This is meant to be a serious thread, so anyone wanting to post humorous asides or trolls, please use one of the many other threads not this one.

I think from comments made by many here, and elsewhere, and the press reports, and Potter himself, we are all in agreement that many players, mostly experienced and reasonably highly rated, are "not putting it all in" all of the time at the Bulls.

We have seen over the past couple of seasons the same abject, dire efforts from time to time as we saw at Salford, and against Wire, and again I think nobody would argue that there just can't be any valid excuse why as a group of SL level players, on good money, would sink to those depths in level of performance.

But, and serious question - if you were Potter, what could you actually DO?

We were all (or mostly) prepared to accept a middle-of-the road season, with plenty of defeats in amongst. But not repeats of the non-trier debacles.

I don't know if Potter is a potentially very good coach. I had certainly hoped so, and he was at least "good" at Saints. But although McNamara bore the brunt of peoples' ire, at the time and with hindsight we had and seemingly still have a malaise of disinterest, like a recurring infection, which is unpredictably apt to pop up any random time. McNamara couldn't stop it and clearly to date Potter can't stop it.

Do you drop players? If so, who do you put in?

Do you discipline players? Is the performance bad enough to justify that? If so, do you make it public - who, and what?

Do you come clean and tell the fans, through the press, what is going on, or do you keep it all behind closed doors?

If the players can on occasion play as disinterestedly for Potter as they were capable of doing for McNamara, does that mean he is not the man for the job?

Or maybe he should start sacking players for failing to follow orders and unacceptable levels of performance - in the way that would happen in any other job? Or does he persevere with them all, regardless of how abjectly they may underperform? Sticks? Carrots? Extra training?

Comparing what Potter said before the Warrington match, with what his players produced, I have grave doubts whether some of them are capable of being, or maybe willing to be, motivated by him. For whatever reason. How could they come up with that, after his remarks? Indeed, if that was their answer to him, is resignation even on the agenda?

There never seems to be any consequence for a poor performance. Donaldson was on Twitter saying how the lads are still meeting up for their Tuesday's Nandos. It seems the players are having the social side of things their own way.

I would look at cutting that kind of thing down until they actually deserve the treat. If they get beat on the field then they have to work until they get a win to go out as a team and enjoy the social side.

Few options.
Spending the full cap would have been a good start. Swooping to sign star players when they become available should have been an option. Drop under performers, i.e Herbert and play Southerwood. (Cant be any worse). Play the stand off we've signed instead of a centre that is clearly not upto filling in at 6.

What the players do in their own free time is absolutely no business of the club's, providing they're not breaking laws or doing anything to bring the image of the club into disrepute.

While I get what you're saying, the club can't stop the players going out for a bite to eat together. If my employers tried to tell me who I could and couldn't see outside of work and when and where I could see them, they'd get told where to go.

Extra training? Yeah sure. Cancelling days off? Yeah. Interfering in their social lives? No.

God forbid the players had a social life away from rugby league! How very dare they! The players are as human as you and I, saying there not allowed to live life in a way that they enjoy is ridiculous. Your forgetting its a job and there human.

If it's all the players meeting then them socialising outside the club isn't a bad thing, after all who wants to let their mates down. If it's creating cliques then it can't help but there still isn't really an argument for interfering with what is essentially their private lives.

I'm not sure how much is not trying as opposed to falling back into a losing mentality once things don't go right. We haven't seen a mentally tough side for a long time and even though we have a large group of new players they are coming into a losing culture. Experienced and mentally strong players might be able to impose themselves on the group but getting that toughness isn't simple.
In the absence of a sudden run of victories I'd concentrate on defending which, if got right, is something the whole team can take confidence from. Shipping 30+ points a game is poor and surely focussing almost exclusively on that would bring some measurable gain. Say set a target of conceding no more than 20 points a game for the next month and work from there.

this might sound a bit daft and ridiculous but if it were me id get the whole squad together and show them footage of some of the best teams to play for the bulls and some of the great games that have been played , and also some of the celebrations when grand finals have been won , as has been said you cant stop them having a social life but stirring up a bit of passion in them and wanting to be part of a good history of the club might make them realise that been able to hold your head up high in public would be a much better feeling for them , and the social side of things for them would be much better if they were winning week in week out ...... possibly wouldnt work and might be a bit daft but .... its all i can think of ha

I'm not forgetting that at all. I'm saying that there's no real proof that the players care that they're on a 5 match losing streak.

If I was going out with my work colleagues and enjoying myself during the week while I was performing badly in the office, I'm sure my boss would be reminding me of my priorities.

Firstly, I'm not really sure about this 'not putting the effort in' criticism that seems to be around. It seems to me that it is a combination of poor tactics, lack of awareness and vision, together with very low levels of confidence that means heads go down at the first thing that goes wrong.

