I agree with that.

They were well executed enough for us to reach and nearly win the GF. They were not well executed enough for us to beat a fired up Hull side who played extremely well, on the back of a tough derby match, in bad conditions, with injuries picked leaving us down on interchanges.

The "sympathisers" are not excusing the poor rugby on show. If we don't improve I will happily clear Potter's desk for him at the end of the year. But I won't be deciding he should be sacked one game into a new season and I'm pretty sure the board won't be either.

Which leaves us fans with a choice. Do we get behind the coach and the squad in the knowledge that the coach and squad aren't going to change this season? Or do we b*tch and moan at every little thing and act like spoilt children who haven't been bought the newest toy for the first time in a decade (behaviour we have mocked Wigan/Wire/Leeds fans for in the recent past)?

We were dreadful in terms of cohesion and execution of last plays last year. The thing is we have such good individual personnel that a lot of the time we can get away with this and scrape a win when we don't deserve one. As a result we seem to have been happy not to make a serious attempt to fix problems that are always going to bite us on the backside in big games against quality sides, like the cup semi and the grand final.




Admittedly there is some dummy spitting going on, but the fact is the side are getting fundamental elements of the game badly wrong, and there are no signs that anything is getting done to change this. After an entire pre-season's work it seems we have exactly the same problems. I'm not advocating a rash change in coaching staff, but I wish Potter would address some of the basic issues that have arisen game after game since he took over.

At the moment the whole is considerable less than the sum of its parts, and the coach has to take some responsibility for that.

I agree entirely, but I'm minded to wait longer than game 1 of the new season with new half backs and injuries before making a decision as to whether Potter is addressing this.

There are obviously those who feel Potter should leave immediately (hence the thread title) and those who believe it's still too early to judge. Neither side will change the opinion of the other so I guess it's a "wait and see".

It's still my opinion that the board will judge Potter on how many of our young players break through to be regulars by the end of his two years in charge and whether we can manage that transition whilst remaining a top 3 team challenging for trophies. That's how I intend to judge him too.

I appreciate everyone's opinion is different and that they are entitled to it, but it irritates me when Potter is blamed for everything from injuries to half time oranges being late and the team is being booed off the pitch one game after they were cheered out at Old Trafford.

They got to Old Trafford because of (a) Longy's defence and (b) Kyle Eastmond's attack. They lost 5 out of their last 8 games last season, so don't make out Old Trafford to be something it wasn't. Without Longy and his two try-saving tackles into touch (one of which he only just about got away with) and Kyle and his attack, Wigan would have been at Old Trafford, not us.

The team were booed one game after being cheered out at Old Trafford, those are the facts however you wish to package them.

Anyway, truce called with the Potter out mob. I'll keep my propaganda to myself.

They were booed because of their performance and effort or lack thereof by most players. The boos had nothing whatsoever to do with Old Trafford. They had everything to do with the same old, same old that we had been watching since halfway through last season. You don't accept that, fine, that suits your agenda. However, that doesn't make it any less the truth.

I was just stating a fact. Like I said, truce with the Potter out people.

Genuine question though - what is it that you think my agenda is? You've mentioned it a couple of times now.

We had a pre/off season?! It just looked to me like the organisation closed down for a snow break, and concentrated on designing some awesome shirts (hmm).

How many of our "first choice" players actually appeared in a preseason game? 3 or 4 was it? How is that ever going to bode well for early season?! And i refuse to accept that fact that a bit of snow destroyed the pre-season plans, as that would be a cop-out.

Never liked Potter, partly because i associate his joining the club, with Perelini leaving. (Pretty sure he brought his own conditioning team with him?).

Since Apollo left, our teams have looked sluggish, part-interested and most of all, lack the motivation of a trophy-challenging team.

I was saying "Potter out!" as a joke for the first half of last season. Then toward the end of it, it wasn't a joke anymore.

And now.... well, what's improved exactly?

We only made two tackles in the match against Wigan?

Had Longy not made those two tackles of which I wrote, Wigan would have won as they were try-saving tackles and he was the only one in place to make such tackles. As you well know. So stop being silly.