Gaz Ellis returning as defence coach?

Easy for me to say now in hindsight and fans want to see ‘players giving everything’ but I honestly cringed when I saw those comments before the game. Exactly the wrong message for these players. I honestly think they always try their best but seem to fall apart under any pressure and expectation. When a games already lost they seem to often play better like they have nothing to fear.

Sadly I think we’ll now go on a Bradford style collapse as a club if not go down this season 100% next. At least their supporters saw them win everything before it went off a cliff. Grade A clubs are supposed to be exempt from relegation this season, but we only got a provisional grade A so I think they’ll just revoke that for the official grading and to be honest it would be deserved. We had from April to the Aug transfer deadline with quota places and cap space to improve, we decided as a club not to do that and I fear the league will make an example of us for making a mockery of the competition.

You were saying...

To be fair, the forwards largely did their job of getting us to their line and we played most of the game with one half back.

Not excuses, just the fact of the matter.

Funny you should mention Aydin. Was talking to his sponsor on Wednesday and he was saying how Aydin came out top in the fitness tests they did recently. As you say, he's had a proper pre season under a quality S@C team

Our fanbase and facilities will still save us, and the performance is an average of 3 years so an average finish of 9th10th12th doesn't actually change the score much from the current 8th9th10th and don't forget a team like Toulouse will be scoring something like 12th14th14th.

The problem is how depressing will it get being propped up on off the field scores and the bigger worry is the game will do one of it's usual u-turns and promotion and relegation will be back.

It's clear from watching the team play that Aydin is the fittest there. He can play 80mins and his intensity barely drops.

I think the sad thing for me is I was at a BBQ with a load of fans who’ve gone home and away for years, and now barely even watched the game on tv or cared about the result.

Yeh I'm surrounded by them as you say so sad. But who can blame them or any of us last night a few of us sat in the pub and started talking about our FC watching history we talked how much we have spent in 50 or sixty years of shirts and merch, passes (often for husband wife and kids) away travel, cup finals, semi's etc, trips to France, etc and we thought that we'd probably spent upwards of £40,000 on the club to end up like this. The Bradford analogy mentioned above is a good one.

The fanbase is gone. Next season will be no bigger than that of Salford or Huddersfield.

Don't talk soft

According to a recent article our average attendance is 11,374, we'd have to lose almost 4k fans to miss IMG's target if 7.5k as annoyed as we are I don't see that happening. Can easily happen over a few years tho and once fans have broken the habit they are hard to get back.

IMG go off actual figures don't they not announced figures. Will be interesting to know what our crowds have actually been recently as the stadium has looked far emptier than figures suggest

Don’t we have just shy of 8K ST holders? The people I’ve spoke to I’d be amazed if 50% renew next year. That will take one hell of a walk up to reach the IMG threshold.

Even if we had a 50% drop off it would still be bigger than those 2 clubs

It wint drop by 50%, 20% at most, fools like me will be taken in by a couple of NRL signings who have good YouTube highlights.

But he didnt have to move Charles to full back.
Simply move Briscoe to full back when Walker went off insted of all the positional changes
Chamberlain is supposed to be a centre or as we now know a bang average jack of all trades but master of none

Grix does seem tactically inept at times. Makes some strange decisions

That’s exactly what he should have done. But he didn’t, and we had one half back. That was my point.

Jury’s out for Chamberlain. As a straight swap for Scott, it makes sense. He made a good try saving tackle yesterday, but aside that that he’s been very steady. Willing to give him time under Cartwright and as part of a newer squad.

Chamberlain is a centre, not played there once since he came back.

Should have played there yesterday with Lane in the backrow and Smith at hooker.

Briscoe isn't a centre either.

Really, really strange selections yesterday.

They have said they will review crowds submitted to the safety officer so actual people in the ground, but we won't be the only club with pass holders not turning up, sponsors not using their boxes etc.

There won't be many clubs with the numbers we have.

If we get a hammering next week there won't be many there at all against cas

INOUT


Irrespective of the Wigan result I won't be making the 70 mile round trip again this season for home games.
Yesterday finally destroyed what little faith I had left this season.

Has to be a knee jerk reaction from the club next week
Lets hope its not another average Joe who Ritchie Rich thinks will enhance the team
Running out of wedding guests to choose from

Rumour is it's Ben fogle