I do support them,to the tune of every home and away match this season except one,
I have supported them most of my life, it isn't gloom I bring it is reality ....... we are not performing,
not getting the points and to be honest it won't be just the 'big' teams we struggle against ,
we have not got the right coach and we have not got a leader on the field either..... things will he tough
all season due to the shambles of the link up with the Super League teams.
We can all debate on here 24/7 but the matter of fact is if we do not improve both on and off
the field we will be going down.

This site really cracks me up some sometimes It really is like been in a school playground. As we all know this forum is for anybody no matter if there a fan or not, young or elderly and no matter if they have been a fan for a week or 50 yrs. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but the stuff that gets on my nerves is the petty comments of how long someone has been a fan, a true fan, loyal fan, who supports the team the most, axe to grind, hidden agendas oh and now you have to go into the bar after the game to speak to the players to show your support Well as the saying goes if you can't beat them join them so this is for you dkmcougars and mystery which I have a feeling I know who you are

I am now in my 20th year of supporting the cougars and apart from this year and the games where we have played in france I have always gone to nearly every home and away match to support the boys. I have also up until a couple of seasons ago due to finances sponsored the club through a player, I have also given my time to repaint all the red steal work around the ground a couple of seasons ago, last year I donated about £260 worth of ply to fix up the boarding around the pitch in certain areas and have always spent money on a replica or 2 apart from this seaason as I don't like all the green or the design. So as you can see I or anybody else on hear as I know there is and has been a lot of good people over the years that has bent over backwards for this club have to explain there support. Yes this is pathetic but its a point that I have had to make.

Now onto the shambles, I have spent sometime looking at the squads from last year and this year just to see what real change has happened. Please feel free to add any info that might be missing or correct anything thats wrong. Last years squad looked like this, Craig Moss, Jamaine Wray, Brendan Rawlins, Olly Pursglove, Gav Duffy, Danny Lawton, Richie Barnett, Ben Sagar, Neil Cherryholme, Danny Jones, Sam Obst, James Haythornthwaite, Danny Snowden, Jy-Mel Coleman, Korkidas, Feather, Lewis Reed, Shepherd, Josh Lynham, Jonny Storton, Clough, Richard Jones, Jonny Simpson, Jesse Sheriffe, Jodie Sheriffe, Paul March, Semi Tadulala, Shickell, Ryan Smith, JD.

This years squad, Craig moss, Duffy, Barnett, Lawton, White, Williams, D Jones, Leatherbarrow, Shickell, Feather, Hesketh, Pursglove, Rawlins, March, Wray, law, J Sheriffe, J Sheriffe, Sagar, Reed, Shepherd, Smith, Peltier, Mathew Bailey, Jo Chandler, Cherryholme, Lynham, Snowden, Ben Stead, Charlie Ecclestone, Jack Copperwaite, Ryan Patchett, Jordan Aitchison, James Haley, Walker (cas).

Now when you look at the teams in my opinion apart from Mossy who I think can add something to the team at the minute, who else have we got out that will honestly hand on heart come in and win games for us or if you look at it in the way that everyone else is who are we missing that can come in and be the leader that we all want and need In my opinion no one. I totally agree with the post that Rach put on about our young local lads and I definately agree that they should always be included within in the 1st team squad but when the time is right. You could field a very good young local team along with our Sagar, Duffy, Feather and Pursglove but would they win games in the championship, no. Like I said I am no coach but I think a team like last year that had a mix of local lads playing along side proven, quality and experienced players is the way to do it.

One more thing I would like to clear up if I can, there is a lot of talk about how the big players last year was a drain on our club and did we really need to spend all that money. I don't want to reveal figures because that would break confidentiality and wouldn't be fare on the players but Tadulala was only paid when he played basically match terms so he didn't really cost the club anything as he rarely played and as for Korki and Obst they were looked after by Squad Builder. I have spoken to Mrs Proctor today and asked her if she would like anything putting on here for members and fans to see and she has asked me to put the following, If anyone has any questions then I'm sure Mrs Proctor would be more than haoppy to answer them. The only reason I am doing this is because Mrs Proctor does not do computers.

