It is no secret that unfortunatly most of our squad like a good drink and I beleve unless more discipline is given to the players and the drinking culture disapears we will win naff all and can probably foget making a final at all and can foget Super League. The fact is the players treated the win in Toulouse like a cup final and as such all got drunk with no sleep which I feel caught up with us on Friday night against a very fresh Featherstone side so I went into the bar and told Michael Steel that what should have happend in the south of France is the players should have been put straight on a coach back to the hotel after the game, had a light swim, abit of something to eat, then to bed, up at 10 am, some light training, abit of something to eat, rest, caught the flight home, everyone of the players orderd home to bed so as to be fresh as possible for the Featherstone game to which Mr Steel pointed out "well maybe the bonding sesion will tell at the end of the year" to which I said "oh well next week it will be the other way round when we go to Widnes next friday and they have just been in Toulouse" to which Mr steel replied "they will probably be Tea Total" so obviously he knows that the Widnes club is profestional unlike our very own then to make things worst Mark Gleeson was off his head only a hour after the Featherstone game had finished I was ashamed and very angry. Something needs to change and quick or we can kiss good bye to any Success.

You've got to blame the coach he doesn't set a great example

Too right he may be a great coach but he as no disiplin on the team.

They're humans not robots. The players love playing at halifax and the social side is one of the reasons.

You've also got to remember that these are part time players playing in a part time league. They are not gettin the rewards of a SL player so you have to accept that they have a life away from rugby. I think your argument is spot on for a full time SL club where players are getting good financial reward in exchange for them giving up other pleasures. For most of our squad though, RL is their 2nd job.

Exactly, if i was them and the club practically banned having a social life Id say not a chance and take a slight pay cut and join some NL2 team and keep my other job. We expect too much of them. In any case, I cant see that drinking at the weekend had any effect on them on friday night

Booze ups and socialising don't win trophies. When we got relegated in 2005 there were all sorts of drunken antics in the team, Jules O'Neill was even pi$$ed when we played Wigan one time and that's one of many stories I was told from someone who witnessed it all first hand.

Your players are paid to do a job on the pitch and represent the club off it. Getting wasted will get them nothing in the long run. I seriously do hope that Widnes were in bed early after a good meal last night and on their way home completely sober today. Cullen will be drilling into them exactly what this games means to the club and the fans and it will want optimal preparation for this massive game against you. A huge performance is needed from us as we've been flat since the cup final. It's our first home game in over a month so you can be sure they'll be up for this one.

I personally do not have a problem if after a game on a weekend they go and have a few pints.I would be concerned if they were drinking 1 or 2 nights before a game.
These are part time players whose fitness levels are watched by the club.
Dont forget wasnt it Widnes whose players got involved in some trouble at a nightclub recently.
OK we lost on Friday but there were mitigating circumstances ; the loss of greenwood , too many props on the bench etc.If Bowman had passed outside to Worrincy and not inside to smith then who knows what would've happened.we would have been 24-0 up and this thread would not be here.
Just look this season widnes , barrow , leigh , batley have all had problems with players , coaches being sacked etc - its sport and it happens.lets get behind the players at widnes on friday and get a win.

Beg to differ.

Chris Anderson's team were only ever sober on sunday afternoons, and even then not all of them.

Seem to think we are still top of the league....and I'm off for a pint!

But times have changed as in football when Brian Cloughs teams used to get drunk the night befor a game. I dont care what you all say my argument still stands they should not be alloud a big booze up until they have won the Grand final. They may be part time but they are still paid to do a job on the field for the paying fans.

If these stories of drinking to excess and poor discipline are true I really fear another season of no silverware. I know we are part time but this is no excuse for less than professional behaviour at all times. The club will not achieve anything meaningful if it does not strive to be 100% professional in all aspects of running the club. Anything less and we can forget SL for good!

We're top of the league by whatever it is now. Quite frankley if our squads are all drunk and go out all the time then fair play to them, that's some effort.



Am sorry, but evey loss this season has been greeted with negative posts like this, picking at every little details thats wrong. Every win is greetedwith post saying how good we are tactically etc for the following week.

We all want our team to be the best, and fair enough you're all suggesting things that you feel may help. But the only reason we aint won out this year is cos of a dropping ball in the Semi, a Semi where i doubt any players were drunk leading up to. I dont understand any of this 'we'll never get anywhere by drinking etc' We're not doing bad are we?

i agree tommy. A close loss in a thrilling game against a good side and its all falling apart. I despair.

