Well said.

Hopefully next year, we will see wiser recruitment which will give us a 'good' squad for next year.

Unfortunately I'd imagine we'll need to replace Watson next season with someone else and therefore have wasted him while he was at the club by not giving him anyone else to play with.

Yes we had Moran last season but he was either injured or played at full back so Watson was doing all the donkey work again.

This season despite it being obvious that we needed a good experienced half back as a priority we signed nobody. It took us half the season to try and address it and the guy we've "signed" may not even make it here.

It's like I say, you are used to watching mediocre players. So you are happy with this current team and the cost of watching them and the set up that is going to lead us forward??

You obviously would be just as happy watching Leigh Miners. Some supporters want to see progress. I really can't envisage progress with this current setup at Leigh. They must obviously try hard, but they aren't good enough.

Myself as a supporter, I want to see exciting times again. I really can't see anything exciting at Leigh in the future other than watching the grass grow, with the current set up.

I liken it to a person who has been in the same safe job for the last 20 odd years. It's safe but it isn't going anywhere. It's boring boring boring. We are no farther forward than when Darren Shaw was in charge. In fact with Rowley, we are going to take a step or two backwards.

I made that point in another thread regarding Watson. If we were going to plan for the future, it would of been sensible to use two halfbacks that would still be together next year as they, hopefully, would of formed a good partnership. I do hope we can get Joey over and convince him to play next year as I think he will be devastating in this league.

I'm old enough to remember Woods, Drummond et al so I have seen better times at Leigh and nowhere have I said that I'm "happy" with the team in fact I agree it's very average.

What would you do to change things? We tried an experienced coach in Neil Kelly but things didn't seem to pan out. We've played a little better under Rowley but surely he needs the off season to try and put a squad together now.

Kevster... how on earth can you say that Ned was given a chance. He has been sold down the river by the Rowleys. Ned is an experienced coach who has been there and done it, but he is shoved upstairs in favour of "That's My Boy" who has done nothing as a coach and he was never liked by players on the same team as him. That's a fact.

I am just saying that I would love to see exciting rugby back at Leigh. Rugby most of us are used to, but unfortunately since the end of Turley, Streety etc.... we haven't seen.

As stated I just wished that we had a leader with vision to take this great club forward. AT and the Rowleys are definitely not the leaders for this club. I haven't a clue who is, but I just wish there was someone out there who would take this club by the scruff of the neck and give it the shake up it needs. It really annoys me, when I think that a lot of people on here think that Watson is the best thing since sliced bread. He is at best a mediocre player and always has been. That isn't a slight against him, I am just stating a fact.

We are a safe club but we are boring and heading for Championship 1 with the current set up.

Ian Watson is a quality player, his kicks 'along the ground' usually go dead, BUT without him, unless we signed Sean Long, we'd be heading for the '3rd division;.

Budgie - if he is quality in a team then it is a very poor team indeed. You have just confirmed how bad this current Leigh team is.

There is one thing that Watson does fantastic. Every time he kicks the ball, he finds the opposing full back every time - that really takes some doing but he makes it look easy. ????

You are another one suffering from the Emperors New Clothes epidemic. It's worse than swine flu.

He is absolutely crap as are most of this current team.

Isn't that a bit of a contradiction?

Nothing whatsoever against Ned but he plays safe rugby, some may call it boring, but flambouyant it would never be.

None of us are happy, but rather than being content with the current situation I'd prefer to think I was realistic given what we have.

What more would you expect given current finances? Only a proper moneybags is going to throw £'000s into the club with next to zero chance of getting into SL so thats not an option.

What would be your solution?

Thanks for that



Useful and constructive.... well done

couldnt agree more although you will have your wotsits ripped off on here saying anything against the mighty watto!!! haha
Was at the reserve game tonight and 2 interseting things families of certain players telling me that it is intimidating for other playmakers in the team when playing alongside watto because they feel he has to call all the shots!!!
And it was very interesting to see a team without watto in trying moves and everyone calling the plays and shots instead of one man...we are very predictable and easy to defend against as qoute from a fax fan after 60 mins.."does everything after go thro your 7 it makes you easy to defend against" and he had only watched 60 mins of us all season????

correct me if i`m wrong but this is a forum....we arnt getting paid to coach the team or buy the players so we dont have to be constructive??? isnt that the coaches job??????
again we are just the mug punters who are paying every week and are supposed to remain silent!!!???

wait for it this will be good.

