RFL have confirmed refunds in next few days and rightly so for that coverage. Even when it played the 2nd half it seemed jittery. Or was that just how we played?!

I suspect the budget has been further tightened and this has lead to the playing roster this year.

Loads predicted a sherlacking at Fev rovers and it happened. This week was much of the same and the Fax game will be another heavily loss (due to the reasons i gave).

Tbh If most of these came through the academy together, then we should expect a better product on the field, dont you think?

Unless, you can give a better explaination why this and last weeks performace was so bad?

Very hard to find anything positive about todays debacle. Maybe that Jowitt looked sharp even playing out of his normal position

Any reasons for optimism?

We’ve been second best (by far) the last 2 games not just in quality but in effort, fitness, experience and pretty much everything else.

The lack of fight isn’t something I’ve associated with a John Kear side before. Who was firing them up and asking for a bit of pride when we were conceding back to back? The camera angle didn’t show the countless huddles behind the sticks but the captain also has questions to answer when half of the team don’t look bothered.

if you are finger pointing at me to give an explanation I cant ... *see accurate location and sig and has been for over a decade*

I would love to know how much we're paying Brough. I see he's already up to his usual tricks and was shown a yellow card today.
Our squad just looks really unbalanced. Alarm bells should have been ringing when Peltier left for a league 1 club and then Kirk did the same thing. Pay peanuts and you get monkeys.

Peltier left because we couldn’t commit to sign him due to the transfer ban in 2019 at the end of the Chambers shambles that ended up with us having to sell 5 players to HKR to survive

No idea why Kirk left as in our choice or his but even on today’s performance he would still be behind the props we currently have, you can’t keep everyone

My concerns about players not being fit and Kear's concerns about complacency and not respecting the opposition are obviously well founded.

That side wasn't far off full strength. They'll get relegated on this form.

Perhaps league 1 is where we belong.

We lost
We wasn’t on it today
We move on
End of

The next game needs to see us drop Brown. Move Hamlett into the centres where he was brilliant in the first friendly. Lilley back. And to be fair, include Walker, he hasn’t put a foot wrong, can take a few in the tackle. Drop Rooks as well. Turnstile. My team for next game:

Pickersgill
Sanderson
Hamlett
Oakes
Wallis/DFJ
Lilley
Brough
Crossley
Doyle
Walker
Murphy
Gallagher
B. Evans

Jowitt
Nzoungou
Scurr
Fleming

EDIT - Or Berry for Jowitt to have a proper hooker on the bench.

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... l-display/ Doesn't seem like the coach is making excuses!

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... l-display/ Doesn't seem like the coach is making excuses!

Walker hasn't put a foot wrong



He's been training with us for a year apparently and barely lasted 10 mins vs Fev before he was blowing out if his backside.

Think fundamental things are wrong. Attitude seems to be that it's OK to just go through the motions. Warning signs have been there since the Keighley friendly and even Kear admits that so not sure why he didn't see this coming. Other clubs are going to be looking forward to playing us now. Can't see us turning it around quickly as they simply aren't fit enough to compete. What a mess.

And yet when he had the ball he made metres. Took 2-3 defenders with him, ended up on his front ensuring a slightly quicker PTB. Even ran it in well for his try. Don’t remember him missing basic tackles either. He has SL experience (at a good level) and to be honest he’d offer more than what Nzoungou and Fleming offered today.

I’d find a place for him. Even if it’s 10 at the start of the half and 10 at the emd of the half. From what I have seen. He does the basics right. Nothing flash or fancy. Makes his yards. His fitness will come the more he plays.

He was looking for a rest at marker after 5mins versus Fev despite apparently being in training with us for a year. You're deluding yourself.

No need to panic.

Dont forget only a few weeks ago, the majority on here were saying we had a good squad.

Others dared to question that opinion but were shot down in flames.

You keep saying this, but I don't think anyone has actually said we've an amazing squad.

Most have been sensible. I think it's an a squad thats CAPABLE of getting into the top 6. Especially when London got hammered and Widnes drew with Newcastle. There is an opportunity there for us on paper.

You can have a squad of amazing players, it's irrelevant if they aren't fit, have zero muscle + strength and most importantly, turn up with the attitude we did today.

I don't think that's true. It was a small minority that thought we would be credible playoff material. And now that shall minority may well have dropped to zero.

Guess you’ll be happy to just stick with the side that just got pumped by a not so great Sheffield then? That’s okay, everyone has an opinion. Those boys out there were looking for a rest behind the sticks every 5 mins. I personally would like to see Walker in the side even if he only plays 10 mins a half.

And the rest of the lads have been training for a year too. What’s their excuse for being knackered and not looking sharp/fit/lethargic?

Something similar against Fax and Kear has to go.
Pre-season conditioning has been a disaster. I've never seen anything as bad. Kear's interviews now look embarrassing. Young players have gone backwards to an alarming degree.
If the attitude has turned sour, then the only difference to last year that we know of, is Brough. I just can't see blokes like Crossley sulking for nothing.
Something has gone dramatically wrong.
The pre-season recruitment of SL loan signings hasn't happened, even though they were 'lined up.'
The chairman's interview is one of sustainable managed decline.

Nail on head!!!

Brough is a fine player but is a rotten egg and has proven it wherever he has played.

I have a contact that was part of the England set up when Brough was being tagged as the best half in the league. England wouldnt take him as they felt he would bring a negative attitude and effect the entire squad

That is a bit of leap! Is Brough our only new signing or just a convenient scapegoat? I mean if you have some credible information that all isn’t well in camp in terms of morale then fair enough? I’m not sure that blaming Danny Brough quite covers the shortfalls out on the pitch though.

I mean I can imagine Brough not being backwards in coming forwards with his opinion, but looking at the performance and condition of some of the players there has to be a collective responsibility.

The Fax game will be very telling, if we get another half d performance then the alarm bells will be well and truly sounding,

Can’t blame Brough. Bloody hell. He looked like he was one of the only ones trying. Blame the individual errors, the missed one on ones. Unfortunately you can’t blame Brough (or Kear) for that.

YES, I have 100% credible information that all is not well in the camp. It's Sheffield 50 - Bulls 12.

I'm not blaming Brough at all, but there's something seriously wrong. The conditioning was shocking against Fev but that does not explain why we got worse with 2 weeks training.

I do blame Kear. We're not a hippy commune, we're a club with a coach whose task is prepare the players for the season ahead. And in that he's failed.