One year ago this Friday (31st May 2013) we defeated Leeds at the Kc. The victory was built on an opening 40 minutes which was powerful, pacy and brimming with invention. The win took us into the top four and very much on an upward trajectory. A victory which was our ninth in ten games (including an outstanding win at Warrington). Our only defeat in that ten game run was to a Wigan side who, at that point, were looking the best side in Super League and we more than gave them a run for their money that night.

On the night of the 31st May 2013 we may still have had some work to do before we genuinely started to compete for silverware, but we certainly looked like a club/team who were heading in the right direction at last with the promise of better days to come.

What a difference a year makes. The week after the Leeds game we travelled to France with high hopes only to be soundly beaten in the South of France sun. No matter, we cried, a small temporary setback on our road back to the top. Normal service will be resumed as soon as we return to dear old blighty.

Alas, it was not to be. The defeat in France signalled the start of a year long slow but steady decline which currently shows no sign of stopping. Apart from one or two isolated results (chiefly the Cup Semi-Final) the last 52 weeks have borne witness to a continuing deterioration of results, performance, confidence and belief in the direction of the club.

One year on from victory over the then defending Champions, we find ourselves in a "must win" game against a London side who are Super League status in name only. A team who have been Championship bound from day one of the 2014 season.

Exactly One Year, to the day, after defeating Leeds in a game which seemed to promise that there was so much more to come, we surely cannot fall to the ultimate ignominy of becoming London's first (and quite possibly only) victims of 2014.

Can we?

Wow thanks for that a great summation of the last 52 weeks lets pray that the next 52 show a marked improvement

Yes you can.

Will you? I seriously doubt it, it really isn't that bad yet.

Stand out performers in the Leeds game McDonnel,Crooks, and Pitts.Just look where they are now under Radford.

Injured, injured & not good enough to play prop.

Thanks for your support, I wish I shared your confidence.

In our current state of mind I fear this really has got banana skin written all over it.

Last year capitulated because we targeted, and focused on, the Challenge Cup. Once we'd been beaten, the season was over.
Since then we've binned off the coach who, like the games against Leeds at home, had us playing some of the best rugby we'd seen in years and an ethos in defence that could have been the foundation of a great few years. Whoever's idea it was to focus on the cup (probably a mixture of AP/PG and others) was stupid.

i thought the rugby played last year was boring and that's the one thing Radford had done was make you play more exciting rugby at least that was what was said on here a couple of weeks into the season

It has been boring in recent seasons, we have shown this year some exciting attacking plays, but just nothing consistent. Hence the league position, the biggest defeat as been the Wigan game, & on there performance that night would have beaten most teams in SL. Imo.

I think your halves have been getting a raw deal for one he keeps chopping and changing them and for two your forwards have been poor since you played at our place so if there not laying the platform your halves cant perform or it will be harder for them but nobody seems to blame them its all millers fault or rankins you seem to have certain scapegoats and yeamon seems to be another one this season even when he plays well like against us still gets slagged off westerman was last seasons scapegoat if i remember rightly

There is always going to be scapegoats, like you say, some see players playing well others don't see it, I personally think Rankin is the better out of our young HBs, maybe Miller would develope alongside a player of Burns/Sinfield type, who knows. Don't think our full team have all turned up at 1 game & put in a good shift, instead it's been a certain few, & this is the frustrating thing.

The only thing different he's done is play Westy in a certain role, which we've been found out for and are unable to change.

Nobody can honestly say we've seen a performance this season anywhere close to Wire away, Leeds at home, Cats away in the cup, dare I say it the away derby and even Wigan at home last season. There's probably a few others too.

Those calling for Radford's head now are the same as those calling for Gentle's last year. Quite simply, unless a coach comes in and delivers instant success there's a minority of fans that just want to change instantly.

In our last two games Miller has been in our top 3 performers, but he won't get any credit. He never will. Westerman was the scapegoat in 2011/12. Seem to remember a certain poster sticking up for him too!

This full season millers had 3 try assists & 1clean break, so how & who says he's been in or top 3 of performers? Shauls,Hadley,Feka,Westy,,yeamo,houghton,Ellis were all better against Kr, he was subbed at Leeds as he created nothing & didn't look like it either, but feel free to go on SL website & have a look, my lad can play & kick better then him already & he's not even 14.

Difficult to use stats as your only performance indicator, Scott Moore has 50% more try assists than Luke Walsh & Rangi Chase. Maybe we should get Koucash to give your lad a call?

League position tells you nothing either you will be saying next? Can't you answer the question?

Intresting to see horney is our top assists player with 7. I feel he has to come back in one of the halfback positions as rankin and miller aren't doing enough.

Tbf the try assist stat is not really an accurate 1 to use. You only get awarded a try assist for the final pass of the move, if a player throws a pass to make a break they get nothing.

Just wondered where 1865 is getting the info that Miller is in the top 3 performers from? He hasn't been awarded many Albert Goldthorpe medals either.

Yes we heard it all
Our great defence last year was all to do with Radford.? Gentles gone and taken "Radfords" defence with him?

We're great in attack? Well obviously gentles poor attack has gone now. In fact it's so good......... We have less competitions points than this time last year.

For the record this isn't an attack on Radford, the change in coach was Mr Pearson's call. A call that has taken us backwards.

I think [i'injured'[/i is more appropriate for McDonnel.

What a difference a year makes indeed! That was quite a depressing read. How could it all have gone so wrong when we looked to be making some real progress? Seems to be an age old problem with FC.



Agree with a lot of this to be honest. Our form certainly dipped once we got to the business end of the Challenge Cup. I think it was probably AP that targeted the CC as I recall him making comments in last years pre-season about it but PG probably agreed that it was an achievable goal. Sadly we showed that we weren't good enough to fight on both fronts but I believe we could have got there under PG. We were a good, solid, outfit under PG. Maybe not the most exciting but for the most part a difficult outfit to play against.

I bet those people who were asking to get rid of PG wish they could have him back now...

old saying "you don't know what you've got until its gone"

And could have started developing into something. I agree we were too led by the Mcrae/Howes axis, but once Bomber went that could have been changed

First season possibly so - second season not so IMHO. We won one more game than we lost last year in the league and embarrassed ourselves on the national stage twice. I know we'd take that league record this year right now - however that doesn't mean we were a solid side and difficult to play against last year. Although the league place finish was the same as 2012 we certainly went backwards in performance in 2013.