Surprised nobody has mentioned this yet, apologies if they have and I haven't seen it.

He said that yesterday the players and coaches had a big meeting and aired their 'grievances', before retracting the word grievances. He said Tony started off the meeting and then the players took over and Tony was real pleased with how it went, and now they can all have the same focus going into the final 4 games plus the CC game.


I really hope this can sort us out, hopefully some of the players feel a weight has been lifted off their shoulders now they have all had a honest chat about things, and now they can get back to playing with some confidence. If we put in a good performance and get the win on Saturday then hopefully we can sneak into the top 8 which will then in turn lift more pressure, and then kick on from there.

They still do the super league show?

Sounds like we were/are in a bigger mess than I thought.

[urlhttp://bbc.in/1QNWLbG[/url

There's a link to the clip of Sims comments if anyone wants a watch.

Not to be jonny raincloud but do we know they have sorted their differences out, hopefully yes i guess we will know better come 16.40 ish.

would loved to have been fly on the wall but we will never no just cleared the air bad smell

Exactly... That's ample proof that Smith has pretty much lost the dressing room and that the squad will be in various cliques.

Smith deserves praise for facing the problem head on, but I guess it will only be seen how much difference it has made after the next 3 or 4 games and what those performances are like.... Certainly not just a Cup match against a championship side.

How has the situation deteriorated to the extent that he actually needed to hold a squad talk in the first place ?

Was he not aware that there were problems in the first place ? and if not, why not ?

Is he in charge or does he simply leave the day to day running to Agar ?

plenty of senior players with 'grievances' by all accounts.

any idea what they are? Is it coaching? Selection? Tactics? wages?

I believe its along the lines of 'player availability'.. eg see Wood and Higham, with a few more to come....

I think that's the issue to be honest. Smith has taken a backseat, rolling into a "Director" role. Leaving the day-to-day to Agar.

Smith once said he doesnt coach the players attacking plays.. They do that on their own.

Thats all good and Well with Briers, Hodgson, Monaghan... but not so great with GOB, Ratchford and Clarke....

Maybe he cant coach them in this way, so he has brought in someone he thinks can.. Agar

I remember briers talking at his leaving dinner that Smith is a brilliant motivator, maybe thats his strongest hand... Looks like he is a great coach with a strong squad of players, but he struggles with a poor side.

Makes you wonder morleys does it not who are the senior players with some pull, with seniority Mona's, Bridge, got to include Hill as vice captain, then it's Harrison, Atkins not leaders and Myler with other matters on his mind and Ratchford 100% players but again with no apparent leadership qualities.

Obviously I'm glad Smith has deemed the problem serious enough to warrant a clear the air, but as others have commented to only now take off the blinkers is baffling, I'm all behind Smith but the more I think about it the more I feel he's walking a fine line.

I'll have a calculated punt....

Who?
It's Agar.

I believe he hasn't yet earned the respect from some of the senior players within the team.

Evidence?
(I'll discount falling out rumours and players leaving or asking about moves) but there is a smoking gun.
TS puts in second live appearance in a fortnight, perhaps more appearances that he has made on radio Manchester in 2 years! The latter being without Agar and speaks primarily about him, to give Agar a Blanche cart in all things at the club.
The solo appearance at Huddersfield of TS in a "tracksuit!" on the pitch overseeing the warm up.

Coincidence?
Sims talks about TS taking the clear the air meeting, no mention of RA and TS in partnership.

Conclusion?
To take the heat off Agar.

If something is yellow, lumpy and smells of custard, it's probably custard.

Despite how much we tried to dress it up on here, it seems that the bitter manner in which Wood and Higham left the club is pretty indicative of just how bad things have become behind the scenes.

I know many of us are just speculating now, but is it possible some sort of 'power' struggle has been going on among some players? - We have lost a number of senior players over the last couple of years, which will have created a power vacuum and it wouldn't be unimaginable that there may have been fall outs as players look to exert their own personal influence.

This possible scenario won't have been helped with the introduction of a coach who will have little respect among the players, and a head coach who doesn't seem to want much to do with the everyday, hands-on, running of the side.

In hindsight, perhaps TS would have been wiser to give more responsibility to Briers and even have kept Mick Monas on in a coaching capacity, whilst ignoring the claims of his squash buddy?

Bingo........and imagine if a few other senior players had been made 'surplus to requirements in the near future'.

I imagine, if that would ever happen at a club, that it would cause a certain amount of unrest within the squad.

Having a clearout is hardly a cause for concern. If those players aren't professional to get on with things, shows the club are right to be cutting them.

In all fairness, when agar has achieved nothing in his career and hasn't even taken a team forward let alone achieve anything, and our players are at a top club used to challenging for honours, how are they supposed to instantly respect him and his ways?

If you were in a senior role in your company and say someone 3/4 places below you on the ladder comes from another company and is suddenly 'in charge' so to speak you'd have your reservations and rightly so.

It's like that picture that went round of Steve McNamara in his new coaching role at Sydney roosters instructing and giving advice to sonny bill Williams, everyone was laughing at that and this is the same sort of situation.

yes, but you cant then expect these players to put their all in for you.... and the bad feeling will rub off on a squad with alot of young players in it.

Poor squad management to let it happen to so many players at once.... if they all get moved on and new players brought in for next season then its all good.. let smith go again with a happy squad... its killed this season though.

You may have a point RD but it's not custard it's just something yellow and lumpy and possibly stuck in Smiths craw, whatever it is he's got to get it out, Dita's could be very close with regards to a vacuum being created.

Strangely a rare open hearted comment by Smith after Higham left was you think you know someone, I suppose he meant not always.

Moran should have told Smithy in no uncertain terms where to go when he wanted his buddy at the club.Could be 1 of the biggest mistakes in years at this club giving this loser a job.Mind you come to think of it the 2nd biggest behind the signing of that waste of space Asotasi.

Has he pinched Shaun Wanes breakfast?

Funny made me chuckle my breakfast won't be the same somehow, I think he may have bitten off more than he can chew as things have gone off course, looking back on the last few posts the problem could be that one or two are on their way out and are not as bothered as they should be.

There probably all ed of with roy as it easy earning possibly double than most players at the club for a quarter of the work