Very true. This club has been in decline for a number of years - with no disrespect to David Hughes, or indeed anyone else, and it needs to be reversed somehow.

When we have all our players fit we can beat anyone. Results have shown this. Our problem is not the coach. The problem is a squad with no depth and no money to bolster it.

Sorry, but if DH is throwing between 1 million and 1.5 million at the club, with 450k from attendances, 1.2 million from SKY and 500k from residuals (beer/shirts etc) then there's nearly 4 million a year


What is this money being spent on? Seriously? 13 home games a year so I would suspect no more than 400k to the Union lot....a few back office staff and a threadbare squad are hardly worth 3 million?


I voted for a Director of Rugby.....Nobby should have been approached...if Fax can afford him even we could have.

But would Nobby want to come to London Town?

Under McDermott we went backwards, I don't think we've been quite as bad this year despite some poor recent form. Ultimately we have a very week squad, we're short of a top quality prop, a top quality centre and a top quality halfback (our regular halfback this season is a middle of the road hooker). With three top quality additions we might just be good enough to finish in 9th position, but as it is we'll be somewhere between 12th - 14th. To get into the playoffs we probably need 6 top quality players.

As a club we surely spend money in hiring Community Coaches and putting on festivals and training over the year. Also, money will be spent on marketing (admittedly so far it hasn't reaped many rewards). Transport to get us to each away game over the year - hotels if necessary. Pre season training camps - plus training location over the year....it adds up to some (probably not the remaining balance), but unfortunatley nothing is free in this world anymore....

Rob Powell doesn't have the top level experience, I think we should stick with him for atleast the remainder of the season - I mean, there was no way we'd finish in the top 8 anyway. Give him a chance to learn more and evaluate in the close season. I still think a thin squad with little decent depth and the fact we have such a small pack is causing us no end of problems at the moment.

I posted the initial post and pretty soon after decided that it was a step too far. Looking at our squad many fans expected us to finish second bottom, and we are currently exceeding that.

Rob Powell was given the job in the summer, and we are not in free-fall, we just need to show a little more than we are giving at the minute. The mental brittleness that seemed to affect the players under the latter months of Brian Macs tenure seems to have returned along with the tries being run in against us without a hand being laid on the attacker. I've got no major issues with our squad, I realise we have budgetary constraints, but I think that the minimum that they should do is fight tooth and nail to the bitter end.

I had the feeling at the start of the season that we were a little weak in the brains trust department, ie Brian Mac leaving and no additional coaches coming in can only weaken the collective rugby thinking. Hopefully Rob Powell has good contacts that he can give a telephone call or two because I do feel that he does need a little help, if only in the form of a few words of sage advice from someone experienced at the top level.

Mellowed out now and not demanding changes, but hopefully RP is not left to take the burden on his shoulders alone, and perhaps Latham Tawhai is doing something positive that goes unseen.

I think Powell is do an adequate job with the resources available to him.

The same as McDermott then.

Pretty much, actually I think Powell is doing better. He has less to work with.

And therein lies the real problem. Year on year, there is less to work with.

I believe the RL's powers that be have two choices; they either decide that they want a top-flight team in the Capital and either back it financially or find someone else to back it financially, or they just terminate the Club at the licence announcement.

It sounds harsh, but I seriously don't think that seeing a poor team watched by poor crowds does the sport any favours. I speak as someone who went through those days at Crystal Palace, Chiswick etc buoyed by the hope that if we were in the top division and sufficiently funded to be competing for honours then it would be to the benefit of the sport as a whole. Unfortunately watching this club go through a slow decline makes me less optimistic now than I was then.

I'd like to emphasise that I don't mean this as critical in any way of anyone connected with club, it's just too big a job.