Let's imagine we're not talking about rugby.

Imagine you work somewhere where one department used to be the top performing dept. but over the last few years is now one of the poorest performing. The people are making basic errors that you know they shouldn't make, failing to do their job to the best of their ability. You know they can perform because occasionally (when the pressure's on) they pull out all the stops and do a great job for a week.

Their manager is not telling them to do these things.

So, who do you blame? The team or their manager?

He's my 2 pence worth

The current squad has beaten both Leeds and Saints and for 60 minutes against both sides in the return meetings we're at least the equal.

They are the 2 best teams in the competion and we've proved we can go toe to toe with both of them and come away with a win.

Question have to be asked of both the playing staff and the coaching staff.
The players seem at times confused and unsure of who should be doing what. At other times they've seemed unfussed about defeat after defeat.
So the fault lays with the players then?

Not entirely. The coaching staff is supposed to get the players primed and ready for the up coming game. The head coach is supposed to know what tactics and selection the opposition are likely to use and should come up with a way to counter them. He is supposed to motivate and encourage the players and prepare them for what they need to do.

This does not appear to be happening at Bradford.

Unfortunatly for McNamara time is not on his side. He's had 3 years and we've gone backwards every year.

I'm sorry Steve. But we're the faithful fans of Bradford Bulls. We turn up every week and pay out our hard earned money to watch you and your troop of clowns disapoint us every time. Do the honorable thing. Fall on your own sword, walk away. Try and save yourself some face, admit defeat

What he said.

Whether or not Mac is a dead man walking, a considered question I have been trying to figure out the answer to is whether I think any other coach could get a better season out of the present line-up of alarmingly inconsistent and frustrating group of players. I watch what they do, and how they do it, and despite the names on the teamsheet, I reckon not, or at least, they would have the devil's own job.

My own tupppenorth is that by whatever means we seem to have ended up with a squad which you would think was good enough to be top six, if nowhere near top two, but it has emphatically proved that it is a bottom four team.

And we are. Let's make no bones about it now, the Bulls squad have put themselves where they deserve to be, bottom four team.

I am not saying McNamara is blameless in that, and won't be at all surprised if a coach in his situation went, and indeed after the resukts we've had he would already have been out of many places, but the players have to take this one on the chin, as the majority of the responsibilit, at least, certainly lies with them.

I don't see 17 untamed geniuses who just need a shrewd point in the right direction.

Obviously many of the players have themselves to blame. Unfortunately many of the worst culprits were recruited by the head coach and haven't developed under his teachings.

Totally agree macca doesn`t teach them to knock on and play like compete tools. I went today and we were ok in the 1st half and then went to pieces in the 2nd half, mind you the big change in the game was when deacs head was almost taken off, which should has been a least a yellow card so we ended up losing him for the first half suppose did not help matters.

Some very poor decisions came from the ref ian smith but our downfall was silly errors, missed tackles and rovers made us pay for those.

Play offs very unlikely now, we might has well start bringing the youngsters in for the rest of the season and least some of them will play with a bit more pride.

But like in all other teams sports isn't the had coach/manger ultimately responsible for results.

I think it was Cibaman??? argued a good few weeks ago - after one of the earlier hang-em-high threads - that by July it should be clear how things have turned out, and that would be the time to decide on any changes on the coaching front.

Well, its July.

It should have never been left this late.

I agree, it's time for Mac to go now, as long as a good replacement can be found and were not stuck with a clown from his backroom staff for the rest of the year. That way, the new coach would have a say on recruitment for next year, and he may be able to start bringing a bit of belief back into the team now, and get to know the place, and the players.

The second most successful coach of the SL era has agreed to take over a side flirting with relegation to the third tier next season.

Now I'm not saying we should have gone for Millward, but given that, do people seriously believe no-one with any calibre would be interested in the Bradford job were it to become available?

Yes but at this point the job does not appear to be available. In fact far from it the present coach seems firmly rooted in place.....

