Re: 12 months on....... : Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:41 pm  

I think an area where Widnes have been smart, is to use the Loan system and Dual Reg system to the teams benefit. I can't recall many players coming into the club in that way under Ste McCormack? They no doubt make the difference and have bolstered the squad in key games.

Do you think we would have won last years NRC Final had the loanees not been there? I wouldn't have been confident in that!

Re: 12 months on....... : Tue Apr 13, 2010 6:12 pm  

I think the organisation off the field seems better. Previously we had players who couldn't make training, some turning up on some days and some on other days. We had players getting up at stupid O'Clock just to be able to get to training because they lived so far away. PC seems to have simplified everything and taken a no nonsense approach to the recruitment and training.

For whatever reason though, although the changes you would have thought should have made a difference haven't so far. Injuries obviously have had a major roll to play so far this season, but even last year Cullen's record in the league was something like 10 wins 9 losses. We've have played some good stuff at times this season, but for whatever reason the way the players start games is all wrong and its often 60 minutes into a game before we up our game.

IMO the jury is still out on Cullen. We've brought in James and Heckenburg, Ford and Webbo should be fit in the next few weeks, so there can't be any excuses if we don't perform. There are a few poor sides this year and you would think the bottom 3 will be Whitehaven, Dewsbury and Keighley. We only have to finish above one other team to get into the play-offs, which you would have thought is the very minimum we should be aiming for. IMO anything outside the top 3 would be a bad season for us. Its the perfect opportunity for Cullen really - he's got 3 attempts to show what he can do and i would have thought success by winning the GF or finishing top, in any season would be enough to earn him a shot at SL - if we get there. If he can't bring us success at this level however, there should be no way he should be given a contract to coach us in SL.

Re: 12 months on....... : Tue Apr 13, 2010 6:36 pm  

[quote="Faax!"]I think he's designed a very strong structure throughout the team, maybe not noticeable on field as of yet. But he's created a strong young overall squad ready for the big additions if you make it to Super League. So maybe no huge sucess this year, but if you hit Super Duper League I believe that's where his tactics will come into shine.
[quote]

This is definately what Widnes are trying to achieve. Unfortunately the bit about "no huge success this year" appears to be unacceptable to most Widnes fans, who are concerned I guess that ultimately that lack of success will cost them the Superleague place, regardless of how strong the underlying structure may be. I suppose it's not an unreasonable fear, I mean the RFL have not made it clear to anyone what precisely is and isn't required so everyone is going on guesswork!

2011 is the watershed for Widnes. If they are rejected again I have no doubt that the youth system will be dismantled, and they will revert to populating their squad with ageing ex-superleague players, antipodean journeymen and one or two local youngsters in an attempt to compete for silverware at Championship level, safe in the knowledge that whatever they do will not be good enough anyway.

It would appear that those fans who've gone into meltdown over last Saturday's result would've preferred Widnes to have adopted that strategy this year anyway.

Re: 12 months on....... : Tue Apr 13, 2010 6:48 pm  

vikings 4 ever wrote:

IMO the jury is still out on Cullen. .

IMO we have a really good coach.
Considering what he took over last year and yet he still managed to win the NR Cup beating the two teams that would eventually finish top and second in the league on the way. Remember that early last season what a complete mess we were in in and how genuinely we were panicking. Just look at the structure in place now.
Admittedly he did bring in his loan players of Hall, Pickersgil, Penny and Grayshon but for me last season beat my early expectations and this season is looking to do just the same.
I agree that we have some important players returning and I think we will look back at this match as a temporary blip.

Plus we have to remember that he is doing this and at the same time looking after his wife. I can't imagine the strain he is being placed under and yet if no-one told you, you wouldn't know what a hard time he is having. He is still there at nearly every game and I am told that he is at nearly all of the training sessions plus putting in more hours in the office.

For all this I am firmly in the Cullen camp.

Re: 12 months on....... : Tue Apr 13, 2010 7:18 pm  

I was pleasently suprised with the start of the season and cup, as soon as the injuries came and the fact that we had so many out to begin with it is only to be expected that we had a slide in performances, this won't last for ever.


Remember, Widnes win when it matters

Re: 12 months on....... : Tue Apr 13, 2010 7:39 pm  

Just to make it clear, this man is not from the U.S.A.

Re: 12 months on....... : Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:06 pm  

Chris Dalton wrote:

Just to make it clear, this man is not from the U.S.A.

Hmm. There seems to be one or two 'interesting' new posters lately

Re: 12 months on....... : Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:35 pm  

Cartman wrote:

Hmm. There seems to be one or two 'interesting' new posters lately

All bashing a coach none of the rest on here have a bad word to say about.

Believe you me, I'm keeping an eye on it and my patience wont last that long.

Re: 12 months on....... : Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:36 pm  

Cullen has been fantastic for Widnes. He got rid of the dead wood at the club on arrival, and littered any other lingering smells by the end of the year. He's had a horrible time at home in the off-season and he's done well this year in the circumstances.

Either way, he still led us to the NRC. Box ticked!

Re: 12 months on....... : Wed Apr 14, 2010 12:50 am  

Ask yourself, how many times have we been beaten this year,

This squad is light years ahead of last years, but the injuries have taken their toll.

Better squad, better tactics, better organisation, worse injuries.

Opposition fans seem to think more highly of Widnes than some of the Widnes fans do.

There is a longer term strategy in place than the next match and it is working.

We will be in the top six when it matters, we are still in the cup and NRC.

Keep the faith WTID