Nobody always makes the right choice in attack or defence never mind both. I think he's a very good player, probably first name on the teamsheet everyweek but he's certainly more a grafter than a luxury player.

what people have forgot its was a 3 year plan to get those boxes ticked untill super league pick the team to go up, so we dont have to win anything this year, would be great to win the grand final this year, but if it dont happen then there is next year, we are buliding towards super league,if we win nothing this year keep heart, we are heading in the right direction, in my imo matt will get us there

Thanks for taking the time out to post Mike what with your TV career taking off as it did last night, the amount of times you were on

It is incredibly frustrating seeing the same group of players who were beating teams comfortably earlier on in the season, now on a 5 match losing streak, particularly when the coaching staff said before a boot was laced that the training would be tailored so that we peak at the END of the season rather than the start.

However, they still have my 100% support. Yes we will have down games, or a few games, 2003 anyone? But Matt Calland is a young British coach who obviously has a lot of passion for the club and wants to achieve things with us, why else would he sign a two year contract?

The players do not turn from world beaters to half hearters overnight, the cup game against Cas took a lot out of us but when we lost the NRC semi final against Widnes, and the manner we lost it, obviously was a massive hammer blow to the players who are tight knit and before that hadn't lost to a team in our division. Also the claims that the players who have signed extensions playing badly is a load of jack. As sportsmen they have some professional pride and if they don't take to the field wanting to win or do their best then they wouldn't take to the pitch in the first place and put their bodies on the line for the cause.

Last night was a despairing defeat but it wasn't through lack of effort, it was through poor defence and ill-discipline, which ALL sports teams are guilty of. Now the team have 10 days to recharge the batteries, get the frustration and tension out of their system and get our season back on track at the LSV on Bank Holiday Monday.

A lot of good posts on here which is nice to see. Lots of intelligent conversation rather than slating people and rumour spreading.

I came away depressed last night as I'm sure we all did but at least there have been improvements. We all know the Widnes away game was awful and ok we haven't won since then but we have improved. I felt there was a lot of passion in that second half last night and that the players genuinely seemed gutted when we lost. I really hope we get back on track against Leigh I really do. Lets stick together and show the players that our frustrations are only down to our love and passion for the club and we are right behind them.

Thanks for the mention Mike...I didn't expect it but while on the topic why doesn't everyone do what I have done and get some cashfax forms sent out to them? I don't have 20 people to sign up but I know I will find them because its a relatively easy sell...I signed 4 people up from work with ease because people don't mind paying £1 a week for the chance to win some cash.

We can all do our bit and little things like that will probably help lift spirits in the office, which I'm sure has a positive effect on the club after a disappointing loss the night before

'I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot... and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that's precisely why I succeed''.
Michael Jordan

"Play up! Play up! And play the game!"
Sir Henry John Newbolt - Vitaï Lampada

Now come on, get your heads up, start enjoying it and win..
Justthebasicfax Aug 09

well said mike now tell the players to prove those doubters wrong

Just realised this post has been made a sticky....i thought it had disappeared! Might be just me but i always forget to look through the sticky post list!

Well said, Mike. Alot of the negative posts on here are nevertheless understandable and are borne out of frustration ... eg last night's match it appeared Batley had an extra spring and their tries looked soft, so the fans are bound to vent their annoyance.

But in reality there's probably no other sport in which confidence bears such an impact. A workmate who supports Leeds watched last night's match and ... speaking as a level headed neutral .... acknowledged we seem to be panicing with no direction. He was of the view that had we would have won that match our season would turn around overnight. A loss is a loss no matter how close, and a win is a win. He also pointed out Ian Millward being under fire in 2004 when Saints went thru a horror patch, including being beat 70 nil at Leeds!!

I'm sure things will turn round ... I'm a great believer in swings and roundabouts and it won't be too long before we're stringing 5 wins on the trot.

5 on the trop would be nice now...wouldn't that mean we would win the GF...or get there at least!?

Very good post from Mike Riley and I hope that it puts some of the silly (in my opinion) comments that have been aimed at players, coaching staff and directors firmly to bed.

I've been reading the forum for the past few weeks and have been angered by a lot of the comments. I know that the players are working really hard to get the season back on track and i'm confident they will turn things around at Leigh.

I think we should all get behind Matt and the players as Mike says - they are a great bunch and plenty of encouragement from us fans will help them.

The club needs people like Mike Riley and I just want people to be aware that he does a tremendous amount of voluntary work along with others like Malcolm Powell, Graham Clay, Michael Steele and Ian Croad among others. It's a fairly small team of workers at the club and I feel that these people should get plenty of support from the fans for what they are doing in trying to promote the club. The last thing we want is to lose valuable people like this.

Not forgetting my mate Sarah who does everything down there. The aim of my post is to try and encourage all the fans to get behind the team and these people who are working hard for the club.

This is also the first time i've ever posted something sensible. I'm maturing with age

To Mike and all Coaching and playing staff of Halifax RLFC.

As a long standing fan, not quite of mikes 50 years, it is appreciated and acknowledge that a director of the club, finds it necessary and then takes the time to compose a message to the fans on a fans forum, I wonder how many other Directors of clubs in this sport would do this, it just shows both Mike and the club do care what the fans think, and that this forum does have an impact.

I will go on further to say that the vast majority of fans are behind the club, certainly the ones I know and sit near on match days, otherwise they would not be fans!

However to go undefeated for virtually all season other than the semi of the cup, to then lose 4 games in a row, fans are bound to speculate on what the issues could be, if we just accepted it and said nothing, the club would truly be in a state! We would not be fans if we did not do speculate! we have passion real passion, we must have to have supported the club over the last few years over some of our darkest moments!

Also whilst it was completely unnecessary, thank you for putting the record straight on some of the ludicrous accusations that a very small section of “so called fans” have been suggesting. Unfortunately the “ so called fans” will always continue to do this especially if others, become sucked in to sparing on the topics posted, I guess with the age of the tinternet, these speculations are now done in print rather than verbally in the pub, and the “so called fans“ are far far braver sat at a comp than they would be in the pub or face to face with real fans!

I myself have posted some positive feedback on a couple of these topics, but find that virtually never are these picked upon, the negative spin always continues and the positive is forgotten, that’s probably why over the last two years I have gone from being a regular poster, to at times hardly looking at the forum at all! Its easy to post rubbish – its a lot harder to compose a thoughtful and factual post, it means u have to sit down and think about what u r writing! Lol

I For one will continue to turn up and support the club through thick and thin, I will cheer when we win and I will be devastated when we lose, but Mike, Matt and all the players don’t let the minority influence the opinion u have of your fans, we love our club, with pride and passion and look forward to when the current set of Directors, Coaches and Fans seeing our club once again back in the top flight.

Come on you bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuues…………………

Jonnie

great post there,

what he said!

Great to see a director of the rugby club slaying all the rumours, hope fax can now get back on track.I must agree with him after watching the video of the batley game we played a lot better than i thought we had when i was at the game.It was just silly mistakes that cost us godden racing out of the defensive line ,tamghart dropping the ball at a crucial time etc and larder unusually falling off tackles they all add up in the end.If we can get a good win at Leigh i,m sure it will lift us for the last game and the playoffs.