I agree Gronk, Basil is about as popular as a french kiss at a family reunion and I did not want him as manager in the first place. I don't like him and morale within the club is shocking. The players have to knuckle down though as they are paid professionals, and role models within the community. I have worked for plenty of managers I didn't like or respect, but professional pride meant I still did my job to the best of my capabilities. Sounds like they played with a bit of pride today though towards the end of the game.

This club is nothing without its fans and they are the one constant in what has been a disappointing season to say the least. I am willing to give Basil the benefit of the doubt for this season as he has inherited most of the squad, but next season when he has more players that he has signed, his team had better start putting in some better performances otherwise I will be at the front of the queue with you calling for his head (not literally!).

It is true - Basil treated Mathers in a disgraceful manner !! He did not give Richie a "chance" & made it clear that he had to go & Richie was not allowed to Train with the first team !!

I can vouch for it. I asked RW face to face in front of many others at a CTSC meeting at the beginning of this year, and RW took about 10 mins to confirm that Mathers basically did not feature in IM's plans. Owen was IM's preferred fullback, and the club did not have need for an additional 'spare' specialist fullback so it was decided that he would be put out on loan. Prior to which Mathers was allowed to take part in fitness training sessions but was excluded from tactical training (wouldn't have missed much there from what we've seen).

Yes. I was there. And can confirm that.

But that's not treating him "badly" at all. At the end of the day, I wouldn't want a player leaving to a rival club to know the inside outs of how I was preparing my side too ahead of the forthcoming season.

Richie was told Owen was going to be first-choice full-back. Wakefield had shown an interest so Millward gave him an option of staying but playing centre/wing effectively or going out on loan.

if you think it happened that politely then more fool you.

That is something we'll both never know. But I would state that just as I can't assume, you cannot assume. Therefore, there's no point arguing it. It's over with.

I am afraid Millward is the main reason for all this unrest. OK players will be leaving not given contracts, but that has always been the case every season, Matterson never caused this amount of hassle. Millward has come here with a very bad reputation for his aggressive behaviour and bad language, that is why he was sacked at St Helens, it is all in the public domain, read it for your selves. He has bad attitude, and I believe he is the main cause for unrest. The sooner he goes the better the club will be. Good ridance I say, he has done absolutlely nothing for the club.

I actually agree with this and whilst some of the players seem to have responded well to Millward's methods, there are clearly those that felt they had an easy ride under Matterson and are resistant to change. They're the ones causing the problems and need to be on their way.

The club wouldn't be able to afford to pay him off anyway IMO, especially with the number of fans that seem to have dropped away this season. Whilst what's happening on the field isn't particularly encouraging we have seen a few sparks of what they can do. It's what's happening off the field which is the greatest concern for me and I suspect many of those who've walked away - I'm simply struggling to see a future for the club beyond 2014 with things as they currently are.

I asked exactly the same question on our forum and got no reply.

It's only been a couple of days, perhaps he's checking his facts!

I got a response on another thread. Can't remember word for word what it was but it was basically supposition from what I recall.

I have not been impressed with milward one bit this season, we have no team spirit, no structure in attack or defence and he's making our best players want to leave, i honestly fear just how much damage he could do if he sees out his contract. If we cant afford to pay him off i personally would demote him to coaching the academy and get john kear to come be the head coach (with thornton as assistant) to the end of the year as he would be willing to come for next to nothing as he is cas through and would love the opportunity to earn a longer deal. If there's one thing that kear can do its getting a team playing for each other and turn a clubs season around.

How can people blame Millward he carnt make a silk purse out of a sows ear,Cases squad is sub standard give the man time let him build his own squad then judge him he is a quality Coach.

I agree with Pyeman , look what kear did at Wakefield they were doomed, he turned them round . That would be funny Millward as Academy coach.

Next season will be the time to judge Basil. He does take on ego's, and has one himself. He is putting the pieces together for next year on a very restrictive budget that must involve losing Chase imo to complete the jigsaw.
Clarke is quality and would always be leaving to a big 4 club at some point, in todays game most clubs will be feeder clubs for the money clubs, just hope the compensation is sufficient.

