I am sad to admit I didn't even realise our game was on Saturday so only saw the score when I got home from work. That's coming from a former season ticket holder and VIQI member from last season.
A clear pattern has emerged in the games, doing ok at half time and then being totally obliterated in the 2nd half. It was very clear in the Newcastle, Salford and Batley games. In rugby attitude counts for a lot, Finnigan clearly blames it on that as he said players gave up and he left some of them on the field to punish them when they could of been subbed. The question is why after 12 months off and only 6 games in is the attitude so bad. After such a long break and let's face it not much else to do you would have thought the players would be chomping at the bit to play. Something is clearly not right as Batley should never give Widnes such a pasting, narrow defeat on a difficult pitch yes but this was something else.
How much of it can be down to a lack of basic fitness? It's the 2nd half they fall away. Some of the players don't look in the best physical condition it must be said. Sheens ran the coaching setup on a shoe string but was a highly decorated coach. Finnigan being a younger less experienced coach will obviously need more support. Did he have any say in backroom recruitment and are the players 1.being prepared from a basic fitness point of view and 2.responding to the coaching methods being employed. At the moment you would have to say the answer is no.
If it was just fitness, why didn't we fall away in the second half against Whitehaven as well? Looks to me there is a complete lack of team spirit and togetherness.
Needs better, experienced support staff, said it from day one, even before pre season I said it.
Not saying that’s the answer, but as a head coach your gonna have good days and bad days, who does SF turn to on the bad days? A helping hand? An experienced ear to give their opinion? Are the likes of Smith, Craven going to listen to lads who have never coached / played in training and under the sticks on game day? Maybe, maybe not.
Fitness looks way off, people keep saying they are part time, and?? Other part time players keep themselves fit, why not Widnes?? Our first choice 17 is up there and should be finishing top 6, granted no strength in depth and that’s another problem.
Attitude and enthusiasm seems none existent which is the biggest worry for me, I wonder what the culture is like down there? Are the players enjoying it? Got to play with a smile on your face.
If you as a player aren’t fit enough then that reflects poorly on your attitude. I don’t think you will see a totally unfit player with a “good attitude”, it doesn’t work like that.
Widnes is now filled with players who know their careers are coming to an end and therefore playing for Widnes becomes “just extra income” or players who have no ambition to be any higher than championship level.
Looking at all of the games in turn:
Newcastle: Soft defence in 1st half but got into a v.good position. Panicked like mad towards the end.
Salford: Some soft tries but the full time fitness thing made the score wider than it should have been in the last 10. Some reasonable stuff in the 1st half.
Dewsbury: Abject with ball in hand, number of individual mistakes leading to tries. No fighting spirit.
Batley: Ok first 20. Blown apart in the second half with some non-existent tackling and daft kick offs. Up the hill 2nd half.
Overall, fitness is playing a part, but there is error after error and a real unwillingness to defend properly IMO; we have conceded 100 points in 3 league games and we havent even played a Top 4 side yet!!
Seriously, I think a lot of those players think they are better than what they actually are. The pride in some of them is simply not there. The condition of Matty Smith sums it up for me in a nutshell. I said on another post that I think a hell of a lot of this shower thought Tim Sheens would be in charge, when he left the standards simply plummeted. Simon Finnigan, even though I think he was the cheap option, can only do so much, he sounds like a stuck record after every interview. There is defiantly something amiss at Widnes, but whatever it is, it needs addressing asap, because what is getting dished up week in - week out, simply isn't good enough!
And to think that after relegation, Championship football was going to be more enjoyable than Super League because we would win more often and compete at the top end of the table.
The CEO and other Directors are noticable by the absence of comments in the current situation. There should be something coming out from them or is SF doing it all on his own?
The CEO and other Directors are noticable by the absence of comments in the current situation. There should be something coming out from them or is SF doing it all on his own?
Careful CeeJay, no one can say a word about our overqualified CEO!
The CEO and other Directors are noticable by the absence of comments in the current situation. There should be something coming out from them or is SF doing it all on his own?
We are 3 games into our league season, what do you really expect, the board to make a statement every 5 mins giving their opinions?
The CEO and other Directors are noticable by the absence of comments in the current situation. There should be something coming out from them or is SF doing it all on his own?
We are 3 games into our league season, what do you really expect, the board to make a statement every 5 mins giving their opinions?
When was the last time you heard ANYTHING from the board?
I think we have to be careful with statements from the board at this stage: remember our previous 'custodian' Jimmy was fond of a statement!!
From what I have heard from people who have had dealings with him, the Chairman is a really good guy who is a dyed in the wool supporter. I guess many on the board are the same.
It is essential that the business side of the club is ran properly.
The board employs CEO's, Coaches and Players on the Rugby side of things. They are the people who have collectively failed to deliver at the start of the season. If they collectively continue to fail, then decisions will have to be made and then is the time to hear from the Board.
After watching the highlights again. I am sorry but please change the thread title.
Nothing to do with fitness just an absolutely appalling and deplorable attitude from the players. Utter weak, you can talk about fitness all you want, but a Batley player getting over the line with 5 of our players on top of him. Shambolic.
If you think back to the CEO's statement when appointing SF iirc he mentioned that many applicants had virtually zero experience. SF wanted the job, had successfully coached Newcastle and could have stayed there under his contract.
Just how much was available to pay a bigger name wasn't disclosed, but it was likely that it was a pretty meagre sum.
The board, whatever some may say are known to many of us as lifelong supporters, none to my knowledge are multi millionaires and have coughed up cash that I suggest none could afford to throw away. I guess that their guts are in just as much turmoil as any of ours, fighting against an urge to say 'sod it' and walking away, particularly if they read some of the easily made crass comments on here.
There is plainly a mismatch of personalities or methods within the team and that needs addressing asap. Imo we haven't been out-fitnessed, but certainly out- enthused by teams without major names but with willing and hardworking players.
Our players can play good stuff and have played good stuff this year but when the flash gives way to a need for graft we fold. That is down to individuals.
Lyons and Else grafted away as hard as they knew how, and there were others, but the team togetherness seemed to fall apart. Poor camera angles and coverage weren't helpful in seeing just where the gaps were but the players will know.
Time for hard discussions and hard decisions.
Did Finnigan really do a good job at Newcastle? Losing to Oldham in the final for promotion seemed like a shock.