I've always been taken by the Wayne Bennett quote used by our moderator Bullseye . " listen to the fans and you'll soon be sat with them". If Hetherington had listened to some very vocal Leeds fans Brian McD would have been sacked after his first season.
The experience in all team sports is that quick fixes and chopping and changing managers/ coaches does not bring lasting success. Of course you need to be pretty certain that the individual has the potential to develop a winning team.
It's not only the current squad who have said he's a good coach. There have been plenty of comments from respected people in the game ( eg. Peacock the other week) who laud his abilities. And many of those have actually been coached by him.
We all believe that we need a better half back.to partner Gaskell. We had one from Warrington but the club did the decent thing and allowed him to stay at the Wolves.
Last year Gale received dog's abuse on this forum . Now Jon Wells is saying he should be in the international squad. Look at his form this year.
Precisely which half back was available either in this country or Australasia? They obviously tried for Reynolds and I suspect are still searching. But it must be difficult to recruit established players ( especially half back) when you don't know which league you'll be in and which salary cap is in place.

The 8X8 system was designed to give the illusion of offering promotion whilst actually preserving the status quo. For sure, promotion is possible, though highly unlikely and it will take someone with more power and knowledge than a mere coach to pull it off. I think the last bloke credited with such powers was born in a stable and, reportedly, worked other miracles too.
If they genuinely wanted promotion they would have [ihad[/i promotion; simple promotion - expecting our teams to compete with SL teams, even bottom end ones, is bonkers imo.

Its my firm assumption that Rugby League is dying in the UK, and this is only exacerbated by its governing body wanting to maintain THIS status quo.

I can't see any Championship team going up this year, and next year its going to be even more one-sided, what with the SL teams rewarding themselves with an 'marquee player', thus widening the gulf between the (lucky) haves and have nots. What other sport would have such a ridiculous system?

More and more our glorious sport is becoming sidelined; in schools, in the press, hell the sheer volume of empty seats at the Challenge Cup final must show something is wrong, but no, the RFL still sit on their hands.

If only they would learn something from the upcoming onslaught of rah-rah boys and their world cup in the coming week, now THATS how to show a world sporting event......

As I am talking with Bulls fans on a Bulls forum, I can say that whatever else they do, the RFL know that they badly need the Bulls in SL and so I am assuming that they will do something to that end if we don't make it this season. The saving grace has been that we have been very good for the Championship, and that show will probably stand running for one more year, but I think no more - after a second year of no promotion our wheels would start to fall off and we would I think descend from a bright young re-birth swiftly into a terminal decline. That would be a gigantic loss for the RFL, who don't actually have any more than a handful of "big clubs" as it is, and a huge hole in the finances of the SL clubs themselves too.

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Can't see Brian Noble coming back, can you?

That's putting an awful lot of faith into the RFL actually knowing what is best for the sport.

Really not sure JL has enough nous to get us up, id much rather have seen an older head in charge who has done it before, Lowes record is hardly glowing, and his stubbornness is what will cost us.

I along with most though that the large squad allowed us to be ruthless, ie. if you aren't up to scratch you're dropped for someone who is willing to put the minutes in, but we have one seen this with a select few, Chev has done bugger all for a couple of seasons now yet he is still here and seemingly able to walk back into the side after Clare (who didnt have a terrible game, but by no means good) is out, Sidlow and Clough playing 60mins against SL will burn them out, and ive no idea whats up with Lauaki sometimes he is great at attracting defenders but we all seem to stop and watch also instead of playing to a gameplan which we must have, he then gets subbed and isnt seen again 10-15mins a game is crazy, especially for a former Wigan and NRL talent.

Id have rather seen John Kear in charge when FC left, i think he would have done us well, but like Roofaldo has said the Goal was promotion and they supposedly formed a squad which would grant that, coming 2nd in a 2 horse race is a failure IMO, but before we jump the gun we have to see what happens at Leigh, Lose then we can start calling for someones head but we need to just have faith until that time comes.

He's gash as a coach and I think we all know it but perhaps not everyone is prepared to declare it. His record is poor and aside from the odd bright spot this season has been a plodding affair. The team has rarely had the fire in its collective belly, nothing that we saw from Jimmy as a player seems to be going into the effort on he field. His squad decisions have been diabolical at times. He was crap at Leeds, crap at Warrington and crap at Carnegie. He should never have been hired IMO.

No Mick, but I can see somebody else coming back that we know

My last couple of predictions have come true, Carney getting the boot at Cas and Bulls signing Oscar Thomas

Obviously if we get promoted Lowes will be safe, if we don't well who knows

Cant say we would have done any better or worse under FC he was handed a very stacked deck during his tenure, would love it is Potter come back though

Someone good hopefully!

Are you referring to Glenn Morrison?

Absolutely. I discussed this some time ago. I also strongly believe the RFL and many SL chairmen want us back in there not only for the extra gates but because SL is now about four teams and the rest are their to make up the numbers. When Nobby went to Wigan to save them when they were near the bottom many fans wanted them to go down but it would have been the same with them. SL would also need a strong Wigan and many others.

I also think RL is dying slowly. The game last night was a nothing game. There are too many games like that.
I expect changes if we don't get up. I expect to see automatic promotion. I have said many times that this system is fine for a bit of end of season fun but the top and bottom team should automatically change so one team up / down plus the other 6 in a play off. That is what I would bring in - best of both worlds.

Also think RL is going backwards. I have long advocated for a radical plan of sixteen teams in SL with promotion and relegation of two up and two down, but two yearly to allow the teams promoted to play opposition at the same intensity week in and week out , and also the two years gives them time to bed in and stop the boom and bust situation. This also gives players stability to at least have a 2 year contract in either league. It must be a nightmare sorting out the variables in contracts and recruiting new players when the signing deadlines have gone, and all the best players have been taken.