Less than a minute on the clock in the first half. Wigan with a big lead and on a roll. They force a drop out. Rather than kicking as far as possible, we try a short one, it goes straight to a Wigan player. Using the momentum, they snatch one right on half time and effectively kill off the game.

WTF?

Yet another sign of poor coaching ....

Makes you wonder whether it's a tactic to get the coach booted?

We've seen it at Hull FC and Saints.

I think more poor coaching than trying to get the coach out. Because a new coach could be a very bad thing for some of the older players who are getting picked every game so it might not be in their best interests to lose him.

We're watching the gradual deterioration of a once great team. A few weeks ago I found myself extolling the virtues of Richard Moore.
Richard f***ing Moore. Nothing against the bloke. I actually like the fact that something of a journeyman sees his chance at a 'big club' and takes it (yes, I know he was with us as a kid, talk about bad timing though eh?). But me speaking of him as a positive tells you all you need to know about where we are.
And we could have a syndicate of the NRL's finest in charge, it wouldn't stop the inevitable decline. It's sport (cliche alert).
Yes, there are some puzzling decisions and tactics at times but we got stuffed by a superb team and we didn't deal with it particularly well.
We'll be back, just not for a while.

I may be being harsh on him, having only seen it once, live at the game, but Wigan hardly 'forced' that drop out really did they? looked to me like Smith bottled the chance to try return the kick and knocked it dead from well inside the field of play?

I dont think the coach called that, more the captain/kicker. I think its the players that need to have a look at themselves more than the coach as they are not putting in the effort.

It's the coach's job to ensure that they are making the effort.

If they are not, then he is not the man for the job.

he can only go for what he sees in training and then the pitch durinh the week. if the players trained well and you dicked Bradford then how can he expect to do more. He only has 30 or so players to pick 17. If they are not good enough its the chairmans issue as they sign them. How many players has been signed and released during his time?

Masterstroke re-signing that failed RU plodder with a nasty streak, wasn't it?

NOT.

I think you are more familiar with the Vinegar Stroke #runalongnow

Disappointed after the promising thread title.

Dumbest play in years - probably several candidates contained within last night's effort. I was expecting to see a poll.

Id argue the worst drop out was Sinfield last year against Quins. Team thought he was pumping it long and ran 25m past the ball, Clubb caught it turned around and walked under the posts.

My favourite tactic from last night was kicking (on the few occasions we finished a set) down the throat of the best attacking player of the SL era

You only need to look at Saints to see how untrue that statement is.

While our present coaching staff has only one season of senior coaching experience between them (making them wholely unsuitable for the job), they comprise Mike Rush - Chairman's right hand man and players' buddy - and Keiron Cunningham - club legend. If there wasn't a combo more likely to ensure the players make an effort then I'd like to see it. However, we almost lost to Widnes in the cup by giving up on defence and Featherstone put us to shame against Wigan two weeks ago.

If players don't want to make the effort, like everyone else, they won't make the effort. Once they are on the pitch there is sod all a coach can do.