To the surprise of no one the announcement was that Eccles will be in permanent charge. However his job title is a little different and crucially he seems to have obtained a good level of back room support that should help get standards up. It’s a positive announcement. There is also suggestion of signings to be announced so that is good as well.

Good to hear they will bring in a couple of coaches. Neil Thorman rumoured as one.

Pleased that Mike E has been given a contract for next year, they have not been that clear what it actually means though. Will there be a first team and academy coach appointed? Mike full time, coach part time?

Since Cake isn't really a coach he will have 2 assistants. He explains in his YouTube interview.

The fact a non coach is easily our strongest candidate for the coach job does speak volumes. Nonetheless he strikes me as an impressive character, he’s clearly had a good think about what he wants and how to move the team forward. I’m much more confident with him at the helm than I was this time last year. I suspect we have retained heavily but, as others have said, so far this squad has indicated it can compete mid-table, which is a step up from this season but hardly cause for doing cartwheels. However, quite a few have clearly improved under Eccles so we’ll have to see, although I wouldn’t mind a few coming in or back as the case may be.I assume some of the JC signings may leave, unless on 2 year contracts so there may be space on the wage Bill.

Always worth remembering how poor and disorganised we were at the start of the season. The last few games haven’t been great but significantly better so we are on an upward trajectory.

I am struggling to see anything other than a dance with the trapdoor again next season.

I disagree, we did look like we had turned it around, but last 3 games make me think that the mid season wins was no more than a new coach bouce. I'd feel a lot more positive, if we had won vs Haven and Barrow, instead once we was sure of safety they all switched off.

I see another season of struggle, and I'll predict right now that we will have a lower attendance next year than this year. This year we had the first 2 games which skewed the figures, we won't have that next year. I'd be amazed if we breach 1K on any games next year.

Is there any mention of FT or will we remain PT?

Seems a lot of management for a PT team

Quote ="crashmon"I disagree, we did look like we had turned it around, but last 3 games make me think that the mid season wins was no more than a new coach bouce. I'd feel a lot more positive, if we had won vs Haven and Barrow, instead once we was sure of safety they all switched off. I see another season of struggle, and I'll predict right now that we will have a lower attendance next year than this year. This year we had the first 2 games which skewed the figures, we won't have that next year. I'd be amazed if we breach 1K on any games next year.'" Interesting post match interview in which Cake admits he is dissapointed with the end of the season both in terms of intensity and quality. With the focus on retention we can expect to see more of the same. Target next season is to win more games than we did this year. So mid table at best in year 2 of Yosser's quest for 5,000 fans In reality, the club is just in a holding position pending the IMG proposals. We saw an upping of intensity when relegation threatened but that's about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKOY6RUBRC8

Quote ="crashmon"I disagree, we did look like we had turned it around, but last 3 games make me think that the mid season wins was no more than a new coach bouce. I'd feel a lot more positive, if we had won vs Haven and Barrow, instead once we was sure of safety they all switched off. I see another season of struggle, and I'll predict right now that we will have a lower attendance next year than this year. This year we had the first 2 games which skewed the figures, we won't have that next year. I'd be amazed if we breach 1K on any games next year.'" Interesting post match interview in which Cake admits he is dissapointed with the end of the season both in terms of intensity and quality. With the focus on retention we can expect to see more of the same. Target next season is to win more games than we did this year. So mid table at best in year 2 of Yosser's quest for 5,000 fans In reality, the club is just in a holding position pending the IMG proposals. We saw an upping of intensity when relegation threatened but that's about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKOY6RUBRC8

I'm assuming P/T as you would have thought if going F/T, then announce it when you appoint your F/T Director of Rugby & Performance.

Notice Hughes only really gave qualified support to Cakeman saying he was ok for this level (not in those words of course). Are the 2 Asst Coaches supposed to be F/T?

One of the problems with Broncos, is that when they say something (which is a rarity), it always raises more questions than answers.

Was anybody at the post -game meeting? Did they answer any questions like

1) Are they planning to improve the match day experience, or should we expect that DH assumes 2K fans will turn up to watch us get turned over by the mighty Keithley, Barrow and Widnes with just the Rugby on offer with one refreshment stand open?
2) Will we be binning the wire kit and going back to black
3) Prices for next year, will a ST be at £6 per game? Or are they expecting ST to pay £17 a game while normal fans can get it for less than a tenner for the 2nd half of the season (when they panic on only having gates of 500 people)
4) How many games at Ebbsfleet next year 1,2 have they any idea?

Its a forgone conclusion we will be PT next year, and have pretty much the same squad as this year, so no chance of playoffs next year at all, while the other clubs will all strengthen.

