I have watched keighley since 1966 through good times and bad ,reading the posting about poor coaching ,iagree with the statement barry,s methods do not impress me ,namely ,poor touch kicking from penaltys,dropped passes on second and third tackles . good teams make only 3 or 4 mistakes a game , I know we have seen an improvment the last two seasons but to even think about promotion is unthinkable at the moment and the question has to be asked is it near the time when the coach has to be replaced to push us onto the next step of playing in the championship ,barry has brought some poor players to the club namely reed .benjafield and the injured brown and let some good players go like adam mitchell and richard knight .iknow this posting will not be popular with barrys fans but it has to be said .

My own view on last Thursday is that if players are tired after 50 minutes and their physical fatigue affects their ability, agilty and mental focus then they need to get to the blinking gym if they want to be a part of Keighley in NL1 then SL.

Do we need another trainer or do we need a firm hand and fines for those not attending training, we are not the laughing stock of NL2 anymore so the excuse that the players have other jobs has to end. If you miss trainer for anything other than giving birth then you don't play. We should field those that really want to play, those who train hard, those who turn out week in, week out, reserves, 1st team, friendlies etc.

I say this of course sat in my comfy office being handed a coffee with nothing planned tonight but having a play fight with the kids and watching a DVD.

PS. Don't agree with Barry going.

dropping passes on the second and third tackles is not a method?! It's a lack of concentration or just a case of over enthusiasm, sometimes it comes off and you score a belting try!but the icing on the cake is that barry reads this forum and he will love the critisism I'm sure.Who would you get to replace a man of his undoubted efforts over the last few years that's any better on our budget??? And yes I am a fan of Barry caus he sweats blood for our club,i agree however some of our current squad aren't ready for the step up but to let Barry go? As del boy would say , no way pedro!!

With the exception of Dewsbury, Id say we are on equal with the rest of NL2.

We have had some good results this season. Beat York for the 1st time in 7 meetings on good friday. won at Oldham for 1st time for years.

As for replacing the Bazza. No chance. He is part of the club, not only him, but his whole family are too. The club wouldn't be the same without him. If the club were thinking of changing the coach, then I think they would have let him go to dewsbury last year.

I've not known a cougars without Barry, as 2006, his 1st year as coach, was also my 1st year as a supporter.

We are naive in certain aspects though.

Our speed at the play the ball was atrocious compared to Dewsbury.

Watch the gam again and see how they take the tackle quickly, on their knees, and play it quickly.

We spent half the time on our backs.

In posession, Dewsbury were also standing deep - just as we were coached at school (attacking side's threequarters stand in line the corner flag so that when you receive the ball you're at top speed). When have our threequarters ever stood deep when attacking and how often do they receive the ball when thhey're standing still?

Poor decisions by both refs and the touch judge gave Dewsbury 18 points.

I can't comment on Barry's coaching ability - not qualified to. 1 point to consider though. Dewsbury came in for him last season and he stayed with us. I wonder if they're thinking they missed a great opportunity at the moment.

If anything we need a on field leader, rather than a new coach.

We need someone, who can slow the game down when needed, but also can speed it up.
I wonder how much better we would have been, if we hadn't lost out on the Aussie half back we tried to get.


One thing to consider. There really was two leagues, in our league this year.

Dewsbury and everyone else.

If my memory serves me correctly they did let him go but he chose not to.

Someone from the club will know better, but i thought it was the club gave him permission to speak to Dewsbury and then offered him an improved contract to stay.

Barry has shown his commitment to the club with the extended contract he signed. Also how can anyone say we have not got better year on year under Barry beggars belief.

In addition to this Barry has done all this on a shoestring budget wheras the likes of Olham have had lots of money put into them and they have not got better. That is the sign of a very good coach.

Barry should not go, end of discussion in my opinion. Since Peter and Barry came in after Gary Moorby all the club has done is improve. (Off the field as well may I add thanks to Helen). Even in the first year when Peter was in charge I know first hand that Barry was doing the majority of the coaching on set plays, defensive sets etc. Barry's continued input every season has seen the team improve. Yes, I also feel that some of the current team are poor and would struggle if we went up a division but in that respect are we different to any of the other teams chasing playoff promotion.
As Guess Who said, it has been like two leagues within a league this season. For what its worth from what I have seen and read, I honestly beleive we are the second best team. If we go up, yes I am sure we will struggle, to think we wouldn't would be unrealistic in my opinion. Yes we may be in a better position next year but the likelihood is that unless we do what Dewsbury have done this year and end up coming up after a competitive season people will still moan. Is Barry a good enough coach? Are our players good enough? We will never know until we have been there and seen what he can do.
We all know what it was like last time we got promoted, though I honestly feel we have more stability on and off the pitch. Gary Moorby had a nightmare season in charge, maybe Barry can do better with this current squad. Lets stick with Barry get behind him and back the boys to the hilt no matter where they are next year.

Ill shup up now!

Money does NOT equal good/bad coach nor good/bad player!!!

Ability to get the message over, understood and applied is the sign of a good coach/trainer/educator in any walk of life.

Wanting to absorb, understand, apply and improve is the sign of a good player/employee/employer in any walk of life.

Get the two together and you have a very good chance of success.

It's down to people themselves to decide where they fit into the scenarios and to what level they achieve or can achieve. (Not everyone can run 100 metres in less than 10 seconds then again not everyone can catch a ball)

It's how you deal with what you have that is the key and it applies to both trainer/trainee.

I can see obvious faults (to me) in the Keighley team but I can also see some good stuff and some great potential stuff. Between coach and player these are the challenges to get the best out of each other.