That passage quoted from Saddened is the most depressing thing I've read about our club. Players opting out of training? Pathetic. This isn't a drop in centre. It's supposed to be a professionally run sports club. No wonder fans of other clubs see us as a joke club. It turns out we are. I always thought Powell was supposed to be some kind of gruff disciplinarian. Again, no.

We've always had a reputation as a bit of an easy street club. Players going out on the sauce with Cullen. Turning up for training under the influence, etc.

Then there's the thing with Cooper and Price. THAT'S A DISGRACE.

Too many have it too easy. A 3 year contract extension for Currie? I don't think Wigan, Saints or Cats were ringing his agent's phone for availability, so why the overly generous contract? We've already fouled up with King's.

When new players arrive here, they might as well be told that the smoking jackets and gramophone records are kept over there, just come and go as you please. Don't worry about up and coming youngsters, they'll just be ignored or loaned out.


The new coach has a BIG job on his hands.
We're in a big hole.

That's how I feel about it too. Obviously the Wakefield result made Powell's position completely untenable. However, did the players know that he would be fired if we lost at Wakefield (they presumably did, given how many leaks come pouring out of the club these days) and then make damn sure that's what happened? If that's the case, what a slap in the face for all the loyal fans who made the trip to Wakefield in hope and good faith. And if the players suddenly decide to start putting in some effort again now that they've got their way, we're all supposed to just cheer them on as if they are heroes? What a depressing mess. Please, can we find someone to put some pride and professionalism back into the club, before we all just fall out of love with it once and for all?

The biggest mystery for me. Has had a handful of eye catching games since returning from injury years ago.

It's going to require a bigger change than head and assistant coach. We tried that 18 months ago.

I really wanted Powell to succeed and got swept up in it earlier in the year when we went on that run. I'm sad that we are having to start again and none of the potential candidates excite me very much.

The thing that really upset me about Powell was his treatment of young players. Players in positions where we had limited depth chucked out on loan, and young lads making their first appearances seemingly the scapegoats for any defeat - while duffers like Dudson and Matautia seemed to have endless chances.

Our honours board of Yorkshire coaches is graced by Plange, Lowes and now Powell. Not a happy hunting ground.

Powell got found out Big Time

Just couldn’t hold his Ale at the weekly Booze Ups

Became untenable

If you saw my post I said that” All I can say is Wakey is a very big game, a very big game!”
The quote came straight from a director.

Powell knew he had to win the game to finish the season with pay.

He’d me thinking he was Jigsaw from the SAW movies.

Re: Player grievances. We have a player welfare manager in Kylie Leuluai don’t we? He reports to Karl. It’s not like players couldn’t get past Powell in some sort of blatant autocracy.

Unfortunately I feel these apparent problems are not causes of the club’s current state, but that they are symptoms. I think we have a well-intended but laissez-fair and complacent culture. We need a competent and no-nonsense CEO (someone in the character mould of Powell ironically) along with a director of rugby and a modern objective thinker of a coach. Whether we can find any (let alone all three) in the current RL market is extremely unlikely.

I don’t feel confident about the near future at all, and feel we are about to repeat the same old cycle.

The next coaching appointment is massive, we can’t afford to rush it or get it wrong. I don’t think Powell is as strong a character as his gruff exterior portrays, quite the opposite and I believe Holbrook is a lot tougher than he comes across. We will certainly stabilise and improve under Holbrook and I’m not sure Holbrook will stand for any tinkering in his plans.