Plus 1

As I said in the HKR thread

"He's killing us".... and so is that buffoon Sheridan

Fair enough, but as I said earlier, where has this idea that our squad has any sort of quality come from?

They are a very average bunch, which simply changing the coach is unlikely to fix overnight.

For example, tell me how any side, with our obvious lack of front row quality,is ever going to be any better than they presently are?

We'll have a great front row next year, but they still will be coached by a muppet.

I'm tired of going down the rabbit hole again on this site of slagging off players.
This coach has been in charge of player selection all year, recruitment and retention whilst he was still at Cas, coaching, training, game plan etc. All he has done is blame everyone but himself for one of the worst seasons we have endured.
Now, you have faith in him and believe he will turn this pigs ear of a team into a silk purse.
I don't. I have no faith in him at all based on the evidence. Even if we have a decent season next year I can not forgive him for the unnecessary wreckage to the club this year in terms of results, performance, entertainment and last but not least the effect he has had on the clubs finances this year.
We have our choices, you have yours and I mine. Different, but that's OK too.

Thanks Mo.

It's Moe

It isn't a rabbithole, it's simply asking you to use your eyes and your years of experience watching RL, and tell me how a front row, led by Mulhearn (& previously Cooper) is ever going to show up and make a team any better than they are?

Then tell me how filling your back division with 3 youngsters (& would be 4 if our fans had their way & Dean was selected) isn't anything but a recipe for what we have seen?

I think ultimately, after the disappointment of the Price years, we all called for a new start and a overhaul, but, in reality, not many of us have the patience to see the new start through - Thinking about it, we could have kept Price on, finished 4th or 5th, then been embarrassed again in the play offs and the pain wouldn't have been as extended as the present pain is. However, we'd still be moaning about another year of underachievement and we'd just continue ad nauseam.

I suppose its a choice of how you want to take your medicine?

Sorry Moe



Spelling isn't my strong point, but spelling a 3 word wrong is poor

This is spot on.

You've had my answer. Nice try but I'm not slagging off players.
Using "my eyes and years of experience" the problem is the coach. That's it. First, last and foremost. End of.

If Powell was so bad then how come he took over a Cas team from Millward when they were bottom of the league and took them to the top despite keeping losing his best players. First half season kept them up then lost his best player (Rangi Chase). First full season got them to a Challenge Cup Final then lost his best player and Man of Steel (Daryl Clark). Years 2 and 3 he lost his best 2 try scoring threats (Justin Carney, Denny Solomona). Year 4 had them top of the league playing champagne rugby and lost the Grand Final after Hardaker let the side down.

Salford don't have any props better than mulhern, yet they're in the play off mix playing some great rugby along the way. People having a go at our front row is just deflected blame from Powell's deficiencies as a coach. The problem with our pack is actually the back 3,not the front row.

Danny Orr

Personally, I think the problems are all over the pitch, but your front row is traditionally seen as the foundations of your side and how they will be able to play, and our front row right now is particularly average.

How good is Salford's front row?

Hé had success, so did Millward, so did Noble, but the game moves on, players, coaching techniques, management styles and environment.
Powell belongs to the past, the game has passed him by. The players know it and possibly that is one of the problems.
We need to build for the future, not rely on the past. There's no future in history.

Say we'd got another coach in, one of your preferences. Let's say your new coach had to make a similar clear out because the same players resisted change. And your new coach had to deal with a similar player turnaround. How long would you give your new coach to prove himself?

There's too many whatifs in there to give a sensible answer.
Its quite simple, a good coach understands the strengths and weaknesses of his players and develops a strategy and game plan to make them effective. Start simple and develop individually and collectively as and when possible. Replace and evolve, develop capability and confidence in each other.

Is that what has happened? It looks more like a hatchet job to me.

I think you've nailed it here, and this is why it would have been wrong imo to sack him after 1/2 - 3/4 of the way into a season with so many variables changing - meaning no solid consistent platform in any areas of the field to work off. (Some of this is obviously his own fault).

He may well be the wrong coach, but he needs a toolbox of stable tools (for want of a better analogy), over a reasonable amount of time to prove us all either way.

I'm backing him as you probably know

, but I'm no better judge than anyone else as to whether he'll be a success or not. We'll never know if he doesn't have the time to sort it however, and in some ways we need him to stay to make him accountable because if we're here next year and it's still bad, he can't turn around and say we didn't give him time.

The ‘stable tools’ is a reasonable point, but we’ve had the tools in place now for weeks. Nicholson was the last in (aside from a Dufty cameo), but the right side has seen Wrench/Thewlis/Minikin at different times over the last 4/5 weeks. Matautia, Ratchford and Wrench have covered centre, since Magic weekend. Dean, Ratchford and Matautia have rotated at right side halfback and Holmes and Nicholson both being in and out in the second row.

The stable tools are there. Every name mentioned has Powell’s signature on the contract. So the consistency is available if he chooses it.

For me, there are too many contradictions. The right side is porous. Its either the players aren’t good enough (why sign them), the system/preparedness is lacking (ineffective coaching) or it’s a lack of cohesion (borne from the constant changes, which have all (other than Matautia who got a ban) been tactical.

It's certainly not perfect and there are some decisions that have been made that have made me question him.

But with so many ins and outs, and new players, and odd injuries here and there, imo, it takes at least a season to work out what works best with so many things to configure.

With new players coming in and others leaving; new performance based relationships are being formed/changing week by week for example: Matty Nicholson might be developing a strong synergy with Williams which wasn't present 3 weeks ago. Holmes' preferred position may not be working because at Cas, other players complimented his style better. If you expand these connotations across the full squad, with so many new players, it takes imo at least a season to have a reasonably clear picture of how best to use the players to fit your ideology.

On Sky today, they were talking about Utd's need for a rebuild under their new coach, and they were talking 2/3 years.

As I say, I'm no better judge than anyone else on whether Powell will be successful, but with everything going on, it's hard to fully know because there are so many variables.

One thing I will say is that the effort, at least, seems to be there now. If there was still no effort, then I'd find it very difficult to back him at this stage.

Pity there isn't an icon for"I want your babies" such is my like for your post

And an old one, Powell obviously has one eye on the future. The guy is clueless why would anyone let their best prop leave mid-season? Is he looking for a pay off?

It's a good post and understandable. No argument from me at all.

And he has won nothing of note.