Reckon they won't sack him until Round 10. If things stay as they are, then he can't say he wasn't given a chance this season.

The issues at Catalans are far greater than the coach unfortunately. I personally don't rate McNamara very highly, but their downhill slump started way before this season.

I was recently speaking to one of their ex-players. He was saying the foreign contingent all lived on the Mediterranean coast away from Perpignan in Canet-Plage, and most of them treat their time there like one long holiday, 5/6 of them were heavy drinkers even before they arrived in France. The local French lads were low paid, lived locally, obviously spoke a different language - so there was a clear split in the squad. His opinion was that the poor, expensive signings and lack of due diligence carried out on those players has set the clubs youth development back by 5 years.

He also said that the club itself was pretty amateurish, they were very relaxed about when players got their salaries, for instance.


It's a huge shame to see them in their current situation. Depending on what happens with the league structure, maybe a relegation would be the best thing for them, give them a chance to rebuild.

That speaks volumes about why they're in the predicament they're in and have been for some time. No sense of team unity and the sense that each player is pulling in the same direction and giving it all for their teammates etc. A culture of the Aussies separating themselves, whilst being on more pay can only lead to one thing. The drinking bit speaks for itself tbh.

Bump

Why, what’s happened?

Hammered by Salford

Defeat at home to the second worst team on Monday must spell the end of his reign.

Did he actually play Mead at centre?

A great win for Steve McNamara’s Catalans yesterday. The race for 8th place is now wide open.

Yes. Catalans Dragons are now only two points outside the top 8 with so many games still to play. Only seven points outside the top 4.

What a turnaround by the French outfit! Christopher Thorman could not have seen that second half coming.

2 wins from 9 games and everything's rosy? Still ranked number 12 in a league of 12 and likely to be in the MPG game, probably against Toronto.

That said, both leagues have a few twists and turns before the end of the season, and maybe a few surprises before we're finished.

Are you suggesting the race for 8th place isn’t wide open?

Only 2 points separate all teams between 8th and 12th

I think what Budgie is laughing at is you thinking on current form that Catalan will reach the dizzy heights of 8th place

Back on topic I spoke to an ex players who was coached by Mcbanana who said that he gave his team talks and they were so complicated that no one listened to him. They ignored what he said and then did what they thought was right.

He is a poor poor coach . He was when he was with England despite some numpties on here defending him.

Never in doubt, but is he the "worst"?
I still say Rob Powell at QRL was.....

Not looking so bad now with Cats upturn in form and win today.

With Salford and Wakefield holding 7th and 8th but looking very poor 7th-12th is wide open

McNamara is the reborn messiah after this win

With Salford in eighth on ten points & Huddersfield in twelfth on five, how is that true?

As for the top eight, I'd say it's definitely wide open.

In fairness to sir kev, his post is now a good few weeks old.

My bad, I'd forgotten how slow the V.T. is nowadays.

No. Joshua Drinkwater is the reborn messiah after this win.

Joshua relishes playing in a diverse team containing many talented players, and situated in a lovely part of the world, rather than with a team of overpaid and over rated has beens, in a depressing northern English town.

Francis Cummins