You missed out the people whose sole goal in life is to reward mediocrity and failure.

I'm glad that there will be fewer friendlies.
I didn't bother with the joke derby friendly this year and wont bother with it next year either.

Disagree!
There is only room for my viewpoint, and that's the way it should always be.

With such a high opinion of your man management skills and insight into the failings at FC I cannot for the life of me see why you are not a top coach. It must have been difficult turning down all the offers. Haven't either of our teams been beating down your door?

According to today's HDM it is possible we might be having only two pre-season friendlies - Doncaster and Rovers.

It was only a few years ago that a former coach said that we were going into the season "undercooked" having played only two friendlies.

Personally I think that while four is too many I don't think two is enough. Three is about right - and none of them should be against Rovers. That fixture appears to be played for just commercial considerations and in the past has led to lengthy injury absences.

The undercooked statement had nothing to do with how many games we played pre-season but the fact that the coach allowed too many players so much time off when they should have been back at the club training, imo.

I don't know whether that's right or not but I'm sure we played more pre-season matches the following season.

I guess it's how we use the two games. Pack them full of u19s and we will have little or no benefit. Use the top 21 - 24 players with the nucleus especially the pivots playing 75% of the games and we will be fine.

KR friendly again.. people are starting to tire of them!

I guess both clubs reckon that there'll be 8/9k there (I think that was about what the attendance was at the friendly in January).

I didn't go this year and won't next but if they can get that sort of figure then the pre-season derbies will continue I would imagine.

Agree, and I can see how, commercially, it's attractive for them, I just think it's milking the supporters a little and shows a little "small club" mentality from both, can a barometer of the pre-season and readiness for the league campaign ahead be 11 v 9 and playing Doncaster?

If we have another game, I hope it's against someone who finished top 4 in SL.

I agree with the Derby match just don't want it at all but can also see whay the clubs need a cash injection.

Would rather go and watch Fc play "anbody" else really, will be giving it a miss for the first time I think.

I think a derby would ready both teams for the intensity of SL far more than any other fixture, maybe that's the reason they persist?

it's nothing to do with readiness, it's down to ££££'s, any sane person knows that.

Really? Maybe you could give us a cost/profit breakdown for us (obviously) 'insane' people?

ask Ears

Radford? I reckon he knows about as much as you do about it.

Forgive me for questioning your 'expert' knowledge, but if it's all about the ££££'s and only 8/9,000 fans bother to attend - wouldn't it make more sense to have it at CP where there wouldn't be any cost of hiring the stadium?

I don't understand the argument/conclusion drawn from Craig Murdoch's HDM article on pre season. Last year Radders set too much store on results? What , against Bradford and Fev? He's suggesting that the extra games and effort had an adverse affect on the squad later in the year? Only a few of the senior players turned out for full games and often it was the "naughty step" players that we're left on the field with the kids. He's suggesting that he's reflecting Radford's views and quotes him in some places , it just seems a total contradiction. Last year's preseason was a debacle but to me the problems were not about excessive effort or over playing our main squad players , quite the opposite.

I know for a fact that I haven't made the same man management mistakes Radford has. That alone tells me all I need to know. his inability to address the problem during the season and his treatment of certain players just adds to what I know about him as a person and his lack of abilities in pretty much every dept.
I've been trained to manage, I have a proper qualification not one found in the bottom of a pint pot or fag packet, I have real life, real world experience of managing individuals and larger numbers in a cut throat industry & suceeding..Radford hasn't.

I say what I said on what can be seen, you on the other hand and others just want to ignore the obvious and yet make guesses as to whom gave whom what contract and at what amount. All of which our owner was quite happy to sign off yet now he's loading all the blame on the previous encumbant..what a load of b.ollocks. If you want to beleive the two liars at the helm of our club that up to you..I on the other hand are not so blinded by (misplaced) club loyalties to back them at ALL costs.

Having been in the army and worked in private industry I KNOW what works to motivate differing people at all levels, what is required to get them to perform, to give them the tools to help themselves whilst you guide them. I don't need to be particularly great at rugby knowledge, I don't have the inherrant skills or knowledge regarding specifically rugby league, I was a foot soldier when i played and happy to keep it that way. However man mangement, problem solving skills & experience of such translates across ALL industries.

Taking people on an expensive jolly abroad as a 'treat' before they've even proven that they are performing is just a lack of understanding, wasteful financially AND disruptive. You can achieve more and still give a pat on the back without going to such lengths that have no basis whatsoever (within Rugby League players) in enhancing performance or motivation, in some instances it can have quite the opposite effect.

I don't give a flying one what they, you or anyone else thinks, I say it how I see it, I want the club to be professional in what they do, not to spin bullshat and backstabbing two-faced excuses, to look at every single avenue possible, get specialists in for specialist areas because it IS very clear we are not doing the utmost to propel our club to the heights we want.

But the likes of you won't be able to undertsand about professionalism and what it takes to succeed eh, you're a Radford of this world for sure..

Using your logic, I know for a fact I've never lost a SL game as coach so that surely makes me better then Radford?

Unless you're a member of the squad or management team at the club, you don't even know [ifor a fact[/i what man management [idecisions[/i have been made, let alone whether they were a mistake or not. All you can do is form an [iopinion[/i based on stories in the press and performances on the pitch. Just like everyone else.


Your realise that other teams in all sports use warm weather training, right? Some of them quite successful in their sports? Are they all doing it wrong?

Surely the change in preseason games this year is the club ( and coach) admitting that they got it wrong last year which is the first step on the road to improvement and has to be applauded. I was very critical of the selection of Radford last year but will be happy to be proved wrong in a spectacular manner.

Agreed. Its better to acknowledge your mistakes and change things rather than press on regardless insisting you're right.

I think Radford has found out the job is harder than he thought it would be and its good that he recognises that he too needs to learn, change and adapt, not just the players.

I'm hoping he'll be a much better coach next season than last. He'll certainly be better for the experience.

Funny that. I was once involved in an administrative role in an RL club at a much lower level in a semi pro comp overseas. The clubs sponsor/owner was heavily involved with the club. Now this guy certainly knew business running a successful large construction company and nobody doubted his commitment, enthusiasm and desire for the team to win. He was also of the opinion that all management is the same and easily transferable between different areas of work. So he saw it as one of his motivational duties was to give a pep talk at half time during the match. Only problem was this guy was an American and while these speeches may well have gone down well at US college football game they certainly didn't go down well with the players and coach.

Moral of the story is I don't have any confidence in people with no RL experience making grandiose claims on their ability to manage a Super League team without at least some knowledge of the dynamics involved. The other thing I learned from that time is that there's an awful lot happening behind the scenes with player's life in general that nobody knows about but which sometimes can lead to what the public sees as an inexplicable preference for one player over another for example. You are dealing with young men who fitter and stronger than average and in many cases yet to learn that they aren't bullet proof or infallible. I appreciate that its difficult and have little respect for those who think its easy. These people making the claims wouldn't say that they could play better on the field than anyone in the current team as they would rightly be laughed off, however similar applies to off the field as well.