Oh yes, I definitely agree with that. The issue then becomes one of preparation and squad management, rather than simply saying we have Championship players. That may have been true when we were playing the likes of Shaw, Uaisele, Mendieka, Taharoui etc - but not now

The make up of the current side is irrelevant when thinking about any promoted side. If we are promoted we get double the salary cap, and whilst I accept that some of the squad may well have enhanced deals on that basis for next season, the idea that our current squad, in its entirety, is somehow going to be our SL squad is barmy imo. There's no way we'd go into SL with a championship squad.

Here we go another arm chair head coach claiming it's because the coach isn't good enough.

If you can do better why don't you put yourself forward as coach?

People like you need to realise without coaches we don't have a game etc etc

See it's a garbage comment isn't it? Everyone can complain about the ref same as they can complain about the coach and players.

In a lot of people's opinion the red was garbage.

"All the criticism and bickering"

yes, a bit of criticism and bickering, but also plenty of acknowledgement that Widnes were the better side. What i would like to show you, but of course it is not available, is 23 games of Championship quality refereeing, apparently designed to reduce any championship team with aspirations to play SL standard rugby to the level of amateurs. Widnes, due to better sharper SL quality refereeing, knew more precisely what they could and could not get away with. that is what is behind the outpourings against the refereeing, not just one game against Widnes. Of course the proof is, would you want Cobb to referee every single one of your SL games next season? Trick question, you cannot answer because you simply do not know.

What a pile of crap. I am well aware of some of the standard of refereeing in the championship having been subjected to it far longer than Bradford Bulls, but the fact remains that the refereeing performance has been the sole focus of many of the fans here and on twitter. Plenty of "I'm not blaming the referee but (insert 20 lines blaming the referee)." It doesn't count. How on earth does us being in super league make us sharper to referees who ply their trade in the championship? We've never had Joe Cobb before!

We played the referee? How? And how is that asinine question proof of anything? No, I would not want any single referee in charge of every one of our games because that wouldn't work well. So?

Two tries you scored. and in one, someone taken off the ball. Clear as day on that video. So come on, we scored numerous tries, not a problem with one of them. It's different in hindsight isn't it? You can't hide behind your dodgy interpretation. Back it up or people owe an apology to the referee.

It's hard enough finding referees without them becoming the focus of ire every single week. It's no wonder we can't, quite frankly.

It's not every single week. We don't get Cobb every week.

Yeah I've only been watching the game 34 years now so maybe I'm not quite as long term as you and the others on this site. Although I'm puzzled as to how long you have to be watching before this idiocy doesn't get thrown in your face.

Fair minded fans or considering a referee consciously biased. Pick one.

"Gerrumonside!" The last refuge of the desperate. I persistently stick up for referees and have done for years. People are biased naturally, but if you check, the referees will bring both teams back roughly the same although where the referee stands in relation varies, which confuses people. It's very usually confirmation bias.

What I did hear on the video was a few perfectly good tries (every single one fine, not quite the narrative before I posted the video) where the crowd shouted forward. Strikes me that the crowd was frustrated with the match and needed an outlet, same as usual.

We've all seen the odd game where the referee hasn't had a blinder but people had made their minds up about this guy before he started, and look at that score, every try fine. Tells its own story. If it was a close game, then fair enough. But concentrating on a referee in a 12-56 massacre? LOL.

It is every single week, but not by you and not just to Cobb. Fans across the land hassling and abusing referees instead of facing up to reality. Our fans do it, your fans do it, other fans do it. It's unfair. Who'd be a referee?

I certainly wouldn't I mean I've watched the highlights and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Yet you want to call the ref on some imaginary off the ball incident.

I'd like to see you do better than him.

I'm not calling the referee out at all, merely the confirmation bias and hypocrisy of those calling him out yesterday. They invent or over exaggerate infractions, ignore the ones that go in their favour, and forget that people make mistakes.

Yes you did you blamed him for Bradford's second try "as clear as day on the video".

You know what of you think you can do better you should sign up to be a ref with the RFL.

It's a difficult job as it is without people like you inventing infringements.

I pointed it out. I've clarified why. Dwell on it all you want, but its obvious why I did point it out. I've spent this whole thread defending the referee.

This is frankly dimwitted of you and I can't say I look forward to wasting my time arguing over what is an irrelevance.

And point it out you did.

Look at the lengths you're going to to point out one decision in one play out of an entire 80 minute match.

Christ they're doing a hard job in hard conditions
Only to be subjected to an unrealistic level of scrutiny. From basically arm chair pundits based entirely on their own interpretation of a you tube video.

Then you have the cheek to call us!