For example, did anyone notice the body language after the first Warrington try on Sunday? It was terrible, with heads down, ambling back to the in-goal area etc. I mean, it was a poor try to give away, but that sort of thing happens. On another day the kick ahead might have gone dead! Yet it seemed like it knocked all the stuffing out of us! That shouldn't be happening....

So, I think that something needs to be done to build up confidence, instill mental toughness, and create what is sometimes (for example, at Wakefield) called 'siege mentality'. To be fair, the rest of this month offers an opportunity to do this. We've got what should be a routine cup match against lower league opposition, plus winnable SL games against HKR, Salford and then Quins on the first week of June. We should be looking to build up the mental toughness over those games.

For this reason, I would be against making wholesale changes. The injuries to four players on Sunday means that we need, at minimum, four new players into the squad for Sunday, but I think the rest of them should stay in the squad and be given the time to put things right. So, for me, I'd be looking at Donaldson, Halley, Briggs and O'Brien to replace the four (Elima, Ainscough, Sykes and Diskin respectively).

A sensible appraisal of the Halifax game would be a good start. Ignore all of the 'Halifax are terrible this year' stuff from the Fax fans on here. Target a good solid performance in defence. If the team were set the target of conceding less than 10 points, that would we a realistic start. I'd sooner win 20-6 than 48-34. It might not make the most exciting TV, but it would be a step forward for the Hull KR game the following week.

If the guys stick to the game plan, restrict Halifax to very few points, cut out needless errors, don't concede stupid penalties - in other words, stick to the game plan - then the reward would be an unchanged team for the Hull KR game, regardless of whether others were fit again.

Step by step progress....

On the other side though, is it better for them to sit at home depressed all week about getting hammered?

Imagine trying to encourage someone to sign for the club and telling them "Oh and when you lose, we'd like you to not go out and have any fun in your social life. Sound good? Would you like to sign?".

I do get what you're trying to say, but I don't think them having some fun during their social time is in any way a bad thing. When I'm having a crap time at work (and it's quite bloody often), going out with mates for a couple of beers will do more to bring me round than sitting at home and working more.

Sorry pal read what i wrote and was a bit y.

But points same, just think that some fans are forgetting that there human and do have lives away from the sport. I do honestly believe that yes the players are performing badly, but the kind of attacking structure we play is pathetic and we can never ever develop attacking pressure.

I think if the players played to a better structure you would see the improvement in them. If there constantly defending it kills you as a player, you like to play with ball in hand, but if all your doing is killing the ball in to touch it knocks you off. Its not just down to the players themselves but there low motivation is because of the way we move forward with ball in hand.

I think the accusation of not trying is harsh on the players to be honest and suggests a group of working class lads who have thought of doing nothing except playing rugby are being dishonest in taking their wages. I just don't believe that. I bet if you spent time with them they will be totally despondent and embarrassed. To be booed off by your own fans is awful.

I think of my times at work when I've floundered it's been because I didn't really know what I was meant to be doing or there was chaos/p&&s takers at a level above me.

Lynch is a decent player but no leader in my view. We have to accept that the Orford situ left Potter with few options. Enough has been said about Herbert but on seeing both Briggs and Southernwood in the u20s neither looks physically strong enough (yet). Briggs had no pre-season. In other words the Bradford Bulls have now spent nearly 2 full seasons with between zero and very poor half back options. I don't think this Potter's fault but we see no leadership from the halves and in my view, no leadership from the skipper and front row. With Langley and Scruton out nobody leads the defensive line with any purpose. We used to attack the opposition in defence, now we wait - again a matter of leadership for me. This makes the backs look actually worse than they are (hard I know) as they are getting neither a pass worth the name plus they are getting stood up by backs who have all the time in the world to find a pass. Confidence drains away and as player or any person at work, you become hesitant and as a team you are utterly rudderless in attack and defence. I actually feel a bit sorry for the players in this situation.

So, what are the solutions. At the end of the season I would sign Leon Pryce and make him club captain. He is a quality player, a good talker and motivator and I think key in this discussion, a Bulls fan. I would also look to sign a Perry, O'Meley, Lima, Hoffman, O'Donnell, Fitzgibbon type forward to add some aggression to the line. We simply have to try again to sign another scrum half for all the reasons mentioned elsewhere. These type of players don't come cheap but 3 quality additions in key positions is essential. What we must not do is sign more Sibbitts, Hargreaves, Walkers.

As far as this season is concerned though heaven only knows.

agreed. the lack of noise on twitter from most of the players seems to show that they aren't too proud of last weekend. I'm not saying they should stop going out but it winds me up a bit when the players get flogged on the field and then the players are out socialising.

good idea but a bit misplaced. I would not show them the team full of internationals of yesteryear. I would show them their games where they have put the effort in eg against Leeds and Wakefield, before the next three SL games against Hull Salford and Quins, as they need to be motivated to replicate their good performances against our end of the table teams, not get demotivated by history. History is gone, there are still games to win.

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