Another season(2010) and if we don`t improve macca will be gone or he will come to his senses and will resign.

Another season like this?!

How low are you wanting attendances to drop?

P.s. Are we now at a all time low for average super league attendance at home?

I have not yet called for Macca to go. But I would not be surprised or too disappointed if he was gone before the next game. And I say the following in full knowledge of the quite justified mitigating circumstances behind the scenes and the poisoned chalice that he was handed;

I agree with a lot of the above quote, but the highlighted bit is what's really worried me for a few weeks. We can only take other peoples views on how good and important a job Macca is doing in the "rebuilding/attracting talent/being our USP etc" Problem is, we as paying speccies only get to judge his competence for ourselves on match days, and he is clearly lacking in this department IMHO. Weather its a disorganised sliding defence, dodgy use of interchanges, or seemingly producing a team not being switched on for certain games and being so for others, which is a state of mind and culture within the team that should be created by the coaching team and is clearly missing.

So, we see his obvious weaknesses on match day, and that is all we can go on, so calls for his head are easy to understand. And my main worry is that who is to say that he will show better judgement with the rebuilding project than his management of 1st team results? Do we just trust to faith? What if he does as bad a job in that process as he is doing in overseeing results this season?

I dont know the answers, none of us do. But I will guess that Macca is doing as good a job as he can, that Hood will stand by him, he will be our coach for next season, and that we will just have to trust that Macca and Hood can see the future better than a lot of us......

If the reasons for him to stay are the excellent work going on behind the scenes then perhaps he should concentrate full time on that and bring someone else in to manage the First Team. There is absolutely no shame in holding up your hands and admitting defeat, whilst working yourself into a position for which your talents are better suited. If he is making a difference in respect of the youth structure etc I'm sure no one would be against him continuing with the club in that role.

It's beginning to get to the stage where there seems to be better things to do on a Sunday afternoon. That would have been unimaginable three years ago.

When it comes to renewing season tickets just how many people really will fork out to watch the same old trash week in, week out?

Surely to goodness he's been given long enough?

[i(You know that next week we will beat Wigan and all bets will be off again!)[/i

So sacking macca is the answer ?

So what do you think mate?

Macca in or Macca out?

Give us a nice simple one. lol

Er... Yes...

Let me guess.. Next question "Replace with who?".

Have to see who's interested.

Get Noble back from Wigan

Yes. The bottom 3 are;

2009 - 10268
2008 - 10287
1996 - 10346 #

(#done from my own figures so might not be exact but its close enough i reckon, and this is nudged over 10,000 by the 17360 gate for the Wigan game)

By the end of this season we will average less than 10,000 for the first time in SL. Understandable given the performances - 1996 we only lost 1 at home, 2008 we only lost 4 at home, this year we've only [iwon [/i2 at home. I think the fact we're still above 10,000 is a minor miracle.

I am neither a bulls fan or mcnamara fan but you all are falling into the trap that its all the coaches fault. he players you have are simply not trying in part because they are on good money and with no relegation are taking the easy option of going through the motions.

A new coach might help for a few games but you have to wake up to the fact the players are lazy and a few not good enough, plus your financial position not helping.

The finances are a major factor in mcnamara staying the club wont sack him as they cannot afford to pay him out and he will not walk why should he.

What do you know about our clubs finances? Or are you just listening to the rumours?

No, you are a Keighley fan. And please don't presume to tell us what we are "all" doing or that all the players are "lazy". And unless you have some inside track that all of us on here do not have, I think you will find the question of finances has been debated on here ad nauseum by people who know a lot more than you do.



Speaks volumes. And I see your (highly-respected) Mod admonished you for posting potentially libelous material.

Can't argue with that.

If I was in a job where it didn't matter whether I met my objectives, and by this I mean 'as long as I had an excuse' I was still getting a paycheck every month, I know I wouldn't walk away.

Not only that, but even if I was in deep trouble, and my boss kept telling everyone he had faith in me, well that's just he icing on the cake.