Is there really any need, to play the game we have just lost against Barrow.
It will now become a midweek game.
This is going to cause real problems for our players. Also it will mean hardly any fans from Keighley will be able to make it.

No guess who. Why should we give them the game?
No doubt it will be a midweek game. I have heard the floodlights at Barrow are poor.
So why don't we play the game at Cougar Park?
Give them the gate money. Simples

The lights are poor but they must be up to RL Standards or they would of had to replace them.

Flood lights up at Barra' are non existent, I do wonder some times how they've not been replaced.

Looking at the table I assume we are now in the quarter finals?

I would certainly be resting players for the barrow game, we've got more important games to plan for.

According to the table i've seen we can't do any worse than 4th. Barrow would have to lose to us and Blackpool win and make up 44 points to go out. In fact if we did Barrow by 92 points Workington would still be in with a shout



By the way how on earth did they beat Whitehaven?

I'd send up as many reserves as we could get away with and give them first team experience. Players like Belcher, James H and the new lads would benefit from the run out too

This game and this cup mean nothing.
Now we have found out about the -9 points, thats all we need to concentrate on.

I agree, lets concentrate on staying up and give our second team players some experience at Barrow for this game

I'm hoping it means Whitehaven are in a bad way.

We need at least 2 teams to have a bad season this year.

Ridiculous post my god you are basically saying throw the game unbelievable.

Whats more important. This game or staying up?

All games important, I agree with the fact we could try some fringe players but if you go into a game half hearted then more risk of injury. As I say ridiculous.

For example would you tell a boxer who has big fight lined up to take it easyor throw a fight prior to main one.

Please point out where i have said go into it half hearted?

Also you didnt answer the question so i will ask it again.

Whats more important. This game or staying up?

So you did not use the exact phrase, however by inferring we throw the game or give them the game what other conclusion can folk draw from the post.

I am not getting into a long drawn out argument Jim suffice to say to suggest in any sport you give up before you start is silly, would you tell your pupils when they get a driving test date not to bother because they will not pass, no you would not.

None, only you have drawn that.
Mind you, you will have been looking for something that no one else can see.



Nothing to do with this as you well know.
We are talking about what is more important. This silly cup or the club staying up.

If you want to discus driving start a new thread.

I think we should go for it in the Northern Rail Cup. Any good results there are bound to reflect in league games, surely? We need the team to have confidence in themselves, wins in the cup will help with that.

I would agree with you apart from we've nothing to play for against Barrow and it's a mid week game which will leave the team jaded for the weekend.

With 3 wins out of 3 we've won the right to take it easy in this one. For the next round we should really give it a go because a semi-final at Cougar Park(if we get a home draw) could bring some of the gloryhunters back and, more importantly, new fans.

I take your point, but a good display (and a result!) against Barrow would do wonders for morale in the Cougar camp, both players and fans. Personally I think we might just surprise a few people this season, one or two new faces seem more than capable of holding their own against the big lads.

I seriously can't believe that this thread was even started in the first place .... to even make the slightest suggestion that the game against Barrow should not take place is to my mind firstly, an insult to our opposition ,secondly to Barry and our Boys who have aspirations to go far in this comp and finally to the integrity of the entire Competition.

Sure a mid week trip across to the Cumbrian coast is not ideal , for either our players or fans , but the game was called off because of weather conditions , it is not the fault of Barrow Raiders .. who to be honest will probably have lost out big time financially with Sundays postponement , are you seriously suggesting Guess Who ,that we should simply refuse to play the game ,causing our hosts further losses ? Whatever rivalry there is to deny any other club a chance to take ion much needed revenue,to suit our own means would be an outrage..

Put the boot on the other foot .. I can see the outcry on this board, had it been that the Raiders refused to travel to Cougar Park to fulfill a fixture..nuff said

While I think the chances we we would get a result In Furness whether the game was Sun or next Wed , imagine the flip it would give to our lads if we did ..finishing the top of the Pool..what better way to begin our league season.. do you want to deny em that chance..??

Finally 'silly cup " ,well thats your opinion ..not mine or plenty of others I Know....

We possibly should go for the cup, but the point being raised is that the Barrow game is effectively a "dead rubber".

Is it worth risking people when we are already in the QFs?

Save the side for the Championship and knockout games.

Seems simple to me.

I have to say, as analogies go, that's a really crap one.

There'd be an outcry if one of our key players got themselves ruled out for the season if they got badly injured playing in a game like that.

I certainly think we should send a team up there, as it would bad for Barrow and we could even get sued for them losing revenue if we no showed.

Whilst it may not be necessarily in the spirit of the competition, I think we should look at the bigger picture and send a weakened side up there and keep the nucleus of the first team preparing for the league game.

The mountain we've got to climb is difficult enough, why make it even harder for ourselves?

I can't agree with the 'weakened team' idea - not much of a boost for those involved, knowing they are our weakest players...
Barrow are a good side, a good display against them is just what the club needs.
Besides, I would hate Cougars to be known as a team that goes in for such gamesmanship. If you turn up to play, at least play to win.

No one's saying we play to lose.

We just don't send our strongest side out that's all.

I'd still expect the 17 to give it everything they've got.

This is like the Wolves arguement, they put a weak team out at Man U and got turned over, they changed their entire 11 and won a "6 pointer" at home against Burnley, it's about utilising the whole squad in order to achieve the best result for the club, which as far as i'm concerned is us defying all the odds and staying up.