An accountant is in the running for NRL coach of the year this season

Any offers on 1 ?

My major gripe about Thursdays game and probably a few others as well is this . For the first twenty minutes we ran hard , tackled well and played sensible rugby . From then on it went downhill especially in the second half . I didn't notice when it started but for at least the last 25 mins apart from virtually our last set of six , every set we had it was one man rugby . We didn't string together two passes or more. Yes Sheffield made it difficult but Fax didn't even attempt to pass the ball. I don't think the wingers received the ball going forward at all. From a fax point of view it was mind numbingly boring , pedestrian and predictable . Yes the players put great effort in but surely when chasing a game you need plan B. we just didn't have one . If they had tried to put width on the game I wouldn't have been so discouraged but you can see why people aren't turning up to watch games . Couple of my work colleagues just don't like the style of play we are producing and have stopped coming to games . All credit to Sheffield as well . The half backs controlled things with Brambani having a brilliant game especially with his kicking and at least they played some rugby. They have got real pace in their back three and it showed at times. I fear that if we don't change our style inc moving Murrell to loose forward and bringing in a new hooker and at least two half backs with pace then it's going to be same old same old..

That is worrying for me too , I just cannot understand how come we are not puting ourselves out there as much as we should be . If I remember correctly a couple of years back someone announced we would be geting gates of 4,000 due to the media connections being set up. Well 2 years on and we are loseing crowds not gaining them you can text and e-mail all day every day nothing compares with having some sort of empathy with your players /team . I have said this a few times , it`s time we got back to weaving the Club into the fabric of the Town , this used to be a colossal rugby town but no longer . Is`nt there any chance of putting a bit of blue & white etc in one of the empty shops on the precinct?

I too remember some fairly bold statements been made about crowds. But it's really not easy to get people through the gates. For 2 adults and 2 kids to go its best part of £40. Before buying a program and some drinks and the like. That's a lot of money to many family's.

Free or heavily discounted tickets aren't feasible, unless you've got someone to pump the money in to make up the shortfall.

I'd love to see us play in front of a packed house, but while we're in the league we're in, with all the will in the world that's not going to happen

Crowds will continue to fall with this style (or lack of it) of rugby.
We need to provide an entertaining product for people to come and watch.

Worryingly some fans are dithering on renewing season tickets and it seems to be because of the style of rugby we have played this season. Karl has to accept that whilst keeping us going without Dual Reg, loan and overseas players is admirable as a gesture that is all it should be, whilst I don't want DR I do think loan players and especially overseas players can boost a team, look what overseas players have done for Sheffield!!!
As for promoting our games I think the club rely on the same old same old, they target the fans they know who go or may go and do not attenpt to target new fans, I think they are complacent and need to get out there more, why not try the bus station or railway station even for some of the bigger games?

This year has been poor unless you have been a Fev, Sheffield or Leigh (winning at Fev to knock you out and then beating Sheffield in the NRC Final) fan. It has always been Fev or Sheffield for top spot and the Grand Final (Batley will not beat you at POR I am sure) and whilst we got 3rd we are about 25% down on the top 2, the only thing stopping Fev and Sheffield dividing the lot up between them was Leigh and those two fantastic wins in the NRC.
I disagree that we, Batley or Leigh could have finished top of the league and won the Grand Final.
As for our crowds the game is too predictable there is very little to get excited about with no P&R and often no away fans, Fax don't play entertaining rugby any more its bland which is another reason. It is a big ask now to get the fans back and unless Karl gets us playing with flair we will lose more fans very worryingly, Leigh are seeing the same and there is only you lot if the crowds are to be believed getting the fans in but you have had 4 good seasons and have an entertaining team you should do tbh.
Roll on the chnages to our game that will hopefully drum up more interest.

I agree with most of what has been said about the style of play but if you look back to the start of the season we were playing brilliant rugby and we did look almost unbeatable. What changed? What went wrong?

Teams sussed (sic) us.

We need to get some of our forwards with an offload in their game.

Apart from Barlow who's decison making of when and when not to do it was as dangerous for us as the oppositon I can't remember any of our pack passing the ball to get us some second phase and some open running play against a team going backwards.

This one man drive it in rugby completely kills your attacking options.
Virtually the entire team just run the ball in not just the pack!!!!!!!

We rely too much on dominance with no skill factor and when the pack is cancelled out physically we go nowhere.

A turn over of players isn't just the answer.

I'm convinced the team and players we have had this year would have looked a lot better given the space to work in.

