Really agree with everything here. It certainly isn't obvious what our structures are supposed to be. I'm just hoping that it is down to squad changes because I'll be suing Powell for making me look a right plonker on here if it isn't!

You might as well start instructing your solicitors now

Actually put a post up on another thread a couple of weeks and it was basically this.

Unless the beginning of next season is a complete disaster then Powell isn't going anywhere.

It's no coincidence that the new signings brought in for next season have all got 2 year deals - next year is Powell's team being given time to bed in. I'd expect play off qualification to be expected, but for no great pressure on them to deliver any prizes. As long as genuine improvement is shown, then Powell will still be here at the end of 2023 and into 2024, where success will be a minimum and will be where Powell will be ultimately judged.

Made me chuckle.

You may be right but I don't get this "bed in" stuff. I've also never know a coach get such a free ride for 2 seasons.

Lohan Smith didn't need a bed in period and I bet Leeds win a GF again before us.

This complete rebuild stuff is just smoke and mirrors. Powell is a snake oil salesman and if he’s here for 3 seasons then god help this rugby club.

Maybe a 70 point kicking by Salford could hopefully see an early demise but I’m just hoping.

One thing for sure is that if anyone buys a season ticket for this shower next season they have no grounds for complaint because everyone can see it coming a mile away.

If we were making progress we would see green shoots by now but there are absolutely none. I fear he doesn't know how to fix it.

12 games. Whoever is coach a team with so many new faces you would expect and allow for the players to gel. I wouldn't expect to much in the early rounds bur they should be getting it together by the mid point of the season.

12? You’re a glutton for punishment Gary

I just don't know what Powell can do in the off season that he hasn't been able to do in the last few months - even the new players who should be busting a gut for their new employers look staid and disinterested.

We won the first three in 2022. If we win the first three in 2023 does that mean we've turned the corner and he's off the hopk? Not unless we've played Wigan, Saints and Catalans.

The saving grace is the new pack will outweigh anyone, and should steamroll most. That’s not a given for success, but it absolutely must guarantee top 4. Before anyone jumps on the entitlement bandwagon, it’s what they’re paid for

I would agree with most of what has been said. 6 games should be enough to at least see where we are. There are a few things that I'd personally be quite strict on for those 6 games:
- Having the dominant forward pack every game
- Average of 24 points scored, or better (equal to Smith and Price)
- Average of 20 points conceded, or better (equal to Smith and Price)
- No losses unless it's to a recognised Top 4 team, but must be a competitive performance
- No losses from winning positions of 12+
- Being outplayed when we have an extra man (this one annoys the hell out of me, how are we worse whenever we are a man up?)
- Mata'utia pass to his winger (optional, as may be far fetched)

Emporer's new clothes

He needs to go, now, and take everything he brought from Cas with him and never come back.

Ratch at 6 and Matautia at 3 will be the death of Powell

I have a theory (based purely on wishful thinking) that the Club brought Powell in as a stalking horse. Get him to clean out the squad, act as a lightning rod for all the dissatisfaction and sack him off in the close season.

I wasn’t keen on Matautia when his signing was announced, now his little skip fills me with a murderous rage.

That would be on my Christmas wish list, but we didn’t always get what we wished for

The new boxing day rumour?

That'll be Paul Sculthorpe spotted in Tesco's, with a coaching manual or two under his arm.

10 games, but we'll be kicking ass next year so he'll be safe

I think I'll slit my wrists after reading this lot!
A tough read.

Dont know where to start.

Recruiting players that had long term injuries was questionable and I wasn't over convinced by Holmes and Ma'atutia although the latter for me has been decent (albeit he seems to rely more and more on his strength as opposed to a more classic centre who can beat the opposition with footwork and at least passes to his wing).
I think he looks better at 6 than Ratch.

So when we started losing, confidence lowered. Maybe the players didn't buy into the style of play or weren't able to put in to practice what was requested. Clearly Powells relationship with some of the senior players got worse through the season and Im sure that made things worse.

This all created the biggest issue for me - a lack of mental toughness.
We won the first few games but didnt play well in any of them.

Price couldn't come up with countermeasures for our frailties in previous seasons and came out with the same mantra week after week. (And I really hated how we played under him - with a couple of exceptions).
Powell is in danger of doing the same (some will say he's there already).
This year has gone worse than anyone could have imagjned.

The board have backed him to the hilt this year and for next.
Again though I have real concerns about our recruitment. IMO we didn't need 4 new pack members, and Ratch at 6 is wrong. Arguably we're light on centres but I can see Currie filling in if necessary (and at a push Holmes).

Powell has probably got 2 games at most to 'bed the team in' and at least show the board/fans some structure/organization/heart, and then another 4 before his fate is decided.
In ALL of those games I want to see mental toughness and a real togetherness above all else. (And I dont really mean the back slapping when things go right/wrong - I find that really irritating. Anyone can do that)

Given how he has been backed, the board will want progression to and in the play offs plus a decent cup run.
IMO they wont judge before the first 6 games aee over.

Which players did they recruit with long term injury problems?

The one thing our Board has shown is they lack trigger fingers when it comes to sacking coaches. They tend to keep them too long.

We were treading water for the last 2 years under Cullen, TS and Price and in all three cases it didn't feel like they were pushed out the door, they seemed to be kept on until they recognised themselves it was time to part ways.

So these performance targets and expectations that people are setting out in this thread are probably irrelevant, and even if we are rubbish for the first half of next season he will still have the Board's backing.

Agree with this. It’s not clear what performance indicator’s the board or executive are gauging success on, or how they have conducted the recruitment of coaches. From Smith, we opted for the ultra defensive, but up and coming and then followed that period (which was relatively unsuccessful, granted) with an old head allegedly to bring attacking style and to get the best out of players.

Not sacking Price I can get, the amount of times he papered over cracks was unbelievable, particularly against Saints. There was a threat that he could get the job done in a big game. But when he left, we abandoned the style completely.

The club as a whole lack direction and identity.

It is very baffling that a board of directors would bring in a hatchet man to prune a team so thoroughly with the outcome that results & performances have become so shambolic. People with money invested & hoping to attract customers are giving the impression of wanting to commit financial suicide.
Non compliant players could easily have been weeded out at contract renewal time without alienating the fans & turning the playing squads confidence to ground level.