Mark my words when I say that this round 20 clash from Craven Park is the biggest and most important of the season as defeat to the Robbins on Sunday will guarantee no playoff footy for the Bradford Bulls for the first time since the playoffs were introduced back in 1998.

The thought is a truly sickening one, especially when you look at the experienced and big name players up at Odsal.

Defeat on Sunday will also spell the end of Steve McNamara's tenure at the club.

Three and a half years which have seen us go from Grand Final champions, World Club champions etc to third from bottom with falling crowds that show no sign of leveling out.

The past two years have been truly dark and depressing for myself and the thousand or so who go week in week out.

The time for change is now, Christ I don't hold any coaching qualifications but I would put down good money that I could get more out of the current shower of **** then what Steve McNamara or Basil Richards have managed these past 24 months.

Im in the notion that there is too much of a comfort zone currently in place at Odsal where all the bad performances are just swept under the carpet and the same poor performing players picked each week.

I would if given the chance keep but only a handful of players for next season going on what I have had witness and endure during this horrific year.

Menzies, Halley, Nero, Morrison and Lynch are the players who are immune to my criticisms as they have given 110% when out on the field.

The rest I wonder if they know the meaning to the words passion, honesty and pride.

There is just no fight in the team and that is what is most upsetting.

I hope that during the next seven days the players take a good hard long look at themselves and think about the supporters who travel week in, week out and pay good money to only be treated to a gutless and heartless display.

Mick

I hear you handed Sykes a 12 month extension







What next, making Sheriffe captain?

I don't know but Im getting fed up with it all

It will not be mathmatically impossible if you don't win this weekend.

We went through a similar spell only little runs at the back end of the last two seasons have got us out of the real worst of it. We are still not all the way there, our 3rd place finish the last 2 years has overshadowed how many probelms we have at our club but believe me if we can just about get through it then so can Bradford but it will take time.

A clubs fortunes inevitibly rise and fall, especially when they cant change with the times, Bradford times their rise brilliantly with the arrival of Super League, they "got it" as it were and went great guns, but that was based on the old uneven salary cap days when they could spend more than all bar 2 or 3 other clubs who were their only real competitors.

Once the flat rate came in they didnt change, more importantly their champion squad broke up and was simply not replaced with like for like.

All the while, the rest of the league improved.

If we don't beat HKR at the weekend to make the play offs we will roughly need to win 7 of the last 8 games.

Not going to happen is it mate



When we have won just two back to back games all season.

Nobby left as he saw the writing on the wall, a club stripped of cash to pay the inflated wages of a suedo Welshman. It was always going to be downhill after that and all you sign is second rate players other clubs wanted rid of. Bradford set the standard and then let it slide, the good times will come back I would not blame just Macca its much more deep rotted then him.

As for no play offs, at FC if we finish 3 of the bottom it will be good considering the problems we have had. Get over it you can and will get better no club has a god given right to be in every play off match, semi or final....................

except Wigan

Have to say i have no sympathy tbh.

All clubs have their day and its time for others to be at the top of the tree



You cant expect to be at the top all the time, otherwise the competition becomes boring.

The likes of Bradford and Wigan have had their day and its time for other teams to step up

It's the high price of employing a clueless coach I'm afraid.

Maybe you can get Noble back at the end of the year.

That made me LOL.

I feel sorry for Steve McNamara. The task handed to him as an inexperienced coach was massive in the sense that he had to build a squad from scratch with the expectations of the previous squad which was one of the best sides that super league has seen.


Poor signings like Michael Platt, Paul Sykes, Michael Worrincy and Rikki Sherrife for christs sake.

Whoever is in charge of Bradford come the end of the season has a massive task in front of them with the ageing departing squad - Terry Newton, Steve Menzies, David Solomona, Glenn Morrison, Paul Deacon etc

oh yeah because of the magical effects he has had at wigan

I blame Chris Caisley for the mess he left the Bulls in ,taking on the Rhinos over Harris, spending money they did'nt have and then doing a runner just before the sh8t hit the fan

new £75m stadium should solve the problem

More chance of seeing the Queens t#ts

He's had more of an effect than McBanana.

He pretty much destroyed the club in terms of youth development by continuously going for the quick fix with the aussies and new zealanders.

Other rumours circulating today are that Deacon, Jeffries and a few more are also on the way out.

They play in Leeds dont they

Shock horror

, moaning SL club fan because he isn't getting his own way on the pitch

You all wanted a levelling out , now you have it you moan , what do you want everybody's equal , but some are more equal than others

Mick, you posted this piece on TotalRL on Monday, and now on here on both the Bulls MB and on the VT. Anybody would think you felt strongly about this subject!



When the history books come to be written, the decline of the Bulls will be shown to be all down to (lack of) money - by which I mean a wealthy owner prepared to bankroll the club. Mark my words.

You make a fair point, it has to be said.

In fact, some clubs will always be more equal than others. The ones with wealthy owners prepared to bankroll clubs. As an example, look at what McManus (and others) has just done at Saints - written off (effectively) £1.35m loaned to the club to keep it solvent.

Most RL clubs lose money; Bulls did for years despite the success (and despite the waters being muddied in 2002 with the Odsal settlement. So did nearly everyone else. Bulls had to stop the losses and turn the club round to show a modest annual profit just to get to a neutral cash flow. Without that it would not be here now. That explains much of the current table position, regardless of what the "sack the coach" brigade say.

The fortunate clubs are the ones whose owners keep pumping money in, with little prospect of any return. They are definitely more equal than others. And don't try and tell me the salary cap limit represents the total of what players for clubs receive - its not, and by a country mile in some cases. But life's a bitch - you can only play the hand you are dealt, so those less equal than others just have to live with it. Bulls included, sad to say.

At least you're not staring a relegation battle in the face

I hope the Bulls get stuffed on Sunday not that I have anything against them but we need the win to keep in the top four. Thier day will come again they are in a transition period. Dont blame McNamara the damage was done before him they should have started rebuilding when at the top they have just left it to late in my opinion.

No need for the smilies, cos its true!

Maybe Bradford are going to peak at the business end of the season....