The way Powell goes on at Dean makes me feel very uncomfortable for the lad I must admit.

I didn’t think there was anything in the original Dean comments at the time, but bringing it up again this week has changed my mind. There must be more to it. Not very professional to raise it in this way… if there’s an issue with Dean due to a fallout over something then just roll out the same excuse used for Longstaff rather than slating him over one game where the whole team were pants.

Is Powell too “old school” in his ways Re man management? Has the time not passed now with this next generation where the old hairdryer treatment maybe doesn’t work with everyone? Just a thought, but there’s surely got to be some flexibility nowadays in order to get the best out of the individual rather than the “my way or the highway” routine? I guess we’ll know for sure by this time next year….

I keep trying to make excuses in my head as to why we should at least see how he does next season after building a squad that he wants, but we still have world class players that can't all be just having a bad season.

Powell's style of attack is just not effective. Everyone stands in a line and we think that passing across quickly is somehow going to give us space on the wings. The attacking structure MUST change now. And we need an actual kicking game.

I'd have no problems with Powell going now and bringing in Tony Smith. I personally never wanted him or Price to go... and one thing a lot of fans cried about was maybe not being competitive or showing up in the big games, but the thing is, we did... People are forgetting that a 'big game' is a big game for a reason, because it's 2 quality teams. We can't always dominate a game but a lot of the times we were competitive against Wigan and Saints with both coaches.

With Tony Smith, he took over Leeds after Powell and they went from an average league position of 3.5 with 1 Challenge Cup win to Tony Smith with an average position of 2 with 2 Grand Final wins and 1 World Club Challenge. I believe it was Sinfield that said Smith was on another level of coaching.

We also had to deal with the loss of Sandow for 2017 which definitely had an effect on us. And I believe the inept Agar took over coaching that season.

Mike Bassett. Just feels like he is sticking 2 fingers up at the fans. But I have also said along I will give him next season.

Short memory on Price. Do you recall the 3 "big game" home play offs in 2019, 2020 and 2021 against Castleford, Hull and Hull KR?

Didn't we get beat at home 0-19 vs Hull KR only 9 months ago?

There was something odd like this last year when Dean was on loan at York and they moved him on to Dewsbury. Didn't the coach say something like "we didn't agree on how the game should be played".

By allowing Price to stay for the full duration of his contract, we missed out on signing Ian Watson who would have probably signed for us.

Major mistake by the Wire hierarchy in my opinion.

Yes you’re right. I think I posted a link to that story last year. However, someone with inside knowledge (maybe Walter Wizard?) replied assuring us it wasn’t a case of attitude with Dean. So I’m not sure what has riled (if you excuse the pun) Powell.

Yes we also missed out on Holbrook by hanging on with Smith throughout 2017. Saints were in dire form early 2017 under Cunningham (like us) then Holbrook got them to within a golden drop goal point of a Grand Final.

I’m not convinced Holbrook could have done much with the team he would have inherited from Smith. In fact I think Price was the ideal solution to fix the problem we had with that squad. Unfortunately he couldn’t then go on to build a better team and one that had both great defence and a sufficiently clinical attack. Nor did he bring in an on-field leader to provide a bit of psychological backbone.

Watson is a funny one. He’s no doubt a very good coach, but I wonder whether we’d be in an identical situation now if we had him instead of Powell. Watson had a stinker of a first season at Hudds and had a bit of a clear out himself. His saving grace was less pressure and lower expectations at Hudds. I’ll be interested to see how our board reacts to the current situation and whether Powell can turn things around in the off-season like Watson has.

The same year Powell would have a GF win on his cv if hardaker had any brain cells that worked!

Totally agree and said as much at the time, the axe should have fallen on steve price at least 12 months before he finally left but really 2 years sooner would have worked better for me.

With the selection of Minikin for our 1st team, on the back of two very poor reserve games and his freezing out of Dean and Longstaff, I am moving nearer to the "Powell Out" camp.

Longstaff`s reward for a hat trick in last weekend`s Reserve team, is to be despatched to Hull FC, yet Currie and Holmes stay here. If Powell wants Longstaff to play SuperLeague football just give him a game here.

Why do we want to help out Hull FC anyway? I cannot recall them doing us any favours.

You just couldn`t make this up.

The Minikin signing was, I suppose, due to us letting Lineham go. However the youngsters have stepped up. Playing Minikin was a strange decision IF Powell knew before the Reserves game that Williams would not play. If the plan was all along to play Peanut in the halves and leave Dean in the Reserves having recalled him then the decision making is suspect.
It just all seems so desperate at the moment. I think i know how Mad Nad feels. She gazes longingly at Johnson expecting against all the odds that he will come good…

Ey up I once bought a Wire shirt in your club shop, I’ve told this story before, short memories and all that.

This is a really good point. Sir Alex Ferguson was nearly sacked after 2 years of little progress too.

If we bring in another coach at this point, this playing group who've under performed for 7 odd years will win and the complacency culture will continue.

I agree with your sentiments Gaz, but Powell isn`t helping himself currently is he?

Selecting players based on reputation and favouritism is deluded.

Instead of using the young players, who could help him deal with the challenge to his changes by senior players, he is alienating them too.

Longstaff should be playing in our 1st team on merit, after his performance last weekend, not Hull FC`s

I`ll be at the game on Sunday, and if you give me the shirt, I will take it to the club shop and get your money back.

Even the Wire fans won`t wear them currently.

Actually it was a scarf, it was hung in the Spring bank tavern for years amongst other rugby league memrobelia, till my friend Tosh sold his pub.

The lady in the Wire clubhouse questioned if I wanted to burn the scarf

I was in my sixties then, so l told her it was to deter bricks coming through the coach window as we went home, good idea she said lol.

I totally agree with all of this. Powell has been far from perfect and I think even he would admit, stubborn as he is, that he would do things differently.

But I'm still backing him to eventually turn things around, even if we face some twitchy moments. Given all the changes and nature of this upheaval, I don't see things settling down until mid next season at the earliest where we'll hopefully see some signs of his attacking authodoxy.

We have to stick with him now given the radical changes that have already been made - the horse has already bolted - hopefully to a better stable where we can shut that door!

You seem to forget with your zeal of supporting Powell, waiting until the middle of next season for your horses to be in a better stable....the club had little income for the two previous years and this year will also be a financial disaster. Just so that we can see if yesterday's coach can do it now and in the future.
Not only that many fans want to support a winning club now, we want something to take us out of the gloom and despondency of a rising prices and political turmoil.
Instead we are witnessing a coach who doesn't seem to get a decent game out of his players on a regular basis. Its not enough for me, the risks are too high and the reward uncertain. And I think a lot of others are beginning to think the same, possibly the directors too?

It will be interesting to see how many are on the terraces next season.

Whilst I understand the sentiment I don't think the financial argument holds much water. Our owners are very high net worth individuals with collective assets of hundreds of millions of pounds. Warrington Wolves is their train set.

Another argument is that every day we stay with Powell is a day longer we are away from the goal, but that loses impact when you realise we have been treading water for 6-7 years.

Oh come on.