No it wasn't dude. It was in reply to Ewwens post.
Of course, everybody expected a tough game.
Injuries cause disruption to the flow of things, I accept that. But to go out and tackle like a set wet fish and run like a bunch of girls, I do not accept injuries as an excuse.

Also, I do accept Huddersfield will have had more energy than us after a week off, but at the end of the day, our players have had a weeks rest from playing, same as they have almost every week.

What you saw today was not a lack of energy, it was a lack of effort, unfortunatley.

Lets say we beat Wolves and Leeds and were on a roll, you wouldn't hear a peep about lack of energy. It's a excuse mate, and I dont accept it.

Where have I tried to make excuses. It was a terrible performance.

I said the game was always going to be hard because of the injuries, but they aren't the only reason that we lost.

I offered my opinion on a game I saw, I'd suggest it was more interesting than bile that comes from your direction tonight.

You said that we had a few injuries and had no energy - Excuses.

Tired and unorganised. Lacking someone to step up and lead the team forward. Playing against a fresh team who've not had the best of times in recent weeks and really needed to turn a corner and get a result.

End of the day, there was really only going to be one out come. Just a shame it was such a large margin but our lack of depth meant that we have to play players out of position and not at 100% fitness

We did.

I also said that isn't why we lost. We were clueless in attack and just couldn't defend our own line for alot of the game. Huddersfield were very good and well drilled. Their forwards dominated from start to finish and wouldnt give an inch.

Michael, have you in your time played in two very hard games where - despite being the weaker team on paper you nearly pulled off unlikely victories? But did not, and then go into a third, hard game carrying loads of injuries against a rested team with a lot to prove? If you have, you will surely know that the tiredness is as much mental as physical? Especially when, for whatever reason, things go badly against you early doors?

I am as gutted as you about today, and we were very clearly badly out-enthused as well as out-played. And we so clearly missed our key playmakers. But I think on this occasion you are being a bit harsh.

It seems there's getting to be more people who jump on the doom & gloom wagon after a defeat.

Yes we were terrible, but it's not the end of the world. Its not long since Hudds got 60 points put past them, they've turned it around now, so can we.

Its understandable though Ewwen...I'm gutted, and there is only so much you can lay at the door of "explanations" like last week/injuries/Child/thin squad/fat singer/whatever. ATEOTD we were poor, there is no getting away from it, and no excuses will wash for shipping in so many points with so little in reply. I doubt enough people will give full recognition to the "explanations", but ultimately we were well beaten and deservedly so

Yes.

I don't think they are as tired as you are making out, they looked uninterested to me, not tired, which is the hardest thing to take. If they'd have put some effort in and still lost it wouldn't been quite as hard to take, but they didn't put it in IMO. People can rant and rant all they want about having a small squad and injuries, but the minute you don't put it in when carrying the ball or defending then you're going to end up with a performance and result like today.

It might seem I'm being harsh, but I'm not. It was a terrible terrible performance, and some players need to ask them self and each other some serious questions, because if it isn't nipped in the bud then it will happen again, and soon.

Are they going to be any less tired next weelk, or the week after that? Just how long do you use this reason/excuse, seriously?

Also, If players are tired then rest them.

Seems [url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/10/06/06/RUGBYL_Bradford_Quotes.html=#800000Macca [/urlis as annoyed as Michael and me and every genuine Bulls fan are.

I had a feeling we would loose today the truth is we are not as good as Huddersfield these days they are a well coached team and play a better brand of rugby than us whilst we have a few too many average players in our squad and a average coach imo.

I'm praying that Langley is back soon, we need some of his barnstorming runs and work rate in defence.

I get very tired of reading this is down to injuries and having no energy.

Surely we've been training with the knowledge some key players are unavailable, so why are we not showing this on the field. It's not like we lost Langley & Kearney at the last minute.

Why isn't the club working with the lads we still have available and putting in a performance like we did last week with Wire ?

Then we get comments about the lads having 'no energy' !!

This is round 16 not the end of the season!

If we're happy with accepting this 'No Energy', then we might as well pack up now, and start preparing for next season............

"Obviously we invested a lot physically and emotionally last week but that's not an excuse at all.

"That game was seven days ago and we should have performed lot better.

Kind of hammers home that to use tiredness from last week as an excuse is unnaceptable IMO.

Michael, that's a rather more reasoned post than some of your initial ones, and I don't think you'll find many disagreeing with those sentiments expressed like that?

Just on the "rest them" point - it seems obvious some (like Lynchy, and others whose injuries people are likely not aware of) are defo in need of a rest. But who would you replace them with? How many academy lads do you throw in at once? We've already seen Addy and Wardle get the nod of late, but too many at once and you are asking for serious trouble?

It certainly doesn't excuse over 50 points shipped in at home, that's for sure. But I don't think anyone is saying it is all ok because we put in a lot of effort against Leeds and Wire.

Folk are once again getting confused with the disctinction between (a factor which may be one) "explanation" and "excuse".

