How can the “side in decline” be a misnomer and then be said to have been in “terminal decline” since the Bradford game?

The “decline” or seeds of it were sown long before the recent Bradford match and even before the winter game at Odsal, well before Grix got the job and there are many factors involved.

As for SG he wouldn’t have been my choice because as you say he has no first hand experience but that decision has already been taken.

This thread is about recruitment and not the rights and wrongs of Grix appointment.

Back on track and connecting a few dots if it would have been wiser to bring in an experience coach then I can see why he has looked at bringing in some experienced players to make up part of his side.

The point being that the side was not in decline. There was nothing to suggest it was the last 4 seasons. Saying it was / is. Makes it convenient for some people.

Maybe not so much in decline but certainly in need of a freshen up. Its rare for good teams to make no significant changes to the team over a span of 4 years but for whatever reason that is what we tried to do. The players may be best mates off the field or whatever but they had gone stale on it really through no fault of their own either.

Maybe decline is the wrong word to use here. In my opinion Marshall got pretty lucky - he inherited the a very good team from Rhino and got them playing together and did well in his first season, and last season it was only the 'implosions' at Leigh and Fev that opened the door for 'Fax to get in the play offs. Everyone but the coach it seemed could see where the weaknesses in the team have been for the past couple of seasons, and when RM had full control of his recruitment he struggled - seasons 2 and 4 of his tenure showed this. Coupled with the spine of the team growing older together there was always going to be an off season where a refresh was needed.

Except that's not true. Leigh missed out on top 4 because of their abysmal start to the season and Fev paid the price for having a lack of half backs through injury and (stupid) suspension for the key game against London. Of the last 8 regular season games Leigh won 7, Fev 6 and 'Fax 6.

Why is it not true? Leigh imploded at the start of the season, and Fev at various points through the year for whatever reason!! Either way - Fax, and Marshall - got lucky!!

All teams have good and bad spells throughout any season. You finish where you deserve to finish. This is why top should go up and bottom should go down. Any play-offs after that should be a bonus.

Not often I agree with you 100% but I do here Pete,the playoffs as with most things are an Aussie concept to prolong the end of the season.

Toronto finished top, deservedly so and should be promoted,we at Leigh are in the playoffs but for me we are not good enough to challenge Toronto,maybe next season if Derek stays and backs us again.

Hopefully Fax can sort out your problems, which at the moment seems to be a lot of in house disagreements,your Board mean well but I doubt have any real cash to invest,and your League position doesn’t help, as well as low crowds, at Leigh we very rarely get under 3,000 for home games, maybe near 4,000 this Sunday.I still think you will win on Sunday, Rochdale are the weakest team in Comp.

Well it is now and if you look at what I said I was comparing where we are now to that of the recent past but even then.



Yes back to back top 4 finishes were an amazing achievement and that's where the illusion of all is well starts.



You have to kick on and build on the progress made such as by removing any known weaknesses.



Just as one example, especially last year, it was known that we had a problem in attack that was linked to the halves but we had good defense.



From the first preseason games it was clear that the halves / attack problem not only remained but had got worse, both Murrell and BJ were carrying injuries and were not fit.



When key players such as your halves aren't exactly setting the team on fire in attack when they are fit then they aren't going to do so when their not fit or sat in the stand injured.



During this period RM had several opportunities to replace either one or both of them but did nothing other than to give the fringe halve back lads an early chance but again it was obvious they were not up to it and were eventually moved on leaving us back to square one.



This problem then spilled over into the regular season and not only that, inexplicably our once outstanding defense had disappeared without a trace and we were leaking points for fun from all over the park.



Our halves were poor, our pack was being smashed and run over and our backs were doing a rendition of the key stone cops headless chicken routine.



At this time RM said, yes there is a problem but we are slow starters and we won't be anything like up to pace until March / April!!!!!



There is a reason why he had to move on and we are where we are, poor recruitment, key players getting older and carrying injuries and a side just coming to the end of it's lifespan as a team unit.



