It's ok apparently SO'C doesn't own the club and is just running it for the council

tl:dr cliffs?

Couldn't agree more Pepe.

Since we got the nod for SL six weeks ago we have had absolutely zero momentum in fact we seem to be going backwards culminating in today's announcement.

The immediate aftermath of the RFL decision should have been an ideal opportunity to build for next year but we got off on the wrong foot with the huge build up to SOC's announcement which turned out to be the interesting but thoroughly underwhelming Stronghold launch.

Since then - no major signings announced for 2012 (though we did manage to get rid of crowd favourite Anthony Thackeray for 2011) and now we raise people's hopes by calling a press conference to unveil the 'new' coach only to reveal that it's "as you were" with Denis Betts and his unimpressive CV.

The time for blind faith has gone. We're not a members club any more, nor do fans have the chance to be shareholders in the Limited Company so the only way they can register their disapproval is by voting with their feet.

I can see how some of the longer words might have presented something of a challenge for you.

Sorry about that.

There's 9 months to go, I don't see how anyone can draw any conclusions about anything at this stage, including Betts' ability as a coach.

I think your optimism is admirable but I am afraid I cannot share it. I'm not entirely sure of Betts' ability, but I do think for our first season we do need someone with experience who inspires a lot of confidence. Instead, we've gone out on a limb and chosen someone with something to prove.

This is going to put people off signing on for our scheme, may put players off signing for us, and will in all certainty be a massive gamble we didn't need to take. So whilst it is wrong to write Betts off as a coach, it is right to question the decision to keep him on at this stage, it's for that reason in particular I'm disappointed.

Agreed.

Of course there's a chance DB will come through but he's been poor for us so far and there's nothing in his CV that suggests he will turn that round -

Stumbled into Wigan job by default when Mike Greg took ill - failed and got sacked after 18 months.

Spent several years fannying around as one of the legion of assistant coaches in RU.

From what the club have said it sounds like he talks a good game. But so did Bernard Long.

SWEET BABY JESUS!

Are you for fudging real? You know what I kind of hope SO'C thinks sod this shot I won't bother anymore and leaves so you can enjoy not having a club.

If you wan't to vote with your feet spangles off and go watch Wire!

Some people have bloody short memories that's for sure!

Don't worry about him he's a non-apologetic benefits scrounging Fax fan.

When will it be time for him to go back in?

Think it's safe now...

im off to TIW to laugh at them all

well it took me all of 3 minutes to be scared away by all the bulle floating around on TIW.
in response to the OP, i dont believe there is a conundrum. Either we are Widnes till we die! or we are not really widnes at all. the vast majority of my memories of widnes have involved relative mediocrity in the second tier, and back in the days before the new stadium, and when the stadium was being built many a sound thrashing. ive had a season ticket every one of those years and every year since. I have never stopped turning up and cheering on my team because i am and always will be WIDNES TILL I DIE! one perhaps dubious coaching appointment does not change that. and IMHO any so called fan who seriously considers walking away as a result of this, was never really a serious fan to begin with.
get a grip, remember just how bad it once was and give thanks for what we have today.

Unfortunately that's the business the club is in. The entertainment industry. That's the whole point of the Stronghold Membership. If you don't like what you are seeing then you can walk away.
How people can disregard what happens this season when thinking about next season is a little hard for me to understand.

I'm looking at the full picture and I have seen one of the better performances this club has put on for a while up at Fev. The two decent spells against Leigh. Then balanced against this is the absolute crap they served out in the other spells against Leigh, Bately and Barrow.

SOC has been saying how we are going into SL to be competitive. For me we need a very very good coach for this to happen. The most important appointment we will make. Instead we gamble.

but then again, he who dares may just win

True. But the poster was implying 'vote with your feet' just because you don't agree with choice of the board which on the face of it is absurd.

People wanted SL to return... They got it! Yet now done seem to want an instant return to 1989 to come back!

Fans are grateful for what Ste O'Connor has done here but
I think the fear J20 is that it took Widnes a long time to make it to SL in 2001 and when finally there we ballsed it up and ended up in the lower leagues for another long spell.We don't want to end up back down here again in 2015 because if we do then as someone else said,next time will be permanent.Three years isn't all that long to make an impact and handing the coaching role to a novice is not a great start on the long road ahead.In my opinion of course.

I think what he is saying is that the only way the fans have of letting the board know that they are unhappy is by staying away and unfortunately this is does seem to be the case.
Ultimately it is what led to the club's decision to switch back to playing games on a Sunday afternoon when the Friday and Saturday night games were piloted.
I don't think he is advocating people avoiding going to the games just that this is going to be the likely result of us not performing well.

Hopefully Betts will take us on an unbeaten run now to the GF, build a squad exciting enough to drum up an extra 4,000 stronghold members and we finish in the play-off positions next year.

I wasn't going against the 'voting with feet' when things not going well just not for this call! Come on we won last three home games scoring at pretty much 50 points a game let's keep moving on up

Well said vikingman.

I have joined the strong hold and will never close my account, as i love my club win or lose.I love to win like any other fan and i am sure Betts hates losing, so lets get behind him.If people decide not to sign all that means is less money for players, and that could mean the difference between coming 8th or 12th in the league.The attack is the 3rd best in the Championship and if can work on defence we will be fine.Nobody knows players attitudes at the club, and if you think about it he has a no nonsense approach and got rid of 4 players.

Dennis Betts is now a mothertrucking beast! and as our coach for the forseeable future, can now do no wrong, if anyone questions him henceforth they are commiting heresy and will be burned upon a pyre of warrington jerseys.
dare to dream.
that is all.

I dreamed a dream and 3 years went By,
We won nothing but a pucker pie,
We were there to support our Betts,
In hindsight we were stupid gets,
He stands pitch side looking all bemused,
Why O'conner ?. he could have refused,
How we ended up bottom of the league
Our players always look so fatigued.
We were outclassed and outcoached.
Noble or anderson we could have poached,
Instead us Vikings Maruaded on
Bottom of Super League singing this stupid song!!!









( just having a little fun before personal insults start coming, my teams fighting relegation so retaliation is inbound i am sure ).

If the club anounced the signing of an English based player now they would be in breach of the RFL rules and liable to be heavely fined.

The club however can anounce the signing of Australian and New Zealand based players as you can approach them earlier as they have a different date for when you can approach players.

And before anybody says anything about James Graham signing for the Aussies all he has done is signed a pre-contract deal and not signed an actual playing contract.