On the stadium funding - these projects are never simple. The technicalities of it are beyond my understanding and that probably goes for 99% of us on here. This last year has totally screwed the world up, everything is currently late.

The academy situation is worrying, if we lose academy status that’ll be very damaging.

My take on the tone last night - that was realism from MC & JM not defeatism. MC was off his head in the pre-season call when he started talking about too five. His own personal acknowledgement that he’s taken some elements of his role as far as he can were brave in that arena, but like he said without a rich backer with sustainable wealth chucking large money at us we will always struggle unless we have a season with some serious good fortune and get some luck with signings working out.

How many people are there queuing up to take over Trinity, or any other RL club. It’s well known and MC said it last night, “people don’t invest in RL clubs, because, it will never make money, the top six clubs all have a sugar daddy, the bottom six don’t*.

Hull KR with Neil Hudgell bank rolling them......

Ken Davy at Shudds throwing cash around like no tomorrow......both have struggled over the years.......

It's quality of coaching that counts.

Wrong imho, it's both at best but mainly the players.

There was a time when coaches like Peter Fox could turn a team of nobodies into a champion team in a season but that no longer applies, it's fantasy. The way teams are trained and coached is generic now, there will be little or no difference between how say Powell runs Cas than the way Chester runs Trinity. If there is any skill left then it's in spotting the best players you can afford, something Chester did well to start with.

However, even that is finite and these days most of the best players belong to the five clubs who win everything and they do so because the players they have from 1 -17 are simply better and no amount of coaching will change that. If you think it will you are living in some 1970's fantasy land in my opinion.

All we can do is create a 20 man core who can at least challenge in most games, after that we struggle. All teams get injuries but there is no getting away from the fact that we suffer more than most when hit. People bang on about Bowes getting a run but I talk to a lot of people and outside of Trinity nobody has ever heard of him. This is not an Academy international, a certainty like say Daryl Clark was as a 19-year-old, we are talking a different class. Bowes may make it but now is simply not the time. Injuries to key players are killing us and not even Wayne Bennett could do anything about that!

Teams like us and Salford have good periods and bad periods, Salford is having a good one we are having a bad one. Clubs like HKR and Hudds have their moments but never truly threaten, Cas are an anomaly in that they have nearly always been up there despite not being especially wealthy, I put it down to them mainly signing bald players.

One of the interesting comments from Michael was that in the past he has made errors in agreeing signings, based on the noise coming from the fans. He didn't say which players obviously, but clearly felt that he had signed contracts with his heart rather than his head.
Also the one signing that apparently caused the biggest uproar is now the one that we're most desperate to keep -Westerman.

As has been said we, more than most, have to be confident that any signings and the length and value of contract is worth the money. It's not something we can afford to get wrong very often and Michael seemed to indicate that he thought we had done that a few times in recent years.

For me, that is where the JK influence was paramount, that for me is where we miss JK. Tactically I don't think JK was a genius and his methods were probably dated but he couldn't half spot true potential often in the most unlikely places.

Spot and was able to develop it too.

I'm glad he realises he needs to stop listening to fans on stuff like that. Feedback about stadium, by all means. Players.... No.

I remember being a very lone voice at Westerman's first game for us.
We need to keep players like him.
Same as Lyne. Same as BJB. Same to be honest as Grix. Plenty of fan opinion. They turned out to be players we miss or in Lyne's case players who prove people wrong over and over.


Obviously that only stands for everyone else. He should listen to me

It's taken me years but one thing I'm absolutely certain of now is that these forums generate endless loads of crap, some of it my own. I wouldn't mind but time after time they are wrong. Every new signing is crap or a reject or too old, yet somehow we have managed to stay in SL on a Championship budget. If you listened to the 'fan' experts we would have signed virtually none of our best players. The most recent was Eddie Batty, nowhere near SL standard plodder, six weeks later the same experts were demanding we sign him full time. Never learn and never admit they were wrong.

I especially love the 'experts' who probably run an under 11's or once had a trial for Batley claim they know more than the incumbent coach. The coach who has daily contact with all players and staff and was also a top player himself, will someone tell me where this gift can be acquired?

The potential for no booze is the most worrying aspect for me. Imagine having to watch Trinity whilst sober.......

I always have done, I used to smoke like a chimney but never drank. No judgement just doesn't do it for me.

Definitely would benefit on not listening to fans when considering contracts.

Personally I think Westerman has been good for us however I disagree he’s a must keep. He will be 32 before the years out will be looking for for a contract to see out his last few years and I honestly think it’s money we could better use elsewhere. I don’t think we have the luxury of competing for his signature when we have other position priorities to sort. Look at a Kirmond etc. Stayed a few year too late and he wasn’t anywhere near the player he was in his last few years. It’s a risk we don’t need to take just because a player is showing good form for 6/7 games.

Arona is already here next season and is a good standard 13. We already have a 13 for next year. He’s doing a decent job at prop but he’s clearly a 13 and that’s where he should play next season. We were fine without Westy and will be again.

We need to be smart with what little we have.

If we loose Westie and Arona goes to 13, then we are another prop down.

I'm sure last night MC referred to us wanting a hooker and another fullback for next season. I may be putting 2+2 to make 73, but we currently have 2 loan players with us in those positions.

