: Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:01 am  

Adeybull wrote: Dave Craven's write-up Reading that, I guess the bit that makes me stop and think just a bit is the comment that we had the same players playing 3 games in 8 days. No chance for senior fresh legs, unlike Warrington who brought some key players back. Macca is putting it down to tiredness, and says the game was effectively over early doors (which we all saw too). Maybe we'll see how true that is or was next week and with maybe some fresh legs? But otherwise, although it puts some of what Macca was quoted as saying last night in better context (Craven quotes more fully than the PA report did) as a fan I struggle to see much to inspire me right now. So why was there a piece in the T & A about how suppressed he was in how well the players had recovered and how fresh they looked. I'm affraid all he does in look to find excuses instead of blaming who is ultimately responsible which is himself. I would have a lot more faith in him if he did start to do this, but it won't ever happen.

Adeybull wrote: Dave Craven's write-up Reading that, I guess the bit that makes me stop and think just a bit is the comment that we had the same players playing 3 games in 8 days. No chance for senior fresh legs, unlike Warrington who brought some key players back. Macca is putting it down to tiredness, and says the game was effectively over early doors (which we all saw too). Maybe we'll see how true that is or was next week and with maybe some fresh legs? But otherwise, although it puts some of what Macca was quoted as saying last night in better context (Craven quotes more fully than the PA report did) as a fan I struggle to see much to inspire me right now. So why was there a piece in the T & A about how suppressed he was in how well the players had recovered and how fresh they looked. I'm affraid all he does in look to find excuses instead of blaming who is ultimately responsible which is himself. I would have a lot more faith in him if he did start to do this, but it won't ever happen.

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:06 am  

Paul124897 wrote:

That's rubbish. It was only a couple of days ago that McNamara was telling everyone that we were in tip top condition, and ready for the Wire game.

It's the same poor excuses everytime. Macca has to go.

I guess people missed the irony in the end of the first paragraph. As people have pointed out, Macca is hoist by his own petard with the tiredness one. And as I said in conclusion, I see little to inspire me right now.

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:11 am  

Adeybull wrote:

I guess people missed the irony in the end of the first paragraph. As people have pointed out, Macca is hoist by his own petard with the tiredness one. And as I said in conclusion, I see little to inspire me right now.

TBH I will go back to a point I made last night I think McNamara thinks the fans are idioits and we can't remeber whats been said in the press by him before.

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:16 am  

Maybe Macca isn't up to the job, but who can you get to replace him? You could easily make the same mistake we did at Wire: no-one classy available, so we appointed Jimmy Lowes who clearly wasn't ready to run an SL team. Six months later we were lucky to be able to get Tony Smith and it will take him many months at least to get us back to top-four standard.

I haven't heard any likely new coaches actually named by Bulls fans on this thread..

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:16 am  

Tiredness is not a vaild excuse, and not just because we were told in another banal press release that it was not a problem. Every team played twice over easter, every team has injuries. I know we do have a lot of injuries but I don't think McNamara is using the full squad enough. IMO for the Leeds-wakey-wire run of matches more use should have been made of Hyde, Olibison (on bench for 65 min last night!), Whitehead, Tate, Platt (on the bench for 80 min against leeds??), Crossley, Straugheir, Donaldson - some before injury obviously and I'll admit to not being fully aware of the availablity or preparedness of all the youngsters, but the fixture list is hardly a surprise is it? - All these lads are considered part of the first team squad and in a run of 3 games in 8 days more of them should have been involved more to spell the available first choice 13.

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:42 am  

No one hurts as much as the players and coaches

I beg to differ on that one Steve. On just a financial stand point we have to PAY to watch you. You get PAID to turn in these poor performances.

You and your players may only be involved with the club for a few years. For the fans it's a lifetime commitment.

I think you'll find WE, the fans, hurt more than you and your so called players today.

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:43 am  

I think we've seen the full range of performance from this Bulls side over the past 8 days. The performance against Leeds was close to "as good as it gets". It might have been a bit better if Morrison & a couple of the other injured players had been available, but not by much.

