So, that's 2009 over.

We finished with a flourish but history will record a very poor season. Here are a few questions that have sprung to mind:

[listAre we any happier with Steve as coach for 2010?
Has the recent run of games proved anything about his ability to manage the team and motivate them?
What should be a realistic goal for next season?[/list:u

Sounds harsh but our play off charge should be totally discounted.

Serious questions should be asked as to how a team that according to our management has been working to a full cap has been able to finish outside what can only be described as a pathetic playoff system, we should have been 3 places away not one.

im reasonably happy for steve to at least start the season as coach. If we start poorly then we should make a change after easter and allow a new coach time to assess squad before making signings. no point making a change now as signings for next season are already done.
I think last few weeks have shown that macca can motivate the squad. we've seen a much more cohesive and motivated squad playing for each other the last few weeks. Cant help wondering if its a coincidence that the upturn in form came at the same time as newtons injury ( is it just me or hasnt he been at the club since his injury? seen solo on pitch during warm ups but no sign of terry).
Think next year target should be a return to top 4, although top 6 may be more realistic aim.

I think that missing out on the play-offs should mean the axe is hanging over the head of McNamara. It's a huge black mark against him. And if 2010 starts in a similar fashion to 2009 then he really can't expect anything other than to be shown the door. It's great that we've put together a run of 5 wins when the pressure has been off (yes it HAS been off, before the run started we could only mathmatically make the play-offs) but it seems we can't maintain that sort of form across a season.

I hope next year is different but I can't honestly say I believe it will be as once again we've a large turn over of players. No club can expect to be consistant with wholesale team changes year on year. I mean look at Leeds and Saints. They've been the top 2 for the last 3 years and they never seem to have more than 3 new players a season. We were the same during the recent glory years. You can't bring in half a team and expect them to gel straight away.

Now, there's still the rumour over the back room staff being given their cards at the end of the year. Now, you have to wonder with that, is it because the club is clearing the decks for a new man to take the head job? A new man who'll want to bring his own coaching staff and ideas to the club?

I hate to be negative, I hate to kick the team when it's down. But something has to be done between now and Feb, otherwise this club will start circling the drain. We're already down on crowds. Without some catalystic event I can't see those crowds coming back. The clubs main hope seems to be getting the OSV built, which I'm sure we're all still hoping comes off, and yes, a new stadium would I think bring back the crowds at least on a short term basis. But if we can't hook those people into coming each week then it'll be for naught

I thought the winning run provided some evidence that the team is capable of performing to a certain level on a reasonably consistent basis. We didnt look world beaters but its at least a platform on which to build. If we hadnt had that run we would effectively be starting from scatch for next year.

Players such as Halley, Nero, Scruton and Godwin have grown in stature as a result of the run, Langley showed a return to form. We also now know that Sykes best position is anywhere but centre and, whisper, Platt might make a decent centre.

We'll definitely go into next season better for having the run.

Platt was excellent last night - good defence throughout, including covering the short kick that had Sykes out of position, great clean break and good support in other instances. What's often overlooked is that he's also strong as well as having pace - he's just not a fullback. I'd be happy to see him being given a run at Centre next year. I think it's about time people got off his back and I'll be very disappointed if people stick to giving him flack at the start of next year. He's earned a fresh start.

I have actually quite enjoyed this season. It has definitely never been boring. In the end, we got about what we deserved but IMO the signs are encouraging for next season. Better to end the season on a 5 game winning streak than a losing one surely?

And I for one didn't expect them to put together a 3 match winning run, never mind 5, so something has definitely improved!

Let's see how it pans out next year.

Really? I thought you had money freed up from Bird not signing?
To be fair you were missing Bird who should have been in the squad and Solomona for most of the season. Had they not been unavailable you would have won a crop of matches you only just lost and made the playoffs easy. Had they both not been in the squad as the plan for the season you could have invested in top quality replacements for the season.

how miserable did both coaches look last night! I think both know its a bad start to the season and they're off down the job centre. If relegation was still here I reckon both would have gone months ago to be honest. Neither club would have risked going down.

I'm resigned to McNamara being coach.

