Quote Tiger Beer="Tiger Beer"I can't believe people on here, you've all been so used to success so now we have a blip and its all hang them!! Get a grip! Any money that has been 'spared' has gone onto getting new guys but also towards new deals of those players who have performed...ie Sam Burgess. Where do you think the money has come from to keep him at the Bulls? a tree??? What about increases the wages of the others that we are keeping? Can't expect them to carry on on peanuts do you? '"
Steady on! Not everyone's calling for blood. I just can't get my head around how the 08 team is on the same sort of cash as the 05 team, given the obvious difference in quality. Obviously Burgess was a priority re-signing but we've managed these in the past without it affecting the quality of the recruitment in the rest of the squad. I remember a big deal being made of Fielden signing a new deal with us after he'd made exactly the sort of breakthrough as Sam. We also went onto sign players like Hape and Vainikolo at the same time so what's going on now?
Quote Tiger Beer="Tiger Beer"
I wonder what some of you would do if we had a squad like wire who have got the stars but can't even win anything! Wire fans still turn out and support them. Face it we will be waiting a while before we hit the high time again so just ride out the rough times. '"
We can't win anything either at the moment remember, Wire seem to be higher than us in the table. If anything the two clubs seem to be heading in opposite directions. Whilst I live in hope that our investment in the academy will bear fruit I really worry that by the time those kids come through we'll be back playing in front of crowds of 4000 because standards have been allowed to slip so much with the first team. Then salary cap rules would mean we can't hold onto these great prospects we've been nurturing. We've got to get the balance right between planning for the future and the present. If you allow the first team quality to slip too much then you jeopardize the future.
Quote Tiger Beer="Tiger Beer"Yes there may be probs of motivating some of the guys, how do you know Steve isn't motivating them? How do you know he's NOT doing what you all say he SHOULD be doing? i'm sure you'll say "because they aren't performing"....well some of the lads need a kick up the backside......unfortunately i didn't have my boots on sunday to even attempt to do that
He is doing his best so give the guy a break. It doesn't matter who the coach is. Another coach can come in say/do the same but it might not change anything. Its the overall mentality that has to change. Rule this season out and we'll see what happens in the next one when Menzies joins us. Tbh if that doesn't give some of them a kick up the backside nothing will!!'"
Signing one 35 year old (albeit excellent) player isn't going to turn around the fortunes of this squad. More quality is needed especially in the backs. I'm sure McNamara is doing his best but I fear that the quality of player he has to work with is in many cases not good enough to respond. It's not the mentality of some players that needs to change but the players themselves. If people reckon that Menzies can have such an effect on the squad on his own then they're really putting their eggs in one heck of a shaky basket.
Fact is McNamara as coach is ultimately going to carry the can for performances, whether you like it or not. He recruited six players in the off season of rather variable quality so to complain about the mentality of the squad is a bit rich, he's recruited many of them!
It's been an injury ravaged season and McNamara has had a lot to cope with. We've been here in the past in 98. I just hope our response to 08 is the same as it was in 98. After 1998 we signed Henry Paul, Michael Withers, Scott Naylor and David Boyle as well as Nick Zisti (one dud amongst 5 good players). We need a similar response in this close season.