Do you honestly believe he was going to stay with us till the next round of franchises? 3 years in a league in which the goalposts could be moved yet again or take a job in the top league and have a crack at bigger honours.

Like Starbug says, is it even financially viable if Millward stays? He's on a SL coaches contract and Rowley must be on a decent sum as well, something just has to budge. Maybe to call him world class was a bit far, but he's certainly not the standard of coach the Cas fans are painting him at.

The first and most important thing is making sure we have a club next season... lets concentrate on that and shouting these boys on to the Grand Final and what would prove a fitting send off.

It's all over the place now, what will be will be,

some people need a reality check we are a small club in a second rate league with a top ambitious coach who wants to coach at the highest level in the sport in this country, he has been given a chance and it is thought he has taken it don't tell me no one on here would go to a job with better prospects if they didn't have the chance, good luck Ian in whatever you do.

and as for Cas fans well the last few coaches they have had have hardly set the RL world on fire at least this one has won something in SL get over yourselves a few short years ago you were down here and if the RFL had any dangly bits you and a couple of others would be down here again.

Can understand the frustration totally but in all honesty why stay here ?

We are playing in a dead league that no-one is interested in (and is shrinking).

He cannot alter anything on field to see his and the clubs ambitions realised - that nugget is decided in a office somewhere in Leeds.

The best players are going / will leave - they also have ambition (again they cannot effect the decision made in a office somewhere in Leeds).

The club is struggling for backers (chicken in egg, why invest in a sports club that realistically you have no control of how to better it by stepping up).

Year on year we are becoming just a bit more as a feeder club for various SL clubs (no-one knows where this is going).

He is going to a club that has a profile, will be on TV , is in the big league and has a decent youth set up (if reports are to be believed), he won't be expected to finish in the top 2 for a few years and he will still be a big fish in a small pond but with lots more money to play with.

In all fairness (and I'm gutted Basil is going - Leigh are in aright mess IMO at the moment in time, Is there a long term future of quality ?) we did well to keep him for so long.

They may need lifting tomorrow night ,we all saw the result with Fax after getting bad news but I reckon the lads must have had an idea that he wasn't going to be staying so maybe not as much of a blow

Okay, he wiped Wayne Bennett's Aussie backside in the WCC. Only chance he's had to play against one of the huge list of 'World Class' coaches you put forward.

That's perspective.

As Leigh fan's there's always something that kicks us in the teeth, just as things seem to be going well, gutted. Going to get

tomorrow night now.

Must admit I enjoyed the NRC final more than usual as I thought I'd take in the fact we had won a cup and reached a final.
With everything going on off field (losing our main backer) and the way the leagues are structured I did wonder how many chances of sucess we had left.
With Basil going lets enjoy the few games remaining as I honestly see this as a turning point in the history of our club, not just Ian and the players depatures but the games structure and our off field situation means it doesn't point to good times ahead.

As Basil said, enjoy the ride, must admit I get the feeling we are about to reach our final destination before the wheels come off , lets hope we have enough steam for one really good day out

If someone from the club says that it was because we could not afford his wages next season and we would have had a good chance of going under with him still here then I could accept that. To go to Cas just because they are an SL team is beyond me. If he had stayed at Leigh and we were to win everything and do the same next year he would have had his pick of any of the top SL clubs or maybe another crack at the NRL. Sorry I'm absolutely pig sick of this happening to us.

If Ian M does move on the club had better bring in another class coach like Noble .. Kear .. Morgan
ect or the momentuem that we have built over this season will be lost and it will be back to square one
I think we need Ian at the helm or someone with a proven track record if this club wants to move forward the RL have more or less killed Rugby League below Super League level in this country
if he goes and the right man isnt put in place then Leigh will go in a downward spiral with crowds
player recruitment ect ect ect.. Might as well turn the stadium into a bingo hall or another Supermarket Typical Leigh this things look up then once again a MIGHTY FALL..

There's a group of gypsies down south looking for a new site.