Ok. I think there are two things going on. (1) Like you say, a *general* culture of laziness (failure to track play, switching off before tackles are completed etc.). (2) *Specifically* some very poor defenders next to each other in the line being targetted by oppo coaches. Both problems need fixing, the latter by changing personnel.

TBH, coaching against the Broncos looks easy at the moment.

Playing against them looks even easier

Chase and the 2 Cas centres must be rubbing there hands in trg this week.

There are less than 30 top grade coaching jobs in RL, finding a replacement at any time of the season shouldn't be too hard.

By people stopping attending games this will see the club lose money and that will force the club to spend their money on cheaper forms of marketing, which will be even less successful than the current marketing campaigns, will it not?

With regards to players stealing a wage, that may be a little knee-jerk to me. The best way I can describe this is by using Football as an example, sorry to those who dislike the game. Basically, you see players in Football who aren't performing all the time and after a change of management, they seem to improve. It seems to me that this could well be the case with the players, if Powell was to go, I imagine you'll see an improvement from certain players.

Also, stealing a wage seems a bit false. I imagine that Broncos work on one of the smallest playing budget's in Super League and renewing contracts of players you think are failing is probably a more sensible bet than promoting players from the Championship, as those with the club have some form of Super League experience.

Sadly not we are spending to salary cap max as said by the chairman. You would think we are spending on a par with Halifax given the performances todate

Are you shocked at that Moe?

Very shocked. I would have guessed that the club's income would have affected the amount available to spend on the salary cap and because of that, would have thought that the club would have been working on a small playing budget.

I don't believe the 'stealing a wage' language is helpful but it seems clear that a number of players, mainly foreign, are earning salaries way above what other SL clubs (and I imagine NRL too) would offer them. Gower and Randall are presumably the club's highest earners, being captain and longest serving player respectively; Howell's current deal is presumably lucrative - Kaufusi, Dorn, Bailey and Witt won't be far behind.

We are forced into the position of spending over the odds for players because attracting native players is difficult and we have yet to develop a completely productive production line of local youngsters. Agents of the likes of Randall etc must know this and exploit it, as is their job. Unfortunately the club seems happy to let them stack the odds in their favour. I and a number of others would have been happy to have seen the back of Randall and Howell two years ago, and was thoroughly disappointed when in the last couple of years we have seen genuinely good British players (not to mention LMS) leave - mainly because their replacements have been so poor.

Powell is the Head Coach and ultimately must surely be the one who identifies the players he wants to sign and the players he wants to either retain or release from a contract point of view. Last year he was doing so with one hand tied behind his back given the squad he had largely inherited. The first six rounds of the season, appear to show to me at least, that he's made some glaring misjudgements.

With the exception of Witt the foreign players are on paper of a much higher quality than we have had in years. Few on this forum have said anything different a few weeks ago (including me) - and even the RL press and Sky said the same.

We shouldn't let recent results kid ourselves. The players have the ability - they have just stopped trying.

The players signed should be performing better because they're of a better quality than players recruited in previous years.

Gower has Australian test jerseys and won the NRL
Robertson and Rodney won the NRL last year.
Kaufusi has played in a NRL Grand Final, played at a World Cup and been selected to play for Australia.
Witt has played 90 times in the NRL and 46 in Super League.

What I'm trying to get at is these players aren't bad players, you don't win NRL, play for Australia or even play 90 times in the NRL if your a bad player. Everyone will agree that these 5 are better than the likes of Ryan Esders etc who were poor or buggered off back up North six months down the line.

I think its a case of mis-management by Powell, Tawhai etc. Going on what I've read on here, the club will be looking down the barrel of a gun should Cas win on Saturday. The franchising system allows some coaches to stay a bit longer than they should but I can't see the club sticking with Powell too long should people's threats to not turn up come to fruition.

Seems like that to me. It might seem like an odd example but look at what happened at Spurs under Juande Ramos - players were signed at great expense, but the squad never responded to Ramos - and he was a back to back UEFA Cup winner. It took a change of management to turn it around. Many more results like Friday and you can only imagine Hughes's hand will be forced.