The recent run has proved we ought to be able to do better than we did in the 1st half of the season. I'm still doubtful about whether we can become more consistent.

Goal for next season? Depends on the ins and outs. But I'd say we're looking at somewhere between 7th and 10th again.

Happier? Not at all, the wins we have put together have bought McNamara some more time and as others have said we're stuck with him next season.

When interviewed about the run we were putting together the only comments he had were that our luck had changed, not that he's adjusted any tactics because things weren't working, he just seemed happy to keep playing as we were and hope something happened.

At the end of the day it has been a terrible season and it's embarrassing that we haven't made the playoffs, yes we haven't got the best squad at the moment and we are re-building but that squad should of comfortably made it to the playoffs.

We're not the first team to not make the play offs and we won't be the last. We have no automatic right to be there.

We'll have to see who comes & goes and what the team are looking like after a few games.

Lets put this 5 match winning run in to content shall we. Four of these wins came against sides who are below is in the table.

A point was made the other day have the cracks been papered over to an extent I say they have. These last 5 weeks have seem to have justified the previous 6 months to a lot of people.

They also lost earlier in the season to those same sides.

Obviously we are not. For me it doesn't matter who comes and goes as if we continue as we have been we will still struggle to get the best from the players, no matter how good they are

Yeah, I agree but we don't know how it will go next year yet do we? Let's see if it is another downward trend or we are in fact getting stronger.

Nothing we can do about it now anyway.

From an outside POV there can be no excuses for failing to reach the play-offs your coach was backed in the transfer market and beating the top 2 show that yer current squad can compete.
The questions you should be asking imo is whether mcbanana really is the "best young english coach" he's being labelled as.
I personally think the writing was on the wall when he was championing the signings of sheriffe,platt(3 yrs

) and ben jeffries etc.
IF you lose Sam B you'll need to spend big to challenge again.

Had we not won those games, two of those four would have finished above us. For just about all of the season they were above us. And Hudds well above us.

Unusually for you, a slightly disingenuous argument there.

I actually think Platt will come good.

Indeed. Its a shame when some people seem already to have made their minds up about next year.

I also see your point of view but how long do we wait, if we have another season like this next year then god knows what state we will be in.

At the moment the club is in freefall and I doubt a couple of new signings will make a difference with the same coach, we've tried that already.

You are right we don't know what's going to happen next year but I have seen no reason to beieve it will be any different, I do however hope I am wrong.

You're no alone, he seems to of settled again and hopefully he'll have a good season next year.

Believe me, I agree with what you say but what option do we have? All we can do is keep supporting.

I don't think we are in freefall, we are having a bad time of it for sure but it won't last forever. I do think we need a good start next year though. (Although Hull had a great start and look where they ended up...)

How long till next season?

TBH, part of me is glad we didn't make the play-offs. If we had, it may have been used to paper the cracks of this season. As it is, if we don't start next year with a bang I can't see mcnamara being coach beyond May

Mixed feelings really

I [ihope[/i that the last five games have given the team a confidence that can be taken forward into 2010. But, as other people have said, the wins only started coming when we were extremely unlikely to make the 8, and in truth we'd have long been out contention if not for the total collapse of teams.

I think there is good grounds for optimism with the likes of Scruton, Langley, Platt and Nero showing good form lately, as well as the development of Halley, Whitehead and Donaldson over the second half of the season. So with good recruitment there is every reason to be more optimistic about 2010

Having said all that, there are still huge question marks over the quality of the coaching, tactics and motivational skills of our coaching team. Obviously Steve Mac will be here at the start of next season, but I think the make up of the coaching team needs to be addressed and announced as soon as possible. We also need some sort of statement about whether Burgess is going or staying - Mondays Awards Evening would be an obvious good opportunity.

Above all, I hope that the playing squad sit down in front of their Sky TV to watch the play offs and realise that they could and should have been involved. Forget Catalans winning last night, the real reason we didn't make the Top 8 was our abysmal performances in that middle part of the season. Hopefully they will sit there and realise that their abject performances against Celtic, Castleford (x2), Salford etc cost them the prospect of a decent Play Off surge.

Apart from any feelings of having let themselves down, they've let us supporters down.