From the previous thread that has been locked it was interesting to read what was being said, but let’s all be a little more professional about it.

I listened to the question at the fans forum about Paul Rowley being coach.

I think Paul and Duke’s should be given the chance; they have built a good solid team, a team that wants to play for club and shirt with a spirit that’s second to none. What more can anyone ask for?

I can’t see what value any other coach could bring to this side at the moment and I would include Millward in that. I can however see what it means to other parties by obtaining the necessary coaching badges followed with a move to super duper league all at our cost. Where is the sense in that for us?

This has to be a pure hard nose business decision, emotions and feelings don’t come into it, and directors have to do what is right for the club. Yes it may have been right a few months ago to appoint a coach but with how long it’s taking to make the appointment things have changed as they always do, especially with time and business.

I hear what everyone is saying about we need a GM for super duper league but we are way off that at the moment with far more important needs to deal with.

I think we have to keep our feet firmly on the ground, work with what we have and concentrate not on spending monies we don’t have but establishing a solid financial footing for the future.

This years budget has zero contingency in it and if what KF is telling us it’s going to be a difficult year. Just to survive and pay off some of the debt we need at least 2,000 supporters every game, that’s not going to be easy considering we have lost our best gates with Widnes going into super duper league plus the unknown of Friday night attendances.

I know the cost for the coach is already in the budget but think it would be money better spent on trying to attract new sponsors and bringing back past sponsors and developing new revenue streams for the future. In other words invest in sales and marketing whose sole purpose is generating revenues for the club not the LSV as is suggested for the GM.

If this is successful just as it is for other clubs we can quickly become debt free with revenues that will enable us to implement the infrastructure necessary for super league whilst affording the coaching staff to field the very best package any club would be proud of, better still if its home grown.

We have just come through a very difficult period so let’s walk before we run otherwise we could end up who knows where!

It’s time for the board to stop applauding everyone, yes a lot of people have done a fantastic job no doubt about that, but it’s time to dig deep and put solid foundations under this great club.

I feel the board need to take the club to the next stage by announcing a 3 to 5 year strategic business plan that highlights where we are today with milestones and key performance indicators (KPI’s) so everyone knows where we are, what we need to do and how we are going to get there.

Remember people don’t plan to fail they fail to plan!

I'd take that whole post more seriously if SL wasn't repeatedly referred to as 'Super-duper League'.

The rest is pretty well written for an eight year old.

Post of the year so far.... But I await the barrage of abuse for you

Great post Bo to go with your Tesco ones a while ago.

If you are a fan of this club you will be aware of our history of missed opportunities, stupid decions and lack of ambition, best thing to do is buy your ticket, do what you can, chill out and enjoy the roller-coaster - que sera sera.

That is unless you are able to bring in a few million to run it properly.

Difficult to argue with any of that, bo. The major problem that I can see, is the possibility of having to pay compensation, to the person that the job has been offered to, should we then withdraw the offer. (KF talked about that possibility at the last Forum, I think) It would be a tragedy if we had to pay up on the 'contract' without employing the person!

If someone breaks the contract by not getting a visa how can we be accountable. I also thought the contract was an agreement and not written, and that it was more of a my word is my bond gesture - something that is commendable but inappropriate given our situation.
Surely the bloke sat 1000's miles away reading this board and waiting for a visa will do the honourable thing and walk away.

How do you suggest that we prepare ourselves for our SL application without someone being in place to manage this 3-5 year plan that you talk about.
Rowley appears to be a good coach, along with Jukes leave them to pretty much run the 1st team.
The new guy that comes in will have his hands full doing the majority of the rest of the work that is involved.

TS - do you have shares in Mothercare, because you dont half spit your dummy out a lot at the moment

We need a General/Marketing manager from these shores, familiar with our culture and systems of work. We need a dynamic salesman to drive our brand and generate income streams, creating strap lines folk will get behind.
We do not need some Southern Hemisphere coach taking a GM role due not being able to get a work permit - we needed a coach 4 months ago, we didn't get one. The people in place are working wonders - leave them to it. We need a skilled, dynamic, motivated Brit who wants the chance to prove himself by leading our club to overcome the areas we are weak.
Now get on with it !!!

That is the thing that will release the club from any verbal or writen agreement Maur. Keith said that untill we hear from UK Borders we are going down the road that has been decided. I wasn't happy that the last thread was locked but this one is going to bring all the same arguments back up. All anyone needs to do is watch Freds video and it clearly states the position that the club has come to and is in. Like you say Maur the best thing we all can do is whole heartedly support the board, the current coaching staff and the players. This does not include campaigning against the boards decisions and calling for them to break their word.