Mrs Procter "I have sent out letters to all SB members previously on the 12th Nov 2012 and then on the 14th Jan 2013 updating everyone about where the money is being spent and what is been planned. I have also asked for some help to organise events and other ways to raise money but have had no response. I would like to clear up where the money has been spent previously and what is happening at the minute. Last year under JD SB paid for Danny Jones, Korkidas, Obst and Cherryholme. It also helped to bring Coleman. This year it is paying for Danny Jones, Brendan Rawlins and Sean Hesketh. There is currently no money in the pot to bring in new players as everything that comes in is just paying for the 3 players mentioned. I am finding it harder to get monies in from members as a few have decided to cancel direct debits. It is a very dificult job to get new members to Join SB at the minute and unfortunately we get little support from the club in promoting SB. I would also like to add that every penny within the membership that is for Manorlands is always handed over to them"

Mrs Proctor is a lovely lady and has worked very hard to build SB to what it is which currently has about 55 members and she does it all for nothing. It would be really good if she could get a little help in supporting some of the events she arranges or even just by offering the time to help out with what ever she might need. One thing I have noticed from this is with the same amount of money for both JD and Marchy it is interesting how the 2 have spent the money on the calibre of players they have chosen. I don't enjoy going on about Marchy as the pressure must be immense around him but the balme does land with him and no one else, for some reason the team isn't working together. I am just looking at this realistically for example in simple terms if a team are making constent mistakes and losing as they are now then the blame has to fall on one person and that is the coach, it is Marchys responsibility to over look and be in control of the team and coaching staff. Now if this is allowed to continue, the board aren't seen to be doing anything and we continue to lose and get relegated then the blame has to fall on the Board. I can't see how anyone is looking for a scapegoat as far as I can see we are just stating the obvious that Unfortunately we are running out of time and a BIG decision has to be made sooner rather than later.

You've voiced some pretty well reasoned thoughts there, but if you think this forum is like a playground you should visit some of the others on this site )

The other question is "how are we going to afford an experienced, proven coach and all the new signings he would want to make"?

Great post Mr Terrace,sort of says it all doesn't it.

With regard to Squad Builder, Mrs Proctor does a fantastic job and her position in the
Cougar Community should be right up there at the top,the question of support by the board
of directors should not even be an issue .......SHAME ON YOU GARY FAWCETT & CO ,
Is it not time this issue was sorted out Mr Fawcett , Mrs Proctor should be given 100%
Support from the club as it would be in a much worse state without her.

One other point I would like to add is that the beginning of last season and the closed season before
this season I offered to provide totally free of charge items of club promotional memorabillia
( keyrings button badges fridge magnets etc) and also offered to sell them on match days
but never got answers back despite 3 direct emails and 4 phone calls to the club.
Another phonecall about another money maker I offered to finance ,promote
and run was never returnred. Not great housekeeping eh ?

Come on Mr Fawcett et al let's all have some sort of input, if we can't have your
head on a plate then can we have support for Mrs Proctor and other fund raising
ideas ?????

Without being pedantic, it does not say it all - it says it from one persons perspective

Just one other point I would like to throw in. I know many on here had their own thoughts on Sam Obst, but love him or hate him he got us some tries and I understand ended top try scorer. Thus far we've struggled to get the tries and with an Obst in the team how many of the games this season could we have gone on to win. Haven and Fax spring instantly to mind.

In my mind we have not replaced those that left on a like for like basis. JD was a big loss both on and off the field and he was always going to take some replacing, but have we replaced Obst and those experienced players who gave us something extra when we needed it?

Like people have said on here, I'm not the coach and Paul has to do it his own way. I just hope it's the right one!

