The season has been a big disappointment on and off the field. After last year we just never kicked on and some signings were strange and we have been so inconsistant. I get the feeling Karl will make many changes especially in the forwards. It cant have been easy on the players with Matt going, but that doesnt excuse some of the performances that have been put out. The Rail Cup Final was the only real highlight of the season to be honest the rest I would say has been poor. Personally I would only keep Aizue from the props. Blackie is a match winner and feel we should keep him on pay as you play basis unless there is a better Aussie out there. I think we will see around 10 players come in as signings or DR´s.

The board have done a great job from bringing us back from the brink of oblivion a few years ago to where we are now challenging for trophies. They have made mistakes and I am sure they would be the first to admit that. The Board deserve our backing and support not being unfairly blasted. Fax are one of the best run clubs in the game and we are not losing money unlike many. The future is bright for me and alot of that is down to the board who have made many personal sacrifices


Miles-KEEP-Deserves another year and probably injuries have not helped
Fieldhouse-KEEP-Good Squad player to have as back up
Worrincy-KEEP-We needed to keep Rob and great he is on a 2 year deal
White-KEEP-Big year and glad he is with us for atleast another year
Goddard-RELEASE- I just have never rated him. He never has fulfilled his potential and often injured. Wouldnt be surprised to see him elsewhere next year
Haley-KEEP-average player but injuries have not helped. Keep for a year and see how he does
Nash-RELEASE-is a liability. On his day can be good but cant see him staying around
Pats-KEEP-Sadly injury has haunted him this year but glad he is staying as he is a very good player.
Jones-RELEASE-Cant say he has impressed much. Sadly not good enough for a top Championship team which is what we should be aiming for.
Black-KEEP-I would keep on a pay as you play basis. Injury hasnt helped him this year
Gannon-RELEASE-Has done OK but the game is so fast and am not sure he can keep up next year.
Aizue-KEEP-Quality player and hope he stays. Leads by example
Chez-RELEASE-Again never really impressed and he is a bog standard forward. Doesnt really break the line or have the explosion of Aizue. Not too bothered if he left.
Watene-RELEASE-Sorry Frank but please retire now. Great bloke but sadly pass it.
Barlow-KEEP- Harrison needs to make him more disciplined and focussed on Rugby and not pretending he is the hardest man on the pitch!!
Chandler-KEEP- has shown potential and for me just lacks experience. Usually gives his best
Penky-KEEP-Best player in the League on his day and has always given 100% to Fax.
Beswick-KEEP-Bit inconsistant but valuable to have around and can be a game winner
Clayton-RELEASE- Never rated him and never understood why we signed him
Smith-RELEASE-Too old and maybe should go coaching
Bannister-KEEP-Decent enough player
Fairbank-KEEP-Cant see it but if we could sign him would be awesome. Top player in defence and attack
Bowman-KEEP-Still unsure but I dont see him as a Halfback but rather a lock/loose forward but think he needs a couple of years yet

Cut out rest of quote but I have to say I pretty much agree, Saying Beswick is inconsistent is a bit tough on him though, Penky is in the same boat, they are both great players that we need to keep.
Please release Goddard, I have VERY rarely seen what he is supposed to show, never releases his winger, we would have won NRC if he'd put out the early ball.
Cherrypops, sorry but it;' time to bring the curtain down,there must be better props around Halifax at local level who would make more ground.
One to forget I think but that's because our expectations have risen so much in the last few years and that is mainly down to the hard work of the board.
Thanks guys.

Well the positive today and the only one, is that it makes the decisions of who to keep so much clearer. The papered cracks well and truely fell apart.

