Even Mickey Rourke know we're

Well sober now, having sat through that, I didn't feel like watching any other game because they would highlight how crap we are.
Just a couple of pointers, once again we didn't get the rub of the green from the video ref, Reardons first try was clearly a knockon there was no way the player being tackled could have got the ball to move that way without it travelling forward first hitting Nero and rebounding to Reardon. Now I could see that on the big screen at the arena so why could the VR not see it. I now one try doesn't matter but this was their third and we could have been level at halftime.
The other bit was Mr Halibut missing Sammut's knock on when he pulled the ball of Patten and the scrum was awarded to Crusaders who duely scored.

But overall we played like we had just met that morning and where being introduced to Rugby League has I said in an earlier posting we played like extras in "Escape to Vitory."

cant put into words how i felt after the game, never felt as gutted as i did yesterday, was the most embarrassed ive ever been to be a salford fan after that display, not only ratchford but same with broughton im sure if he keeps warming the wing for us hes gonna want to play rugby elsewhere,


the futures not bright with the slug in charge.

Yesterday was awful. I really couldn't wait for the game to end. We had planned to watch the next match but just had to leave after that display. During the long drive home we struggled to come up with any positives. 'Our kicking game wasn't bad' was the best we could come up with, and a couple of half-hearted 'Some of the decisions went against us' didn't really help much.

The negatives were easier : - a lightweight pack going backwards, losing ground in the tackle, nothing happening at halfback, a defensive line that stands still and gives the opposition ten metres in which to play football, a flat attacking line so that we're standing still when we get the ball, an inability to make yards, the apparent absence of an overall plan, the habit of driving the ball back to where the play the ball was, an inability to move the ball wide etc etc. You all know them.

How do we remedy this? I can only think of one answer in truth. People say we shouldn't be shouting 'Sack the Coach' after one game. I'm not saying it after one game. I'm saying it after three and a half years of watching Shaun McRae's team (and by now it must be his team). He can't blame anyone else. The team is not as good as the sum of its parts. The individual players are better than the team performances. We might have trained well and we might have some injuries and suspensions but the performances have not been good enough with Shaun McRae as Head Coach. We need to compare our team with Hull KR and Crusaders who came into Super League about the same time as us. Now both may rely too much on overseas players and Hull KR may have a bigger fan base than ourselves, but both teams perform at a higher level than ourselves. They play with an intensity that we lack. They are organised and seem to have a strategy for each game. If we compare ourselves with them we are found to be lacking.

I'm afraid that Shaun McRae has not delivered for us. I think he needs to go before the Franchise Applications are due. If I could not persuade Shaun Edwards to switch back to Rugby League on a long contract, then in the short term I would offer Brian Noble a contract to the end of the season , and spend the rest of the season considering who to bring in next year. I hope John Wilkinson can do what is right for the future of the club.

8 new players, better quality than what we had and a few former internationals.

Two new coaching positions created to aid individual player specific development.

A new fitness conditioner (Flown out to Australia with Malc for two weeks (over the winter) to learn their modern fitness training methods)

Free nutritional supplements for the players.

30K on a computer system to help the coaches and players.

Full-time professionals with weeks to prepare yet they run out of puff after 55 minutes.

Players and partners wined and dined by the club Directors to help build moral for the new season.


Two words . . .‘P*SS TAKE’