How often we get rid of players only to find they look a lot better playing somwhere else, or we sign them because they have looked good against us and then don't produce the same level of play at Fax???????????

We could have the best halves and backs in the game but with no dynamic ball to work with they will look average.

I can think of three at amateur level. What's the point you're making ? Some thinly veiled accountantism or summat ?

One thing that I would like to see next season is a rule change on the speed of the rucks. Seems an age that is allowed now in the tackle and the gaps aren't there with defences solidly set. I remember back in Calland's era, they seemed significantly shorter which suited an attacking side, especially with hookers darting from dummy half. I sometimes wonder how much of the tactics are being governed by the longer play the balls now - seems to be making the game much less exciting.

This is where a Marquee signing can drum up massive interest, Sign a player who will excite people, I don't care if they come from Batley, Brisbane or Bristol, if they can do the business then it shouldn't matter.

I can see the point of not wanting to spend massive money on bringing a player over from Australia or NZ, housing them and their family ect, But if its a player who brings some real quality to the side, A Ben Fisher type of player, then why not? We're lucky that there's some individuals involved with the club who for the right player, will stump up some sponsorship money.

I really hope we can recruit well in the pivotal areas, as I think if we add another prop, we have a great set of forwards for them to work behind. but we need to take a few more risks. I'm not suggesting a return to the Matt Calland "we'll score one more than you" type of play. But we need to be a bit more exciting surely?

I already think we've got a decent pack, just not got the halves to distribute. Thursday was typical, loads of pressure but no distribution or movement out wide.

Pack is decent, however Davies has knees made of biscuit, had all them problems at Widnes and Cas, and went off the other night holding his knee, can he last a full season? I'd rather bring someone else in rather than be left with a hole to fill when it packs up a few games into next season

In answer to the original threads question I would have to say YES!

I'm quite concerned too, we have had certain players relationships with the coaching staff deteriorate, we've lost good players and brought in poor players, I will be incredibly disappointed if Rob Worrincy leaves for a rival club, the crowds continue to dwindle, Karl's 5 year plan? is it to make us the dominant Championship 1 Club?

If we had a poor side, poor players, poor everything, I would still be happy if we were improving, but I dont think we are. I don't think we can afford another season with standards slipping as they are, and I dont think were in this business to be idealogical, this overseas philosphy is admirable, as are other ideas, but at what cost.

Its a big close season ahead of us, filling the Harveys suite will only get us so far, the product on the pitch needs attention.

Rated KH so highly as a player – would definitely be in my all time 13 for Fax. But I was never keen on him as a coach. And I was warned to expect dull tactics when we signed him. It would be fine to an extent if we could execute them or had the quality players to do so, but we don’t. The Fevs and Sheffields have simply signed better players and are better tactically. The main worry is that our crowds are dwindling, yes there are other financial impacts, but fans are fed up and frankly bored with what is on display. I didn’t get a season ticket this year as I thought I might miss a few games, but wasn’t bothered by the thought of doing so either.

The Board need to think carefully, can we afford to continue with the crowds we have been getting this year. I wasn’t Calland’s biggest fan, but he delivered an exciting product, ensured he had game winners in his team, played to our strengths not worry about our weaknesses. And we saw 2 GF’s, 1 win and the other a defeat to a team not playing within the rules, and also a last minute loss in an exciting NR final - all within 3 years. Yes I think changes were required to bring in some much needed discipline, but now we have a complete opposite, a team picked based on our weaknesses, no doubt why KH keeps leaving Worrincy out. Yeah the other teams might pepper him with kicks, but then they don’t half worry when he returns them so they have to get their numbers across. Lets face it Rettie isn’t going to go the length of field even if he did finally wrestle out of a tackle!

Have to agree with this.My main worry is the recruitment.KH needs to pull a couple of rabbits
out of hat,got to try and create interest and get people in again.If the rumoured signings
are correct we're looking at 3 figure crowds again soon.

Hard to compare Callands era with Karls... The budget the two coaches were working with is enormous.

I thought Rob had signed a two year contract?
No mention of the back room staff today?

Very good John

the're not top of my list of concerns today, and I hope your right re Rob, I hope he really has had a couple of niggles, and he wasn't being dropped for the odd mistake, he brings so much more and he's the one player who gives us a chance when were on the back foot and need something special. I still think we could see the best yet to come from him too

A little bit behind, Rob was the first announcement to have signed a two year contract, he even had the super league clause deleted.
I think it was our excellent back room staff who persuaded him to stay.

Haha unsung heroes the lot of em, nobody washes his jock strap as good as Hilda eh