Firstly, the squad is very average. Even with everyone fit that squad IMO is not a top 4 squad. Lots of over rated players, not least Danny Houghton who wouldn't look out of place in the national leagues. His work rate is fantastic but you need a hell of a lot more than that to play 9 for a top team. The value of Willie Manu to the side over the last few years was under estimated and he has left a gaping hole along with Moa to a slightly lesser extent.

While the squad isn't good enough to compete at the very top, I couldn't argue with AP if he did decide to relieve Gentle of his duties. If anyone has the time I'd be grateful if they went down to training next week and watch what on earth it is we actually do. Basic aspects of the game that you can only presume we work on in training are desperately missing. As others have mentioned, the PTB is painfully slow. It's no wonder when we have next to no dummy runners or men supporting the ball carrier. Defences must lick their lips as they get 3 men in the tackle and put us on our backs nearly every single time. Our attacking structures in the opposition twenty are either poorly executed or non existent. When we do rarely use dummy runners they may as well hold a sign above their heads saying dummy runner. Everything takes place too far away from the defensive line and there isn't enough purpose in the decoys to make them believable.

As for our last tackle plays it certainly seems as though we don't practice them. In general we have very poor kickers of the ball barring DJ so the very least we could do is get the preparation right with players knowing what's about to come and making the right runs. Sadly all too often it literally seems as though our last tackle plays are spare of the moment decisions that are usually poorly executed.

If all of the above is practiced and the players simply ignore the coach then fair enough but until our style of play improves, Gentle could go for me and I couldn't say I'd be disappointed.

ANOTHER assistant coach appointed their first head coach job by us , sold by Howes !

McGuire was so much younger than Gentle and HUNGRY

Very disappointed with the performance despite the players out,

Thought our forwards were poor up until we where 12-0 down, then they started to play, problem is all of our forwards are grafters, we have no one capable of breaking the line and we seem to have stopped offloading.

Gentle must take most of the responsibility for this, his recruitment has been poor, DJ and McDonnell have been good, but Arundel, Johnson and galea poor.

Once again arundel cost us a couple of try's with his poor positioning, Johnson is far too small and galea is snolid, but I'd rather play a young kid then him.

I still think gentle should be given this season and see how we finish, but he needs to pick up some wins or he might not last that long.

Wonder if Peter was telling Peter that he has a spare bedroom for rent?

Gentle didn't lose us the game yesterday, the squad did, O'Meley, Lynch, Galea et al. As much as I have criticised Horne in the past he was trying his guts out yesterday, Houghton made rare scoots and was never supported.

We are a really bad side, devoid of ideas going forward, who were beaten by a really bad side that clearly came to con the referee.and con him on occasion they did.

Also, is it me, or does Ganson get fatter every game, for a "professional, full time official" he looks like a bloody barrel!

Have you seen the size of Bomber lately?
Must be on a good wedge for all that positive input he's putting into our club.



The Green Room at SKY need to cut back on their pies.

My thoughts on McRae are well documented, he once identified a "cancer" at our club, and I see no evidence that he's every bothered himself to actually address it.

IF AP does sack Gentle (which I don't actually think he should) then he HAS to bin McRae as well, I have my suspicions as to who really pulls the strings at first team level anyway.

Having a DOR is all well and good, but when you have a DOR who brings in the "quality" of Galea an Arundel you have to ask questions.

Gaskell has gone to Salford, yet we are desparate......

My comments on Mr McRae's return were documented on here at the time.

For me, the measure of a good coach is that he consistently gets what you'd expect from the players at his disposal, regular gets more than you'd expect and rarely gets less. Gentle showed some promise last year with a largely poor squad, big injury problems and not much in the way of pre season.

This year he's had pretty much everything he could want off the pitch laid on for him by an owner desperate for success yet performances have gone backwards. We are slow and ponderous, devoid of ideas and organisation and so far behind the top teams it's just not funny. We'd be better with a decent scrum half but it wouldn't solve some of the fundamental flaws in the way we play.

Recruitment was worse than average - ellis and holdsworth apart, none of our signings would have been wanted by any of the teams who finished above us last season. As has been said, our front rowers are too small and technically poor. How did mcrae and gentle think the players they brought in would improve us from last season when it was obvious to everyone else they wouldn't?

The jury is definitely out for me on gentle but I doubt that pearson will allow things to slide much more and unless things turn around quickly I think gentle will be on his way

But we've got great achievers like Last and Radford looking after our devel...... oh, hang on.

Just seen Adamski's face on the recording.
He didn't look a happy bunny.