FEV 44 FAX 4 FT!!

Some great points raised Claire. As somebody who has played the game for a number of years, I will try and answer some of your points as I see them. I do nozt know everything about the game but these are just my thoughts on your points

Quote: some are in the last chance salloon " Our defense last year was pants, but we managed to outscore teams. Our last tackle plays last year were unstructured and off the cuff, opposition teams have improved and they are defending a lot better. Our forwards last year, did however set some form of a platform for players like Black, Penky and Gleeson to do their thing, something which we haven't had this year.'"

This is why I do not think Matt can take us any further. We have had problems with defence, attitude, Discipline and playing for 80 minutes for many years. Matt has had 2 years to sort the problems out and we are still struggling with these problems. Yes he did get us to a Grand Final-but it was a close run thing with a group of some of the finest players outside SL.

Quote: some are in the last chance salloon "On the flip side, to sack Calland would cost the club money, something which we don't need. Also, in Calland we have a young British coach, something that a lot of professional clubs do not have. Should we not be encouraging his development for the good of the game?!'"

Is Matt costing the club more money though? Out the Rail Cup, People staying away as fed up with the attitude and performance of Matts Players and his comments. A negative is like a cancer, that can destroy much of what is good that has happened at a club. The question is when do you remove the problem?
To be honest I do not care about developing Young British Coaches for the good of the game. The people running the game have not helped the Championship teams, so why should we look to develop Coaches? I want a Coach who gets his team playing with 100% and has a good knowledge of the game. One who has a number of tactics to break a defence down. One that has the players tested and learning all the time. Calland is not doing that for me.

Quote: some are in the last chance salloon "People in RL respect Martin, he has done everything in the game, and despite his alleged behaviour on certain away games last year, I think he is an asset to our club.'"

I see no reason why Martin should go. His job is to bring in quality players. In most cases he has done that. Due to the Salary Cap teams are always going to have players who maybe are not good enough. Other players maybe just do not fit in or simply have been a let down for whatever reason.

Quote: some are in the last chance salloon "As for the players, last night certain individuals simply weren't good enough. I didn't feel cross, or angry like I felt last week, because I genuinely felt they were trying. We were just clueless.'"

If the players are clueless that is the fault of the coach in most cases. The team and individuals should have certain goals to reach-look to complete sets of six with a good kick. Player X should aim to make XX Tackles and XX Hit ups for example. There could be small Individual/team awards/penalties depending. The players should receive a detailed report of the players they are most likely to face in there position. What good and bad points the opponent has. What hand they hold the ball in. Whether they can tackle with the left shoulder well or not,Whether a player can step or not etc. That for me is not happening at Fax

Quote: some are in the last chance salloon "I am no coach, or player of the game, but can you coach forwards to run hard and break tackles?! I thought that would be insitinctive at this level. '"

According to Phil Clarke, Maguire at Wigan has got his players running harder and faster and with more purpose in to tackles both in defence and attack. I also believe you can fine tune players. Better fitness and discipline for example will mean your players can run harder and faster as well as have more stamina. They also have more strength in the tackle and last longer.
This also goes down to preparation. By knowing certain opponents have fitness problems or weaknesses you get your team to work at them areas. So for example if you have somebody who is lazy and gives penalties away after 15 minutes through being tired you target him that you want your forwards to aim at. Also look to aim runners at halfbacks. Partly to tire them out, but also the size difference between a Prop and Halfback is often 15- 20Kg difference

Quote: some are in the last chance salloon "So, what to do? Booing the players isn't going to do anything for their confidence, and as I have said, there were players on the pitch last night who definitely didn't deserve booing. They looked like lost puppies walking off the pitch last night, and I felt quite sorry for them. They don't appear to have any guidance on the pitch, and by having 5 captains on the pitch at once, there is no clear leader on, or off the pitch at the momment. '"

Do not think Booing achieves much to be honest. The players need a strong leader on the field to get them to play how the coach wants. Also to set an example when needed as well as encourage the team and individuals. They need a General off the field who can send the message down when he sees a weakness in his or the opponents team. They need to feel confident that the game plan they have will work most times. They need to feel the Coach knows what he is doing and what he has to do to get the team back on track when the form dips-which happens with every team! If somebody was booing you all the time whilst playing you feel negative and dejected a lot of the time. Plus it adds more pressure on the players when something fails and the crowd just Boo them. I suggest gett behind the players and give them the feeling that we are on their side.

Quote: some are in the last chance salloon "Calland on the other hand, is in the firing line, and I'm afraid it does come with the territory. Blaming training facilities is wearing thin, forwards looked slow and unfit, pretty sure fitness first has treadmills??!
I think we should give Calland until the Keighley game and see how we perform. I will always back the club as long as I feel they are giving 100% for the shirt and the fans who watch them. If Calland feels the same way about the club that I do, he will surely inspire the players to fight for us and we will come through this bad patch.But if the coach cannot inspire the player, then maybe it is time for a change.'"

Calland has brought the players in or kept them. For me he should be backing them not saying "some are in the last chance salloon" even if that is the case. For me a coach should never blast his players in public-that should be done if at all in private. If somebody criticized me on the Radio and paper I would feel sod you. If he said to me privately or in a group in training then I would have more respect for him. I think sadly the time is up for Calland. Even if we do beat Toulouse and Keighley.