Be interesting to know what players he was referring to. Because a lot of fans were questioning the signings of the likes of Brough and Atkins, not advocating them.

I just watched some of it and I believe he was referring to players he signed long term off the back of the successful 2018 season. That would lead me to believe he’s talking about Ashurst/Tupou/Miller. Though there’s no denying the kirmo, brough, Atkins set us back somewhat.

I was suprised that MC is prioritising a SR signing. Considering that we have Tanginoa and this season signed Pitts till he’s 48 years old. There is Batch and Ashurst out of contract though. I would retain Batch and actually prefer him to Pitts who I’ve yet to see run a good line of break a tackle.

One things for certain that recruitment needs to be heaps better going forward.

Just watched don’t get the doom and gloom on here. Thought it was a good honest informative meeting, Pleased ground news still positive and how important this is to our future, new floodlights starting this week.

Up the Trin

Same here.

Considering the pressure at the moment they both seemed in good humour. I suppose people want those in charge to wave a magic wand which they can't always do.

Thought they both looked tired but Zoom has that effect on people.

To be honest, these meetings are of little use for on-field issues, I mean what exactly can they say.

The off-field stuff is way more interesting and I thought that was all pretty positive if a little vague.

Overall it made me happier than I thought it would to be honest

This for me is the biggest misconception.

We don’t have a reasonable squad that should not competitive.

We have an ageing squad, past its sell by date that badly needs freshening up.

You could have Wayne Bennett as coach but with this set of players they are not going to trouble most sides.

Clearly there is always an anomaly, but within that you need to look deeper.

Salford had Hastings who was by far the best player in the comp along with some real quality in the spine like Lussick and Evalds, interesting to see non of those playing for Salford now...but it isn’t about money.

Trinity when we over achieved had age wise a squad at its peak and a player like Fafita who was the best prop in the league. We also had the likes of Finn who was the perfect foil for Milky with Willians as cover (which thinking back now is ridiculous) and players like Ashurst and Lyne pushing for international selection with Toupu proving to another player who came without much fanfare but over achieved initially.

Our key player now seems to be a wingman and Joe Westerman 31.

Fafita is 31 and had 2 years with injury clouding his career, Ashurst, Topou, Arona, Wood, Pitts, Green are all a similar age bracket.

We’ve upgraded and stayed loyal to players who once proved good value, but now more than likely have inflated salaries in relation to what they bring to the team. We have yet to unearth a few gems that overachieve and that is what is hurting us especially with such a small budget.

To a certain extent I believe we are paying the heavy price of overachieving several years back.

I’ve seen Cas mentioned as a club who seem to do ok despite not having big a huge budget to play with.

That’s probably true of late but again it only takes a few players to over perform. It will be very interesting to see what happens next year with a core of important players need replacing as they move to “bigger clubs” and other key plays notch up another birthday.

The difference with Cas next year Jon will be the coach, you can bat on about players overperforming for them all you want, but they still looked a decent side playing Millington and McShane in the halves, players have come and gone, they have gone through injury crisis similar to us and yet Cas have never looked a poor side whilst Powell has been there in my opinion.

I would agree with that.

They have key players over achieving compared to expectation and also a core of very good youngsters who have done well for them.

Many of those are now attracting interest from others and look likely to go.

Cas will have to do some major rebuilding the likes they have not had to do for a long time and I think it will be interesting to see how they go about it.

Hopefully we survive in SL and we have a similar task in the off-season as players contracts run down.

So basically we carry on doing the same things, the same game plans, the same structures over and over and over even though they don’t work. If you can’t see the problems when they are starring you in the face, you can’t find the solutions.

I think the club needs refreshing from top to bottom coach and players.

I just don’t believe it is solely a coaching issue as some seem to think.

But who`s responsible the squad we have? Who` responsible for deciding which players we have brought in, which players we have retained and which players we have released?

I could of understood if this was a squad he had inherited and been here a year or 2 but he has had chance after chance to refresh the squad, he hasn`t and when he has on a smaller scale he has got it very wrong IMO.

Part of a coaches job is to identify what we need, identify the right players for the club and implementing them into the squad, getting them playing well. It is more than anything a coaching issue IMO.

I understand what your saying but we’ve had opportunities in 3 games to maybe get some wins and for me it’s down to the predictability of our attack which hasn’t changed much in 5 years and is easy to read and been worked out. For me with the squad we’ve got you’ve got to identify the strengths of the team in certain games and play to it, by this I mean if we can batter say Salford or Leigh up the middle then play to the pack, against say a bigger pack kick earlier, spin them round go wide but not from left or from right behind man continuously

As I said earlier I think the relative success of the club a number of years ago has cast a long shadow over this squad.

I think Chester and the board seem to be responsible for recruitment and retentions. When it is so difficult to attract players to a club like Trinity due to finances and facilities I can understand the mentality to retain the players at the time.

Failure to attract a 7 (I still believe Lino was a knee jerk signing after Williams chose to retire) and a 9 have been crucial but also offering some older players contracts of the duration they have is now proving damaging.

It’s a lesson I hope we learn but not the hard way by costing us a place in SL.

Even if recruitment and retention is solely down to Chester giving him the boot still doesn’t mean we get out of this hole.

This is a season long issue no matter who is in charge, with an opportunity to progress only when players contracts run down.

Agree with that.

I do wonder even though they would never admit it if they are targeting games.