Paul March Suspended : Tue Mar 04, 2014 7:08 pm  

Keighley Cougars Player-Coach Paul March has been suspended for four games after being found guilty of questioning the integrity of a match official.

Re: Paul March Suspended : Tue Mar 04, 2014 8:02 pm  

Who controls the game?

March or the referee?

Whatever the opinion that everyone has about the match official (and the RFL) a player of his standing should realise that there would only have ever been one outcome.

How many times has he questioned the integrity of the 'match official'?

If you want to know, check: RFL Disciplinary

Whatever happens in whatever organisation you will never find that the 'Organisation' allows 'the tail to wag the dog'.

Chances for our other players to excel and show their abilities for the rest of the season when March will be unavailable.

Re: Paul March Suspended : Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:41 am  

666, you must have more to do in life than post negative post after negative post??

You have moved away, great. If the cougars (from afar) frustrate you so much then pick a new hobby?

I am sure March knows he has done wrong, he was one of best players last week and we won. I enjoyed the win did you?

Re: Paul March Suspended : Wed Mar 05, 2014 10:19 pm  

YES, I did.

But I live in the real world and, to date, the only teams that we have beaten are those who have yet to win a game.

Despite living 300 miles from Keighley, and supporting Keighley and the Cougars for over 50 years (seeing the good and the bad [have you?]) I still want to see success but am concerned that it might not happen.

'Negative posts' - I think not. I'm just being realistic.

Just check the RFL website to see on how many occasions that March has queried the referee's decisions. No matter what you say March is a serial offender (as far a querying the decisions of the referee are concerned).

The Cougars DO NOT frustrate me, just March and his attitude. Why hasn't he apologised to those supporters who travelled to Doncaster as well as his fellow players?

Re: Paul March Suspended : Thu Mar 06, 2014 12:07 am  

How do you know he hasn't? I think he had a point about the decision he was sin binned for criticising and in the heat of the moment criticised the ref. Yes stupid indeed, part of his game is wind up tactics as is with a lot of rugby league players. I seem to remember him winding up Ade Gardner with some success in out first game, Gardner went on to have a stinking second half. Rochdale specifically targeted March before the game according to an article in their local paper presumably trying to provoke a reaction, instead he put on a game winning display and bossed the game......how frustrating for you.

Frankly he's the best player coach a mid/lower table club like us could hope for. Given the chance most of our league competitors would take him on gladly.

Re: Paul March Suspended : Thu Mar 06, 2014 9:38 am  

Didn't he go for the Gloucester job prior to JD leaving, but was unsuccessful so I'm not convinced by the last posters end paragraph, however, as I was discussing yesterday March is definitely a marmite character from a fans perspective. If we lose there are calls for his head and following a win those calls seem to disappear which is fickle to say the least.

Re: Paul March Suspended : Thu Mar 06, 2014 9:44 am  

I'm personally not a fan of his and IMO this is the season when fans should truly judge him. He has brought in his own players etc so there can be no excuses. At the end of the day, I don't pay his wages and if those in charge of our club feel he's the best man for the job I have to respect that. This is the forum for opinion so people will agree/disagree. If people want to voice an opinion either way that's their right. My only frustration is that is seems from some quaters is dependant on individual results.

Re: Paul March Suspended : Thu Mar 06, 2014 1:41 pm  

quite right this is the arena for discussion being a forum, he is definitely a marmite character!

I think the point being there was a campaign last year for his head, yes we perhaps had a close shave last season however this season we have got off to a good start. A slip up at Doncaster and its 'off with his head' once more. Fickle indeed. There's a certain hero worship if you ask me of Demetriou, yes he was a good player and coach but with the squad he had i feel we underachieved that season, also I remember him getting sin binned a few times with little reaction from certain fans. Demetriou saw a skill set in March and I too believe he is improving as a coach.

My frustration lies with fact that many fans want to see a big blowout of money this season on a top rated coach and players from a presumably non existent budget.

The Leigh game without March will be interesting to see the depth of the squad against a very good opposition

Re: Paul March Suspended : Thu Mar 06, 2014 5:08 pm  

this_cougar_outfit wrote:

Frankly he's the best player coach a mid/lower table club like us could hope for. Given the chance most of our league competitors would take him on gladly.

I completely disagree with both of those statements.

A fans capacity for "hope" is huge and could encompass people that are far above the caliber of Paul March. If you had said "he's the best we can afford" then you might have a point, even then it would be arguable since we don't know his salary, rewards or conditions for comparison.

Could you name me which of our competitors would want him over their existing coach?

I have seen him play since his days at Wakefield; he is a fierce competitor with fine rugby skills and brain but he simply goes beyond the boundary of what's acceptable too often. His age his catching him and although his mind is willing his body is becoming less so. He has to make the transition from being a coach who has to come on the pitch to save the day to one who can do this from the sidelines. This team is entirely his - he has been given a budget, has had chance to recruit his team and has had a full pre-season with them. It's up to him to get results.

THIS ISN'T ME HAVING A GO AT HIM PER SE, I'D SAY THE SAME ABOUT ANY COACH IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

He was one of our best players against Doncaster but his discipline was simply unacceptable. He knows his record will make him a target, it's up to him to control himself and remonstrate with the referee in a more acceptable fashion. Our team performance was poor.

We started in the same way against Rochdale and you could either say we won because we upped our game when Marchy came on in the second half or they lost because they ran out of steam. Probably a bit of both.

I simply don't know what to make of him - hero one minute, pantomime villain next. However, if we give Leigh the type of start from the last two matches they will murder us.

At his best he is a match winner, but he has demonstrated that he can be the instrument of our downfall too.

Re: Paul March Suspended : Thu Mar 06, 2014 5:55 pm  

666 wrote:

YES, I did.

But I live in the real world and, to date, the only teams that we have beaten are those who have yet to win a game.

Despite living 300 miles from Keighley, and supporting Keighley and the Cougars for over 50 years (seeing the good and the bad [have you?]) I still want to see success but am concerned that it might not happen.

'Negative posts' - I think not. I'm just being realistic.

Just check the RFL website to see on how many occasions that March has queried the referee's decisions. No matter what you say March is a serial offender (as far a querying the decisions of the referee are concerned).

The Cougars DO NOT frustrate me, just March and his attitude. Why hasn't he apologised to those supporters who travelled to Doncaster as well as his fellow players?

Thanks for your reply. By beating them teams does it not show progress? How many games did we win in the first 3 last season? Where is an acceptable finish this season?

I am not interested in checking websites as i attend games so I know what goes on. Tell me when you was playing at the same level did you accept every refs decision? I thought the ref was poor at Doncaster and i was hoping he was going to ring me to say sorry, i am still waiting for that call.

Next time your up for a game give me a shout we can have a chat to March in the bar. As for him saying sorry, he called me after Doncaster to say just that but I was asleep having been so tired driving back from Scotland. What a guy!!!!!

Not everything has to be negative. i go to games and I see that everyone at the club is trying their best to move forward. We should all pull in the same direction. Mon the Cougars.