He came unstuck when his squad of decent full time players were unable to beat another squad of decent full time players who plied their trade in a better league full of even better full time players. Other than that he achieved what was required. It happens frequently that teams full of better players win, especially with home advantage. His team did just enough in the regular season.

I agree, we were inches from SL. However my biggest worry is will Jimmy learn from his mistakes, or will his stubborn qualities which made him the great player he was, hold him back in his coaching.

As i've said on another thread, our bench lost us that game. It was obvious to everyone we would sturggle to beat SL sides asking Sidlow and Clough to carry the pack. But Jimmy was hell bent that Crossley and Lauaki would be his rotating props (despite Lauaki's best efforts to get dropped) and so it proved, it cost us.

If he didn't drop Lauaki after the Hull KR and Fax debacle, why would he drop him now.

Bearing in mind we had to assemble a squad at short notice, and then tweak it during season think loses has done enough to get a second season. We addressed some of weakness's in squad during season (lack of pace and turn style defence down Henry's side) but still need to resolve halfback issue and improve pack.
Think lowes needs someone to bounce ideas off that he respects. Don't think Harrison worked as he's too similar to lowes. Ideal for me would be Brian smith in a director of rugby/ mentor role. Think lowes still respects smith but it's a question of whether his pride would allow him to take advice and learn. Also whether club finances would allow such a rôle although it's possibly something that could be done on a part time basis. Think only sensible replacement option for lowes would be Kear but I expect him to show up at Wakefield.

But at a distinct disadvantage when it came to playing SL teams in the play offs...

I realise that. My post was in response to the suggestion that he had achieved something significant in qualifying. With only 3 full time squads it would have been disastrous if he hadn't.

While the timing and the way he mAde his comments on Sky after the match weren't great he makes a valid point. Don't forget Ferres said something similar about how championship clubs should be able to spend whAt they can afford to before the season kicked off and Derek Beaumont has too.

Brian Smith and Scott Moore agree with Jimmy saying the same things after the match and you can't put that down to sour grapes.

Having thought about it we all knew what the rules were before the season started and the club's voted for it. But it feels like a cheap gimmick to me and won't last long.

It makes me laugh seeing fans of other championship clubs saying that we didn't moan when superleague was a closed shop and we were in it. Course we didn't and neither would they if they were in it. But if they thing its still no longer a closed shop they're away with the fairies. Yes we were only a hairs breadth away from going up this time. However Wakefield were pretty farcical on and off the field this year. Unless someone goes into admin no other superleague side (including Wakefield) will be as embarrassingly uncompetitive again. They're debt free now and while they are starting recruitment late due to the super 8's they'll still have a team about 1.8 times as good as the best championship side.

Unless Derek's challenge is a success.

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/s ... reckoning/ A fair analysis from Ross plus some good questions.

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/s ... reckoning/ A fair analysis from Ross plus some good questions.

Very good analysis. Would love Lowes to explain some of those decisions. Dropping Tarahoui, persisting with Lauaki, flogging O'brien, and the biggest gripe for me, not giving a young promising scrum half a run out against a poor championship side and when we had injuries there.

Thats a very good analysis and it really needed saying - so I am glad he wrote that piece.

Worryingly - the opportunities for recruitment look limited right now

Remembering that Ferres said the squad for next year would be smaller than last season, it seems to me, given the players already signed until the end of '16, we don't have much to come.

Anyone suggesting we pay Jimmy off would be suggesting we maybe can't afford another half.

I think a few under contract will move on without us paying them off. Sheffield being full time is a help. If every single player currently under contract for next year stays, we have a squad of 27 (with no additions)
Worryingly the ones we have been linked with is in the back line which is where we're fine i think.

In the fact of qualifying - agreed. But during the course of qualifying - no, I disagree. He did achieve a couple of very significant things. He brought out a team that was able to professionally and clinically dismantle Salford. And when it came to the absolute crunch, he brought out a team that was able to go to Leigh, and teach them a lesson.

I think that that last result especially, has been taken for granted too much by too many. It was a fantastic achievement, and one which many pundits loudly said we couldn't do, and it was not just the result but the manner of getting it. Significant achievements, not diminished by having goofed at the last hurdle.

For someone who says on another thread that he will not accept, "accepting failure", this posts reads very much that you are indeed "accepting failure."

www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/bulls-tv?RID=RRmiFGNwsp

www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/bulls-tv?RID=RRmiFGNwsp

That's a fair slice of contrition there. We don't know if that's following a quiet word from the top or off his own bat but there'll be plenty in the world of RL who wouldn't have made that sort of comprehensive apology.

Good call by the club. At least he's made the effort to hold his hands up and acknowledge that what he said had all the attributes of a kid throwing his toys out of the pram. I'm not a huge fan of these sort of things being video recorded. I'm sure a statement on the club's website would have been adequate. I've never seen Lowes look so uncomfortable.

It needed saying in my opinion. Wouldn't be surprised if he's had a fair old ass kicking from above for what were potentially damaging comments.

Well it could potentially have cost a pretty big fine, so I guess that counts as damaging - assuming the apology is accepted, of course. I still think he was correct in what he said though, the whole concept, in relation to the promotion and relegation aspect, is a complete joke [and disgrace.

It is a shame that such a great player needs to apologise for showing passion but he was out of order - not for the passion of how he said it but for what he said.

Green is trying to build season tickets and he would have been appalled at his coach saying the things he did which may his sales and possibly sponsorship. Passion yes - recklessness that could affect the business - NO!

I expect Jimmy to carry on next season but also expect another coach to be sounded out in the summer. I do not expect Jimmy to get a third season now even if we go up as a new coach will already have been signed. He basically has till May to save his job - but it may now be too late as we don't know how ruthless Mr Green is regarding his staff.
That would be tough on Jimmy but business is business.

In what way? I am referring to 2 outstanding individual victories. Especially the crunch game at Leigh You think those were "failures"?

Just watched Jimmy's apology for ranting on Bulls TV; my word he's as thick as a builder's wrist.

If that's how he speaks to the players it's no wonder there's a lack of motivation.

Did anyone watch the video of Jimmy and expect the camera to pan back at the end to show Mark Green with a gun pointed to his head?

Ferres was saying after the Widnes game we had 6 signings already lined up.

'Lined up' is an interesting phrase. You can have people 'lined up' without them ever coming to fruition.

If we have 6 singings that come to fruition then I think we have to assume that a similar number are going. That's fine if we are talking about Uaisele, Uluigia, Davies, Baille etc - as opposed to, say, Gaskell, O'Brien, Ferguson...

and did they have jimmy deliberately looking into the sun to make him squint all the time.
After 2 coughs he actually sounded emotional.
It takes a big man to apologise so publicly. I can count on one hand the number of times a coach has publicly apologised and actually sounded like he meant it.
I don't agree with what he said straight after the game but to be fair if someone had stuck a microphone in my face less than 5 mins after the final hooter and asked me what I thought - most of it would have been beeped out.