I listened to Radio Leeds on my way home last night and was a little taken aback when Calland, being interviewed, criticised his players on air and intimated that some of them were in 'the last chance saloon'.

Which saloon is that? Have they, and the coach presumably, tried every saloon in the area and have now moved on to the last one?

Time to concentrate solely on rugby league and not saloons

And you only beat Dewsbury in the dying moments

We're nearly as shambolic as when Farrell was in charge.

How much money do you think the fans put in the sport relief collection buckets? maybe we should do the same and start a "Get Calland Out Fund"
Reckon we could have enough to buy him out of his contract in no time!!!!

Dont forget that Faz didnt have a team anywhere near as good as we have now, Calland makes Faz look like a world beater.

He clearly doesn't

Just got back from a weekend break to find Fax have put in their worst ever perfomance at the shay (someone posted) and Calland is suddenly a useless coach!

Jeeezzzz it's still early days and the team hasn't settled in yet, when it does we'll be unstoppable.

I have always said the lack of pre-season will have an affect,we have just seen it!

If the next 6 games are this bad then MC may have serious questions to answer but now is way too early.

If we pull off a 20pts victory at Fev will this thread be removed?

Blimey chill out a bit you had a great season last year with Calland this season has only just begun and you,ve had a couple of setbacks so what !!! You where beat yesterday by a good well coached side dont forget Fax had a couple of key players missing and played a team in top form so hang back and let Calland get on with his job .
All the Best for this season
A very happy LEYTHER

Last chance saloon? how apt


Half the squads gonna retire soon, the other quarter are excellent players, the other quarter just dont grasp Rugby League needs bodies on the line and commitment.
Selection and squad balance are down to Calland and Hall, its about time the Halifax RLFC gravy train pulled into the station and let a few off, were a good club and there will be players and coaches that would jump at the chance to be part of the set up.

Totally agree with this post....worst i've seen in years,the players looked dejected at the end! Penky is just over-rated...penalties,bad temper,shockin passes...Blacky I rate,but played on one leg! I'd of rather had Cherryholme at 7,and he's a prop. Black should of been carrying the water on!! Coaches make these decisions...Very Bad, AND came from Milton Keynes,spent the thick end of a £100,travelled 14 miles in 2hrs! WHAT A DAY!!!!! Soz Matt,time to go!!

A handful of people are coming out with the usual stuff, saying give him a chance, they had no pre-season etc etc.
The fact the pre-season was weather affected should mean the players are fitter than ever because they would be able to do the fitness, strength and stamina training in just about any weather. Yesterday the players looked out on their feet after 15 minutes.

Most fans with a decent knowledge of the sport have been able to see that we have so many problems on the field which simply are not being addressed. The last time we put in a good 80 minutes was away in Toulouse last season. The fact Calland picked Penky at 6 yesterday confirms he has no management skill. It was obvious last season that Penky cannot play there, he even said in an interview that he doesn't play well there. He is a hooker!!! Nothing more. Play him at 9. Every single Fax fan can see it, why can't calland. Roberts and white got a place on the bench, but Dylan Nash wasn't in the squad.

I've not posted on here for a while because I don't like the usual little tit-for-tat arguments, but most people are together on this one.

Thing is.. If a player puts their hand up and says they are fit and will play then the coach has to trust said player to be actually fit enough to play. That is not always the coaches fault.

Penky isn't over-rated - just played out of position. As the Haighmeister has said somewhere else, Penky played his best yesterday when operating at hooker. He is not a half back.

(I know I bagged him yesterday for being petulant and kicking the ball away, and I stand by that.)

When you introduce a new 6 into the squad (Barnighan) pre-season games are vital, the team hasn't gelled with him yet, something they will do in the next few games hopefully.

You can hammer the weights and run up as many hills as you want but game time is crucial particularly with new players in the squad.

Thats not strictly true. A player returning from injury or with a suspected injury should have fitness tests. These tests are done at the start of the season when the player is fit, the results are recorded and then if a player gets injured he does the same tests again prior to being declared fit. If he doesn't score the same or nearly the same he is not fit.

Players will play with certain injuries because it doesn't affect there performance, its just painful.
Anyone who watched the warm up at Widnes last year could see that Miles Greenwood was not fit, he couldn't run. In that situation Calland is the boss, even if Greenwood said he was fit, Calland should have just ignored him for the good of the team.

Wont be long now.