I'm sure we can't go on like this, but who will come to London? but our other as worrying problem is the collapse in attendances, what will this week bring?

Even if Randall is not one of our highest earners, it seems to me he is stealing a living.

It will be seen as a good opportunity for some British coaches waiting for their 1st break if they are confident they can cut it. Lets face it - we have some good players - who don't want to play for the current coach (allegedly). If they come here and we start playing as we should be then they will get the credit. Getting an Ozzie at short notice might be a problem.

Brian Noble is the name that comes to mind instantly. Don't know if he'd fancy it though. The only other name I can think of is Justin Morgan but I don't know whether he's still in the country.

I liked Karl Harrison when he was at Batley, but he's now at Halifax and has a business up in Yorkshire, John Kear's at Batley, Terry Matterson went home to Oz I think and I doubt Daryl Powell would move south.

I think the state we are in can be summed up be people such as Paddock Punter commenting about thinking twice about going to away matches. I said that Easter would be the time to judge Powell, however, I have to say given the high degree of ineptitude displayed this season, and appalling result/performance at Salford and his appalling % of wins, Saturday is day of judgement for Powell.

No...because for as long as I can recall, the club haven't spent a brass farthing on any forms of marketing. I will add that if people staying away stops them wasting any more f()(k1n9 money on viral videos, then I hope the trains and busses go on strike this weekend!






I would say the footballers in your example are also stealing a wage. A professional Player of any sport has no right to give anything less than 100%.......otherwise, they are stealing a wage!


Imagine all you like.....David Hughes has said we are spending the cap..........as for "other players", it has been a long time since the London Club bought in a player who has performed better than expected.....almost 5 yearsd IMO. Certain players with names that rhyme with "Bad handle" and "rabid towel" seem to still be at the club through some false sense of loyalty rather than on form.

A coaching name that keeps nagging away at the back of my mind is a certain Dymock, J, who seems to be doing OK in Oz. However I don suppose that (a) we could afford him and (b) he'd be interested.

If only!

Good shout. Although with his Aussie/Tonga gig he might be more comfortable at home.

He's a polarising figure but I wouldn't mind Morgan if he wanted the job - he'd be better than Powell at any rate and at least has previous experience.

I was really pleased with the team that was put together after last season. I still think the individual skills of the players in the team are still higher than most of the London teams in the recent past, though the scientists among you will ask me for some evidence!

The problem seems to be motivation and confidence.

RP, and Brian Mac before him, have never stuck me as great experts in sport psychology. I don't think it is any coincidence that Brian Mac has gone to a team where the captain Kevin Sinfield works outside rugby as a professional motivational speaker and suddenly he is a great coach! Have been dismayed to see before games where RP walks around the outside of the pitch with his hands in his pockets not talking to anyone.

We need somebody who can not only talk up a team in the 2 minutes before a match but also how to talk up an individual to consistently great performances.

I don't know how the players are paid, and what can be done to alter their contracts, but I would like to think something can be done to put basic pay down and win bonuses up!

Also need to make London a special place for the players to be, whether they have special nutritional courses or teach them ballet, the guys should feel that London is the best place for them personally to be as a professional rugby player.

RP please sort it soon, we MAY have a great team.

I'd be happy for us to have Morgan - has experience and seems pretty smart and media savvy judging by his TV appearances

Isn't Morgan back in Aus as a No 2?

Indeed, assistant at Canberra.

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A quick five minute job I know but all it would take the club to do is get a PhotoShop wizard to turn Gower into the style of image that Tevez is in (see below) and get "accessible from Waterloo" and "ticket prices from £10" and get that in the Evening Standard, Twickenham local rag, Twickenham station etc etc.

Change the photo each week or go for other famous poster campaigns, for example the "your country needs you" poster turned to "your city/club needs you"

getting them into the paper's costs money.

Cowgirls should be flyering on Friday evenings before our home games in the town's bars and station and again out and about in Twickenham and Richmond matchday mornings.