Is it giro day Tom.

We don't need Andrew Johns. A [icompetent [/iscrum half is the difference between losing against Catalans, Huddersfield and Bradford and winning. Turn those three games around and we are in contention. All were lost because we had no option on tackle five. We panicked, the ball was given over cheaply and we lost.

I disagree. A competent [idefence[/i was the difference between us losing to Catalans and Hudds and winning. A competent [iteam[/i was the difference between us losing to Bradford and Hull and winning because the whole lot of them (bar Wello against Bradford, and Hohaia with his spectacular tackle rate against Hull and Bradford) were guilty of crimes against the sport of rugby league once an individual error or two had been made. Our psychological inability to overcome an error is like a contageon in our team at present and IMO this is the primary problem (a secondary one being the unwillingness of our forwards to drive for the full 80). Once one person makes a mistake, a negative reaction ripples through the team and without Jammer there to act as a wall there is nobody to stop the ripple and overturn the chaos in the players' heads.

Spot on,sorry to say it.The team is giving 100% effort but have not a clue how to put it together. Get it sorted or change the coaching team

There was very little wrong with our defence against Huddersfield. Even Nathan Brown admitted as much. The problem was our repeated poor options on fifth tackle. During the last twenty minutes - when we had ample opportunity to win the game - time and time again we failed to put pressure on with tactical kicking. Indeed, our attempts reached tragi-comic levels (including a length-of-the-field, game-changing try). Against Catalans our defence was admittedly poor, but it all began because instead of trying to close the game out after half time with a solid possession and kicking strategy we repeatedly threw the ball away on early tackles giving them the impetus, which they took. A good scrum half would have taken ownership of the situation. We had none.

But, by all means, keep trying to justify your wet-dream Lomax-REALLY-REALLY-REALLY-IS-a-scrum-half fantasy, despite the fact that he has no kicking game and no long-passing game.

I would probably say 100% effort and 10% Attitude and 10% Communication. Surely its the coaching set up to ensure the latters.

Exactly. Like I said, it's Groundhog Day. The difference being that Saints will doubtless resolve their issues quite quickly, unlike what we had to endure.

Jesus.

Yeah, if he is available, let's give him a go

Might be a good option, but difficult to show the half backs how he wants them to direct the team around with holes in his hands.

But if we've got to the point where people want to even consider the likes of Kear (

) Noble and Morgan, then we all may as well give up and go home.

For once I totally agree with your post, we just need a scrum half that can lead us around the park, give us direction and have a good kicking game.

You clearly didn't watch their final try then. The one we gave them with the generous grubber kick.

Pretty much all tries can be attributed to defensive errors. But if you think there wasn't a significant improvement in our defence vs Huddersfield over our shoddy Catalans' performance you are either blind or mad.

Looks like we Bulls did you Royce-baggers a favour then?

Looks like your wishes have been granted. Not as if you've been hammered. Wonder who you will get mid season. A high risk decision IMO

Just because it's a temporary team does not mean they will be replaced mid-season. It maybe that they are in place until the new coach can take over, which maybe October.

I posted yesterday that to sack Royce would be the wrong decision. Ask yourselves will Mike Rush be better than Royce?

Royce Simmons took you to the Grand Final last year, in a season when you had more injuries than an A & E department on a Saturday night.

Super Mc has made a short sighted knee jerk decision.

I agree.

Doing nothing was just as risky a decision.

I have said elsewhere, Eamon delivered a top class stadium, the fans have delivered on season ticket purchases, it is on the pitch where the team have failed with the third piece of the jigsaw.

The players we have signed arent bad players, they may not be exactly what we need but the challenge for any coach is to get players playing better than they think they are capable of producing. The current crop aren't even performing anywhere near their capability and a change was the ONLY option. Eamon could hardly sack half a dozen players, his only option is to hold the coaching staff accountable.

The issue is that there are 14,000 people on the terraces that need to be kept happy just to keep the ship afloat financially in the long term. As a club we can't afford to suddenly drop back to 5000 season ticket renewals, that would be a business catastrophe, and unfortunately, it's not the losses that seem to have caused the most upset, it's been the manner of the performances, lack of cohesion, lack of unpredictability in their plays (take your pick!) which is within the remit of the head coach. I'm not saying the players aren't as responsible, they are, but ultimately they looked like a group of players who weren't playing for the coach, of didn't believe in what they were being asked to do.

It will be interesting to see what kind of response we get from the squad this weekend against Leeds, certainly a good game to test players desire. I suspect the squad have been told that they too are under the microscope and are playing for their futures.

This...

Great post.

Couldn't have put it better myself. During the Hull game myself and those around me ended up talking about everything else but what was happening on the pitch, it was dire. It was certainly unlike me, but if the 'die-hards' are doing it, what must the new season ticket holders be thinking?

McManus had to act, and he was left in a pretty impossible position. Keeping/losing those new fans is the difference between a stable future and a bleak one, he delivered his side of the deal and he needed to make an example to show them that what is currently happening is unacceptable.

I feel bad for Royce, but something had to happen and other than firing half the squad which would be ridiculous, McManus has taken the only other realistic option.

All of which is just a tad worrying...if you're a Rhinos fan. I'm just hoping you save the backlash for Wire and Wigan.

I'm actually now feeling more than a little sorry for Simmons.