The proportion is not by itself relevant. You are stuck with fixed costs - including coaching staff salaries - regardless, at least in the short-term. What matters is whether you generate sufficient "contribution" (income less variable costs) to cover your fixed costs. If you do, then you are in profit. If you don't, you are in loss.

We can debate whether all fixed costs are really variable costs in the long term, whether many variable costs are really fixed costs in the very short term, and the behaviour of "semi-" or "stepped-" variable costs such as matchday stewarding all day, but the basic point remains.

Except what matters even MORE is whether you are generating enough contribution in CASH terms to cover your fixed-cost and capital outlays in cash terms. If you are not, then eventually you go bust - not through lack of profit per se, but through lack of cash.

Ah well, at least we can hope that in his meeting this afternoon, he presents his resignation

Shame some of them wont take a leaf out of Kris Radlinski's book and work for free till we get our selves out of this rut

But there's the thing. The team CAN play. We've got the players to compete on paper. However there's is clearly some very deepseated problem at the club be it clash of personalities, mental blocks or whatever. It's the head coach and his staff's responsiblity to get to the root of what's causing these collapses and put it right. They're clearly not doing it or what ever they're doing is falling short of what is needed

I'd say its a side with too many players that have quality (to varying degres) but are very inconsistent. Platt, Sherrife, Sykes, Halley, Jeffries, Solomona, Cook, Tupou (when he was at least half fit), Worrincy all seem incapable of putting together a run of consistent form. The trouble is I cant see these players ever developing any consistency.

Harking back to the past I know, but we need a few more Naylors, Dwyers, Gartners, Forshaws and McDermotts coupled with a small number of genuine class players.

What's causing it is we never look like we can defend and the players, by their body language, know that. IMO the defensive line has to be the priority to the extent of taking the money we have spare on the salary cap (and has been budgeted for unless we were going to pay Bird in seeds) to pay for additional coaching staff specifically to address this.

Agreed. I don't want them to sound like they are unaware there is a serious problem, when there clearly is. A bit of honesty would be appreciated, ie 'we are in the shoeshine big time at the mo'

On one hand it's good to see a bit of dedication to the coach (how many times have we criticised the quick sackings of a coach?) but on the other hand, it's almost impossible to see a way out of the current situation without a major overhaul. It's not as though he hasn't had time is it?

All we can do is stick with it until the good times roll around again.(as much as I felt like throwing my season ticket in the bin on Sunday!)

I find it hard to imagine contracts are not results based & appearance based. Taking on aged & injury susceptible players is a major risk which seems obvious to even those who do not run businesses.

As good a list as you'll get of under-rated, unsung heroes.

But that's simply not true, is it?

What we are all fscked off with - me as much as anyone - is the team's repeated self-destruct button - not being able to defend the unlikeliest of leads, and aiding and abetting our own collapse by kicking out on the full, dropping the ball in key positions, and so on.

But - Wigan game apart - however weird and erratic our rugby, don't lose track of the fact that we have only lost by the narrowest of margins. If we had won those games by a point, it wouldn't mean everything was fine, but you don't think it is impossible to see a way of conceding on average 4 points a game less?

Well, I disagree.

The Defence is THE problem - though I'm stating the obvious. But in losing 40-38, we did score 38 points away at Catalans, some of them with outstanding attacking play, and that 2 point defeat is the first time we've lost there. I know the way we lost, was outrageously bad etc but how can you say it's impossible to see a way forward when the current team scores 38 away, and has only been losing narrowly, however much better we might all want them to have done?

FA, I am NOT a doom and gloom merchant, far from it and I have been one of the few defending Macca up till recently. However, you cannot tell me that there are not deep rooted problems in the team. Were you at the Cas game? That was bad enough but these things sometimes happen but again the following week?

The Wigan game could have been put down to a one off freak occurence but this seems to be an issue.

I wrote it elsewhere but we could go 30-0 up against Leeds and we would not be certain of winning...and how crazy is that? It's not so much losing by a close margin that is the issue, it's more that you cannot see them holding onto a lead - and that is not right.
I'd almost prefer to lose by huge margins so you can at least laugh about it and say 'well we are absolute garbage' but it's not even that simple. We clearly can score trys, good ones at that, but what use is it if you score 5 on the trot then concede 6 on the trot?

this just shows that hood is happy to see us slide and become a mediocre side for years to come can you imagine st helens or leeds talking about positives after only winning 1 from 7 games? or mr caisley? i dont think so.

its time for mr hood to take action now before its too late

After that comment, I can't see Macca being sacked until at least halfway through the season, if not then the playoffs. Hood still seems to have confidence in McNamara (Goodness knows why) so I doubt we'll be seeing a change of coach very soon.