations are only down to our love and passion for the club and we are right behind them.

Thanks for the mention Mike...I didn't expect it but while on the topic why doesn't everyone do what I have done and get some cashfax forms sent out to them? I don't have 20 people to sign up but I know I will find them because its a relatively easy sell...I signed 4 people up from work with ease because people don't mind paying £1 a week for the chance to win some cash.

We can all do our bit and little things like that will probably help lift spirits in the office, which I'm sure has a positive effect on the club after a disappointing loss the night before

'I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot... and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that's precisely why I succeed''.
Michael Jordan

"Play up! Play up! And play the game!"
Sir Henry John Newbolt - Vitaï Lampada

Now come on, get your heads up, start enjoying it and win..
Justthebasicfax Aug 09

well said mike now tell the players to prove those doubters wrong

Just realised this post has been made a sticky....i thought it had disappeared! Might be just me but i always forget to look through the sticky post list!

Well said, Mike. Alot of the negative posts on here are nevertheless understandable and are borne out of frustration ... eg last night's match it appeared Batley had an extra spring and their tries looked soft, so the fans are bound to vent their annoyance.

But in reality there's probably no other sport in which confidence bears such an impact. A workmate who supports Leeds watched last night's match and ... speaking as a level headed neutral .... acknowledged we seem to be panicing with no direction. He was of the view that had we would have won that match our season would turn around overnight. A loss is a loss no matter how close, and a win is a win. He also pointed out Ian Millward being under fire in 2004 when Saints went thru a horror patch, including being beat 70 nil at Leeds!!

I'm sure things will turn round ... I'm a great believer in swings and roundabouts and it won't be too long before we're stringing 5 wins on the trot.

5 on the trop would be nice now...wouldn't that mean we would win the GF...or get there at least!?

Very good post from Mike Riley and I hope that it puts some of the silly (in my opinion) comments that have been aimed at players, coaching staff and directors firmly to bed.

I've been reading the forum for the past few weeks and have been angered by a lot of the comments. I know that the players are working really hard to get the season back on track and i'm confident they will turn things around at Leigh.

I think we should all get behind Matt and the players as Mike says - they are a great bunch and plenty of encouragement from us fans will help them.

The club needs people like Mike Riley and I just want people to be aware that he does a tremendous amount of voluntary work along with others like Malcolm Powell, Graham Clay, Michael Steele and Ian Croad among others. It's a fairly small team of workers at the club and I feel that these people should get plenty of support from the fans for what they are doing in trying to promote the club. The last thing we want is to lose valuable people like this.

Not forgetting my mate Sarah who does everything down there. The aim of my post is to try and encourage all the fans to get behind the team and these people who are working hard for the club.

This is also the first time i've ever posted something sensible. I'm maturing with age