Having listened to the match on-line from a hotel room in Shanghai made me think logically & practically (as opposed to post-match emotionally) about our current situation

In any walk of life situation if an individual has confidence issues you provide that individual with support; be it a work issue, be it your children or maybe a family issue. Support is first & foremost priority

In the same walk of life however if an indivual simply is not performing (eg : the guy in the office refuses to do his job, the child refuses to do their homework, etc) then reasoning (as in showing the error of their ways and the impact to others) applies. Bollocking does not work in these situations (it can help, but certainly does not work)

It is well known that one person's emotions (in our case confidence) rub off on other people (be it other players or ourselves as fans)

Reverse the situation : that is ourselves as fans (as well as the coaching staff of course) provide the support to help re-build confidence and performances will change

As fans, by "bollocking" the players with boo's and jibes and other similar emotions will not help the player

Like many other fans it is very difficult to accept what is happening at present and no matter how hard it is I do keep a lid on my emotions in this sense as this achieves nothing

I know many fans will disagree saying I'm talking rubbish, but think about it for a while

This is our Club don't forget

COME ON THE WIRE .... !!

You're philosophy is dead right. Unfortunately its easier to scream, shout and criticise for some.

i agree i actually have this awful feeling that it is the fans that are killing this club not the players and nothing is going to change to the point when the only players willing to even come and play for us are the downright mercenaries with no interest in the club itself

if you were a player would you want to come here with the fans acting the way they do?

No, the players only have to look back to last weekend...They played with commitment and enthusiasm and still lost.

The fans stayed at the end and still applauded and cheered them.

Thats all the fans are asking, but then this weekend they played with no desire to win, no enthusiasm and no commitment...what do they expect us to do appluad that kind of performance.

How many threads are there saying things along the lines of ' drop the lot of them and play the reserves - at least they show heart and pride'? Yet what happens when those youngsters come through and play? Penny, Riley - will never be good enough according to our supporters.

The reserves have got a good team spirit and play with pride and passion. I wouldn't want to break that by forcing them all to play in front of our crowd when they're not ready! Unfortunately there is no quick fix for us.

One of the biggest differences for me watching both teams yesterday (The Reserves and then the first team) is how much the reserves play for each other.

The reserves congratulate each other, they shake hands with each other, they pat each other on the back or give each other a little rub of the head.

The first team did not do this.....makes me wonder.

could`nt make it up could you...so its our fault we concede more than 35 points a game...nowt to do with that rabble that go onto the field...i must av it wrong

match 1 v Saints : confident start, lacked in fitness (Lowes admitted) : end result defeat : low confidence

match 2 v Catalans : low confidence going into match continued, decent second half : end result defeat : lower confidence

match 3 v Wakefield : low confidence going into match, blitzed by Wakefield in first half, very decent in spells in 2nd half : end result big defeat : confidence rock bottom

match 4 v Leeds : confident display (after first 10 mins) and a game that Leeds were eventually very lucky to have won : end result defeat and confidence shook again

match 5 v Quinns : low confidence going into match, etc

I think the confidence issue (as in reasoning) speaks for itself., the Leeds match was a confidence-killer for Warrington (viz the narrow manner of defeat) just as our Saints matches are and traditionally post Saints games we hit a low point

dont forget the last 6 games from last season

I disagree. Confidence should have been restored after the Leeds game. The players should have known they threw that game away in the first five minutes, and then won the contest for the remaining 75, against the current champions.

how about just sack some of em

that was last season, why do people keep dragging it up. last season is over/dead and buried, lets judge on this season and with saying that to date we are crap, but will still be their next week

come on u wire

Why should we ignore last year? We have now lost the last 10 competitive games we have played, which is the worst in the history of the club. There is no benefit in burying our head in the sand.

heres a record for u hicks 1st game not scored any points. now thats bad

no i agree mate the results are completely the fault of the coach and playing staff but how about this supposed attitude problem existing in the ranks is not helped by the attitude of the fans?

i just think that it can't help the mood within the squad when they are getting booed all the time i can quite easily imagine some of them thinking something along the lines of "well **** it then i'm just gonna turn up and get my paycheck and nothing else"

I've never heard such a load of in all my life. To suggest that a proffessional sportsmans ego is that fragile that it can be shattered by the fans reacting badly when they continually play with no passion. Bollocks. Sooo it's the fans fault we're crap. Tell you what, let's all stay away from the games & see if they improve.