Yesterday was hopefully "as bad as it gets". Injuries and fatigue played a part, but even so it was grim.

We should probably discount both of those performances when assessing the quality of the team. The performance against Wakefield was much closer to "the norm". Unfortunately that wasnt particularly good either. Some touches of good play. But it was an erratic performance from erratic players. It showed a squad with fairly clear limitations.

Sadly I think MacNamaras days are numbered. Not so much that he's a bad coach, more that his recruitment has been abysmal. He was a great asst coach for us and I expect he will be again for some other team. Provided someone else is at the helm building the squad, he would be an asset for any club.

The issue for me is still that of timing. If he does go, the choice of replacement will be the most important decision made by the club since the appointment of Brian Smith. It has to be the right choice, it shouldnt be rushed. We shouldnt just pick the best out of work coach who happens to be available. If we have to wait until the end of the season, as we did with Smith, so be it.

[Wanderer]

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:16 am  

For me, the Cullen / MacNamara comparisons strike a chord.

For two seasons before he went, I was convinced that Cullen was only one more defeat away from the bullet. I have felt the same for at least 18 months with MacNamara - it can't be long now surely.

I have no axe to grind (neutral) but sport is results business and whilst the victory over the local rivals on Good Friday may have bought a little more time, he can't survive many more results like last night.

[Bullseye]

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:24 am  

Cibaman wrote:

I think we've seen the full range of performance from this Bulls side over the past 8 days. The performance against Leeds was close to "as good as it gets". It might have been a bit better if Morrison & a couple of the other injured players had been available, but not by much.

Yesterday was hopefully "as bad as it gets". Injuries and fatigue played a part, but even so it was grim.

We should probably discount both of those performances when assessing the quality of the team. The performance against Wakefield was much closer to "the norm". Unfortunately that wasnt particularly good either. Some touches of good play. But it was an erratic performance from erratic players. It showed a squad with fairly clear limitations.

Sadly I think MacNamaras days are numbered. Not so much that he's a bad coach, more that his recruitment has been abysmal. He was a great asst coach for us and I expect he will be again for some other team. Provided someone else is at the helm building the squad, he would be an asset for any club.

The issue for me is still that of timing. If he does go, the choice of replacement will be the most important decision made by the club since the appointment of Brian Smith. It has to be the right choice, it shouldnt be rushed. We shouldnt just pick the best out of work coach who happens to be available. If we have to wait until the end of the season, as we did with Smith, so be it.

I just hope the directors are thinking along those lines. If not I can see things getting worse. If the rest of the season sees us suffer similar defeats and we finish outside the 8 (looking increasingly likely) then we'll struggle to hold onto our better players who have deals to re-sign.

It doesn't seem beyond the realms of possibility that we lose the likes of Lynch and Newton to other clubs and Morrison and Menzies opt for retirement. Would we really be able to attract quality players to the club then?

At present we've recruited a squad of players that is of mid to lower SL standard. Before very long we'll have crowds of 6-7k on a regular basis too. I fear the downward spiral will continue unless we can recruit the right new coach who can shake things up and bring a breath of fresh air into the club.

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:29 am  

Sometimes when you raise yourself so much for one game, it is hard to replicate it at the following games. If you had been badly beaten last Friday, there would have been every chance you would have beaten us and Wire. That's just the way it goes with sport.

If I was Mac, I would give the players an extra day off, tell them to spend it looking long and hard at themselves, and only those who are prepared to bend their back and spill blood bother turn up. I don't think I have ever seen a performance from a team that was so far below what the collective should be capable of, in terms of effort and spirit.

The player that has surprised me has been Steve Menzies. For all his history and greatness, he seems to be caught out of position a lot. Solomona, however, was your saving grace last night. Would have been very chance of a zero without him.

We'll hit the buffers at some point, along with Cas, and you'll probably clamber into the play-offs.