Absolutely Part Time Im afraid DC. I wonder if Eccles is PT as well. Bearing in mind the imbalance between career risk and reward of being in a coaching position in the South East I would have thought it would be shrewd to keep his irons in the fire. I do wonder about the 2 assistants though. What’s that about? One for the attack and one for the defence? Who defers to whom? Like most on here retaining a squad that finished 11th I find a little underwhelming but if we had an any way competent retention policy going into season we’d probably have finished higher so it’s good he seems to have got that message across. Starting afresh at start of season is a recipe for disaster. It’s also a hard message but he seems to be saying signing players from up North is generally a mugs game because they want to be in the North and any decent offer and they’ll be back there. That makes grim reading but is probably true. I remain of the view the guy has the club at heart and is pretty sound strategically. What his tactical ability is I simply am not well placed to judge. Crash might be right we just experienced a new coach bump. Time will tell but think back to last year when the new coach was announced then a stream of outgoings...so many they didn’t even bother to say some had gone and then the L1 recruitment and the endless tranches of Skolars players we seem to be in a better place than that now. Low bar but still. Now they have to convince me a 2023 ST is a sensible financial decision.....

Agree we are in a better position than last year (this time last year we all was expecting either to not finish the season or get relegated), so yes based on that benchmark I am more optmistic going into next year, than I was at the start of this year.

But tbh as London Broncos its a pretty shambolic benchmark in that we expect 2023 to be the 2nd worst in recent history (only better than this season). But at least I am not expecting us to get relegated next season or to go out of business so there is that

If Cakeman isn't full time, what has changed since Hughes who said wanted a F/T Coach dispensed with Mustard who preferred P/T? Be funny if the only P/T Coaches interested in the job were Mustard & Bro.

Are we though?
This time last year we'd finished 7th with 11 wins and a draw and 8 losses. This year we've played 7 more games but lost 17 and we finished 11th.
This time last year it was odds on we were moving to a new stadium and there was some (not from here) belief that we might see an upswing in crowds, whereas now we are wondering out loud if the club even care about the match day experience after a season of ZERO effort to engage with fans other than sorting Twitter out in June. No kids or community stuff on the pitch, no push to get folk to the Ladies games, cancelled Reserve and academy matches due to lack of staff......and at every turn, not one sign that lessons have been learnt and mistakes will not be repeated.
There were some nicely rounded attendance figures given through the season with Dewsbury still missing altogether, but it is fair to assume that we have struggled to match the gates achieved in 2018 and that was with 2 inflated crowds of Wimbledon freebies.
This time last year and in the run up to the new season there was a serious worry about the squad and dicing with relegation. At this stage, we know that Keighley look to be a stronger proposition that either Dewsbury or Town were this year and we will again be reliant on the likes of Newcastle and Bradford to struggle to ensure our safety. My gut feeling is that it will again be July before we will be mathematically safe.

This "one club" malarkey is a poor effort at an apology and I sincerely hope that they drop this infatuation with the Gold and Silver lounges....if Hughes, Loubser and Kemp really want 2023 to be an improvement on this shambles of a year then they really need to take down paywalls and barriers and open the club up to everyone. We know they look upon fans on forums as a nuisance and not indicative of "the real world' but the reality is Hughes has 26 more home games to achieve his 5k average target......he's 4k short at the moment. With discounting etc, it is fair to assume that matchday ticketing revenue this year has been sub £10,000 a game. With little if any funding from anywhere else, Hughes will again be footing the bills for wages, rent, insurance etc....with gate receipts barely covering Kemp and Loubser's wages.

It does look like Cakeman has secured some additional funding from Hughes for back-room staff and medics, which is a positive, but if we get to February and a half d appeal for volunteers again because Hughes won't bankroll office staff, then I see us ending 2023 with a sub 500 average and having the same inquest next september saying "2024 will be better'.......

I'm being Devil's Advocaat here, Eccles started well but things have faded a bit - is he going to do a Rob Powell ?

Very good chance I would say. Why not bring in Wardty PT as one of the coaches. Few quid in his back pocket. What else coaching wise is available in the south with experience

I still think he will win us a game before May next year

While agree Ward would be a huge step up in class as a coach, Hughes should have grovelled for all he was worth to get him back.

But can't see him working under our new Director of Rugby either F/T or P/T sadly. What coaching credentials does Thorman have if he is appointed? Could the Ladies/Academy coaches step up? Still all a bit shambolic but at least the season is done.

I remember when we hated the season to end ........4 or 5 months of nowt........it seems relief that it's over us another barometer as to how far we've fallen

Ward is part of a strong coaching setup at Rosslyn Park (NL1 Rugby Union). If he does well there he would have a much bigger springboard to coaching jobs in the South East.

im assuming our players train 2 evenings a week, he could maybe fit that in!

Why would he want to work under a bloke he used to boss? Also given the apparent circumstances of his departure, what has changed to make the situation more palatable for him?

Ward would never come back under DH / JL and London would need to be Full Time to tempt him