Kept off here for a while since I wasn't part of the click, plus my axe needed sharpening
To be honest I am one of the fans that after attending my first game at cougar park in 1993 never thought I'd say it but yes I have distanced myself from the club. Nothing to do with dual reg just plain and simple for me the club is having the life sucked out of it, for me cougars is a dying club. Forget all the stuff about the RFL killing the game, rule changes and promotion/relegation. Yes I agree with all of that but this is purely about KEIGHLEY COUGARS.
I have just been and bought the local paper to see if my little lad was in it with his rugby and noticed the headline on the backpage, I then read the article that is from no other than our Chairman Gary Fawcett. To make it really easy for those of you that haven't seen it yet "What a load of B******T" I have never read so much rubbish in my life. Firstly you have a coach after the game on sunday blaming the players or saying he doesnt know what went wrong and now you have the Chairman of the club that is standing by his coach and his coaches record saying that the players aren't listening to the coach, aren't playing with desire, aren't listening to the expertise from the bench during a game, not sticking to marchys game plan, some players just aren't giving there all etc etc etc.
I think its a disgrace to come out publicly criticising these players, I know for a fact they're are already a lot of unhappy players about this statement. All these players are doing is playing and training as they are told to and by who, the coach. Gary has also stated that there is going to be a sports psychologist coming in to work with marchy and the lads. He also states that with the quality of players and the budget marchy had we should be at 6th or 7th in the table well correct me if I'm wrong but didnt him and marchy predict a top 4 finish for the club at the start of the season
All this does now fall on the shoulders of fawcett because I also know for a fact and I'm sure Hello Trouble or the clubs voice can confirm this that Mr fawcett is Mr Cougar, he is the only director of the club. The other 2 guys neil cullen and pete spencer arent officially involved with the club they just have business interests within the club
They arent directors, everything is on fawcetts head.
In my opinion the club has been cut back and cut back too much, in an ideal world Fawcett would walk like he once said to me on our first meeting that if he couldn't take the club any further or the fans ever wanted him gone he would hold his hands up and go.
Or Gary needs to grow a pair and forget his freindship with marchy and send our coach packing, yes marchy is a great guy but so was JD. Coaches come and go thats just what happens but for me our fate especially after this article is sealed and I am sticking to what I have said all along WE ARE GOING DOWN.
What a sad day it will be for our club, I just hope a lot of the lads can find a club before they get dragged down too as I know a few that arent far from making that decision. This has nothing to do with the players or the budget, we saw most of these players play under JD and I have to say they aren't a shadow of themselves from what they were last year. It is down to the coach and his tactics, where is this expanssive rugby we were promised because we have had the weather for it.
I dont know I'm just gutted, when you look at the previous 2 years and the direction and progress we were making on the field it sort of papered over the cracks off the field but now its there for all to see and you don't have to look hard. I'm not here to cause trouble but just to view my anger and yes before any one says it I have had a meeting with gary and viewed my opinions but unfortunately the guy 100% believes that they are moving in the right direction for super league and that he is at the helm of a top championship club, well gary the league table doesnt lie. Oh I all most forgot we are still making weekly profits, if this is the case then gary why don't you start paying most of the younger reserve lads that havent been paid for the last couple of months.
Cougars was once the leading club that everyone wanted to be like and tried keeping up with but now Cougars is a club that no one can be bothered with or cared if it was there or not and now it is us that dreams of been like the other clubs. What ever happens to the club I will always have treasured memories of great days just wish I could have had more great days that my lad could have experienced like we did when we were young.