Just a quick thought on the defence, (probably mentioned elsewhere but I don't have the time to read all the threads these days so sorry)

I'm just editing the U20's Vs Saints game (high scoring loss BTW

) and for the third time in four weeks we shipped 2 or 3 back to back tries, being unable to stop a team going the full length and scoring on consecutive sets without us touching the ball seems to be an attitude and organisational problem as it keeps happening. And I'm guessing they use the same defensive structures (or lack of) as the first team. Confidence and working as a group in defence seems to disappear quickly under any pressure and we don't work hard enough from marker in either U20's or 1st team.

Not sure of the solution other than hard work on the training pitch, but consistency in the players around you would help, a lot of our combinations in the back row, in the halves, in the outside backs have been in constant flux for one reason or antoher, which can't help. As soon as we get players playing consistantly with each other they might start trusting the man alongside and work a bit harder?? It won't turn them into world beaters, but it could make us harder to play against. All easier said than done to fix it of course.

Prior to Bullmania, when Fax were a big club, it was my favourite ground to visit with Cas. We would always sit in the seats & be guaranteed good company & debate. I don't ever remember good natured winding up, it was so pleasant. I once went on my own with Cas after I had moved to Bradford & was stood on the terrace opposite the seats. The Fax fans around me got me in on the chat & one old lad asked how I was getting back, I said I was walking back to the station. He went out of his way & drove me back there. It would be terrible if those sorts of fans no longer go to matches.

I enjoyed going to the Shay, cracking little stadium. I hope they get the other stand sorted out, it's a perfect RL stadium.

Unfortunately I'm friends with some Halifax fans so I cop for my fair share of banter. It would be good to see them back in SL for regular games.

I pretty much agree with that. I think you can add in the point that after they miss a few tackles they become frightened of making even more mistakes so are, maybe, reluctant to get involved? That's not being lazy or not fit it's mental attitude. There does seem to be a lack of trust between defenders too, but that's hardly surprising given the way we are playing.

I think we've probably got a bit too used to losing or things not going our way so it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Potter's trying to build a winning culture but it won't happen overnight and it requires all the players to work a lot harder to get out of this hole.

Is that Bradford or the bottom of SL to which you refer?

Sadly, your argument bears all the hallmarks of being irrefutable.

Without dredging up up an old topic I read this piece from Nobby www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/sport/h ... _1_3372417 The part where he worked under Brian Smith & Matty Elliot made a salient point re when Macca took over he hadn't got any one looking over his shoulder on a day to day basis and reminded me of Wayne Bennetts philosophy that a Head Coach needs 5-7 years as an assistant beforehand!

Without dredging up up an old topic I read this piece from Nobby www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/sport/h ... _1_3372417 The part where he worked under Brian Smith & Matty Elliot made a salient point re when Macca took over he hadn't got any one looking over his shoulder on a day to day basis and reminded me of Wayne Bennetts philosophy that a Head Coach needs 5-7 years as an assistant beforehand!

Nobby talks a lot of sense. Any team that has him on board in some capacity is better for it.

You can be confident Halifax will turn things around.

Quote ="Blotto"Without dredging up up an old topic I read this piece from Nobby www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/sport/h ... _1_3372417 The part where he worked under Brian Smith & Matty Elliot made a salient point re when Macca took over he hadn't got any one looking over his shoulder on a day to day basis and reminded me of Wayne Bennetts philosophy that a Head Coach needs 5-7 years as an assistant beforehand!'" There's no substitute for experience (save perhaps a lot of good luck?) so I guess that's pretty fair comment. When Brian left, IIRC Hull came in for Macca, which maybe pushed the board into making a quicker decision to promote him immediately than they, perhaps, might have done. I suppose trying to relive the past is most people's favourite pastime, though, from my own observations, I've come to the conclusion that it changes nothing.

Quote ="Blotto"Without dredging up up an old topic I read this piece from Nobby www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/sport/h ... _1_3372417 The part where he worked under Brian Smith & Matty Elliot made a salient point re when Macca took over he hadn't got any one looking over his shoulder on a day to day basis and reminded me of Wayne Bennetts philosophy that a Head Coach needs 5-7 years as an assistant beforehand!'" There's no substitute for experience (save perhaps a lot of good luck?) so I guess that's pretty fair comment. When Brian left, IIRC Hull came in for Macca, which maybe pushed the board into making a quicker decision to promote him immediately than they, perhaps, might have done. I suppose trying to relive the past is most people's favourite pastime, though, from my own observations, I've come to the conclusion that it changes nothing.

wasnt it case that hull tried to get macca a few weeks before noble rumour became public knowledge? remember there was talk at time that one of things we used to keep macca was possibility him getting told on quiet that he could be getting our head coaches job earlier rather than later.

That sounds about right mat.

That sounds very much about right Mat...Nobby said at the Fans' Forum just before his leaving was announced that he had told Macca that it might be very much in his interest to hang around. I have the exact transcript of what he said somewhere in my notes.

As Bulliac says, though, I too have made the ground-breaking discovery that -no matter how much some people might wish it to be otherwise - you cannot change history.

I've read bits of the bible & am not too sure.

That's that's the kind of thing that's caused no end of bother. I blame King James, if he'd not allowed the translations into English, you'd just have to accept what the scholars told you was in there and we'd all be a lot happier. I think.

I think the translators told King James what he already knew was in there.

I'm sure [ihe[/i was quite conversant with it TT, but my reference was actually to the fact that it allowed the chattering classes and lower orders, such as ourselves, to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the texts. It's caused nothing but bother I tell 'ee....