Re: Johnathon Ford : Tue Feb 01, 2022 1:28 pm  

Bullseye wrote:

Hampshire seems to only be interested in a SL offer and some Wakey fans seem to suggest he's one of the un vaxxed but that's not confirmed.

That would be a pretty self-defeating choice when Toulouse are probably the only club who are likely to want him right now

Re: Johnathon Ford : Tue Feb 01, 2022 7:29 pm  

I wasn't fishing or causing mischief, there are serious discussions ongoing between the club and Ford.

Vaccinated versus unvaccinated is becoming a moot point as vaccinated folks are just as likely to catch the virus, but with less serious symptoms, and the pandemic is done by the way. Life will return to normal by the summer.

If the Bulls don't have a tilt this year, when do they - assuming Tolouse come down and Fev or Leigh miss out and Newcastle have another year of F/T under their belt, we end up in the same cycle of being out spent and out gunned with no hope of promotion.

Maybe the club have smelt the coffee!

By the way how much fitter did York and Fev look than us last night, another topic I guess.

Re: Johnathon Ford : Tue Feb 01, 2022 7:47 pm  

Dutch Bull wrote:

I wasn't fishing or causing mischief, there are serious discussions ongoing between the club and Ford.

Vaccinated versus unvaccinated is becoming a moot point as vaccinated folks are just as likely to catch the virus, but with less serious symptoms, and the pandemic is done by the way. Life will return to normal by the summer.

If the Bulls don't have a tilt this year, when do they - assuming Tolouse come down and Fev or Leigh miss out and Newcastle have another year of F/T under their belt, we end up in the same cycle of being out spent and out gunned with no hope of promotion.

Maybe the club have smelt the coffee!

By the way how much fitter did York and Fev look than us last night, another topic I guess.

York didn’t look fitter than us at all? Lasted 4 mins and collapsed and rudderless, jame Ellis is bigger than Crossley and Walker for crying out loud

Re: Johnathon Ford : Wed Feb 02, 2022 7:28 am  

Dutch Bull wrote:

I wasn't fishing or causing mischief, there are serious discussions ongoing between the club and Ford.

Vaccinated versus unvaccinated is becoming a moot point as vaccinated folks are just as likely to catch the virus, but with less serious symptoms, and the pandemic is done by the way. Life will return to normal by the summer.

If the Bulls don't have a tilt this year, when do they - assuming Tolouse come down and Fev or Leigh miss out and Newcastle have another year of F/T under their belt, we end up in the same cycle of being out spent and out gunned with no hope of promotion.

Maybe the club have smelt the coffee!

By the way how much fitter did York and Fev look than us last night, another topic I guess.

I'm not sure I'd take your advice on vaccines but, "If the Bulls don't have a tilt this year, when do they" is a fair point.

Re: Johnathon Ford : Wed Feb 02, 2022 9:29 am  

I'd say getting the ground sorted out has to be a far bigger priority than SL at the minute.

Why have a tilt then find yourself in the situation you were ten years ago, struggling to compete in a decaying dump-hole that swallows money.

I'm happy with the team we have and if we aren't sailing to close to the cloth cutting days I think that's the best we can hope for.

I'm sure Niggle's been scheming for years but can he pull it off? He certainly phuqqed up the Thrum Hall debacle so did he learn anything??

He's hinted enough about it, the stands now sponsored by a construction firm and the lease is up at the end of the year with supposedly an option to take it on.

But would you really want to fluke our way into SL with major uncertainties like that hanging around? The grounds an embarrassment so for me, I'd rather be competing at the top of the Ch. until the millstone's gone for good.

Re: Johnathon Ford : Wed Feb 02, 2022 9:47 am  

Scarey71 wrote:

I'd say getting the ground sorted out has to be a far bigger priority than SL at the minute.

Why have a tilt then find yourself in the situation you were ten years ago, struggling to compete in a decaying dump-hole that swallows money.

I'm happy with the team we have and if we aren't sailing to close to the cloth cutting days I think that's the best we can hope for.

I'm sure Niggle's been scheming for years but can he pull it off? He certainly phuqqed up the Thrum Hall debacle so did he learn anything??

He's hinted enough about it, the stands now sponsored by a construction firm and the lease is up at the end of the year with supposedly an option to take it on.

But would you really want to fluke our way into SL with major uncertainties like that hanging around? The grounds an embarrassment so for me, I'd rather be competing at the top of the Ch. until the millstone's gone for good.