Miles.....keep
Feildhouse.... Keep as cover (cant have a worse game than today..can he?)
White ....Keep (unless Alex Brown is available giving you a different style)
Worricy ...keep
Patts....keep
Goddard....sorry ,pace gone ,reaction time too slow, probably too high a wage bill as senior player to merit keeping.
Haley......sorry, again pace gone steady player.
Nash ......has all the skills but clearly not the temperament. Spent all season totally out of condition. A big NO
Jones....confidence drained. Tried hard but even the basics went today. Sorry.
Black....body language today said he was off. Needs a new challenge and get himself back in shape...sorry all the best.
Aizue.... yes keep 1 year
Penky ....keep
Cherry....keep....still young keeps improving . Eat some steak and work like mad on the leg drive power off season.
Smith.....sorry but a season way too far.
Clayton .....improved over the last few games but sorry time to go. Better less expensive bigger players out there.
Bannister....depends what else is on offer runs good lines but size counts and he is relatively lightweight. open verdict
S Barlow .....Keep....yes he let them get to him today.
J Barlow .....havent seen enough to decide.
Gannon.....yes time to go.....but you cant fault his effort this year
beswick ....keep
chandler...keep . thought he should have had more game time in front of clayton and smith.
Watene....father time caught up ,but should have been on today with a lightweight pack . Time to go
Bowman... let him have a year at Keighley
Fairbank .....if we can have him yes. If not well played this year

it really does emphasis the poor recruitment last year which took us backwards not forwards.

What would I like in?

A robust pack and players who give far more than some did today.

Which leaves KH with quite a bit of team building to do, but a fair chunk off the wage bill with senior players leaving to bring in some new faces.
Good luck for 2012!

PS . I will buy the season ticket to help the recruitment fund!

From what BBC radio Leeds were saying Goddard has already put pen to paper with fax, we will await the announcements to start coming, however I expect slow releases to encourage people to get the new app on their phones for the news.

Can't arugue with any of these comments, a very good reflection on where we are today.

Ball's in-experience showed today in not putting Frank on the bench, we had absolutely no go Forward at all.

Miles- A good off-season and he'll be very sharp for us
Fieldhouse- Was very good as a trialist, can only improve with a full pre-season in a professional environment
Worrincy- Needs to see a sports psychologist to settle his nerves in tense situations and apply evo-stik to his fingers. Wins us games, but is our most gaff prone player.
White- Very good this year
Goddard- Injury prone, misses vital tackles, very inconsistent, hes had too many chances.
Haley- Haley isn't that bad a player, safe under pressure, can pass a ball under pressure, good back up player to keep
Nash- Go back to Aussie Park Rugby
Pats- Good organiser, but not a strike player, he can go for me.
Jones- Super goal kicker, would still be useful as back-up for injuries in the halfbacks
Black- Pay as you play if he can't get signed up with Swinton, Rochdale or Hunslet.
Gannon- As above
Aizue- Could be a risk, considering his age, like Watene this season. Lets hope he has another year in him.
Chez- Never broke a tackle in 4 years, Champ 1 material
Watene- Retirement, surely.
Ostick - Rochdale Mayfield
Barlow- Needs to grow up, come of age, depends whether Harrison thinks he'll be an asset or liability
Chandler- Needs to bulk out
Penky- Player of the season. We would have been fighting for relegation spots without him this year
Beswick- Only seems to play well in front of the SKY cameras. - Undecided.
Clayton- Offers little
Smith- Retirement, though has been impressive towards for back end of the season.
Bannister- Not bad at times, good defender too
Fairbank- will be an SL regular with Huddersfield next year.
Bowman- Needs to gel with the team and could be awesome. He doesn't seem part of the clique. Maybe Karl Harrison can work the lad better than Calland did. They didn't get on too well allegedly.

We need some top strike centres, a big bullying pack & a good scrum-half to work with Handforth.
Wholesale changes needed.

I might give my own opinions on players later but i feel Cherryholme has xome in for a lot of unfair stick one here. For me he has improved a lot and although he isnt an explosive prop in the Aizue mould he goes about his work well and shows a good attitude and is the type of player that you have to have in your team. Gets through a ton of work and has to be worth another year for me.

