Your claim to know "the common opinion" is just another of your classic fabrications. It pays to differentiate between a few opinionated loudmouths on internet boards, who are probably the same self-styled 'experts' that dominate radio phone-ins, and the overwhelming majority of more sensible people who do not rant and rave believing that volume+repetition=truth.

And yes, your nemesis getting the top job really has got under your skin, hasn't it! You claim not. The laddie doth protest too much, methinks.

Makes you wonder what some peoples will have to find to rant about come November, doesn't it

The inconvenient truths rear their heads again. For those with open, not closed, minds.

Interesting to read this in the context of the supposed board "split" (as per Murphy) over the coaching role. Seems pretty clear from that which side Hood was on?

I continue to have this nagging worry about Caisley and some other board members/shareholders ganging up to get over 50% of the shareholder votes, and staging a coup. I really really hope not.

And there they go rearing their heads again.

... is sadly almost another way of saying "without some investment, it can't become very successful".

Anyone got any contacts with Melbourne's backers, who I gather are at a loose end?

The other odd thing is that why has Maguire got the credit for improving Wigan, and not inheriting Noble's spadework, yet when Noble worked wonders for Bradford, certain voices always insisted he just struck lucky with inheriting someone else's spadework?

Just a little snippet: I have it on very good authority - from a totally sensible poster on these boards whose opinions I respect as much as anyone's - that certain of our up and coming players and prospective future internationals - as well as at least one current international - think very very highly indeed of Macca. Such a shame that they have no idea what they are talking about compared with the experience and wisdom of the likes of M.E. eh?

Is it James Donaldson?

I agree. However it has oft been mentioned that a number of RL players are unlikely candidates to win Mastermind.

Indeed he did.

Problem was of course that he did not develop - or retain - the next generation.

I played for an amateur team who, in their day, were a match for most. We never bothered with juniors because we thought it would never end. The club folded about 10 years ago.

Like Sharlston Rovers will.