How many more creative playmakers do we have in the first team?

Maybe everything has to go through Watto because the 'others' aren't good enough. They've all been tried but obviously aren't good enough. Yes, we should try to vary our play more as it is [ivery[/i predictable but what are you supposed to do? The club has tried to resolve the problem but as well all know it isn't going to plan.

There are reasons for the team that we have at the present time and it's some of the clubs ( previous boards should be taken into account ) fault. Some of it is not. Some people on here know what goes on at the club, most dont. To come on here and blame AT, AR and PR is a bit mad. I have my reservations about PR's appointment and I think it is wrong. I also think that Watto is not as good as some people on here think but he walks out in a Leigh shirt and tries. If he is the best or the worst, he goes out and tries and when I go and sit in the middle of the west stand on a sunday thats what I want to see. A team of trier's. Untill we get a major sponsor ( sugar daddy) to fund us we are stuck with what we have. The public face of our club is one stumbling block that this board has not taken seriously and in todays media driven society we will be looked upon as second class untill someone (with a bit of knowledge and vision in the media) takes the reins. The common denominator ( if thats how it is spelled) for all our troubles is money not AT or AR.I'm sure if someone were to give them a load they would become heros again.

to prove himself ? yes

Time will tell

Or could it just maybe be possible in the mere slightest chance ....that he isnt good enough???
and they have all tried with him in the team???

Light blue touch paper and stand well back...............

So what do you suggest PR does? Drop our best performer from the past 2/3 weeks then our problems will resolved. Just say Watson didn't play, who would play there Durbin - he's been totally ineffective since he stopped running at defences.

am just saying that some of this thread is correct he isnt all that ...in a garbage team he is but....
anyway like you said he hasnt got much competition so he doesnt have to be outstanding to look good....and like have said previous its not my problem to sort out ...over to you AT AR PR SK etc etc ......

Isnt this the team that Neil Kelly put together? His biggest mistake was spending the majority of his budget on a winger/centre/fullback when it was obvious you were lacking in the main areas on the pitch.

As for Watto he was clearly your best player against us, and that unfortunatley speaks volumes for the quality of your team.

Have faith in Neil Kelly.

So you're going to have a whinge, like we all can do - no offence intended, but do not have any answers to the problem or are willing to suggest any that does not involve bankrupting the club or finding a rich (and daft) benefactor.

It's not very constructive is it?

If even half the people in this town who pi55 and moan about the club committed to going for just one season, we'd be getting 5000 every week and be able afford the best team in the Championship by a country mile.

Thats where the biggest problem is.

have had season tickets for the last 30 years even when i was living in germany in the forces ...so i think i have done my bit ...but thanks for the advice...
Have said again on here we are the one of the worst marketed and commercial run sides in rugby and have been for all my time watching..maybe spending money on that side first might pay dividends...i dont know...but what am saying is this is a forum just like man utd forums cricket forums its for the fans its used by the fan.....all of which wish they had the money to do something about it...but we havnt and all we have is passion sometimes misdirected but always because we hurt when our team is not what we expect....

so again we can have ideas but not the money to follow thro`

BUT without us passionate fans even if theres only 1000 the club needs us whinges and moans as well!!

so again over to the runners of the club...

As always you never fail to come up with the obvious, to you that is.

I would guess several players at Fax are on as much as Donlan, unfortunately at Leigh we did not have the luxury of having the money available to spend on other players that we all know we need.

Re have faith,thats my problem where Leigh are concerned I tend to have blind faith in most,even though I know I'm completely deluded.

Good to see you are consistent in not having a go at the lad personally!!




We can all see that what this club really needs is a 'keyboard warrior', hiding behind a [i'nom de plume'[/i stating the bleedin' obvious (i.e. that we are not currently a very good team - in comparison to good teams of the past!!) - and finding folk to blame........without offering any credible alternative!!