I agree fully

I think he could be ok depending on who plays around him. The pack this year was full of these workers who offer little going fwds in cherryholme, Clayton, smith, gannon. I think our attack suffered because of it

Hmm although he was a little over the top you can't pretend it has been a successful year off the field, a failed license bid and then our coach is sacked at a bizarre time with no explanation and toward the end of the season communications have been terrible with the fans and in general the club has been flat

Miles.....keep
Feildhouse.... Keep as cover
White ....Keep
Worrincy ...keep (His defense needs a lot of work though)
Patts....keep
Goddard.... Not good enough
Haley......Better alternatives out there, average player
Nash ......Keep, does stupid stuff sometimes but can look dangerous
Jones....Let Rhino work with him
Black....Think Blacks had his day, cheers for the memories!
Aizue.... Keep!
Penky ....Keep!
Cherry....Average player, better out there
Smith.....Not good enough
Clayton .....Not good enough
Bannister....50/50
Sam Barlow .....Keep plenty of potential
Josh Barlow .....Again, plenty of potential, looked well up for it at Sheff, keep!
Gannon.....Sorry Gannon, game over mate. Had a decent season though just cant see him getting through another.
Beswick ....Keep
Chandler...50/50
Watene....Too old/unfit, if he'd spend more time in the gym this year maybe he'd have played more.
Bowman... Keep! Loads of potential. We need some youth in our pack!
Fairbank .....If Giants will let him go then deffo sign him up!!

Keep

Miles...
Feildhouse..
White ..
Worrincy .
Patts...
Jones...
Aizue...
Penky ..
Cherry....
Bannister...
Sam Barlow ...
Josh Barlow ..
Beswick ..
Bowman...
Fairbank ..
Chandler...
Haley...

Release

Goddard. - living on past glories
Nash ... - there are better / fitter players out there
Black... - time for a change
Smith... - retire
Clayton - retire
Gannon.. - retire
Watene... - retire

Unlike yourself, my involvement with the club is only as a supporter, so therefore you are probably right in saying that I don’t have the insight that you have.

I have no doubt that the chaps have the best intentions for the club and it is also very impressive that they are committed and do the work voluntarily. However, if they aren’t doing the business then commitment counts for very little.

We can all sit on here and be critical of the RFL. But at the end of the day Halifax will not be playing in SL next season, which is a failure on the clubs part. The way in which the board reacted to the decision was indifferent, at best. Add to that the coach was sacked the day after a cup final and three months down the line fans are still unsure why. From my point of view, there is certainly grounds to be critical of the board for what has happened off field this season.

Could I do any better? Of course not. However, it doesn’t mean to say that I am happy with the current regime.

Reading the many ‘end of season’ threads I think Fax fans are unanimous that 2011 has been an underachievement - surely responsibility for this has to begin at the top?



Although I certainly don’t agree with what Chris says, I value what he has written, as he’s made some valid points. You say ‘put your hands in your pockets’. Isn’t that what I’ve done throughout a lifetime of following Fax? on season tickets and merchandise etc. On a fans forum it is inevitable that people will have different views, so if you are unable to accept that, and are unable to post a constructive response, then why bother using a forum at all?

This bit is pretty clear to me, He tried to negotiate a contract for next season, The BOD said we are getting Rhino in to take over, he said, after what i have brought you for the last 3 years, up yours and left.

Can't blame him not seeing out the season and would IMO be the only reason a coach would not see out the full season.

why didn't the club say this if they did say it was because they thought he couldn't take us any further fair enough but not saying anything leads to rumours

Greenwood- Got better as the season went on after returning from such a bad injury. Got to keep.
Fieldhouse- Very poor yesterday but showed enough early in the season to suggest he could be a good player to have around. Isnt he already signed for next year?
Worrincy- If i were a coach i would have him in and just throw balls at him constantly to improve his handling. Very good and obvious room for improvement which bodes well for him and us.
White- Consistantly very good for us. No brainer to keep him.
Goddard- Injuries havnt helped but looks a shadow of the player from his KR days. Not fussed either way.
Haley-Steady away but we arnt wanting to be a mid table team so i wouldnt hesitate in bringing a couple of good centres in.
Nash- One of my fav players but the half asses way in which he prepared for this season will probably lead to him not been offered a contract.
Pats- Another solid player worth having near the team.
Jones- Same with Haley really. Brannos boots were big to fill and not many thought he could and in reality he hasnt. Tons better halfs in this league.
Black- For whatever reason he has had a poor year. If Rhino thought he could get the best out of him i would keep him but thats a big if.
Gannon- We need a monster pack and although i think he has done better than what i thought he would i would still get rid.
Aizue- One of the first i would try and sign but after the board tried to get rid last year im not sure whether he will get offered a deal or not.
Chez- He would be the workhorse prop i would keep. Probably not that high paid but if we have a bruising pack we need a player like him but cant carry 3 or 4 like this year.
Watene- Probably played his last game for us.
Ostick - This sounds awful but we have tackle bags that do the same job.
Barlow- Dont really care. Yesterday was embarrasing for him yet i thought he had a decent game for us. If he could play like that every week he could do a job in SL. If he played like he has most weeks he could be a squad player in champ 1.
Chandler- I think he has done ok and may be worth another shout.
Penky- Will be happy when we announce his signing. Best player in the league imo.
Beswick- Plenty of better players on the market at the moment. Again dont care either way.
Clayton- Not sure what he brings to the team. Must train well is all i can say.
Smith- Not sure why we brought him back.
Bannister- Obviously got to try and keep.
Fairbank- Not our player and i doubt will be back next year.
Bowman- Can see why Wigan didnt want him. Has shown potential at times but cant tackle for toffee and isnt really worth a gamble when money could be spent better elsewhere.

