He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it...

I know Ray (and particularly his missus) wanted to go home at the end of last season so I was pleasantly surprised to see him return this year (I also thought it was to his credit that he was willing/committed to seeing out his contract with us).

I can't see that things will have changed much in the last 12 months so am pretty sure it'll be his choice if he goes home.

Why would anyone at the club want him to go?! He's been our best forward by a mile!

It's a shame if Cashmere doesn't want to stay but a tragedy if it is from the club's side. I can understand anyone who feels homesick whether that's him or his wife or both. Having done his 3 years playing out of an antiquated stadium and having carried the pack for most of that time it seems only fitting that he should get at least one year playing at the quality facility he thought he might have played at when he originally signed.

I'll be sorry to see him go. It's probably been difficult to keep motivated over the period he's been here and he has done well to maintain the level he has.

As an outsider I think a train wreck is coming with Matt Parish although I do like his attitude.

The problem is sometimes even when someone speaks the truth, depending on who they are it is not well received. Eg I'm a Warrington fan and I can tell you all that Salford are crap and have been a joke for the past decade or more. All the Salford fans know this is true and agree with me but your natural reaction would be to say "where were Warrington before 2009 then? we might be crap but we managed to beat you a few weeks back...??" because you don't think it's my place to tell you. The Salford board are going to react the same way to Parish...he's just a newcomer to head coaching and has proved nothing yet and they will think he should wind his neck in.

Unfortunately the board control what happens next. If the changes that Parish wants, do not take place, then Parish is going to have a crap squad and probably get beaten most weeks, which will just strengthen the board's position and weaken Parish's especially as some supporters will start getting disgruntled when results don't improve, so in the end when the board are fed up of him they can get rid and cite poor results, then get a yes man in as coach who will be easier to deal with.

Shades of Cas in 2004 when they were bottom of the league, brought Ellery Hanley in as Coaching Director, Hanley told them some home truths that they didn't want to hear, so they got rid, and went down anyway! Eventually Cas brought Matterson in who had some more strong views on what was wrong with the club, and the board backed him, and there was a turn around BUT even then there was another relegation and promotion to go through before Cas got themselves back in order.

I think to get real change you need one of these strong characters but you also need a board who will trust in them and do what they say needs doing, and stick with them through a long turning period, eg Matterson at Cas and also Tony Smith at Huddersfield, who were absolute garbage from 1998-2000 and then Smith came in, made major changes, and still managed to set a record for losing his first 13 straight games as a head coach....he had a supportive board and chairman (who had money as well) and so was able to turn it round, will this happen at Salford....I fear not.