Re: new player(s) : Tue Aug 27, 2019 4:18 pm  

faxcar wrote:

Yes I know what you mean and getting the balance right is one of many challenges the coach has to face in recruitment.

The players we are talking about and many others were at one time on their way up when the SL clubs first took a look and them and gave them a chance but for whatever reason they weren't retained.

Who's to say the current "on the up players" would be any different if they came to Fax and if they were how long would it be before SL came calling, eg: Rawsthorne and Butler.

Apart from SL, Fax are just a Championship club in and among some very good rivals and it will be a tough ask even to attract the better players at our level, those who we manage to, I'll settle for that at the moment to be honest the state we are in.

But what state are we in? I don't know. I'm still waiting to hear details of the q&a meeting.

Re: new player(s) : Tue Aug 27, 2019 5:17 pm  

Hudd-Shay wrote:

But what state are we in? I don't know. I'm still waiting to hear details of the q&a meeting.

Precisely Hudds.
Overall. On the premise good news travels fast and ours still hasn’t left the office =.

However on current playing standards we don’t need a club announcement to tell us that.

On thread and the topic of player recruitment for next season we are probably in a worse starting position / state than we have been for years.

SG has copped for a hybrid side in decline left over from both KH and RM and has a total rebuild not only of personal but playing styles and players attitudes and I for one don’t envy him.

He is aware of it and will be trying to sort it out, whether he has the funds and ability to do it is another question but we have to give the man a chance.

Re: new player(s) : Wed Aug 28, 2019 2:11 am  

I understand that being 9000 miles away I will never get the 'inside track information', how do people know who is being looked at, offered terms, ect when there has not been any communication about the Q and A session made public, ( not on any platform I can access).
I know that with with players being part time they are more contactable, but do they know? are they in the loop of potential signings? does S G have an open forum and ask the remaining guys who they would like? very democratic if he does, very unprofessional if players are making public statements, or is it all paper talk, has someone got a microphone attached to S M evesdropping his every word? if so can you attach one to the Directors meeting room so we all know what is going on? Halifax Panthers ? thought we had done away with silly names.
I am all for moving forward, but a rebrand? are Fax the 'dulls' in disguise?

Re: new player(s) : Wed Aug 28, 2019 5:05 am  

faxcar wrote:

Precisely Hudds.
Overall. On the premise good news travels fast and ours still hasn’t left the office =.

However on current playing standards we don’t need a club announcement to tell us that.

On thread and the topic of player recruitment for next season we are probably in a worse starting position / state an we have been for years.

SG has copped for a hybrid side in decline left over from both KH and RM and has a total rebuild not only of personal but playing styles and players attitudes and I for one don’t envy him.

He is aware of it and will be trying to sort it out, whether he has the funds and ability to do it is another question but we have to give the man a chance.

This whole 'side in decline' is a misnomer. It's a convenient excuse. Yes, some of the playing group are headed over to the other side of the '30' hill but still cannot masquerade for the fundamental reason why we have won 1 in 11 / 5 out of the last 17; When I see Grix comment on a total lack of confidence, it doesn't fill me with optimism when one of of his duties is to motivate. I don't want to signal SG out for unwarranted criticism as he has little no experience and little to no apprenticeship. (Leading on the field and coaching are fundamentally different). I will say again, he needs an experienced head / mentor to allow him to build his own style of delivery. It's blind faith with Grix next year whether or not we improve. There is more than enough quality and experience in the current team but the harsh reality is that he has been unable to stem our terminal decline since the Bradford game which either demonstrates that the players have a.) been unable to adjust to his style b.) SG has been unsuccessful in identifying what core issues the team had. Pretty confident that when prospective coaches have interviews, there is some discussion about what is going to be done differently......

Re: new player(s) : Wed Aug 28, 2019 6:55 am  

Of course we need a rebrand. Times in the entertaining world have changed. We need match day to be exciting and different - some entertainment gong on the grounds behind the South Stand, for example. Incentives to get people going.

Currently we have boring cheer leaders (bless them for their efforts) and half time "entertainment" involves some geezers racing each other on the pitch (god give me strength!). And with sub standard rugby following, well worth 19 quid (NOT!)

