We shouldn't have been in a position to need to come back from 32 nil down.

maybe not but we were and we came back further than i think any other team in the league would have.

I fully agree with this I really wanted us to make the final at Blackpool and was biterly disapointed we missed out again. Hope you guys enjoy Blackpool.
As for Todays game the 1st half was the worst ive seen in 19 years of following Fax, However lets look at the positives We came back to get a bonus point which Barrow didnt manage so we are now top of the league by a point with a game in hand so we have the chance to bounce back with lttle damage done. We just cant seem to get over the hangovers from the big cup games.

I agree, we are top of the league with a game in hand.

At no point have we or the club said we would go through the season unbeaten. Christ, being a Fax supporter you have to be a realist, but please allow us to gloat a little! It's been a long time between drinks.... with the business end of the season still to come!

At least you're not going down.

I'm sure you're right and Matt needs applauding for spotting not only where they were making their points, but also their weakness for us to be able to break through.

Although he didnt drop passes or missed tackles , I think MC must take some of the blame for yesterdays loss.Why did he play only one prop in the starting 13 , and just one on the bench.You need the big uns . Especially in the first half we had no go forward whatsoever , no power at all,Poor Larder who came off after 20mins looked shattered,He didnt come back on until the last 10mins and that is not normally like him.
Our early success this season was based on 2 props starting ,ieJames and Wilson and thenbringing on Said and Frank - we have to go back to that situation.We we bossed about by Widnes , we were bossed about yesterday and if not careful we will be bossed about on Friday

Starting to remind me of last season. Play half as bad as we did yesterday and there will be losses at Sheffield, Toulouse, and Widnes and thats without taking in to account travelling to Batley and Leigh. Realistically at the moment i can see us finishing 3rd or 4th unless other teams trip up as well.
The first half yesterday was pathetic, just pathetic. Looked like we turned up thinking it was a game of tag we would win easily. Lots of players not wanting to do the hard work. On that evidence there can still be a lot of improvements made to the team for next season. Id start with a centre, standoff and once again about 3 props.

That is exactly what will happen. Other teams are going to lose as well. The betting form has gone out of the window (Donny apart).

Matt James for me is the best prop at the club. He will always work hard even when others look like there not bothered.
Lets not forget that we have without doubt the best squad in this league which was proved by the start to the season, and in my opinion the form had dropped since contract negotiations started and players started to sign for next term. So what dose that mean ? A. The players with the new contracts have relaxed. B. The players without new deals are upset ?
Whatever it is it needs sorting cos this season on yesterdays showing will peter out with a whimper!

Give over Pepsi Max. Our best players yesterday were Penky and Gleeson. Two of the new contract players.

I am not saying that this is THE reason why the first half was bad, but part of Pepsi's point was B. the ones without contracts are upset.

Well its the first game i have missed all season so i was asking the question thats all .
So come on what do think has caused the massive dip in form then ? or is it something that just happens ?


Thankyou for reading the rest of my post.

Tiredness; we have a small squad and it is hard having every team play against you like it’s a grand final. We don’t have the ability to rest key players (especially forwards) as much as in previous years, e.g. Larder looked knackered on Sunday. At this time last year we brought in Flanagan, perhaps another loan signing will give us a bit of freshness.

Good point but what about players in the squad that have hardly played this season ? The Bowmans & Wrenchy for example. I dont know the team from yesterday, were they playing?

We must stop 'sulking' and feeling sorry for ourselves after a defeat like we did again yesterday, the first half we did not work hard enough they were well worth a commanding lead although we should have taken our chances and had something on the scoreboard, I must say Roberts just is not a centre, no way.
As for the pack where were Neil Cherryholme and Dana Wilson yesterday?? Why persist with an out of form Dave Larder? We must strengthen the pack and soon a loanee and start looking for a stand off for next season NOW.
Our kicking game is nearly non existant or just plain poor, the one area where we are worse than last season following Hollys move, get somebody to take the responsibility Matt, Gateshead killed us first half with their kicks.

A big well done for coming back at them though, we must come out of the blocks quick on Friday and batter Leigh (sorry Leythers).
I trust this team ,we will, come on lads put yesterday firmly behind you, we have not become a bad team we just need to re focus and kick on.

The Bowmans should have gone out on loan this season to keep them sharp, there is nothing better than playing to keep "Match Fit", with a recall at any time clause. I'm sure they'll figure again against a crap team at home. Calland doesn't seem to play the lads against quality opposition.

Andy Bowman was poor yesterday, gave away at leat 3 penalties and did not make much impact tbh.

Underlining Jeffs comments about match fitness then.

Our fitness is not an issue, remember who was out on their feet last week and what was the score second half yesterday.
Our problem is no stand off and we are missing Matt James and need another second rower.

I was saying yesterday that I think the squad running at 23 is too small, It doesn't give us the chance to rest players the same as if we had another 5 or 6 squad players.

Quite a few other teams have brought players in mid season. Yet up to now this year we havn't (apart from Hemingway).

We have the same players, playing each week and fatigue must slowly be becoming an issue. When your top of the league (or near the top) everyone wants to beat you and will raise their game (even more so after the country mile comment) so every game is going to be a test. A few bigger squad would have taken a bit of the pressure off those playing every week

But those playing "every week" may get annoyed at "rotation football". When we're winning - it's difficult to keep everyone happy. When we lose then the coach can justify dropping some. Besides, we don't have enough dosh to support such a squad.

The issue of Fatigue is a bit of a cop out IMO.
The backs should never suffer from fatigue, simple.
The forwards that do the hard yards (apart form yesterday) will obviously tire during a game, therefore the bench is usually 3 forwards and a utility player (Roberts, Barker etc).
The props get spelled so play approx 40 minutes. If an athlete cannot recover from 40 minutes hard graft in 7 days the need to seriously think about whether they want to play rugby.

Its becomes a no win situation. Big squad means more expense, also if we are constantly winning there is no reason to change the starting line-up. And with no reserve grade that leads to under-cooked, unhappy players.
Small squad means no room to rotate or cover for injuries.

Yesterday we looked lazy and had zero aggression in the first half.
Is that fatigue or attitude? Or possibly a bad decision to have a very light bench and pack!!

I don't agree.

Widnes were 26 points down against Gateshead, but won 46 - 30

I agree with fax4life, we are short of a stand off and have been all year, we have a none existent kicking game and poor organisation. We are trying to make a hooker into a stand off and its just not working. Are we the only team in the league who doesnt have a halfback partnership?

We also far too often play players out of their natural postion, like roberts, he is never a centre and never will be, he never brings his winger into play as he is usually pinballing around.

I think the biggest problem is attitude, i did wince with regard to some of callands comments which has probarbly fueled up the opposition, however we are top of the league and therefore we are now a big scalp for other teams and the players have to cope with that responsbility.