Grix's interview after the York looked to me like he's really starting to feel the pressure after a real mixed bag of performances this year. Unfortunately this will filter through to the players, a few of whom have definitely let him down this year, but who now more than ever need a coach who has a clear plan and sticks to it. While everyone has their own idea of who should be in the 17, it's now time for Grix to choose his preferred team - and stick to it, so that players can start playing with a bit more freedom. Perhaps naively I still believe in Grix as a coach, and really want him to succeed, he's going to need a thick skin over the next couple of months, and be brave enough to stick to his principles.

Remember when the previous board gave SG a 3 year contract, people said it would end in tears!
SG knows he is pretty bomb proof at present, the new board have given him full backing ( as they should) but have not been as vocal as promised when they took over, although I am not physically close to Fax the silence from the board is deafening.
On paper Fax have possibly the best squad in the league and most other coaches would love the chance to have them, how the shambles has been allowed to develop is a matter to be held behind closed doors.
It was mooted at the beginning of the season that without Scott Grix and Liam Finn and bringing in an inexperienced coach was a disaster waiting to happen, seems a prophecy coming true.
I don t know Simon, however it is clear he needs man management lessons, and tactical awareness training on having plans b,c,d for backup situations.
As for the players, they are mostly an experienced set with multiple international caps between them,I am not advocating a player revolt,but these guys should have enough nouse to sort it out on the field, where the coach has little option but to watch, he can’t change all 13 .
As for the discipline during game time gifting stupid yards for what are not even school boy errors is unacceptable, laying on, offside, forward pass, dropping the ball, and Fax now seem to have the ref on the front foot. Looking to penalise at the first opportunity, and wow do they help them with that, the only thing they don’t seem to do is backchat.
I don t have an answer to who is available to come in at short notice, even if there was money to spend on help and as stubborn as the coach seems would reject it anyway, is there anyone inside the squad capable of stepping up as a middleman to take the sting out of what is clearly an issue?
As for the coach, grow a pair, admit you are wrong, listen to your players and let’s go forward, no more bull about waiting for dry tracks, they have been here a while now and the desired results have not followed.
That for what it is, is my pennyworth.

The ironic thing is that one of the first things Grix did was to get rid of any influential players who he probably thought had too much influence over the dressing room Ie. Murrell and Tyrer. He did it latley as well with Worthington and Arundel both once again dressed up as players having bad attitudes. It seems he rules with an iron fist and is not afraid of calling people out in public and is happy to let chinese whispers continue about players. I mean heck if I didn't see it myself I wouldn't even know Keyes was injured as there has been no updates from the club.

Going off on a tangent, it's the general direction the club is heading which needs looking at.

I've never liked the Shay, with it's 2 open stands too far from the pitch not to mention paying the Council tens of thousands of quid a season for the use of what is essentially a soccer stadium. I often shed a tear thinking back to beautifully compact Thrum Hall and its cauldron atmosphere. We'd be better suited to a similarly compact RL friendly stadium on the outskirts. Never been to Ovenden RU or Siddal RL but I wonder if they are ripe for development. Where would the money come from? Well, Wakefield bought and are developing their stadium with a "mortgage" from the Council so they actually own it (at the end of the term anyway) and maybe the mortgage payments are similar to what was "dead" rent. Just a thought. I know folk who stopped going after Thrum Hall ..... tried the Shay but not the same, they said.

Not that I'm decrying the vision of the current board. They're doing a great job and something I'd irk at doing, having moaning minnies pecking their heads. I do think something bold and dramatic needs to happen, though, as the current recipe isn't working. I bet the directors heart sank, for example, when the crowd of 1,744 was announced at the Barrow match after 5 weeks on the road.

The Barrow attendance was massively disappointing as I hate to think how many freebies it included.
We started this season with an upturn in support and the Sheffield attendance was encouraging,however Grix's dumbass statement about early rounds not being important and it's a long season,dry tracks etc halted all momentum from which we have never recovered.In a competitive league like this EVERY game is vital.

