: Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:27 am  

mr t hall wrote:

nows not the time to consider who needs replacing for next year.everyone at the club has a job to finish this year and need our full support.

All the fans are behind the team. We must find replacements for the players who don't fit into MC's next seasons plans NOW, or have passed their best in their opinion NOW. If we leave it too late there could be no-one good enough available.

: Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:45 am  

Cassandra wrote:

All the fans are behind the team. We must find replacements for the players who don't fit into MC's next seasons plans NOW, or have passed their best in their opinion NOW. If we leave it too late there could be no-one good enough available.

I think his point was that we shouldnt get worried about who are going to be replaced, that is down to MH and MC and I am sure that they are not sitting back and saying we will do it later. They WILL have already been working hard to make these decisions. It is US who have to be patient and focus on what has to be done this year.

: Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:55 am  

rickster wrote:

..... Widnes in the end deserved it - but I also feel they played their best , we certainly didn't.

Perfectly sums it up. The general feeling amongst Halifax fans after the match is that we made far too many mistakes and got crucified by penalties piggy backing Widnes up the field. You CANNOT expect to win games against any DECENT team playing like that. Yet we still came within 5 points and could have actually snatched it. I think that speaks volumes as to which team has the genuine overall better quality. So would I swap the Halifax team and coaching set up with that of Widnes? ...... NOT A BIT OF IT!!

: Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:26 am  

i thought there was some risky decisions made by calland regarding team selection which ultimately cost us.

goddard - still under cooked fitness wise got badly exposed on the edge several times and made some poor decisions in attack. Haley would have been the safe bet.

Govin - again undercooked and not sure two hb's on the bench in a game where fowards were always going to influence the result was right. maybe bowman/roberts would have been safer.

Wrench - i love wrench think he has been great for us but in the big games he looks too slow you cant beat father time. He was forced to play him at cas due to james pulling out but i wa very surprised to see him sunday and cherryholme out of squad.

goddard and govin are quality but it was a gamble playing both which dint come off.

: Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:30 am  

Tony Fax wrote:

Perfectly sums it up. The general feeling amongst Halifax fans after the match is that we made far too many mistakes and got crucified by penalties piggy backing Widnes up the field. You CANNOT expect to win games against any DECENT team playing like that. Yet we still came within 5 points and could have actually snatched it. I think that speaks volumes as to which team has the genuine overall better quality. So would I swap the Halifax team and coaching set up with that of Widnes? ...... NOT A BIT OF IT!!

I must say I'm very surprised and slightly disappointed at Halifax's response. We were up at half time and up at full time, you had a good 10 minute patch yet ultimately lost the match. It's interesting to say that we can't play any better, we've only been training together for 3 weeks and have alot of new players, yet still managed to beat you on your own patch. In reality, we shouldn't have won last Sunday with your form and our new players, and I think your coach is trying to paint over the cracks.

Halifax didn't play to the best of their ability? There's always a reason for that, you dropped the ball alot because of our pressure and line speed, it happened 3 times on our line in the first half. Maybe your players have believed your coaches and fans hype too much?

I've seen it happen to us, 2 years ago when we swept all before us and battered Haven in the Northern Rail Cup Final, yet went on to play poor for the rest of the season and get battered in the Grand Final because we peaked too soon - maybe your coach is too inexperienced to know how to get his team to peak at the right time?

I'm not dismissing Fax in the slightest, you are still in my opinion clear favourites to win the Grand Final, but stop thinking it's a formality, which I think alot of you did, because history shows it's not as easy as that, and you could end up looking very silly come October.

: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:12 am  

I think it unfair to say that either team outplayed the other last sunday. Both teams played entirely different game plans. Halifax stuck to what we have been doing all season, trying to score at every set of 6. Forcing the pass on the 2nd tackle in our own half, like there is only 2 minutes on the clock and we need 2 scores!! Great to watch when it works but when it doesn't and we cough up easy possesion then it is infuriating.

Widnes played a methodical, low risk game which ultimately was pretty error free and brought them enough (only just) points to win the game.

The main point that is hurting us hardened fax fans is this. Every inch of field position we gained had to be earned, the hard way, in those weather conditions that will take a lot out of a side.
The field position gained by Widnes was more often than not, on the back of a penalty or 2.

I was at the game and can remember over half adozen clean breaks through the widnes line of defence. I don't remember even half that the other way round.
The penalty count is laughable, I will watch the DVD and of the 13 we gave no doubt 10 or 11 were correct, but to honestly say that Widnes only infringed 3 times in 80 minutes is ridiculous. Any Widnes fan that says it made no difference has obviously never played the game.

I left the ground thoroughly disappointed but holding no grudges against Widnes or their fans. They won, simple fact.
I'll be at Gateshead, and I'll be going to France. That is what is so great about this game of ours, we are only on here (both Fax and Widnes) discussing this so much because of how much rugby and our teams mean to us.

I wouldn't want it any other way!!

: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:18 am  

fair post imo.matt made the point prior to season starting about peaking at right time and we then went on to win our first 11 games ! hopefully our real peak is yet to come.

: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:26 am  

spanishbob wrote:

I think his point was that we shouldnt get worried about who are going to be replaced, that is down to MH and MC and I am sure that they are not sitting back and saying we will do it later. They WILL have already been working hard to make these decisions. It is US who have to be patient and focus on what has to be done this year.

exactly.
we do need to improve certain areas but i dont want to name individuals at this stage. (not when haighys reading anyway )