Whilst I agree Danny has largely done as well as we could ask, two points
1. As a full time team anything outside the top two or three is totally unacceptable. We finished second. I predicted we would be just one side or the other of the cut off this season and should just make it. Looking at the points total that's exactly what happened. Job done but no reason to book a celebratory parade.
2. This was largely someone else's team. We'll be in a much better position to judge Danny at this time next year when it will probably be largely his team. He did well with the players he had this season however his recruitment is largely untested. If Jarrod and two or three other key players rumoured to be off do depart we will know much more next season.
The jury remains out for me though I have few complaints so far.
Happy to discuss effects of jet lag till the cows come home, have lived with it as a career for 30 years. Pro sports teams using it as an excuse for poor performances shows a lack of management and professionalism by those teams, 5 hr time difference staying on uk time for trip would not work so adjust by say 3 hours jet lag effect less both east and west.
But the wardy issue, 4 full time teams in the league one with advantage of an extra 500k so second is actually a pretty good outcome. Look at predictions 4th out of the 4 full timers was where most had us, and probably quite rightly As for the team not being his, yr a harsh critic think it wasn’t a team he built made his job harder. Pleased to see he proved lots of folk wrong
I have also lived with it for 35plus years. Puzzled as you mention teams using it as an excuse. I have not seen one team complain. It is me. who thinks it's all very unfair on the rest of the teams. I also think ward is doing a great job
Joined: Mar 09 2002 Posts: 5130 Location: Twickenham
Ward has done well in his first season in my view. The continuity will have helped but finishing 2nd is a good effort with the team picking up form again after a difficult patch mid season.
I want to see us do well in the Middle 8's but frankly don't see a return to SL either being on the cards or what the club needs.
I actually think giving one team all there home games in a group and all the away games in a group unfair, but to make Toronto successful it’s what they decided to do! Remember the season the second bottom team got demoted not the bottom! Was that right? It’s in the name of expansion! Like I said before though, we now have a dilemma same as Toulouse! Neither of us can really afford SL or are set up for it.
northernbloke wrote:As for the team not being his, yr a harsh critic think it wasn’t a team he built made his job harder.
Actually that's not intended as a criticism. A key part of being a head coach is player recruitment. Danny hasn't really had to do that yet.as most of the squad were in situ when he stepped up. As such it is too early to hail him as a success. He's done well so far but until he has a proven record in player recruitment I'm reserving judgement. We:ll know much more this time next season.
Yes they have messed around with formats twice Huddersfield were bottom but didn't get relegated they merged Sheffield and Huddersfield. Sheffield finished higher than Huddersfield but as at that time Huddersfield was the home of RL they kept the Huddersfield name hence it became known to a lot of supporters as Shuddersfield. The second time was when they merged Gateshead with Hull if I remember rightly it was because they didn't want Huddersfield to disappear so Gateshead were disposed of. The only time we ever finished bottom in SL was the year they brought back relegation and down we went. Nothing done to keep the expansion of a team in the capital. The following year started the play offs. I am not saying we should not have been relegated as results in our last 3years in SL were shameful and we did not deserve to be there. However it makes me think the RFL will do what they want to get whoever they want in SL hence how easy it has been for TWP to ensure they get there. We definitely need to expand the game but let's have a level playing field to achieve it. My personal feeling is to keep Interest and expand and grow it must be the same rules for all whether playing rotations, salary caps, loan players. To gain respect you need clear uncluttered guide lines which are not bent to please any team at any time. If clubs reach the SL or championship it must be on merit like we will do if we win the play offs
There's more than a few inaccuracies in this thread.
Huddersfield avoided relegation for 3 or 4 years because none of the clubs winning the Northern Ford Premiership (as it was back then) met the financial and stadium criteria to be promoted.
Huddersfield and Sheffield merged because the owner of Sheffield wanted out and no-one else wanted to take over.
Hull and Gateshead merged because Gateshead were broke (mainly because the RFL had refused to give them a share of central funding in their one season in SL).
Toronto played all their home game sin one block because their stadium was being refurbished.
The RFL is horrifically incompetent but none of the above are examples of them cheating or however you want to phrase it. The longer London becomes part of the RL community, the more of these northern folktales of the cheating RFL become established part of London's own folklore. And that's weird, because for most of my 25 years watching this game it's London who have most often been met with BS and resentment from northern fans. The only reason we don't get it now is that we're not seen as a threat to them. So, it's Toronto coping it instead.
I was referring to Catalans! The year they finished bottom cas went down, it was made clear from start of that season they were protected, because of the desire to expand. Were Catalans offered protection last year? No As for us going down, how long had broncos been in super league? We had out period where rules were relaxed for us remember! We were allowed more overseas players than others.
There has to be a team in the capital in SL to give RL credibility! Why? Expansion is good and well, but once the team is established you let em stand on there merits. Expansion is about getting the team/club established in the first place, you can only help an expansion team so long.
As for Toronto playing all home games as they did, that’s fine, but previous year they played in blocks of 4 I believe of home and away instead of a normal structure. So they were given special treatment
Not criticising it, it is what it is, they are an expansion project, let them do what they need to do to get the decent foothold, it will be interesting to see what happens next year and year after though.
The stadium re surface was an odd one though, enter a comp as a new team, knowing in your second year you have no home ground to play on for half the season, that’s called poor planning! And remember Leeds were not given that privilege with there stadium re build they had to find an alternative ground.
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