The board will give him their full backing because they havnt got the balls to do anything else. Infact most of them have no idea as to what is going on at the club anyway. The thing is though the fans and players will decide if they want him to go or not. He had already lost the dressing room before yesterday and then having a go at the players after yesterdays shambles will do him no favours either. The players either dont want to perform for him or he cant get them to perform.
Like someone has said the players must be papping themselves now, more like peeing themselves. Tells them that its their last chance but they know full well he hasnt any money to bring anymore players in, and that we have missed the boat when it comes to signing loan players. They are on easy street, they will be picked each week because he hasnt any other option. Only thing is now is that they will want to play for him even less.
A good coach can take average players and make them look good. A bad coach takes good players and makes them look average. Which category does MC fall in to? How the players answered his call for character speaks volumes. The club should have got rid when they had the chance. I mean they sack Gareth Greenwood for assaulting someone who gave his girlfriend a slap but our coach assaults someone then refuses to take a drugs test and he gets a slap on the wrist. Reeks of double standards by a weak BOD.
Get rid of Calland now before our season is well and truly over. Put Larder and Gene in temporary control, two players who command the respect of their fellow players. There wont be a shortage of applicants for what will be seen as a lucrative job as this level. I mean on paper we have the best squad in the Championship, most coaches would give their right arm to be in control of a squad of players like ours.
Calland has taken the club as far as he can. It was nice with the fancy dan tactics till we needed to rely on solid basics and work ethic, but its now time to get someone in who can get the best out of our talented set of individuals. Goodbye Mr Calland.

Anthony Bowman put his hand up to play yesterday but was told he wouldnt be needed. Like someone has said, really unlucky that bringing White off the bench didnt change the game.

Matt Calland may well have a few coaching badges and be good at training, he may have a future as a number 2 somewhere, but Hall and Calland are most definitely not head coaches. The sooner we get rid the better for all concerned.

- Couldn't agree more. For people to condone yesterdays performance by blaming or pre season and new signings etc are either blind, stupid or both. EVERY side in this division has suferred at the hands of the weather and no club had any advantage in that area. Yesterday the majority of the team played in the team last year yet looked void of ideas and enthusiasm and eevn more worryingly committment. Lets stop looking for excuses for a coach who has gone as far as he can with HRLFC. Sadly our BOD will no doubt deliver some weak excuses to keep him in the job (for now) as we can't afford to get rid. Unfortunately player power will dictate his fate BUT this will mean by the time the "right decision" is made we will be well and truly out of the running for every major trophy this season.

A couple of points / questions. Is it too late to bring in some duel reg players,i do think we are to small especially in the second row. It's does make me smile when I keep Reading we have the best squad in this division.I do think some people are kidding themselves. we have the best front row in the league when all players are fit but apart from that , we do have some verygood players - the likes of shad,gene,black,branigan but our squad is no better than 4 or 5 other teams. Sheffield,fev,widnes,barrow are all just as strong as us with perhaps more depth.yes on our day we can beat any side but that applies to the other sides as well. I also think whomever is coach next seasonwill make sure our squad is younger , with duel reg players and hopefully an u20 side as well. It's too big an ask for players like Roberts,bannister et al to sit around for a few weeks not playing and then be expected to produce the goods- players need toplay to keep match fit

mmmmmm........ The same last yr that saw Fax's best season for a good few years!

So why don't YOU put yourself up to join the Board of Directors if you think you can do a job, Smith? Errrrr ..... no, I didn't think so. The only time you crawl on here is to whinge, and the length of your posts give me an headache to be honest. Infact I don't know why I bother reading them at all! Hmmmmm ..... I don't think I will in future, now that's Tony Fax being pro-active!

. Adios.

Thought you'd gone off to let off steam elsewhere because of this board?

Can't keep away, eh, Tony? You love us too much.

Agree on the best season in a long time. Calland however was still stuggling to get cohesion and on mnay occassions his tactics were left wanting. Do you forget the Widnes NRC game, Whitehaven at home, Sheffield at home, Featherstone at home, need I go on? When it really counted last year he was outwitted with his tactics and in my opinion failed to lift his side. Last year the good start was down to team spirit and wanting to play for one another. Yesterday was the complete opposite end of the scale and players become tired of the "friends" club we apparently have, the lack of quality training.

We can't control a set of six and play basic rugby when it matters. We still pani with every pass and this team doesn't seem to have developed defensively or with ball in hand. All things a coach is paid to develop or enhance? Any more excuses?

Now fully de-steamed, TS

..... and oh god, where are those anadin tablets!!

They only give you headache because your little beedy chicken like eyes can't manipulate the text into something you understand. For your information when nobody else wanted to get involved I did do something and helped set up the Supporters Trust several years ago. It was voluntary and anybody could help . . . . .Don't remember seeing the high and migthy TF then?? - Where were you Tony? - Taking reading lessons? You want to get to the opticians and get those headaches checked out. I always did think you were short sighted.