Don't see many making "excuses" - you cannot excuse what we saw today - just, as Macca did, raising factors which may help at least partially (if inadequately) explain it.

Adey, what are the injuries that you are aware of?

No more trouble than many of the experienced players have landed us in today though, Adey.

Rest Lynch for one of the Burgess lads or Crossley, they are in the squad for a reason, use them I say, what's the point having them if you arn't going to use them when one of your players are playing injured.

We arn't using to many at once, look at Saints and Leeds and Wigan, what do they do when their senior players are injured? Blood a youngster right?

It doesn't do them any harm and does them a lot of good playing alonside senior players and against senior players.

Anyhow, if we lost with a few academy players in then I'm sure people would be more leniant to the loss.

Whitehead, Addy, Donno or Wardle haven't let anybody down in general, so there's no reason to fear giving anybody else a shot.

I think Whitehead needs a rest now aswell, so whats wrong with giving our other highly rated backrower Olbison the chance to stake his claim?

What a load of utter shiite.
Was going to rant at length, but, like the vast majority of our players today, I can't be d.

My thoughts are that we are blooding the wrong players some times. Perhaps today we should have played Addy or Wardle and Burgess. Or Southernwood and Burgess...We have three Props in the U20's who could rotate each week, see if any stands out and that way give Lynch a rest. I imagine we will be without Scruton next week so who will cover for him? Lynch starting and on the bench maybe? He's injured and still playing and I might be wrong but injuries don't usually get better by playing through them do they?

Well, it might be an "excuse", or else it may have some truth in it. Have you considered that?

You are being harsh, actually, becaue you just said "Just how long do you use this reason/excuse, seriously?". How short is your memory? Or was I watching some other team that played bloody marvellous against bot Leeds and Wire? Yes it's a bad loss, and no I am not happy (nor should anyone be) at watching us perform at that level (whatever the reasons), but "Just how long" could only be valid after a string of crap performances (such as occurred at times last year). Not after 80 minutes?

The team was lacking energy throughout, (the incredible Menzies, tbf, excepted) but (as one who several times last year criticised the team for not trying) today I did not see it as lack of effort. If I had, I would say so. We were just not good at all today.

And the fact is we will never know just exactly who is carrying injuries to what extent, as for obvious reasons, no club is fully frank on that score, but - just like Orford last week - you can often plainly see who isn't 100%. The decision as to whether they play, or a young 'un goes in, is not easy but I wouldn't think being on the wrong side of a 50 point tonking would do much good for any teenager making a debut.



It is indeed. The curious question would be why, in the same post, you berate people for, as you see, it, making reams of 'excuses', yet specifically ask for this week's 'excuses'. What would you have said the other week when Wire put 60 past Huddersfield? It's a shame you aren't in charge there, as they wouldn't have had a chance to come and beat us today, you'd have had team and coach lined up and shot. Yet Warrington were lucky to squeak a narrow win against us.

I would say that each game, one team usually wins and the other loses. Occasionally, one gets a pasting, like we did today. I find it quite normal for fans to discuss the reasons, as they see them, for the result, and it would be strange if they didn't. It is a bit tiresome for you to imply that all such discussion should be banned, as it is all just 'excuses'. But as we are discussing specifically the Bulls v Hudds game of 06 June 2010 in this thread, I am afraid that you will have to live with the fact that people can validly search for, analyse and discuss the reasons behind the loss, yet not be in any way making 'excuses'. It [imight[/i just be what they actually [ithink[/i, and for you to globally label all past and present discussion as just 'excuses' is just the usual drama queen arrogance on your part. But you contribute nothing to the discussion.

In my opinion, the last two games are the key to today's performance, and the list of injuries, both to personnel in the squad who played regardless, and vital personnel out of the squad namely Orford, Kearney and Langley, could be described as the lock.

Huddersfield, at the same time, found some of their best form and took full advantage and credit to them for flogging us whenever the chance arose.

Obviously a very poor result and a number of players looked tired and not interested. I could moan all day but would rather look at the some positives, or one positive as that's all I can find! The youngsters played well today, Kopchak had his best game for us and him and Addy worked well in defence together. Wardle looks to have good pace which is something we miss, he showed this a couple of times, once on the rare occasion we were attacking and he showed good speed with the break on the wing, the second time being when he tracked back to put the ball dead.

For me today the let down was our uninterested backs, the pack on the whole played with heart and effort, they battled to get us in decent positions to be completely let down by the backs time after time.

I suspect Lynch is still playing because it's not making his injury worse and he really needs surgery to fix the problem. We saw today what happens when our forwards are well beaten and losing Lynch's experience for any length of time would weaken us.
Would those advocating putting Crossley or a Burgess in give more lenience to that sort of display or would it just be another excuse?

My point of view is that Lynch needs to be fixed as long as it's not season ending and I'd like to see one of the U20 forwards getting a go as soon as Langley is back. I will accept that they will make mistakes and occasionally get beaten in exchange for the gains medium (a fit Andy Lynch) and long term (more forwards with first team experience).

Today was shocking and nobody was deserving of a MOM award.