WWste wrote:
Why have you never got rid of the clown. Always baffles me. DP always looked like an abrasive character who looking from the outside in, didn’t have much of a culture building other than scowl at players when they played poop then go out on the lash if they won. Appointing Burgess is a strange one, i think he’s a great player and might have the attitude (if it starts to go wrong) of being royally peed off and butt heads with players and they aren’t doing what he could do. Honestly you wouldn’t go far wrong sticking with the chap you had. Give him a go bringing the youth through and see what happens.
Our Chairman, Middleton, thinks Karl Fitzpatrick is doing a good job so he stays. It's his trainset he can do what he likes. In actual fact our sporting performance since his appointment have all gone one way - down. From a team that was regularly challenging the top 4 playing entertaining RL, winning LLS and Challenge Cups we have now become the laughing stock of the league.
DP did not have the tools in his arsenal to turn around the culture of mediocrity he came into or the skills to deal with the egos. He fell out with the players and in the end they stopped playing for him. When all you have in your toolkit is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
Burgess is nothing more than a high profile punt after Justin Holbrook turned us down. Of course whilst we wish Burgess well, he may throw the towel in with our shambles if things don't go right. He will be readily accepted back in Australia for an assistant role.
In truth we peaked about 2011/12 under Tony Smith. If we were ever going to win a GF it was then. Unmanaged, chaotic decline is what we are left with.