After reading the last 3 pages, some are right, others not so right. M H O (for what it's worth), and this was commented at the start of the season.
Second season conundrum, other coaches had not seen R M style before, and w e took some by surprise. Now. Coaches may have worked his strategy out and can nullify his game plan.
True it does not help being a tinkerman, and we need a settled core of players that can be augmented with class. I do not get to see games live, so cannot offer an opinion on who should play when and where, better people than me have offered their two penny worth on that score. There is obviously something wrong as many people say the better players are bench warming, are they sulking? Do they not agree to the coaches plans? Does the coach hold a grudge if someone disagrees with him? Somebody may know the answers to these and many other questions, however it does not help players confidence when they read or hear negativity from the stands, and yes the paying public have a fight to their opinion, but rather than bitching get behind the team as you did last year!
So I've said my piece, now shoot me down, because I am 7000 miles away on not allowed a voice.

your comments are welcomed(like anyone else's)but i for one don't buy into this second season syndrome,rugby is a simple game,if played correctly,and i don't beleive we surprised anyone last season by not always employing the upjumper 6 then kick tactic the previous encumbent adopted.

Can someone explain to me where the present "cost of our team" at £750,000 comes from? Are we raeally paying players an average of about £25,000. Or have I missed something?
I know we got good prize money last year, but without the club being open (and they have no reason to be) they could have paid all that to the Board (and I am not saying they did!), at one time didn't the club do an open evening explaining where all the money came from and went?

Pretty sure the funding wasn't used entirely on this season's playing roster and rightly so.The budget was increased to allow 2/3 more recruits with possibly extra to come if the 8s are acheived.The rest will have been used in upgrading the infrastructure and an amount on debts--rent was paid for example as soon as funding was started.

We need to have Johnson and Murrell back in the team at half back for the run in and only change if forced to. Moore has been good but his game doesn't work with Johnson's and Murrell is not a loose forward. Miles offers nothing in attack, his passing game is non-existent and he doesn't seem to back up as often as he used to. Saltonstall to FB, Johnson and Murrell at HB, give it three or four games and we will be back clicking in attack.

I reckon a figure near 400K might just about cover our team and if JK is to be believed thats still about 250K more than the Batley team. I agree with some points about slow and steady building but its also frustrating after last year added to that the stupid amounts of money that Fev have been offering players and maybe we did not have the 4th biggest budget as maybe Sheffield and Fev might have spent more. Fev have gone e or bust though and Im sure if they miss out on the top 4 they will once again have another run in with the tax man, a couple of losses and a couple of missed payments to players can soon wipe out any great team spirit the same as it did for them last year.

As I said before though I do wonder what the plan is if we miss out on the top 4 leaving a shortfall of maybe 300K on this year.

Excellent post on the whole but....I can't agree with this building foundations for the future attitude. How long have we been in the second division? Not once have we ended up at the top of the league. If clubs like Castleford, Salford, Wakefield and even Huddersfield can sustain SL clubs why can't we? I know that a money man makes a lot of difference, but the half hearted attitude to sport in Halifax doesn't help does it? Without ambition we'll get nowhere. As for this season, we need to get back to what made us so good last year to watch as well as getting results. A settled team with our best players playing from 1to13. The top four isn't gone yet but we aren't half making it hard for ourselves. Up The Fax.

Said it before and say it again we overachieved last season. Other teams have got better and recruited smarter than us. RM still doesn't know his best 13 and tinkers too much with selection, which is having a detrimental effect on team. Just think RM should stick to the same 17 every week and we will see the benefits. Jonno (probably our most exciting player) is in out of team. Last season we had a tight knit group of players. Every player knew their position and was expected of them. The team spirit was better with it been a tight knit group. Just think like Bradford last season our squad is too big and we needed to sign quality rather than quantity. We are crying out for a J Summat and we should have paid what it took to get a player who would have us on the edge of seat. You look at teams like Batley and they name the same 13 pretty much every week. Brambani Walker playing off a better pack. Our pack has been disappointing this season compared to last season. Just not got the cohesion and aggression to get on top of teams. Back to drawing board I am afraid.

For all the huffing and puffing and sound bites we ultimately have not kicked from last year.
This is real test for Richard because we cannot rely on 10 match winning runs to salvage seasons every year.
Without over analysing players in public, we all know which ones haven't been as on song as last year, and we all know some of the lads that have come in haven't set the world on fire or gel'd.
The bottom line is though, the results have been poor, the crowds haven't kicked on, and we haven't taken advantage or run with the feel good vibe we had from last season.
I can't help feeling we have missed an opportunity here. Sheffield have had a shocker, Leigh and Bradford both lost their coaches, and we are soul searching and playing disjointed rugby.
Maybe we need go on the road to Keighley again, or Richard needs to go with players and systems that we know work. It might be kicking the can down the road a little, but if we don't start doing something then we're going to be in more than a spot of bother.
He may have tried to take things forward too quickly and with the wrong players. Hindsight is always 20/20 though.

Same every week lack that bit of spark. Jonno should never have lost the number 7 shirt just because EV2 sponser the kit G Moore should have earned it

sorry did not finish in the last 3rd of the pitch we dont have a clue the little grubber kicks are not there at all. Last season Tyrer and Manu scored a boat load of tries off jonno think we need to get him back in at his normal position on the left hand side let gaz moore try it on the other. I know most people keep saying this but we need to change things fast. it seems that some of the players no matter how poor they play cannot be dropped come on Marshall get a backbone sort it out

I think the same get Jonno back in the halves on the left lets start playing like we know we can. He created so many problems for other teams last season. Move G Moore to accommodate him to the right or the bench? he has done well this year but hes not got what jonno has in last quarter. Come on Richard time is running out UTFAX

I agree we have to trust Richard but do share concerns about him chopping and changing the team every week as we do look disjointed.
I don't agree about Batley as whilst they are a well run club which is all down to their chairman, support and ground wise take a look they are much smaller. But I do think we should stop treating them as 'good old Batley we like them' as they are now a major rival, they keep beating us and always seem to turn up when they play us yet they don't do against 'lesser' teams like Swinton and Oldham who they lost to, we are mugs as we go over in good numbers and put probably between £10 and £15k in their coffers with at least half the crowd and lots of money over the bar, they must be laughing their heads off at us lot. I bet us, Fev, Leigh and Bradford's away support pays a big chunk of their wages bill every year but you would say good luck to them at least they own their own ground!
I cannot understand why we keep making daft calls like yet another forward pass in our own half which cost us another try, why did we not do more bombs like Brambani which lead to 2 of their tries (a tactic I hate but it works)? Our kicking game is poor only one came off what has gone wrong with Gaz Moore he is well off his game?
Maybe it will all start to click as we have some good players but right now I cannot see it sadly.

We can still make the top 4 but im not sure we can replicate last seasons run in.In terms of wins/losses we are exactly the same as last year at this stage P13 W7 L6 PTS F 335 A 239 This Year W/L The same Pts For 316 A 277. Im sure there will be some more shock results to come.

200TH Career Appearances at Batley for Miles Greenwood,Will Sharp,Adam Robinson well done to them.