And if you think this drinking culture is exclusive to fax, and indeed this division, you are very mistaken.

what a load of b****ks this topic is,

your saying they should not have a drink, ok then put it on the other foot your not going to get on in life and get things done right as you allso like a drink,

those guys put there heart and soul into there shirts and the club, they put there bodys through hell during games, so imo they should be allowed to drink, wether mark was ed or not affter the game does not change the result from friday, he as till next training session to freshen up,

as for blaming matt( what another load of b*****ks), we lose a game and people look for a excuse, for f***k shake get behind the lads, not pulling them to bits, we lost to a team that wanted it more on friday, get over it and move on to friday, you cant win every game , STOP LOOKING FOR EXCUSES

As the excellent Meatloaf once sang ... "You took the words right out of my mouth". I remember one New Year's Day, a game at Swinton, some of the players were side stepping "imaginery opposition players" cos I reckon they were seeing double! Yet we still won!

Also, how the 'ell can you pinpoint the defeat against fev on a pizz up 6 days beforehand??!!

You're not one of those bible bashers are yer, Forever Blue and White, who thinks alcohol is evil? Lighten up ya poof.

I remember back in the good old days when Chris Anderson's Championship winning side were out in Maggie McFlys and the Plummet Line drinking together on regular occasions - it didn't do them any harm did it?

They were a close knit bunch of mates and I think because of that it spurred them on to great things. Just because the players have a few beers together doesn't make it wrong in my opinion. They train hard and play hard so having a few beers is a good chance for them to bond and it can help team spirit. We are still top of the league but the players and coaching staff seem to be getting a lot of abuse at the moment.

I think the players are a great set of lads and they are good mates. Why shouldn't they have a beer together after a match? They have all worked all week and shouldn't get knocked for it.

There's a lot of flak getting thrown at the players but we are top of the league and they've been great this season. I'm sure a lot of players read the forum and all this negativity must affect them.

Right i'm off for a pint - i've had enough

Unfortunately all clubs have "supporters" who cannot stomach defeat, they reckon they should win all the time. They should do summat else if they can't hack it. I always remember the time Man United hadn't lost for summat like 28 matches then lost a Champions League match. The Radio phone in was full of Man U "fans" saying the team were past it and it was time Fergie retired. Brains of a rocking horse!

If you want to reach the very top then heavy drinking all the time won't get you there. However cutting the team some slack at this level you need a bond between the lads and they still have that. Lets give them all the backing they dserve and getting on their backs is ott they're still very committed to the cause and are a great team. Its not like the can't be d days of Faz so lets not be so greedy we could be alot worse.

getting a good balance between the 2 is something that is difficult to achieve and we just need to do the best of both.

the club needs to be seen as proffesional as possible whilst at the same time too much of a boot camp technique may lead to the management and the players disliking each other leading to poor results on the pitch.

it is a part time team and league so i think we just have to try and limit it but i feel making thinks too strict might make things worse.

Maybe a little planning by the club could have come in to it. I mean i for one dont mind the players going out and getting mashed but letting them go on an all night and all day bender then expecting them to back it up against a fresh Fev team on Friday night was probably expecting too much. Maybe the game should have been changed to Saturday for the extra days rest. Probably would have seen a few more fans down as well.

Frankly, I'm amazed at this post.

Firstly, how can YOU criticise anyone, let alone the team, about alcohol abuse? Pot, kettle, and black.

Secondly, why on earth post all this disruptive tripe on here? It does nothing for the image of the team and the club. Go tell the players to their faces or ring/email the club and speak to Graham Clay or Matt Calland.

Thirdly, why shouldn't the team get together for more than a couple of the singing syrup post-match? They've trained all week and given their best for eighty minutes, and you have the audacity to bemoan that fact. I bet you go out on the lash after you've worked all week.

I agree a heavy night can knacker you up for a few days which gave them little time to recover for Fev, should have been Sunday

i don't think there is a team in the world where the players don't like a drink. rl should just follow footballs example and ban it 3 or 4 days before a game.

good post james,

Yes and look at our form since the players have been banned from going out on the lash in Widnes. Discipline wins trophies.