What I found most galling last night, was not the abject performance, or lack of atmosphere or the hour stuck in traffic before the game, but was seeing all those good for nothing councillors with their free tickets and free meals, DID anyone notice apart from me the corporate seats where mostly empty five min into the second half? Give Councillor Merry his due he was there at the start of the second half be he did leave 10 mins before time, must have been trying to beat the traffic!!

So Gruffy if you are a councillor you are good for nothing, very strange line of thought, have you thought about what a councillor actually does, or who was to blame for the seat you were sat in?
Or who runs the city? can't be the councillors because they are good for nothing, must be the fairies with a little help from Santa in December.

Last season was too much for me, it brought to a head everything that's wrong with Salford. No investment, no direction and managed by a set of amateurs.
I have maintained a respectful silence during the pre-season and read with interest all the posts on this forum.

I watched the game on T.V. last night. I thought it was typical Salford, ineffective forwards laying a non-existant platform for the halves and backline. Is this the kind of fare that will bring lapsed supporters back? Will last nights viewing attract new supporters?

It seems that some of our fans were abusing the players, well don't be too hard on them, because the next step is for them to stop going as well. A crowd of 5k last night...........and it wasn't all down to the weather! Unfortunately, JW and the Board will no doubt have their excuses already lined up.

As for the Team........Patten still has no idea how to tackle or defend whilst his mate Holdsworth is going from bad to worse.
Smith has a bit of class and works hard, but has little protection and a dud partner.
The Centres and Wings have great potential, but without halves and forwards it's asking too much of them to turn games. (Borne out last night by the try of the match in the context of another defeat).

Feka is the only forward with any go forward or presence, but thought Gledhill showed some promise as did Howarth.
As for the rest, they took the ball standing still and were consistently driven backwards. It's no good completing sets if we aren't capable of making any yardage.

I'm sorry guys, but the writing is on the wall. In three years time we'll be out of Superleague and consigned to history.

Personally I think a spell out of SL might just club needs to rejuvenate the players, then fans and Salford as a rugby city, at the mintue we are continously wipping boys, beating after beating with the odd surprise in there. If the club dropped like Widnes for a few year this would allow the club to get rid of dead wood players and upstairs then the club could look to build from scratch. This would allow a fresh sense of optimism. Now awaits the club is all mighty nothing ever is wrong brigade to shoot me down

As I've said all pre season, we don't have a pack that can compete in Super League. Cas's pack was woeful yet they bullied us, no yardage up front. Holdsworth had a stinker can't see him having many worse games than that. On the plus side Matty Smith played well as did Howarth before he went off injured, on the whole conditions aside it's going to be one long hard season. The effort by the players was there, no doubting that. At the end of the day some of them just aren't good enough for this level and that's not their fault so I'll continue to follow them home and away.

If you look at why we're losing the collision, it's the standing still bit that's causing us problems. Why oh why can't they hit the ball at pace? The quality in our backline will win us some games, but not consistently!!! Missing several props, Cas showed you don't need to be smashing the opposition out of the way with every drive, just get over the gain line at speed.

Not great I would agree but with Huby, Millington, Jackson, Thompson, Snitch and Hudson on the sidelines we at least have alternatives.

You need to give Salford a good 8-10 games before making any rash, apocalyptic statements. After which, knock yourselves out.

Yes there are problems with the backroom staff in terms of marketing but you have to remember that it is hard to market a poor product. I've said all along that a bright new stadium is never going to achieve the increase in attendances. A winning team will fill the ground.... a losing team will keep only the die hards. It is a catch 22 situation.

Also you have a problem with the weather and the tele. The first game needed to be good weather and no tele to get punters in. Hopefully a good show (which we didn't get) to keep them there and then for Sky to come and have a look. Unfortunately Sky highjacked the game because the new stadium fits their promotional model for SL (why else would they have us on this week against Saint?).

Shoppers at the Trafford centre are irrelevant. I was in there in the morning and saw a bloke walking round there with a Hull FC shirt on so why would he come to watch us and CAS? It is indoors so the cold weather does not affect that where as sitting outside watching a rugby match would be affected by new/ lapsed fans going particularly if it's on the box.

