Fair enough fella. Just sour grapes from me last night to be honest - hugely frustrating to see a side with the talent we have continue to waste it. Some time ago now Calland released a brand of rugby on the rest of the Championship being a rotation of hookers creating uncontrollable, fast dummy half running and scooting rugby that killed teams and spawned the fateful 'country mile' comments......

Calland seems to have no back up plan since that fell flat - NO plan B. I fear he lacks the understanding of how a team should work as a unit which is beautifully and simply demonstrated by an excellent Fev side.

Good luck with however this pans out yet I am certain the end game belongs only to Fev who have been great this year.

I wish Powell was our coach - put it that way.

No more sour grapes from me........











Yer flat cap wearing sheep worriers.

Maybe it was Martin Hall picking the team he was up in the gantry with Calland.

Can't fault the team for effort, they put everything in but just weren't good enough on the day. Finn kept kicking us down the pitch everytime.

If we had scored one of the chances we had in the early second half things could have been very different - but they held out and when Finn went over heads dropped.

Can't believe Shad hasn't been picked up by a SL team, he deserves his chance in the top league.

Very proud of the team on Thursday. Playing smart seems to be a big issue though - a couple of brainfarts in that first half literally cost us the game though.

Tamghart not at the races at all, him and Watene did not have their best games.

Sheffield at home, we can do them.

Fev won and rightly so. The score flattered them to be honest as thought maybe a 16 point margin was a fair reflection not 30. I expect and hope Fev win the Grand Final-Best team all season and hope they do the double.
Fax have done very well so far with so many injuries and problems that could have easily seen players lose concentration. My thought about Calland remain. He cant coach his teams to defend and has no plan B. He has been robbed of some of his best players and we are short on numbers. But he had a big say in whether to run a second team (Reserve/Academy). So its partly his fault we could not really rest or properly bring back players. We are unpredictable and play a good brand of Rugby League that is great to watch, when it comes off. However when we cant do that we struggle to do the basics and we lose concentration. I fear that while it looks good, it will not win us any trophies, especially with our defence and coaching tactics.

Fev have been the best team by far and deserve the success they have earned. They have a good coaching team and quality players. However they have been very lucky with injuries. Fax, Widnes, Barrow have had problems due to injuries in games with the Halfbacks and Hookers. Fev have managed to avoid that. Had Briggs, Dickens and Finn missed or played injured for weeks, would Fev have been so good? Maybe another factor is that Barrow, Fax, Widnes have all had off field problems that have likely effected some things. Players are effected by this. Fev have had the luck this year and took advantage of the others failings. The problem they face now is how to keep the progress going and keep hold off players and Coach. Nice problem to have though.

bang on! Good analysis! Agree on all points!

Nah you were just lucky

Key man, Daryl Powell, I dont know exactly why it didnt work out for him at Leeds, but Fev have got a real jewel there.
I also think Dickens is hugely underated influence, they have a plan, are motivated, commited, controlled, patient.
I always remember being told by coaches myself that you play the flash stuff when the games won, or its desperation, you need to win the arm wrestle and force mistakes first, we have always felt free to play expansive from the first minute at fax, some fans love it, and why not, but its not the best recipe in big games. I am always left with hope and knowlege though, that if the balls stick and people make breaks we can destroy sides very quickly (and let them back in for a while afterwards) Come on Fax, lets sign off this era with a trophy.

hey Steve, if you had clocked my when Fax were dropping everything and doing just about everything but score for the first 15-20 mins of that 2nd half - you'd have phoned for an ambulance! I felt so ill I thought I was going to have a stroke!!
I said on Thursday - it's much easier the watch Fev when we're crap! No heightened expectation. Go to the game, watch, p1zz and moan if we lose, a win is a bonus! That's how's it's been for a generation. Easy!
Now, the bar of expectation has been raised beyond my wildest! This is relatively new territory for our lot - a certainly a long time since I've felt this way about fev! But approaching 50, I'm not sure the heart/head can take it - if you know what I mean!

Lucky? Perhaps - see Lucky black cats post! But I feel like I did when I was 16 - 1977 and all that!!!!!

I hope you get a few of your players back for Thursday i'd rather see 2000 fax fans than 8 sheffield fans in the final.

I personally think the score flattered us on Thursday, it was a much closer game than that up to 70 minutes.

The way you play made me think that this season would belong to you, scoring from anywhere, speedsters and good halfbacks, it's unfortunate that injuries and early season bad form gave you a mountain to climb but the the main thing is your not out of the competition yet so get behind your boys and book a place a warrington.

looking at your squad you seem to have real quality mixed in with utter poop, royston and Beswick for me are two of the best players o's SL but then theres Barlow.... a thug and nothing else, Bowman who pushes the boundaries of laying on and attempting to strip the ball as he gets up, Nash who is a liability and fat frank who should have retired 5 years ago, tamghart, who doesn't have the same effect as when he first came to the UK and Aizue who i thought was one of your best players the other night, but he has been sheite all season apparently...... i'm sure if he's still there MC will sort the wheat from the chaff by next season and we'll all be able to see who can finish second behind windies

bowman was not playing the other night.

Agree with most of your points but one in particular is way off the mark......... off field problems

Barrow have a disruptive chairman... their own fault
Fax have had stanley gene to contend with .... fair point
Windnes have had the coach's wifes ilness and death to deal with.... fair enough
One of the fev players was killed and another critically injured........ i'd say it (rightly) affected his colleagues for a few weeks after

As for fev's lack of injuries we have an excellent conditioning and fitness team who have done a massive job in keeping players fit and fresh... its not all down to luck

I'm well aware that Bowman wasn't playing the other night... i was making an observation from when i have seen him over the last 2 seasons

the fev fitness training on the tv programme tuesday night was funny, how things have changed.