Couldn't agree more with most of the comments that have been made since my last post. The little bit I put about players we're missing when I stated that I would like to see mossy back, I do also agree that JD was always going to be near impossible to replace on and off the field and like we keep saying regarding the cougar mania days we can't live in the past and must move forward but its this bit that I struggle with. It just seems at the minute our fan base is fading, the club is going backwards and the whole stadium/experience is dead on its feet. I don't want to speak for anyone but I think the reason a lot of people are struggling with whats happening is because of the last 2 seasons we have just experienced and I thought this year we could have made the team a little stronger with 1 or 2 big names and pushed on for another finish in the playoffs but this season even if the reults do start to change the best we can hope for now is just keeping away from the bottom 2 spots and ONCE AGAIN rebuild for next year. I must admit its very dissapointing to be saying them words yet again.

I have never come on here to grind an axe or have any hidden agendas at the end of the day everyone knows who I am and how I feel towards the Board, even they do as its no secret but I do think no matter who is in charge at the club we do have to try and support the Board and the coach the best way we can and for me its not just spending money at the club but also been honest and voicing our opinions about the one thing we all have in common and that is the COUGARS.

Wish I had all the answers but I don't, I am worried because it is unthinkable at what might happen to us if we were relegated and once we get Featherstone out of the way then the next 3-4 games has to be the start of us winning because if we continue to lose then its all over.

The games to follow are York H, Dewsbury A, Barrow H and Hunslet A. I think its safe to say that under normal circumstances we would win a possible 3 of these games but I'm not too sure now only time will tell.

A genuine question for those of you that are saying we wait, calm down, back Marchy and give them time. When will the time come for you to start saying that we need a new coach???

I am not calling for our coach to be sacked.

But would any other coach be able to do a better job with the players we have.

What I would like to see is perhaps an ex-professional of experience in management who can oversee football and commercial matters. With cutting staffing right to the bone I think we are missing many opportunities. Marchy is doing a great job but is only part-time whereas JD was full time, even though this sometimes consisted of being groundsman and odd-job man! I know we are not professional but nothing to stop us being as professional as we can. Some may say that we can't afford someone like this but I would say can we afford not to?

I agree with much of what you're saying, our deserved promotion (but even that was nip and tuck at times) gave a bit of a buzz and returned the feel good factor.

I'll be a bit controversial and say that last year was a false dawn. We won many early games more through the equalising factor of the dreadful weather and heavy pitches, but I suppose thats the same for everyone. When the ground dried up and teams could use their speed and agility we were exposed. We came into this year (in my opinion) with false high expectations - at the presentation of shirts to the players the chairman said "only a top 4 spot would be good enough" which in my opinion was completely unrealistic.


There are those that have.


I haven't a clue who you are or how you feel about anything.


I think we all feel the same way.


I'd say that under normal circumstances we could win a possible of 2. We don't often get any joy at Dewsbury and Hunslet away will be difficult if they have the Leeds lads, especially if we can't control Liam Hood.


There are very few on here who can make a genuinely informed decision, by that I mean having inside information (not rumour) about the interactions of the coach, players and directors and importantly our financial situation.

All I can do is look at the results and say they are completely unacceptable but what I don't know is if this is down to the coach or other factors.

A change in coach now might give us the lift we need but that is by no means guaranteed, affordable or sustainable. Ask Oldham about how much they spent yet still couldn't get promotion. Ask Leigh why they are out with the begging bowl to the fans again, the rise and fall of Rochdale, a Swinton side that can't cope without a rigged DR with Warrington....... I could go on.

The fact is we will not truly know until after Hunslet and as you rightly say - that could be too late.

You would have to add to that "under the same conditions and circumstances that the current coach has had to work in". Not knowing what these all are adds to the quandry.

For instance, Phil Veivers has had a torrid time with little or no support at Salford but as soon as money is available he is dumped. A new coach might do better now he has cash to splash but would anyone else have done a better job than Veivers under the past circumstances? Who knows what type of job Veivers might have done with the money?

But to answer your original question, yes, there must be someone, somewhere who can, but can we afford him and would he come?