Re: Poor : Mon May 16, 2016 12:15 pm  

After reading the last 3 pages, some are right, others not so right. M H O (for what it's worth), and this was commented at the start of the season.
Second season conundrum, other coaches had not seen R M style before, and w e took some by surprise. Now. Coaches may have worked his strategy out and can nullify his game plan.
True it does not help being a tinkerman, and we need a settled core of players that can be augmented with class. I do not get to see games live, so cannot offer an opinion on who should play when and where, better people than me have offered their two penny worth on that score. There is obviously something wrong as many people say the better players are bench warming, are they sulking? Do they not agree to the coaches plans? Does the coach hold a grudge if someone disagrees with him? Somebody may know the answers to these and many other questions, however it does not help players confidence when they read or hear negativity from the stands, and yes the paying public have a fight to their opinion, but rather than bitching get behind the team as you did last year!
So I've said my piece, now shoot me down, because I am 7000 miles away on not allowed a voice.

Re: Poor : Mon May 16, 2016 12:51 pm  

your comments are welcomed(like anyone else's)but i for one don't buy into this second season syndrome,rugby is a simple game,if played correctly,and i don't beleive we surprised anyone last season by not always employing the upjumper 6 then kick tactic the previous encumbent adopted.

Re: Poor : Mon May 16, 2016 3:06 pm  

Can someone explain to me where the present "cost of our team" at £750,000 comes from? Are we raeally paying players an average of about £25,000. Or have I missed something?
I know we got good prize money last year, but without the club being open (and they have no reason to be) they could have paid all that to the Board (and I am not saying they did!), at one time didn't the club do an open evening explaining where all the money came from and went?

Re: Poor : Mon May 16, 2016 3:16 pm  

Dbvada wrote:

Can someone explain to me where the present "cost of our team" at £750,000 comes from? Are we raeally paying players an average of about £25,000. Or have I missed something?
I know we got good prize money last year, but without the club being open (and they have no reason to be) they could have paid all that to the Board (and I am not saying they did!), at one time didn't the club do an open evening explaining where all the money came from and went?

Pretty sure the funding wasn't used entirely on this season's playing roster and rightly so.The budget was increased to allow 2/3 more recruits with possibly extra to come if the 8s are acheived.The rest will have been used in upgrading the infrastructure and an amount on debts--rent was paid for example as soon as funding was started.

[Nat (Rugby_Aholic)]

Re: Poor : Mon May 16, 2016 4:03 pm  

We need to have Johnson and Murrell back in the team at half back for the run in and only change if forced to. Moore has been good but his game doesn't work with Johnson's and Murrell is not a loose forward. Miles offers nothing in attack, his passing game is non-existent and he doesn't seem to back up as often as he used to. Saltonstall to FB, Johnson and Murrell at HB, give it three or four games and we will be back clicking in attack.

Re: Poor : Mon May 16, 2016 5:02 pm  

Dbvada wrote:

Can someone explain to me where the present "cost of our team" at £750,000 comes from? Are we raeally paying players an average of about £25,000. Or have I missed something?
I know we got good prize money last year, but without the club being open (and they have no reason to be) they could have paid all that to the Board (and I am not saying they did!), at one time didn't the club do an open evening explaining where all the money came from and went?

I reckon a figure near 400K might just about cover our team and if JK is to be believed thats still about 250K more than the Batley team. I agree with some points about slow and steady building but its also frustrating after last year added to that the stupid amounts of money that Fev have been offering players and maybe we did not have the 4th biggest budget as maybe Sheffield and Fev might have spent more. Fev have gone poop or bust though and Im sure if they miss out on the top 4 they will once again have another run in with the tax man, a couple of losses and a couple of missed payments to players can soon wipe out any great team spirit the same as it did for them last year.

As I said before though I do wonder what the plan is if we miss out on the top 4 leaving a shortfall of maybe 300K on this year.

Re: Poor : Mon May 16, 2016 5:17 pm  

The Lucky Black Cat wrote:

1. Marshall is a good coach, but has alot to learn especially at this level. However I feel he is the right man for the job and is thinking long term rather than short term. It makes me sick how fickle a number of people are. Every coach we have calls for he is clueless and we are rubbish etc etc. Who else shall we get as coach? Nobody that we can either afford or has the passion and understanding of Marshall. Maybe we can give the guy a bit of a break, instead of constantly over expecting and then moaning! Its rare you can get instant success and we need to build to get where we want to be. Sometimes we will go back-like much f this season. But maybe the team needs this to go forward and see and learn that rather than last year.

