He's famous for it. "We're doing it tough at the moment" seems to be a line he trots out regularly these days but what does it actually mean? Strangely, when we had almost half a team out against Leeds and Huddersfield beating both and losing by 2 at Castleford the season before last around this time, he wasn't saying it then. The line was " This is a team that will never get beaten on effort, the team spirit was all to see and we had guys out there who haven't played in the first team before"
Trinity side v Leeds 22 - 4 -19 result 26 -24
Jowett, Jones-Bishop, Lyne, Caton-Brown, Kershaw, Reynolds, Hampshire, Kopczak, Crowther, Arona, Kirmond, Horo, King subs Pauli, Fifita, Annakin, Hirst
Leeds side for the record:
Lolohea, Briscoe, Watkins, Newman, Handley, Sutcliffe, Myler, Peteru, Dwyer, Albert, Ferres, Trout, Merrin
subs Singleton, Donaldson, Oledski, Parcell.
That's just an example of what we were capable of without Miller, Johnstone, Tupou, Ashurst et al. No I don't think we're "doing it tough" we're clueless, rudderless, toothless, error ridden, unfit, have no leadership from the coach down to the captain and currently cannot compete for 80 minutes.

Hampshire, Pitts, Batchelor, Arundel, Kaye, Alex & Brad Walker, Kershaw. All players outside what would arguably be our strongest 17 and all very capable guys that have plenty of first team experience either here or at other clubs. And we’ve just released Tangata so we can bring in Fifita#2. Then there’s lads like Croft, Bailey, Aydin, Bowes etc on top of that. How much strength in depth do we need? People on here were actually commenting pre-season that we’ve probably never had as much depth down to squad numbers in the mid-20’s. It’s more or less comparable with any other team and in fact we have a deeper squad than even some of the top clubs went you actually look at it, hence why Wigan are having to play two second row forwards in the centre and an 18 year old kid on the wing and Leeds are pretty much playing their academy. Now whether the squad is correctly balanced is another matter altogether but that is all about how you use your available funds.

We also don’t quite get the cheapest squad moniker either, Salford now get that dubious honour by all accounts along with Leigh, although the latter will probably spend more as the season goes on.

As a club we need to get away from playing the poor little victim excuse all the time. Injuries happen in RL and we now have the squad size to be able to deal with it. If we can’t then look at the guy that put that squad together. Chester claimed we were ‘doing it tough’ after the first couple of games. We were without just 2 first choice players at that time, Wood & Battye. That isn’t doing it tough, it’s making excuses to cover your own inadequacies.

Have to agree and just to add a little more, does anyone know what our first 17 is anyway?
OK, most of the threequarters pick themselves, but the forwards are another thing. I really don't know who are the preferred 8-13.

I think CC is still trying to replace Grix. He was our main go to man in attack, Jowitt is getting close with his excellent cut out pass though.

I don't think CC knows how to attack any differently then using a full back, would explain why he brought in Gigot.

Just a couple of crash balls, a drop off and then have a half back pass out the back to the full back. It's the same thing each time but other clubs know this and as soon as we get the ball to the #1 they are closed down.

We need some different ideas, get Hampshire into half a gap and he will be through.

I agree with everything you said. I just think he is limited in what he can buy.
When Giants can get Sezer or Hull get Reynolds, we have to shop at a lower level.
And last time we had to do it mid way through season so Gigot was all that we could get.
Given time he went and found Lino who is clearly not Sezer but I think he'll be good.
Unfortunately we need to do it again with a Hooker.
That's really the only reason I want to give him time.
I don't think he would have made some of those purchases if he'd had a choice.

If we can entertain any sort of offer for Fifita, we can have our pick of most halves in the NSW or QLC comps which is exactly what Sezer was when he signed for Hudds, granted after that he had an extended run for the Raiders and picked up some really good form in the interim.

Reynolds was told to find another club by Wests, no other club in the league wanted him, again he would have just played in the feeder comps, unless there was an injury.

He has been given more than any of our previous SL coaches with regards the squad of players with the possible exception of Webster but has produced much less on the field. He has had more than enough time unless we forget the last 40 + games and start again. We could have a Dallas moment when we all wake up and it was a bad dream or in many cases the performances were nightmares.
I admire your loyalty to defend Chester, I don’t understand it so please tell me again how long do we give him albeit as I have said before this is hypothetical because he is going nowhere.

We need to be smarter on the attack and especially against defences that move up quickly.

One solution would be the short kick ahead.

Recently Lino used it to launch a perfect rubber kick.

I think at 6 the likes of Rocky is more than capable of a short up and over the attack which with his pace he could collect in his stride.

Do we practice this? I don't know but as a former amateur player I know it makes the defence think about the consequence of it succeeding.

Would be nice to think that we were practising unlocking tight defences.

We desperately need to be scoring more than 6 points in a match as per our last 3 games

Are you for real or do you just bilge out this nonsense for kicks?

Webster achieved nothing and without a doubt, was the worst SL coach we have so far managed, There were no bright spots with him.

Chester is going through a dreadful time but I won't allow snide people like you to re-write history to suit your own narrative, Chesters first three seasons in charge were very good. Some great signings and some fantastic displays, including a few cricket scores against top teams. Apart from his Cas hoodoo, they were great seasons END OF.

If he loses his job so be it, all coaches have a shelf life but I for one will always thank Chris for two of the most entertaining seasons I have ever witnessed at BV.

You really are low at times.

We need a quick ball distributing hooker as we have for a couple of seasons, we are too pedestrian around the ruck, no disrespect to players filling in at hooker but that is where we would get on the front a lot quicker in attack.

Sam Williams anyone - proven kicking game, could play 6 7 or 9