Did Leeds play that way against us because they got hammered by Manley - no they went 12-0 up in the first couple of minutes. Any team with a squad with half a backbone will bounce back.

This isn't kiddy amateur stuff where winning isn't a word that's allowed to be spoken. Wolves are a business same as any other & these people are trained proffessionals paid to get results.

There's much wrong with Warrington that's stopping experienced proffessionals playing to their potential. That's something that Smith can do. It'll take about another month IMO as in effect they are re-doing their pre-season to play they way he will want them to.

There's also the team spirit problem. All the players that Skents talks to come out with the party line "Confidence is high, we have let the coach down". Well if confidence is so high amongst the players then why the hell did you fork out for motivational coaches the week before the Leeds game Mr Gatcliffe ?

They need to stop the out of hours nonesence. Let's not sweep it under the carpet & pretend it doesn't exist. It's been talked about on Sky, and by the BBC so it should be fair conversation here. It's singularly the biggest problem we have. The impact on personal performance & drives a wedge between them & those who are dedicated athletes.

and booing the players every game helps this or hinders this?

if you are a current or former professional sportsman steve then i will honestly hold my hands up and accept what you say (not a dig btw) about it not affecting them but otherwise i stand by what i say

we constantly complain that the team does't have pride in the shirt and doesn't play for the club but for me the biggest representation of the "club" is the fans and if all the fans ever do is get on their back why would they bother doing anything but play for themselves and their paycheck?

they need to enjoy their rugby and if i was on a pitch being booed by the people supposedly supporting me i wouldn't enjoy it

I think the answer lies here -

Points conceded

Catalans - 40
Wakefield - 48
Harlequins- 60

Compare that to

Saints - 26
Leeds - 20

There were few complaints after the latter games because at least there was some effort. To concede 148 points against Catalans, Wakefield and Quins is appalling, and it's no wonder people are booing.

thats what im saying its a vicious circle... they play badly we boo, they get downhearted and play worse, we boo more

see how the team go for the rest of the season,then allow the changes that need to be made be made.
tony smith knows who needs to go and what type of player needs to come in,we are fortunate enough to have the financial backing to do this.
it has not been good enough and desperately needs to improve but for now we have to support the players even though we don't feel like it,you follow the team through thick and thin,but the club should be aware that fans are falling away because they have had enough of embarrassing defeats like yesterdays.
we have finally got a good coach and he needs to be given this season to sort this bunch out,i really hope he can.
come on wire.

We're talking about professional sportsmen here. Do you honestly think the likes of Briers, Gleeson, King, Monaghan etc get downhearted and play worse if the fans boo?

They need to understand why the fans are unhappy - then do something about it.

yes mate i do

and can i just pull you up on something...we are in the middle of lambasting the players for not being professional on one front but then expecting them to act professionally when we lambast them for not being professional!

do you think it is a good environment for winning trophies when all the players hate the fans?

That's one thing I am struggling to get my head around. How does he do his mini pre-season when he is preparing for a game every week?

Ok on the first point. Don't give people reason to boo & they won't. Simple.




There's small changes already in place. Lowes stated many times he beleived a team should have an 80 minute hooker. He also went for bulk, 5 drives & a kick. All Smiths teams are based on ball playing forwards & quick play the ball.

Smith will use an interchange, plus in training they will do more work on getting the ball played faster, hitting the collision & almost dropping to knees & elbows.

ever heard of a saying same crap different season......