Granted we are doing much better this season but I still have my doubts on McNamara

The games against Quins, Salford and Crusaders were shocking too.

Shocking is too strong a word. In all those games we had some flashes of good play. More importantly for me we showed determination and steel in protecting our line even when things were going against us.

Steve Mac still has a lot to prove for me but I am actually looking forward to watching the matches this season.

I think people are too quick to get carried away with a situation.

In prior years, we lose a few games or a player makes a few mistakes and we are quick to come on here and demand they be sacked or dropped.

Likewise, now we have had a FEW decent results, we have people demanding Macca is given another contract.

Should Macca not get the England job, the bulls management team have plenty of time to wait until the back end of the season, assess the situation then before deciding to renew his contract.

A 3 or 4 year contract is a long time...............

you could ask his biggest critic except he doesnt seem to post unless we lose when he crawls out of the woodwork and tries to turn every thread into a sack macca one.

Spot on we are doing well at the moment but it's not a case of "has he done enough to stay?" let's see what happens. For now Macca is the coach and they are playing well.

We won those three matches without playing well in them. That's not a reason to complain. That's the sign of a good team if they pick up points even when they aren't playing well.

I've heard Lee St Hilaire is having more input nowadays, and is the real force behind the improved results.

I think we're significantly improved this year and a lot of that has to do with the Manly mafia and Brett Kearney - credit to Macca for those signings and the improved fitness levels derived by bringing in a fresh face on that front.

However, over the course of the 3/4 years Macca has been in place we haven't seen anywhere near the improvement in results that has occurred due to coaching at Wire, Wigan (early days I know) or Hudds in comparatively short time frames. Partly this is because we don't have the luxuries these clubs enjoy in terms of finance/staffing etc, and some of it may be due to Macca learning on the job and having to replace dysfunctional systems with proper youth development etc etc. This season gives some measure of hope up to now, but it's not entirely convincing - we have looked poorly organised in some of games that we have won, but then at times we have also looked quite brilliant - first 20 against Leeds. This is not too different from last year and previous years, and as has been said the margins of victory are quite small in RL now, however, the shake up in playing staff has also removed certain people who seemed unhappy and possibly disruptive at the club and this will no doubt make a difference where margins of victory/defeat are narrow.

All in all, I think we're making progress, but I also think a lot of people stopped turning up because of a lack of faith in Macca and I think it's very doubtful (barring a distinct success - a final appearance for example), that they'll be back if we give him another contract. So I would hope he goes to the England job or Auz being able to claim to have seen out his contract, managed a difficult transition and put some good systems in place and we get someone from Auz/here who is capable of taking that forward and bringing some excitement/success/audience back to the club. A difficult ask I know but without the OSV, that's the only route to regaining some buzz and stemming the decline in the gate, and as Hudds and Wigan have proved there are young coaches out there capable of doing it.

Considering all you seem to do lately is slag off the members of this forum, why don't you stop coming on here? Quite frankly, it's getting very very dull. If you don't like it, don't log on. Simples.

It's one thing having a different opinion. That is more than welcomed on forums. But you seem to be intent on just slagging off everyone on here like a true keyboard warrior.

Do you really thing people stopped turning up because of a lack of faith in the coach?

I suggest a lot of people stopped turning up because we stopped winning most games, regardless of cause. The rot started to set in in 2004, after the incredible 2003 season yet crowds fell. The coach is a convenient target for blame in such situations - maybe justified, maybe not. Same in all sports.

And because the families of the early SL years grew up, and the club seemed unable to attract the next generation.

As for Wire, Wigan and Hudds - they have one teeny advantage that we do not - a rich owner to bankroll the club and fund the (sometimes extremely large) losses. The sort of owners who can fund much higher-cost coaching and other senior staff and other support and marketing activities. All are spending the salary cap (and in some cases must be getting some players VERY cheaply to stay within it...) and all have new stadia.

I'm certain that had the Bulls had the financial advantage those three clubs have, and also no large annual financial millstone for a while yet, they would still be at the top of the game.

I agree we need to see how the next few games go. There is still lots of room for improvement but there are some very promising signs. Is Macca just letting the Manly boys have free rein? Or has he finely got the personnel he needed to deliver the style of play he wanted. Difficult questions for us spectators to answer.

I don't agree that salford, crusaders scores were shocking, not very good yes but shocking is far too strong a word

Just watched the extended highlights, good all round result to continue an excellent record in the south of France. It looked lovely out there

They were hardly examples of us blowing the opposition away, indeed. But we still won them all.

Last year we would probably have lost all three.

If those wins were "shocking", I'd settle for a few more such shocking wins instead of the equivalent shocking capitulations last year.

Doesn't quite work that way though, does it? If you want to get a half-decent Aussie to uproot and come over here, and to make a decent impact pre-season - and to have input into the 2011 team - its now you need to be talking to your prospective targets. Leave it till the back end of the season and its likely far too late to either get your man or to get him over here soon enough to make a difference.

I speak as someone who indeed did uproot to go work half way round the world. I had my first interview in September. I arrived in NZ mid-April. It need not take that long (see "Orford"icon_wink.gif but if you don't offer an overseas coach a job till the end of the season, I'd not expect him to front up until pre-season is well underway.

And likewise if you are not talking to your present coach now, he is entitled to assume that (as a minimum) it would be prudent to look elsewhere for employment after the end of his contract. It would be conceited in the extreme to assume you can keep him hanging on till close to the end of the season on your terms, would it not? If you then DO decide you want to keep him, you may well find he has made other arrangements.

That is anyway my opinion. Same as its my opinion - for the reasons stated above - that the club are probably already well on with what they are looking to do for next season, and we may well hear something sooner rather than later.