I'm also rather tired of being in transition.

Me too but that's a different story..

Smith doesn't cover himself in glory up to Admin 3. As for Toovey he admitted himself that in any other job he would be gone. He thinks the UK loan system is barmy nothing remotely like it in Aus. He seemed fully committed to the cause just needs a settled squad.

I agree about the loan system, it's barmy, but it is designed for our unique (British) circumstances.

Without a proper reserve grade, how else would many young players coming out of the academy play in a suitable environment, which is both beneficial to their own development and which also benefits the clubs? From our own, admittedly special, point of view this season we wouldn't have had a squad without the loanees and DRs, we'd have been down to playing all the academy lads, whether they were mature enough or not. Even with the loaned players a few of our 'kids' have been flogged a bit more than is good for them, imo.

What about Nobby - got experience of the upper end of League 1

(Not actually a serious suggestion, but it is officially law that Brian Noble must be linked to the head coach job every time it comes into question)

Agreed. It probably ensured we completed the season for the RFL but in ensuring we were competitive and providing a proper pathway for young players it utterly failed.

I want to see assurance from the club that we're not going down this road again in 2018.

Well, while he's not really had 2 minutes in the job, officially at least, let's be honest since he was officially signed up, we've served up hopeless cack for the most part. We didn't even get a dead coach bounce. (Or should that be new coach bounce?) We didn't need to tear up trees, but that big zero points, regardless of everything else, is sadly just not good enough.

Maybe he'll be great in years to come, but is he what we needed and need right now? I'd say the evidence shows clearly not. But then I am a tad biased as I don't understand why they didn't stick with Rohan, who had more than show his loyalty, and so I presume would have stayed if a suitable deal was offered, and can't see why a deal acceptable to Toovey wouldn't have been acceptable to Rohan.

I do think though that Toovey has the basic ingredients of being a future good coach, personal experience, loads of abrasiveness and plenty of attitude. May take a while to polish it all though. And if he stays, then without doubt on paper at least we'd have easily the top coach in the division.

True to a certain extent but the Loan system has been crazy this year with Leigh loaning players out but also taking players on loan.

On the face of it it's crazy, yes, I agree, though there is some logic. Leigh are a bottom end SL club, who will be [iloaning out[/i, to Championship clubs, players who aren't yet ready (even for bottom end) SL and [itaking[/i players from top end SL clubs who aren't ready for 'top end' SL just yet. The real barminess is that there is no proper second team competition.

It's apparently cheaper to make a mockery of the competition than it is to run a reserves team.

Seems crazy when you consider clubs all ran "A" teams for years without it being an issue and they were all just as skint then.

I think the loan system always throws up some anomalies - the players who have got a point in the season are not in the plans and contract may end or a view to a longer contract elsewhere. A sweetner to a different deal can always be considered but the loan this year that i didnt understand was Martin Ridyard? Leigh to Huddersfield and seemingly from some reports iv read he has helped them improve and reach the top eights.

I know there was quite a bit of dissatisfaction in the coaching team that Dan Murray went back to Salford before Easter and then surfaced at Fax on dual reg rather than coming to us. He barely figured at all at Salford.

surely he would too have required a Visa sorting and probably be less likely to get away with the 'I'm here on a holiday visa ploy....

Good point.

It was a different world back then, though.

All clubs were part time, for a start and it was actually against the rules to use the game as your principal employment. There were no contracts as such, players generally got 'winning money' or 'losing money' and then only if they actually played. Some big name signings may have got over the odds, even signing on fees but I suspect it was pretty rare. Signing on was largely just a matter of being on the players' register at the RFL.

'A team' players basically got peanuts. They weren't in any way considered to be 'first team squad' members, in the sense we have today but were mostly a collection of enthusiastic younger players hoping to get into the first team and players who were a step below the first team and would only rarely be seriously considered unless something was drastically amiss. The A team was a good way to bring first teamers back to match fitness after injury or giving trials to A.N Other or S.O. Else.