Well said. I’m sure Simon is looking at everything in his quest to turn this around. It’s obviously the hardest spell he’s been through in his short career as a coach. You only have to look to Hill FC and Tony Smith how quickly things can change. We as fans don’t know everything that goes on behind the scenes and just have to trust the people in charge. I still believe losing Finny and Scott has played the biggest part in the issues we see this season.

See Mat's article has found it's way onto the football forum and there's a suggestion from an ITK that's there's an issue with player payments,really hope there's no truth in that.

I'm surprised it's taken so long for the Town fans to be suggesting stuff like that.... Newcastle on Sunday!

Little bit of movement on companies house within the holding company, Richard Durgan showing as no longer a director as of yesterday.


Could be nothing, could even be an error. Or could be more to come from it.

A lot of people as well saying how tough a hand the new board have been dealt, Ive no doubt that is true, but people need to remember they asked for this it is not like is was pushed on them. They wanted that status and now it looks like they are finding the going tougher than expected, maybe this goes some way to explaining the lack of due diligence when it has come to signings, maybe there was a lack of it before they took over?

So what Due Diligence do you expect them to have done on the new signings that would have foreseen some not working out. From memory us fans were happy with the majority of the signings.

Fans were happy with the signings, they seemed to cover all the places we thought we'd want to recruit for, and there was a good degree of optimism at the start of the season that we could kick on from where we were.

Some of, and probably most of the signings made for 2023 were probably done before the new board came in. But Grix would surely have had input over them, the new board said money was available for signings if Grix identified someone or a place which needed cover. And signings have been made since.

The board aren't to blame, it's either the players or the coach, or a mixture of both

Normal due diligence that you would do on any new signing. Lets take Gadwin Springer, you can tell from the way he plays that he could be classed as "lazy", I knew from speaking to people I know in the game that he wasn't the best trainer, we know for a fact that people at our club have a hell of a lot more contacts in the game than I do yet we got rid of Springer because he was "lazy" and not hitting the stats that Grix requires. He goes to Fev and has not really upped his performances yet over there they appreciate him for the assets that he does bring to the game.

FWIW I still think we signed pretty well at the start of the season but theres been a bit too much "face doesn't fit" type of stuff going on for it just to be a one off which suggests we are either not doing our research on new signings or maybe the coach could look to improve his man management skills or maybe it is a case of him simply expecting too much. How have we managed to make two players like Doro and King who both have bags of potential, look like complete mugs?

Like you say people were told money would be available but then we go out and sign players in positions we don't need so it makes you wonder who's decision those were. I understand the AOB signing as if you get a chance to sign a player way better than anyone you have in that position firstly you sign then to improve the team and secondly you sign them so they don't go elsewhere. It always goes back to the Pickersgill signing which given what has happened since has made no sense at all and you have to wonder what the thinking was behind it.

Then despite all these signings we now find ourselves in a position where we are having to put a winger on the bench to act as a makeshift second rower while we have actual forwards sat in the stands then we wonder when we get totally out muscled by one of the biggest packs in the league as to whats going on. Its not rocket science that you don't go to Batley and have only 2 forwards on the bench(yeah I know hooker but not counting them).

Let's face it, the only way we'll "do a Leigh" is to "get a Beaumont". The directors must find it extremely difficult balancing the books and recruiting decent players relying solely on attendances and sponsorship. And all it needs is a few hundred shaved off a crowd (this Sunday for example I guess we'll get 1,300-ish which will leave us a few thousand quid short) which will add to the struggle.

Even Fev don't appear to be that flush. They own their ground, but looking at their 2021 accounts there's over a million quid owed to "other creditors" and taking out the value of the ground they were more skint than us.

100%,part of a good coach's mantle it to work with players and iron out any perceived faults/weaknesses for the benefit of everyone,not alienate at the drop of a hat.

King didn't want to stay here, Doro is not playing for non-rugby reasons as far as I hear, and if correct rightly so. Neither of which we would have foreseen. Have you ever recruited people that on paper seem to be right for the job but then it doesn't work out, I'll admit I have. As for Springer, my understanding was it was also down his reluctance to put the effort in or to try and improve as well - and was on a decent contract when his lower paid team mates were prepared to work harder. Fev might be better placed to carry him with their squad depth.

Pete you don’t need a scoreboard , your side never moved at Batley.
As for your BOD , I know how hard they are trying to resolve the problems , it’s never easy , maybe Grix should walk , but I don’t blame him for staying , why lose money and put himself out of work .Have Zfaith .

Always seems to be a lot of dirt comes out on players when they leave us. Strange really as it also happened with Arundel(bad attitude), Worthington(lazy), Tyrer & Murrell(too much influence), QLT(not a team player) just to name a few who as veteran players all suddenly developed bad habits meaning they no longer fit in with us. Tyrer in particular was a brutal stamp of authority on somebody seen to have too much influence in the dressing room ripping away his chance to become the clubs all time leading points scorer.

Hey Ian,theres too many clowns on here backing Grix already...