Re: new player(s) : Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:51 am  

SingaporeFax wrote:

This whole 'side in decline' is a misnomer. It's a convenient excuse. Yes, some of the playing group are headed over to the other side of the '30' hill but still cannot masquerade for the fundamental reason why we have won 1 in 11 / 5 out of the last 17; When I see Grix comment on a total lack of confidence, it doesn't fill me with optimism when one of of his duties is to motivate. I don't want to signal SG out for unwarranted criticism as he has little no experience and little to no apprenticeship. (Leading on the field and coaching are fundamentally different). I will say again, he needs an experienced head / mentor to allow him to build his own style of delivery. It's blind faith with Grix next year whether or not we improve. There is more than enough quality and experience in the current team but the harsh reality is that he has been unable to stem our terminal decline since the Bradford game which either demonstrates that the players have a.) been unable to adjust to his style b.) SG has been unsuccessful in identifying what core issues the team had. Pretty confident that when prospective coaches have interviews, there is some discussion about what is going to be done differently......

How can the “side in decline” be a misnomer and then be said to have been in “terminal decline” since the Bradford game?
The “decline” or seeds of it were sown long before the recent Bradford match and even before the winter game at Odsal, well before Grix got the job and there are many factors involved.
As for SG he wouldn’t have been my choice because as you say he has no first hand experience but that decision has already been taken.
This thread is about recruitment and not the rights and wrongs of Grix appointment.
Back on track and connecting a few dots if it would have been wiser to bring in an experience coach then I can see why he has looked at bringing in some experienced players to make up part of his side.

Re: new player(s) : Thu Aug 29, 2019 12:22 am  

faxcar wrote:

How can the “side in decline” be a misnomer and then be said to have been in “terminal decline” since the Bradford game?
The “decline” or seeds of it were sown long before the recent Bradford match and even before the winter game at Odsal, well before Grix got the job and there are many factors involved.
As for SG he wouldn’t have been my choice because as you say he has no first hand experience but that decision has already been taken.
This thread is about recruitment and not the rights and wrongs of Grix appointment.
Back on track and connecting a few dots if it would have been wiser to bring in an experience coach then I can see why he has looked at bringing in some experienced players to make up part of his side.

The point being that the side was not in decline. There was nothing to suggest it was the last 4 seasons. Saying it was / is. Makes it convenient for some people.

Re: new player(s) : Thu Aug 29, 2019 6:59 am  

SingaporeFax wrote:

The point being that the side was not in decline. There was nothing to suggest it was the last 4 seasons. Saying it was / is. Makes it convenient for some people.

Maybe not so much in decline but certainly in need of a freshen up. Its rare for good teams to make no significant changes to the team over a span of 4 years but for whatever reason that is what we tried to do. The players may be best mates off the field or whatever but they had gone stale on it really through no fault of their own either.

Re: new player(s) : Thu Aug 29, 2019 7:01 am  

SingaporeFax wrote:

The point being that the side was not in decline. There was nothing to suggest it was the last 4 seasons. Saying it was / is. Makes it convenient for some people.

Maybe decline is the wrong word to use here. In my opinion Marshall got pretty lucky - he inherited the a very good team from Rhino and got them playing together and did well in his first season, and last season it was only the 'implosions' at Leigh and Fev that opened the door for 'Fax to get in the play offs. Everyone but the coach it seemed could see where the weaknesses in the team have been for the past couple of seasons, and when RM had full control of his recruitment he struggled - seasons 2 and 4 of his tenure showed this. Coupled with the spine of the team growing older together there was always going to be an off season where a refresh was needed.

Re: new player(s) : Thu Aug 29, 2019 8:46 am  

Inoffski1 wrote:

Maybe decline is the wrong word to use here. In my opinion Marshall got pretty lucky - he inherited the a very good team from Rhino and got them playing together and did well in his first season, and last season it was only the 'implosions' at Leigh and Fev that opened the door for 'Fax to get in the play offs. Everyone but the coach it seemed could see where the weaknesses in the team have been for the past couple of seasons, and when RM had full control of his recruitment he struggled - seasons 2 and 4 of his tenure showed this. Coupled with the spine of the team growing older together there was always going to be an off season where a refresh was needed.

Except that's not true. Leigh missed out on top 4 because of their abysmal start to the season and Fev paid the price for having a lack of half backs through injury and (stupid) suspension for the key game against London. Of the last 8 regular season games Leigh won 7, Fev 6 and 'Fax 6.