We should try to bring Muzza into the equation (and I don't mean as a player).

Lets be clear
- the poor squad is partly due to a lack of basic player recruitment skills at BOD level
- the poor squad is partly due to the recruitment not matching the preferred playing style of the coach. Perhaps suitable players were not available, perhaps we couldn't afford them or perhaps our recruitment was poor. I suspect a combination of all three.

When I saw the squad at the start of the season I said Grix would loose his job before season end. I had underestimated the financial hole the new BOD would find themselves in. I believe they simply can't afford to pay up his contract. Recent recruitment by other Championship clubs indicated players have been available at a price, so as ever its our very limited finances that are driving the players available on the field.

This years BOD have indicated that they inherited a financial problem, was this true? Did Turner and the previous BOD leave us in a mess or have the present BOD buggered up like so many before them? The BOD had ambitious plans, are they all now dead? Be nice to hear what is really going on especially with the rumours of them trying to finance a ground purchase...which would be a splendid move if achievable.

As I touched upon in an earlier post, the Shay has never worked for Fax so a ground change would indeed be splendid.

The Shay is a tidy stadium, but maybe being in the town centre doesn't help with limited street parking which may put folk off. Taking Headingley as an outskirts stadium example, I always found it easy to park even with 5 figure crowds. Of course it will be a massive challenge, but I can only see a bright future with a compact RL stadium on the skirts we can call our own.

Who’s paying for it?
Where would it be located?
Would the council give planning permission for it to happen and have one of their members income streams disappear from the Shay? No they wouldn’t.
Looking back it would have been better updating thrum Hall

We need the Shay and it's size if we ever meet the IMG suckup criteria.Moving is pie in the sky and unrealistic,far more pressing problems at present with the presentation on the field.

Maybe similar to what Wakey are doing with a mortgage from the Council. I'm not sure how much rent Fax are paying, I think it was £40k pa a few seasons ago, which of course is just dead money.



We're talking about the council here (another reason to get away). I'm sure they would love to get rid of this white elephant, and sell it for housing development making a tidy sum as well as generating even bigger income streams from the resulting additional council tax. Where would Halifax Town end up? Who knows, probably end up on some local park.

The two clubs should worth together for the benefit of each other,but attitudes like that and from the football forum prevent this.I love the Shay and would hate to be housed in a resticted subbuteo stadium-5 miles out of Town,like last Sunday...

It's a sad state of affairs when the clubs in a town don't have mutual respect among their fans. But can you name a single town where there isn't some perverse jealousy / dislike? Bradford are sneery, Wigan are, Hull are, Fax are. The one and only shining light is Leeds where people in the city are proud of their clubs no matter what.

Leeds has an elevated opinion of itself, but in this regard the rest of us are light years behind.

Hold on! Who's turning this into a RL v Soccer slanging match? Certainly not me. My reference to Town ending up in a local park was nothing to do with me WANTING them to end up in a local park, just that knowing the council they'd cash in on the Shay and let the soccer lot fend for themselves.

I agree, and I believe the biggest stumbling block for the two clubs working together in recent times has been the FCHT owner. Regardless, I dont think the 'dislike' between the two clubs supporters is as big as some make out. Yes, there are some on both sides who really have a problem with the other club, but I think most accept that we have to live together and want to see both teams flourish and prosper.

As for Tony Fax's comment about the rent. £40k is peanuts when you consider what it covers. The ground staff, stadium management, maintenance of the facilities, utilities, etc. Obviously both clubs are restricted on the matchday income (through the bars, food stalls, etc), but I dont think the deal is particularly bad.

What I would like to see is the Council have a bit more ambition; invest in the stadium to make it more self sustainable and potentially get to a stage where the two clubs either pay less rent or have greater opportunities of increasing their income. The south annexe could/should have been better utilised by now instead of being left to rust. Is all the office space in the East Stand being fully utilisied?