These are the hard facts as we stand as of now and if that doesn't constitute a side in decline that needs a major rebuild involving playing standards and players attitudes I don't know what does, but that's just mho.

Correct from start to finish.

Richard Marshall did try to solve the hb problem . Bringing in Ben White and QLT.

Why change a side that got us into top 4 ? Richard Marshall was a great coach and got best out of average players. He was a victim of his own success. Gone on to be assistant at Saints.

From what i have seen gone backwards since Grix took charge. Results dont lie.

Ha yes Ben White I had forgotten about him.

I wonder why?

Dewsbury away Challenge cup was his best contribution and did he end up as another squad member at Barrow, there is a reason for that.



QLT was not a 7 and RM never intended to leave Muzza out so that left the number 1 shirt which was vacated by Sharp when RM told him he was being moved onto the wing to make way for Q.



You make small but important changes to known weaknesses in any side to stay at the top otherwise you won’t and we haven’t.



RM’s record of successive back to back top 4 finishes with a part time team against some goods sides was a remarkable achievement.



He came unstuck this year for a number of reasons and he was not at fault for them all.

Ultimately he is responsible and accountable for them all though as is any coach.



Not easy at all about SG and 3 years was a huge risk or even blunder but he’s here now and until he has his own side playing his own brand of rugby he deserves a chance.

Should get an idea early to mid way in next seasons games.



PS: If he can get us at least 6 points clear of Leigh he’ll do for me.

Love yer last sentence.

As faxcar says, Ben White and QLT to solve the half back problem says it all. Compare them to players like Sammut and Atkins who he had the chance to sign over the past 3 years or so and it does not paint a pretty picture. Ive said it before that one of Marshall's downfalls was his blind faith in some players and a lack of a ruthless streak in that regard.

Coupled with allowing the players to start a new season unfit and saying we're on an extended pre-season......

The bare minimum i expect from Grix come Feb is that all the squad is fit and raring.

Agreed, the extended pre-season is absolute bollox, poor coaching and nothing else. Marshall did a great job getting the finishes he did but as has been said repeatedly he did not address the pivot problem.

Hopefully SG will start the season on the B of bang, why on earth would you even start to think that not being ready for the start of the season is acceptable.

Exactly Norm and BJ.

There we are looking forward to a new season and apart from everything else I just could not get my head round the poor fitness levels and the coach saying we won’t be up to scratch until the spring and as a player I will never be able to understand how why you would turn up like that.



I have been told from within that RM was too lenient and that SG tells it how it is but obviously it hasn’t worked yet.

Marshall should have been sacked within hours of his 'our pre season dosen't end until four games in quote'. That was unbelievable and, I would suggest, unexplainable.

Faxcar, maybe players being told as it is, some don t like and have acted like little boys sulking . If that is the case not sure why said players not dropped and reserves played , results could not have been much worse.

I honestly don't know how all the players have reacted but the one I referred to preferred to be told as it is.



I got the sense that it wasn't just a bollocking type of thing but more "look your professional sportsman representing your club and these are the areas of your game that aren't good enough, these are the reasons why and this is what you need to do about it, I'll help but if you can't or won't then......."

I don't get the mentality of players at times. Hirst had other chances to go elsewhere, come to us to "prove himself" once again and has done a real good job probably earning himself a contract for next season. Ben Reynolds turns us down and goes to Leigh where his prospects of getting in the first team didn't look good to start with and now looking like he might do well to play another game this season.



It seemed madness that Leigh wanted him in the first place and then went and signed Kevin Brown, who the Leigh fans think should play centre



along with another of their half backs on the wing



. A 5th place finish will give Degsy a taste for it though and there should be a load of high profile signings for next season. Not a chance of history repeating itself though......

GFB how does 'Degsy' and Leigh get away with all these high profile signings, must be breaking the salary cap, or does he 'employ' them on the books within his business and they get appearance money for playing?

Jodie Broughton mentioned again in this weeks press coming to Fax with Will Sharpe linked with York this time.

Announced in Courier on line, we have signed Tom Gilmour from Widnes.

Welcome to Fax Tom.