: Sun Apr 05, 2009 11:45 pm  

Fishsta wrote:

One other question... was today worse than letting a 30-6 lead slip to a 30-31 loss?

Yep. Only 24 points in front on that occasion.

: Sun Apr 05, 2009 11:46 pm  

Fishsta wrote:

One other question... was today worse than letting a 30-6 lead slip to a 30-31 loss?

Let's just say that a coach has not learned much after three years.

: Mon Apr 06, 2009 12:42 am  

debaser wrote:

Yep. Only 24 points in front on that occasion.

What I meant was, which felt worse?

"So which is worse... there's only one way to find out! FIIIIIIIIGHT!"

: Mon Apr 06, 2009 1:38 am  

Fishsta wrote:

What I meant was, which felt worse?

"So which is worse... there's only one way to find out! FIIIIIIIIGHT!"

Wigan was worse, but i thought we might do ok in the Challenge Cup this year.

For me that was McNarama's only saving grace to have the season as a success and that's f**ked up, as we won't do anything in the league.

: Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:48 am  

Fishsta wrote:

What I meant was, which felt worse?

"So which is worse... there's only one way to find out! FIIIIIIIIGHT!"

Wigan felt worse because I was there. But this sucks pretty majorly too.

[Bulliac]

: Mon Apr 06, 2009 8:37 am  

dixie wrote:

Wigan was worse, but i thought we might do ok in the Challenge Cup this year.

For me that was McNarama's only saving grace to have the season as a success and that's f**ked up, as we won't do anything in the league.

I`d agree that Wigan was worse, mainly because at the end of the season , in a play-off, it was a more important game but it doesn`t hurt any less.

As for what we`ll do in the league this year, I obviously don`t know to be honest, it`s only the very start of April and much too soon to have any real idea. I do think a lot of Bulls` fans do need a reality check though; it`s no longer 2005, there is no longer a big four and we no longer have `easybeats` from whom we could guarantee taking the points and we`re no longer one of only four clubs which could compete for all the best players either.

The cap has done its work. With the obvious exceptions of Leeds and Saints (and financial/accountancy problems seem to looming for them) all teams are very even. There are no games in which we can go into expecting some god given right to win; those days are gone.

Macca won`t blame his players and let`s be fair, he says what he has to say but it`s clear to me that the team isn`t as strong as it was particularly in the halves and backs. Trouble is that there are more teams and most teams are now spending up to the cap so there is more competition for star players. The club isn`t immune from this, we don`t operate in some kind of bubble, protected from reality. Nor, hopefully, are we involved in these dodgy accountancy deals which are coming under scrutiny.

We have the choice of either accepting the new reality, or we can start jumping up and down and shouting sack the coach. What really puzzles me is whether the sack the coach brigade honestly thought that that our run of table topping success would last forever?

I`ve watched Northern/Bulls since the early fifties and, believe me, there have been many ups and many downs; just like in normal life, nothing lasts forever.

[Bullseye]

: Mon Apr 06, 2009 9:35 am  

We've been on a steady decline since 2005 but there's been no sign of that decline stopping, with each season performances have got worse.

IIRC this is the worst start to a season for over 20 years.

It's obvious that we are no longer a top side. I said at the beginning of the season that we'd finish 5th at best. I think now that we'll be lucky to make the top 8 and that is a massive failure.

If we carry on as we are I can't see anything other than continued decline. I dread to think what corwds will be like when we have the visit of Cats or Celtic. Get ready for some attendances remeniscent of the mid 80s.

: Mon Apr 06, 2009 9:37 am  

Bullseye wrote:

We've been on a steady decline since 2005 but there's been no sign of that decline stopping, with each season performances have got worse.

IIRC this is the worst start to a season for over 20 years.

It's obvious that we are no longer a top side. I said at the beginning of the season that we'd finish 5th at best. I think now that we'll be lucky to make the top 8 and that is a massive failure.

If we carry on as we are I can't see anything other than continued decline. I dread to think what corwds will be like when we have the visit of Cats or Celtic. Get ready for some attendances remeniscent of the mid 80s.

How do you think we'd go on if we could just replicate the first 45 minutes for the rest of the season?

[Bullseye]

: Mon Apr 06, 2009 9:41 am  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

How do you think we'd go on if we could just replicate the first 45 minutes for the rest of the season?

I think we'd be lucky to find ourselves playing a side as awful as Cats were for that first 45mins every week! That first half never saw them exert any pressure on our line at all. As soon as they started to do that we shipped points at an embarrassing rate.

I really fear for us at the moment. Sunday was bad and we've yet to play either Saints or Leeds yet.

: Mon Apr 06, 2009 9:44 am  

I think that the Cats was the worse defeat. Even this early in the season we were realistically looking at the Cup as our main chance of success. Now I am looking forward to next season because with no relegation there is little of interest for us now. This will also be reflected in the crowds. What we need is something to get the place buzzing again. We could do worse than follow Newcastle's lead with Shearer. For those old enough to remember Brian Smith did a similar thing when he first came. He brought in a lot of people, on short term contracts, and the crowds went up because people thought that at last something new was happening. CRowds are fickle and whilsta long term solution is desirable you need something short term to maintain the interest.