Seagulls sign keal carlile a very good hooker who at 25 should be nearing his peak, not saying we have the same pulling power or loose change to bring a player of that quality in but it just goes to show the difference in ambition between our clubs

Quite a few clubs were allegedly after Keal Carlile. I wonder if the Dons made any enquiries?

I suspect our pulling power to attract new players was probably at its greatest when we finished fourth. We don't look as attractive now.

True, its a shame as we have a stadium fit for super league and more sponsers backing the club than ever before but once again i refer back to the poor recruitment pre season.

In the dug out with Carl should answer some of the disgruntled supporters, time to get behind the team

Excellent interview and a lot of honesty in that as well IMO.

Yes i agree good interview and carl seemed very passionate, my only question mark would be claiming to have had the biggest budget in years but not improving one bit, apart from mitch clark i cant honestly see who we have paid decent money for?

It went to the players we already had a bonus did you not listen????

I did listen but does that sound wise considering the likes of hunslet are embarrassing us? is a bonus needed for players who are picking up decent wages or maybe should that have gone on players capable of holding their own in the toughest championship 1 to date? without ambition things stagnate quickly and i dont fancy a windy sunday afternoon again at the gateshead international stadium! COYD

morning peeps, lve not posted for a while as l think most things that can be said have been said already. I have read the posting on here that says TRUE fans should not whinge and moan on here but say only nice things and cheer the team up , Cant seem to agree with that myself I for one consider myself a TRUE 100% fan and have been for longer than most on here, Ive seen it all good times and bad times but l have always remained a TRUE fan. So in my humble opinion if the team/club are not doing well l have the right to whinge BUT l will always praise the team win lose or draw as long as the effort is there and l feel that the are giving their all (as l do as a paying supporter) I wish I could honestly say that I feel we will turn things round, but as yet that feeling is not there. On to today a good win away from home and a good home tie in the next round (an easy one please) may give us the boost we the fans and the players need. Hope the fans that travel today have a good day out and the team do us proud. COYDs.

Carl's commitment and passion for the club came through in the interview.

I commend the club's loyalty to the players and the players' loyalty to the club.

It appears doubtful from what Carl said that there is a pool of cash waiting to improve the team, although he didn't categorically rule it out. The biggest ever budget seems to have been invested in the current players.

It would be interesting to know whether the club have any funds available to improve the squad should the right player/players become available, or whether the budget has been totally used up for the season.

I haven't been able to find anything from the RFL with regards to future funding. We know last year's cash awards were based on the finishing positions in the league. If the same applies this season, and we finish lower then fourth, presumably our budget from the RFL will be lower for next season than this, or in relative terms lower than the teams that finish above us. That could make life tougher on the budget front next season than this.

I believe the current team are better than their league position suggests but it's going to take some hard work and effort from PC and the players to get us away from the bottom. Being totally objective about the situation, a question asked by CrazyLegs was, "How many of our players would get in a top four side?" I'm afraid the answer to that is probably none. I take no pleasure at all in saying it because I really like the players we've got. I believe their commitment is total and it's a pleasure to support them and cheer them on; ultimately effort can go a long way but it can only get you so far.

I respect that the club only has so much to spend (even if it is the biggest budget ever) but I feel the lack of quality recruitment in the winter has certainly stopped our forward momentum as a club, which is sad considering how much we've improved season-on-season in the recent past.

Before the season started, viewing what other clubs had done, I was looking forward to this season in hope rather than expectation. My expectation levels would have only increased if the youngsters we've brought in were going to supply four or five Richard Wilkinson-type players who were virtually first team ready. This hasn't been the case. The young lads need a lot more time to learn and develop.

Our goal now, as supporters and a club, must be to get behind the team and do everything we can to avoid relegation. We can then re-group and take stock of how to best move forwards in 2016.

Remember Matty Dawson, Well if he can be playing in Saints team now i,m sure Waterman could be.
I think if Waterman was in a super league side, full time with better players he would even improve more.
There's one for you.

Well I know a couple of players personally and believe me at least two players had to take a pay cut to stay at the club it was a case of take it or leave it ,biggest. Budget ever my arm pit

Well I know a couple of players personally and believe me at least two players had to take a pay cut to stay at the club it was a case of take it or leave it ,biggest. Budget ever my arm pit

Conceding 40 points to North Wales, a team from a lower division, puts into perspective the challenge we face for the rest of the season.

It has been suggested that the Dons would be better off without the Hull players on DR. Does this result confirm that we really do need the Hull players?

There was much debate when the friendlies were being played that we would understand better 'where we were' when we entertained Hunslet, they having been promoted from Championship One. They hammered us. They have pretty much repeated the dose in the league.

Today we played a genuine Championship One team. They hammered us. We don't need Einstein to work this one out. On current form we are a Championship One team in all but name. We have stood relatively still whilst all around us were progressing.