Im sure it will all be annouced properly when its been sorted, also who has got what job and whos doing what.

Not been able to view the fans forum, so apologies if the answers all ready stated elsewhere, but did we not set a deadline for when they had to have a visa?

No as it has all been down to the Authorities, but it would seem they have been trying to communicate with Hilton Park, even though they were informed of our move to the LSV.

That was so funny when Freer mentioned that

Give the job to Rowley and stop messing about. If we still need a GM (or whatever title they want to give him), get someone in but Rowley built the team, got them fit, has coached them (with Jukes) and for me deserves a shot now he's said he wants it.

Surely to let someone else loose with different methods and ideas at this stage would be suicide.

I like the cut of your jib sir



No doubt the defenders will soon swarm ,like a few of the sensible replies have pointed out,surely there is a time limit on johnny foreigner to get HIS qualifactions and so if HE fails to satisfy her majestys goverment it not our fault,now I'm thick but why are leigh accountable?

If the visa is denied, we can look at the situation again. If the visa is approved then we will need to employ the person offered the job or the club can be sued for the value of the contract (maybe more because of damage to reputation). It would not be sensible for the club to pull out of the deal now.

If the visa is denied then I'm sure the Rowls will be offered the head coaching job and we will decide where to go regarding the GM role.

It really is quite simple.

We can't just leave it open forever, we should write to them and set a reasonable/agreed deadline, its then up to them to push to get their visa sorted if they want the job.

The visas will be sorted when they're sorted. There's nothing that either the club or the individuals involved can do. If we've got a job offer on the table (pending a successful visa application) then that offer stands until the immigration authorities make their decision.

Thought all Government departs were now given targets, surely one of these is some kind of time frame to approve/reject a visa. Find out what it is, add x number of weeks and set a deadline.

The main problem is that there is no legal crow bar that the club can use to hurry this up. The UK borders are all in with customs and excise which have more power than the police and courts of this land. The fact that correspondence were going to HP says a lot about this government department. One thing I will say about this whole affair is that there are some important lessons to be learned from this for the future. Lessons I thought would have been learned from previous attempts at bringing people over from down under. As my mum often says " it'll all come out in the wash".

I do think its telling that they have been trying to contact Hilton Park, really fills you with confidence that they could track down any illegal immigrants, especially if the crafty devils gave their real address.

We should ve gone for either of those two up and coming coaches.....Rashid Blackmore or Mohammed Adamson. I doubt visas would ve been a problem then.When will the club ever learn by going to RL backwaters like Oz, do they actually play the game over there?

Needs sorting IMO, its dragging on too long.

If the guy coming over has not got a badge to coach in the UK (yet) as was alleged a while ago then surely we should be appointing our head coach now and allow this 'General Manager' situation to run its course as its nothing to do with the coaching role.

If the guy is coming over to coach (and presumably he has got the required badges to do so) then we really need to be reviewing why we as a club signed / agreed a contract with someone who didn't have the required paperwork at that point to work in the country.
If they didn't /haven't signed a contract but the owners feel abliged out of decency then fair enough, its exceptionally rare in business or at sports clubs to see it but thats purely whoever is in charge of the clubs decision and they will stand or fall by it.

If the guy hasn't signed a contract and is still stuck on paperwork issues then I'm sorry we have waited a long time (more than reasonably expected) and we should close the issue, a verbal agreement where someone hasn't got legal paperwork to work in the country won't be difficult to untangle, in terms of reputation damaged in the game (if you believe that has a effect) then I don't think you'll find any sports club risking so much on awaiting a appointment, We have been very fortunate Paul and Neil have delivered the lads to the field in such good shape and form - what would we be doing if we had witnessed 3 dire performances and 3 hammerings - I suspect people wouldn't be worrying about doing the right thing in the game then !

If Paul Rowley and Neil Jukes have said they would like the job , then give it to them - its a winning mentality and they are steady at the club for some time.
If the new guy is arriving for a General Managers position (but is really a ex player wanting to coach) then give him the General Managers job (if the visa comes through), it can't do any harm to be seen to helping a guy get his coaches badges whilst he works for us (and might help the reputation the club seemed worried about damaging), lets be honest this guy may have quit his job abroad to come here and could be being delayed on paperwork issues (and I'm sorry, I'm glad the UK borders are doing there bit, its damn hard to get in virtually every other country in the world to work except -until recently- the UK).

We play Barrow in 12 days time, it needs sorting.

The question is,did they really send the replies to a empty waste land called hilton park or was that jovial chappy keith and his little titter or was still some clown filled in the address wrong on the forms ?

Either way the new guy quite simply is not wanted or needed.

If you are reading this mystery man find another club to use for a step up to super league ....please