Fluke? We'd have to reach and win the GF. How can £1.6 million in TV money, plus sponsorship and the profile attached to the return of the Bulls to a moribund league, be more uncertain than the tiny amount we receive now playing clubs who bring in some cases bring 20 fans. There is absolutely no financial case for funding a top end championship squad. As unsatisfactory as it is, Odsal is the only ground we have. I'm not embarrassed by it compared to some of the dross we've watched these last 10 years. I'd watch Henry Paul playing on the tip next door. Everything, including the ground and the much loved academy depends on reaching SL.

[Bullseye]

Re: Johnathon Ford : Wed Feb 02, 2022 9:58 am  

Sustainability is the main thing. The poop or bust approach didn't work in 2015 and was our undoing. We're still recovering from that. Signing Ford won't suddenly make us promotion contenders, we need more quality and depth across the field for that IMO. What will make that happen is a large injection of cash. Not sure where that's coming from so until then we are where we are - watching a top 4 championship team (hopefully) in a crap ground.

On the fitness front I would say that Walker, Crossley and Scurr look to be carrying too much weight. It might not matter versus Dewsbury but they'll get shown up versus the better sides. If we want to be certain of getting 3rd position I think losing a bit of flab would help those players and the team.

Dutch Bull wrote:

Vaccinated versus unvaccinated is becoming a moot point as vaccinated folks are just as likely to catch the virus, but with less serious symptoms, and the pandemic is done by the way. Life will return to normal by the summer.

This is 100% bollox BTW.

Re: Johnathon Ford : Wed Feb 02, 2022 10:09 am  

Bullseye wrote:

Sustainability is the main thing. The poop or bust approach didn't work in 2015 and was our undoing. We're still recovering from that. Signing Ford won't suddenly make us promotion contenders, we need more quality and depth across the field for that IMO. What will make that happen is a large injection of cash. Not sure where that's coming from so until then we are where we are - watching a top 4 championship team (hopefully) in a crap ground.

On the fitness front I would say that Walker, Crossley and Scurr look to be carrying too much weight. It might not matter versus Dewsbury but they'll get shown up versus the better sides. If we want to be certain of getting 3rd position I think losing a bit of flab would help those players and the team.

This is 100% bollox BTW.

POOP being the operative word. 2015 is a perfect example of not having a coach who refuses to play any half backs. Had we won the million pound game which we came quite close to despite staggering ineptitude, then it's impossible to say what would have happened. I'm not arguing for signing Ford but I am encouraged it's being discussed as it suggests an awareness that the 'status quo' is in many ways the least sustainable option.

Re: Johnathon Ford : Wed Feb 02, 2022 10:45 am  

I think SL has to be the aim still, but getting there is building and improving each year, which for the first time since we were relegated, is what we're doing.

I really like where we are squad wise. We're unlikely to get promoted this year, but I don't look at the squad and think "well another season in the championship will result in our 6 best players moving on" like in the past. We've a stable, young squad who seem to be getting better and should be together for the next couple of years.

Timings everything in sport. We've been unlucky to an extent that our "meltdowns" coincided when it the jeporady was bigger than when some of our compatriots went bust. The talk of 14 teams isn't going away. If/when there's a restructure, we need to be in a position that we're already in a strong position for promotion. Not a mid-table team who then mortgages the house on new signings to get promoted that year.

[Bullseye]

Re: Johnathon Ford : Wed Feb 02, 2022 11:56 am  

M@islebugs wrote:

POOP being the operative word. 2015 is a perfect example of not having a coach who refuses to play any half backs. Had we won the million pound game which we came quite close to despite staggering ineptitude, then it's impossible to say what would have happened. I'm not arguing for signing Ford but I am encouraged it's being discussed as it suggests an awareness that the 'status quo' is in many ways the least sustainable option.

I'm all for improving the team if we can afford it. I think we're of the same opinion there. It's not Ford's playing ability I have a problem with. Are you proposing we sign players we can't afford?

As for 2015 I try not to think about it but us playing most of the season with one halfback and then picking Baille at hooker in the MPG not to mention spaffing thousands on a huge squad of mediocrity and downright crap like Lauaki makes me think that if we'd gone up we were only postponing a further meltdown. I remember Ferres literally telling me it was "poop or bust" and with that attitude running things we'd have ended up stuffed in the end - so not really impossible to say.