As an outsider who has watched Fax twice on the tv at Batley and Barrow and watched that headless chicken Penkywicz running around dropping ******** after******** can i just ask you one question ?
Just why did you let the Maestro Holroyd go ?

[iEdited by TS.

Not necessary.[/i

Penkywicz is a hooker and should only play at hooker.

We didn't let him go, we offered him a contract, he was reluctant to sign and we weren't going to hang around for him.

Penkywicz is, was and always will be a hooker and the sooner he is played there the sooner we can get back to trying to win games.

What has he done since he chose not to sign for us?

Think letting Barker go was a mistake also.

er nothing. was good to let him go and use money elsewhere.

and replaced by maloney, know which of them i would have anytime.

Barker was not replaced by Maloney, ones a prop, ones a back. Not exactly like for like is it.

not like for like but addressed the team balance, particularly as MJ was injured

Ok now im confused, you can't say letting Barker go was ok as we signed another forward, it left us short of centres, fair enough he wasn't an experienced centre or stand out performer in that position but we have struggled in that area since he left and I'd rather have him then Roberts or Haley at centre so Haley can go on the wing.

i meant in the squad, all comes down to money.
we have been lacking another centre since start of season.

Yea I know it was about money and freeing some cash up, if I had to choose I would choose Maloney anyway but we miss Barker, tbh Id have played Shad at centre to mark Harrison as Shads got a bit more about him defensively.

Not a big Holly fan but he has been a standout performer for Swinton this season and im pretty sure he would have done a job for us.

The person posing the question can obviously, like the rest of us on here, see that we did not really replace Holroyd. Maybe Calland intended Barker to play 6, but rarely used him there. His squad number suggests that the stand-off role was going to be Barker's. Maybe Barker did not live up to expectations in the coach's eyes and/or his selection of the three hookers covering that position was working too well at the start of the season. There was also the young guy from Leeds, Moore, whose loan spell was cut very short for whatever reasons. He was a stand-off, wasn't he?

Whatever, it had become clear to virtually everyone, barring seemingly the coaching staff, before mid-season that we are lacking a mid-field organiser to take on Holroyd's old role. Why, having by now released Barker and the wheels starting to come off the performance levels, did we not attempt, or manage, to bring in a suitable player on loan?

Jamie Rooney would have been one to be considered when Wakefield were willing to loan him out. But it was Barrow, in that instance, who snapped up someone who could have done a good job for Fax. I'm sure he would have preferred the shorter journey times involved in coming to Halifax rather that traipsing all the way up tp Furness.

The team look totally disorganised nowadays. Whether this is down to the players or to the coach or both I cannot judge, but it is up to the coaching staff to come up with a solution to the current problems. They have had half a season to try to put it right - I am not optimistic that they can provide the answer in the next six days. Without the playmaking general of a good no. 6 I don't think matters will improve...and we can't now get one this season.

Let's hope that we get a good balanced side for next season, whoever might be the coach.

And put who at fullback?