Is that Matt King or Toby King?

Toby

I think the discussion about King was Matt rather than Toby. But surely when Toby played for Meltham he was SO rather than SH ?

Once we get to a point of "the taking part is more important than the result" we turn sport into a pastime. The coaches, players and spectator's should be involved in sport to win, nothing else matters!

If TS really is the god that some hold him to he should have refreshed the team instead of handing out extensions to tired players like Atkins, Sims and Gidley. The back line should have had two fast paced wingers, two centres and a full back. Instead we are stuck with the mess we witnessed at Catalan.

Well we have the pack to win everything so I guess you can judge TS on results at the season end, but his shrewdness where margins matter, like selection in finals through injuries I question.

.....however TS may have had his hands bound over Sandow's CC and GF bench selections. It was put to me by a friend that his inclusion in the team may have been contractual. Hmmm there's a thought.

He should have been replaced when we had a big rebuild.. possibly before that.. But he wasn't.... He seems to have been given immunity by the powers that be. They buy into his vision/plans/whatever.... So there is no point banging this drum again, as he wont be going anywhere. I have made peace with this fact now. Smith is here until he decides he wants to walk away, which he seemingly has no intention of doing.

Head coaches/managers have a shelf life... even the good ones... Yes there are exceptions in sport like Alex Ferguson, but he delivered the top prizes over and over again... Smith hasn't delivered it once, despite us being the biggest spenders in the league for pretty much every year of his 7/8 year tenure.

Sometimes clubs just need to be freshened up. Players need new motivation, teams need new ideas, fans need to become re-invigorated..... That point for us was 2/3 years ago.. Well it was for me anyway.

I fear we are getting into the same situation as Arsenal have with Arsene Wenger. There are similarities I worry.

Arsenal owe Wenger a lot for what he has done to the club but has overstayed his welcome. Players speak very highly of him as a manager but his players are playing firmly within their comfort zones. His stubborness around team selection and Loyalty towards underperforming players costs them time and time again.

THIS

Was scrum half, same when played for giants

You will never get rid of Smith

If Smith or anyone else at the club agreed a contract whereby a player was guaranteed a place if the team got to a final then they should have been sacked by the board straight away.
Personally I don't believe that was the case. Aussie coaches in general don't like to give their young players much chance. I remember overhearing a conversation at a Wigan v Wire academy game and one of the Wire staff openly said to his Wigan counterpart "This man won't give ours a chance"!!