I understand people being fed up with things but staying away does not help! It does not send out any kind of message apart from further perpetuating the current situation. Of course everyone is entitled to decide whether to go or not but the stay aways cannot then come on here with "I told you so" because they are contributing to the problem (not to mention it being disrespectful to the nutters like me who sat in the snow for 3 hours!!!!).

Salford as a City is displaying shocking apathy right now. Just look at the appallingly low turn out for the referendum on a City Mayor, however, they will all be writing in complaining when they realise how much that will cost them for very little return. CBA attitudes are incredibly difficult to change!!

I personally never like like to pass judgement of games in the heat of the moment. Find looking dispassionately after the game far better. IMO .

firstly I should like to say but for the Sky camera's that game would have been pulled .100% however both teams I thought delivered a good standard of rugby considering the conditions and the stage of the season we are at - round 1 .

Travelling into manchester at 2pm there was minimal traffic on the Motorways as most people had chosen not to venture out , it was not the conditions to attract a newbie to an outside event. We got 5200 to a game played in a blizzard that was on SKY , the same fixture played last year on a balmy summers evening last year attracted 3,500, the last SKY game we played on a Saturday got 2,500.

the corporate guests weren't faring much better:- the speed of catering & bar service are slower than our play the ball. The Chairman probably didn't look in too high spirits because he'd been sat waiting for his dinner since 4Pm and somone just got to serving the starters as the team ran out at 6Pm. most the corporate guests weren't out after half time because they were still waiting for their half time pre-ordered drinks. SCS/ Azure UK have the corporate area understaffed and those that are there aren't of the required standard to manage a high class corporate venue that should be able to cope with up to 750 diners. Not good when the club are hoping to attract added investment , and companies are paying £1,000's to entertain their guests .

As for questioning players commitment out there I saw plenty of hard workers out there. it was badly executed plays and wrong options taken when we were on the Cas 20 that lost us the match. Cas rode their luck for their 2 of the tries and took better options for their other 2. To question players effort after that game is plainly ridiculous. speed of the play the ball and losing our recognised hooker after 8minutes hit us . losing Howarth with 15minutes to go summed up our game & our luck , had the ball hit him on the chest , it would have been charged down picked up and led to a try, it hit him in the face & knocked him semi unconscious & Cas regathered .

People like you make me sick, how dare you use common sense when all around the excepted norm is knee jerk reactions.

For the record on Saturday I thought our defensive line moved up in one more than any time over the past few seasons, thought again like the Wigan game that we put the players on thier back more than I've ever seen us do and thought that Patton showed how much of a threat he is going forward.

As for seeing that Godwin is out I'd be more than happy to let Howarth do as much of the 80 minutes as possible and maybe experiment with Moon and Houldsworth interchanging positions.

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I didn't realise you were in the council Pev? Or going to stand for election? As for being good for nothings I can only speak from my own personal experience.

As to who paid for my seat - I will through tax. Where does the council's money come from santa? the fairies? or from unsecured long term loans offset against council tax for the next 30 years, you decide which one.

Gruffy first of all its your opinion that it was an abject performance, I do not agree as considering the conditions both teams performed very well, Castleford better than we did.

I got there early and got parked up quite easily,despite the stewards attempts to make it difficult.

I left early as members of party had to catch a train from Piccadilly at 8.45pm,and I had to take them I didn't see John Merry leave at the same time and again despite the best attempts of the stewards we got away in about 15 minutes.


With regards the corporate seats I spent all my time watching the game not looking at the people in those seats and if when I take up the offer of a hospitality place which I will against Warrington I will please myself where I watch the match from, when I come out from the hospitality suite and if I knew your seat number area I will give you wave.

With regards the councillor's I am a long way off being a supporter of our council but I cannot accept your terminology that all these people are good for nothings as some of the ones that I know(from all parties) put a lot of work in on behalf of the local community and as long as the tickets / meals etc are listed on the expense claims there isn't a problem.

I will of course pay for my own hospitality later in the season!

Guffy i didn't say paid for your seat, responsible for your seat, the council could have quite easily have said no, infact the Lib Dems and the Tories were against it because it wasn't a new members only golf course, but the council will make money from the deal as they can borrow at a lower rate than they lend out, as much as 3.5% - 4.5% difference. So a good deal for the council, no i am not a councillor just know quite a few who work full time as well as sit on the council and the various committees, but not all are the same granted.