Them were the days lol...... my dad used to play for Rovers in the 70's and 80's his conditioning was to do a days work at the pit, train midweek winter nights(well a game of touch and pass) then he said he had to have 8 pints of tetleys on a saturday night or he was poop on a sunday lol

That'd be Mick yes?

I remember coming to your house one afternoon in about 1987 to measure up for some fitted wardrobes (I worked selling Kitchens and bedrooms then) and seeing your dad's Challenge Cup winners medal in a cabinet in your front room.

Thought it summed everything up when your mum was left with instructions because your dad was at the club!



When I worked for Halifax much later I mentioned this to David Hobbs, who played in the same team. Happy memories for him!

Fax have had more than Gene- Loss of off field staff, loss of money from sponsors going bust etc. Death to a colleague can actually strengthen a team and the team go out of their way to put extra effort in than maybe normal. So I take your point but am not too sure it could be a negative thing, although obviously it does effect people.

Having an excellent Conditioner and fitness team goes so far but I doubt it can compensate for a lot of the injuries that occur. Tearing a Bicep muscle for example. The other thing for Fax-and I was disappointed by the decision-was to run with just one team. I can understand partly the reason but to try and run on a small squad of 22 or so players is for me not a good idea.And how can you properly bring through youngsters and give them a chance with no Academy or reserves? How can injured players especially long term like Tamghart properly get back match fit? It showed he was not ready sadly against Fev.

Also I am of the opinion Powell is a Quality coach who knows the game in defence and attack. Calland for me is miles away from Powell and has plan A then little else. His teams play nice footy but then have no Plan B, struggle to get back to basics and cant defend.

I am sure MC would love to revert to a plan B but if you only have the players to implement Plan A then how can you?

MCs brand of rugby is entertaining and good to watch it also get us results, unfortunately it's this brand or being dull, you can't do both in this league with the limited resources.

If this is being dull never let me get excited again.
I've spoken to several people, not all fev fans about fev's season as a whole and thursday night in particular.
Dull is not a word that's being used to describe the efforts from Fev.

Exciting, unpredictable, unforseen, and at times subliminal are words that have been used. But not dull ironically enough.

I suppose that's your opinion GFB and I'm unlikely to change that. Fair enough like. C'est la vie.

I don't share your opinion, but likewise I'm assuming that you'll get through the day easily enough regardless of that!!!

You mean me? I wondered if i had offended someone unknowingly after a few beers. Then i re-read my post and must say you defnatley have me mixed up with someone else. I think i pay Fev nothing but compliments, the only thing you could derive me saying dull from is me saying structured. obviously totally different, anyone who think Fev play dull rugby didnt watch their try from the cross field kick ldo.

yup - guilty as accused! Mixed you up with wyt87!! Pill?ock I am!!



But for the doubt of confusion - I'm not especially offended about owt on here really. It's a RL forum not the UN assembly or the General Synod of the C of E!!



and long may it continue!

Keep smiling GFB!!

my post you're referring to did not suggest Fev are dull.
They are one of the few teams in the league than can switch from plan A to B, not many teams are able to do this.

fair do's!

On a positive note - the last 2 years in this league I personally have found far from dull! I've found the competition to be one of the closest contested of the three and the rugby exciting and oft unpredictable to watch!
Batley winning with a minute to go in the NRC was a contender for the game of the decade was it not??

I love our league and all in it - well, I'd happily watch Widnes lose every week like, but that's just bitterness from too many 70's tonkings at Naughton Park!!!

I'll be in the 3 pigeons thursday evening. Big ginger bloke the size of a tree! I'd be happy to continue this over a jug!

Well I think its pretty poor if a coach at this level,does not have a couple of different game plans and strategies, especially with the quality and experience Fax have been blessed with this past couple of years. How you play against Widnes is probably going to be slightly different to Leigh or Fev etc. You target a certain teams weakness and adjust your game plan accordingly. You use the interchange bench differently as well. Some teams you know you can bring in a youngster and try and blood him when there is not so much pressure. You would never try and debut a kid against Barrow, Fev or Widnes for example. If a Coach just basically has one way of playing then thats poor.

Fax coached by MC are great to watch and entertaining. However Calland cant coach his teams to defend or just build pressure first-they have to score at any given time. That is great to watch and I do enjoy the way we are. But I also am of the opinion that it will probably see us never win a trophy. You cant play against the best team this year or last that way. Throwing the ball about when it comes off is good and causes damage. However the loss of possession against a team like Barrow last year and Fev this is a killer. You can get away with it against many teams-but not teams who are strong in defence and are well coached. Fax have to decide what they want-a successful team winning trophies or a team that competes well but does not usually have the knowledge of how to win a trophy and adapt its tactics accordingly.

I would say very few teams in this League are dull. And most games are more entertaining than the SL ones whether it be Fev, Keighley, Widnes, Leigh or whoever playing. If you want dull watch Bradford, Huddersfield or Salford from SL.

as a TO13 regular I can't recall any 'negative' visiting teams this season - all,without exception have tried to play open & positive rugby - Toulouse have probably been the most frustrating because of their inconsistency

Keep going for big hits and missing them then, just makes a boring side such as Featherstone's job much easier, its common sense that if you control the initial contact you are less likely to get injured