The players weren't sub standard before milward came though, they have been in or have just missed out on the play offs for the last 3 seasons despite some horrendous injury lists and a small squad, pretty much the same bunch of players are now battling to avoid the wooden spoon. Under milward the players are not playing as a team and there not playing to there potential, that's down to him i'm afraid. You don't see us week in week out so you don't see how we have been come a much, much worse team since millward came in, we haven't been been this bad since steadman in 2004 and even he had a couple of good seasons before.

I know leigh fans are very attached to millward but what he has done for you in the lower leagues doesn't matter one bit for cas, we are playing like we haven't trained together and have looked poor even when winning, we have no attack and defence, no team spirit. And you think the coach that got us into this predicament will find it easier when he has sold our two best players? Without chase and clark i dont think we would have won a game all season, so if mllward does sell them we will be certainties for the wooden spoon next year. Not to mention if we sell those two lots of cas fans will walk away so we will have a smaller income next season, negating much of any transfer fees.

I agree Pyeman. I would be more browned off if Clark goes than if Rangi does, but we will really struggle without both of them. I don't trust Millward one bit, and if they both go, fans will be completely gutted and walk away from the club (not me I hasten to add)!

Recruitment looks good so far for next season, but I think the players we have already signed will be the best ones, and that anybody else who signs will just be squad players. It doesn't really matter who is in the squad if Basil can't get them playing as a team.

I think we could pick up some really good players if/when Bulls start laying-off.

Oh how the wind changes direction and opinions change with it....

At the time when Matterson announced he was leaving the club, a remember clearly saying...what are the thoughts about Kear maybe getting the role? I recall vividly getting shot down in flames in various responses, with the weirdest of explanations that 'Kear is only good at getting average player to over perform, and that big names wouldn't play for him!!'.

I was baffled by this in thinking, 'well we've got quite a few average players ourselves....that I wouldn't mind seeing over perform now and again'. Where as with IM we don't seem to have any players that even want to do the basics....never mind 'over' perform.

I'd love to see Kear given a shot at coaching Cas, however if rumors are true he hasn't been treat all that well by our BOD when he has shown and interest in coaching Cas.

It is rather co-incidental how so many St's fans (without malice) warned us about what would happen when IM was appointed...and here we are!

I hear what you are saying pyeman but i still think he needs more time to build is own Squad, if Cas can keep Chase,Clarke,and all the other young Quality players that are coming through and add some experinced quality players to the squad Cas well be ok.

Matterson built that squad, offering contracts to those substandard players. Through loyalty alone They were always going to play for him. Wilward has come in and rocked the boat. Those players were on to a good thing and milward is making a lot of changes, With brand new idears and almost the full team out of contract, most of them know they will never put a cas shirt on again after 2012. Im Not suprised there is unrest in the dressing room. People need to get real, you cannot judge a coach under these circumstances.
This time next year if castleford are perfoming like second rate amatures i will be the first to stand on wheldon lane with the milward out sign, but until then i think we should give the man a chance..

I appreciate you've got an outsiders point of view looking in at the club and an outsider that seems to wish us well which is always welcomed, i just cant see milward turning things around. I'm not really a negative guy but i've never felt this low being a cas supporter, even when we relegated, i had hope then but just cant see any positives with the way we are heading. I cant see clark, chase and the rest staying if millward does and that means we are right back to where we were in 2004 after all these years of building ourselves back up. i really do hope milward proves me wrong but i cant see it happening.

In your opinion has milward brought anything positive to the club? I think massey has improved and our some of our back room staff have improved but cannot think of anything else whereas the negatives are there for all to see.

Other teams have new coaches come in and dont have these problems, if milward cant get the players to play for him that's his fault, its certainly not mattersons fault that millward cant get the players to play to there potential.

I think this time next year we will be just as bad and people will be saying that milward needs time to get the team to gel and its unfair to judge him till the 2014 season.

As i said on the above post i want to be proved wrong but i just cant see it.

100% agree