We need a monster pack like Sheffield have but we knew that at the begining of the season our weakness would be our pack. Their pack just dominated us from start to finish and we struggled to make yards with our tiny pack. We have paid the price for poor signings for most of the season if we are honest.

I can't believe some of the bagging that Beswick and Cherryholme have had. BB has pulled us out of the mire when Penky has been unavailable, and Cherryholme works very hard in defence. BB has been great for Halifax, and I would love to see him here next season, as I would Cherryholme.

Yep, me too on both counts

I think Cherryholme has suffered from playing in the shadow of the likes of Aizue, and last season Tamghart.

The fans love to see the big hits and tackle busts, but that is not Neil's game as I see it.

He is solid in defence, not missing many tackles and not being afraid to bend his back and get stuck in, and whilst not making the line breaks we enjoy seeing, I bet Penky has had a lot of scoots off the back of his quicker PTB's

Not glamourous prop, but a grafter, the type that every club needs at least one of

Rhino may be just the coach to develop and bring out the best of Neil

Exactly! I know Bob doesn't do these devastating runs from Dummy Half and I know Neil will never go busting through a defensive line. But the two of them are always there, always there in attack and my god I dread to think how bad our defence would have been without the both of them.

Put up an alternative to the current board.

Do you know four people with time and money? Or do we just get rid of them and have a void? I think there is a situation where you can criticise a BOD and that's when they're running the club with lots of resources. When they run a fully professional set up and are raking in Sky money - then I think they're fair game. Bagging "volunteer" board members ( I know, I know, it's a tiresome phrase - but it's reality) is achieving what exactly? People certainly have opinions and mine is that our current board are doing the best they can and when people come on here and call for their heads I will react strongly - as forum guidelines permit. Doesn't mean to say I'm right - it's just an expression of opinion. Calling for the board to go without putting up an alternative and wishing on a prayer that some shining white knight will step in is extremely naive.

I have NO idea why some of you guys are biting at Rochdale FF, he's a troll and a shiite troll at that ... but it looks like only the intelligent amongst us can obviously see it

I can always console myself that we haven't spent £55m on Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson, only to behammered by Adebayor and Parker for a grand total of £5m



I can only imagine how big Dylan Nash will be in a few weeks now he doesn't even have to make the effort to turn up to training. How much X Box, movies and crisps can he get in before his visa runs out?

Just reading the different assessments I wouldn't argue with most of them. It's sad re Black and Jones because they both obviously love the club, but there's no room for sentiment I'm afraid.

Watch recordings of matches 2 or 3 seasons ago and you'll see how Black has lost it ... lost that yard of pace and to go with it the confidence. Too much time has now passed for him to regain it. Jones, big heart, just not good enough



As for Sam Barlow ..... he really is starting to remind me of Andy Hobson. Great potential but too hot headed .... I can see him returning to The Shay in a few years time wearing a Fev shirt, weighing 20 stones, looking for a fight every tackle, and the Fax crowd chanting "you fat bastad" whilst we're smashing them by 50 ... but hopefully he'll get his act together and not "do a hobbo".

And you think i'm losing the plot, deary me....