2. Probably we need understand that we are not as big or as good as we think we are as a team or club. We have little money and we have no money man. We have a fan base just over 1000 or so. The team itself has been at a similar level to Batley and Featherstone for the past 5 years. We are no bigger or better than either of them. Batley are no lesser club than us as some comments have been made. Last years finish probably has seen us think we are better than what we are. Top 4 was always going to be tough and we are still in it. We got extra money, but wisely in my opinion stayed Part time. The club has wasted money before pretending we are something we are not. This time the club is rightly looking long term and not using DRs- what most if not all want. The results of the long term strategy will be seen in a few years time, not now. The quality and quantity to go FT is not there- look at Sheffields struggles!

3.Personally I am not a fan of this rotation system. I understand players do suffer from tiredness and injury etc. However we need to have a constant team that knows what the others do and what the weakness/strengths are. I think we are struggling with confidence. I feel some players are not good enough and others have maybe not really been great signings for whatever reason.. I feel the team has got caught up in the hype of last year and is trying too hard to get it back. I feel the players/team are looking for gamebreakers and over doing things and forgetting the basics in both defence and attack. Its a fine line at times between getting it right and getting it wrong. I feel the team needs to go back to playing basic rugby and cut the silly offloads and mistakes out and build a platform in attack. I think we are wasting too much energy in defence, because we are making a number of silly errors in attack. If we learn to control the ball in attack and put better kicks in, then it helps us in defence. Control and stability needs to return in the games if we are to improve in any great measure.

Excellent post on the whole but....I can't agree with this building foundations for the future attitude. How long have we been in the second division? Not once have we ended up at the top of the league. If clubs like Castleford, Salford, Wakefield and even Huddersfield can sustain SL clubs why can't we? I know that a money man makes a lot of difference, but the half hearted attitude to sport in Halifax doesn't help does it? Without ambition we'll get nowhere. As for this season, we need to get back to what made us so good last year to watch as well as getting results. A settled team with our best players playing from 1to13. The top four isn't gone yet but we aren't half making it hard for ourselves. Up The Fax.

Re: Poor : Mon May 16, 2016 5:42 pm  

Hudd-Shay wrote:

Excellent post on the whole but....I can't agree with this building foundations for the future attitude. How long have we been in the second division? Not once have we ended up at the top of the league. If clubs like Castleford, Salford, Wakefield and even Huddersfield can sustain SL clubs why can't we? I know that a money man makes a lot of difference, but the half hearted attitude to sport in Halifax doesn't help does it? Without ambition we'll get nowhere. As for this season, we need to get back to what made us so good last year to watch as well as getting results. A settled team with our best players playing from 1to13. The top four isn't gone yet but we aren't half making it hard for ourselves. Up The Fax.

Our club, or any club, will not get into Super League under the present format without finding cash above prize money of over £500,000. Castleford, Salford, Wakey and Hudds, all funded by generous people. Dream if you want to, but let's be real about chances.

Re: Poor : Mon May 16, 2016 6:42 pm  

Said it before and say it again we overachieved last season. Other teams have got better and recruited smarter than us. RM still doesn't know his best 13 and tinkers too much with selection, which is having a detrimental effect on team. Just think RM should stick to the same 17 every week and we will see the benefits. Jonno (probably our most exciting player) is in out of team. Last season we had a tight knit group of players. Every player knew their position and was expected of them. The team spirit was better with it been a tight knit group. Just think like Bradford last season our squad is too big and we needed to sign quality rather than quantity. We are crying out for a J Summat and we should have paid what it took to get a player who would have us on the edge of seat. You look at teams like Batley and they name the same 13 pretty much every week. Brambani Walker playing off a better pack. Our pack has been disappointing this season compared to last season. Just not got the cohesion and aggression to get on top of teams. Back to drawing board I am afraid.

Re: Poor : Mon May 16, 2016 7:25 pm  

For all the huffing and puffing and sound bites we ultimately have not kicked from last year.
This is real test for Richard because we cannot rely on 10 match winning runs to salvage seasons every year.
Without over analysing players in public, we all know which ones haven't been as on song as last year, and we all know some of the lads that have come in haven't set the world on fire or gel'd.
The bottom line is though, the results have been poor, the crowds haven't kicked on, and we haven't taken advantage or run with the feel good vibe we had from last season.
I can't help feeling we have missed an opportunity here. Sheffield have had a shocker, Leigh and Bradford both lost their coaches, and we are soul searching and playing disjointed rugby.
Maybe we need go on the road to Keighley again, or Richard needs to go with players and systems that we know work. It might be kicking the can down the road a little, but if we don't start doing something then we're going to be in more than a spot of bother.
He may have tried to take things forward too quickly and with the wrong players. Hindsight is always 20/20 though.