@cuerdley-viking We’ve been nose-diving for years, this time probably since about the the end of the first year of the Steve O’Connor era when he started handing out jobs to the boys and pinned his faith on Mr Rule.
We haven’t got to where we are because of a shortage of funds this season. Money has been in short supply for nearly 30 years. There is no quick or easy solution and We are just doing this year on the field what we have done for the last three or four years. Depressing but true.
We have a strong fan base to be envied, we get money from the RL like all others, we have VIQI etc., are you seriously suggesting this disaster currently is as good as it gets? We are now looking up at York, Barrow, Batley, Sheffield & Halifax!! and will get worse. The board need to grow some fast
Who knows what's in Finngans contract ? Why is it assumed he would be entitled to a big pay off. Anyone with any sense when hiring a new coach would put some stipulations and clauses in the agreement regarding results and performance.Only the top coaches who are in demand hold the aces in negotiations,not the new starters with no experience.
Be careful suggesting common sense Sinny
@cuerdley-viking let’s see what happens shall we ? I really hope that you are right and I’ll be genuinely chuffed if you are.
£22 yesterday as well, seems a bit much for a walk up to a game where we were heavy underdogs.
I also think the dire quality of attacking play from us in recent weeks has not helped. We are so predictable, backs take in some one man drives. Then a couple of side to side shuffles. Then Smith gets the ball and kicks across field. Repeat.
I agree a play-off place is there for the taking. But not without dramatic improvement or dramatic change in the coaching/half-backs.
A Play-Off place is there for the taking, but for what? Fev or Leigh are going up automatically, and the other one will win the play-offs in a canter. The kudos of a P-O place, means absolutely nothing after another battering off either one of the 2 full time teams. We can't even beat Barrow, Newcastle, York. We have 3 away games to come in Cumbria and trips to Bradford, Batley, Leigh & Fev home & away. Play-Offs.... you're having a giraffe.
Up The Chemics
Paulie xx
£22 yesterday as well, seems a bit much for a walk up to a game where we were heavy underdogs.
I also think the dire quality of attacking play from us in recent weeks has not helped. We are so predictable, backs take in some one man drives. Then a couple of side to side shuffles. Then Smith gets the ball and kicks across field. Repeat.
I agree a play-off place is there for the taking. But not without dramatic improvement or dramatic change in the coaching/half-backs.
A Play-Off place is there for the taking, but for what? Fev or Leigh are going up automatically, and the other one will win the play-offs in a canter. The kudos of a P-O place, means absolutely nothing after another battering off either one of the 2 full time teams. We can't even beat Barrow, Newcastle, York. We have 3 away games to come in Cumbria and trips to Bradford, Batley, Leigh & Fev home & away. Play-Offs.... you're having a giraffe.
Up The Chemics
Paulie xx
Me thinks not Paulie one up one down.
The board got the gig as they were the preferred bidders of both the administrators and council but they are effectively fans who put their hands in their pockets to save the club and probably got the nod as they agreed to pay off the outstanding debts
Three years later we are just about treading water as a club but losing support rapidly and have seen no sign of any additional investment, in fact we are only where we are due to fans continually paying in additional cash through the likes of VIQI
Has there been any sign of additional investment ? Have we even looked anywhere for it ?
Love it on here, people say we are a lower team and expect us to be world beaters
ok we had a great start which probably flattered us and expectations were raised
we should have beaten Newcastle, but we are bereft of attacking ideas, that game was like watching Widnes of old playing a current depleted Widnes side - boring as shite
so the calls for change -to what exactly ?
we sign up 5 Aussies ? With what and where from ?
get real we are in for a hard season - I am in for the long haul, hopefully most are
onwards and sideways !
Since when has anyone said we should be world beater's donkey dick? I think it's totally acceptable though to at least be bettering the Batleys Dewsburys Sheffield's and York's of this world.
The calls for change is because Simon finningan is enept and out of his depth in many obvious area's of our games.. I personally think these group of players are better than what we are seeing out there on the pitch and a temporary or permanent coach is needed to rescue this season.. we can't afford to write another season off.
Get real about what you sarcastic twix?.. just because we question what's going on doesn't mean giving in.. me and my daughter's season ticket will be renewed year on year.. adiós 🤘
Must be Easter - the spirit of Capey has risen chow x
The ticket prices are bordering on scandalous in my opinion.
As for the coach - some food for thought for those previously calling for John Kear...
https://twitter.com/OfficialBullsRL/status/1516372701111365634
£22 yesterday as well, seems a bit much for a walk up to a game where we were heavy underdogs.
I also think the dire quality of attacking play from us in recent weeks has not helped. We are so predictable, backs take in some one man drives. Then a couple of side to side shuffles. Then Smith gets the ball and kicks across field. Repeat.
I agree a play-off place is there for the taking. But not without dramatic improvement or dramatic change in the coaching/half-backs.
A Play-Off place is there for the taking, but for what? Fev or Leigh are going up automatically, and the other one will win the play-offs in a canter. The kudos of a P-O place, means absolutely nothing after another battering off either one of the 2 full time teams. We can't even beat Barrow, Newcastle, York. We have 3 away games to come in Cumbria and trips to Bradford, Batley, Leigh & Fev home & away. Play-Offs.... you're having a giraffe.
Up The Chemics
Paulie xx
Me thinks not Paulie one up one down.
I bow to your superior knowledge, @mick-george. Whatever P&R route the RFL are choosing to go by, I'm sure you get my drift. No team are getting past Fev or Leigh.
Paulie xx
The sad reality is that the day the Club went into Administration, that was only the start of our problems, not the end of them.
As soon as that decision was made, it began the start of a long period of rehabilitation, and as the current example shows - if you don't believe me, then just look at Brat'fud.
Being honest, I find it hard to see any improvement in our situation over the next few seasons. Indeed, the Club may never again reach any sort of meaningful level they were once at.
Sad, but true.
All I know, is that for most of my life, Widnes RLFC have generally been pretty average throughout its history, and this is just another Chapter in that story.
The game has changed massively over the years with the onset of professionalism being the breaking point. Previous to that the financial rewards equated to an average manual wage so that a player effectively doubled his wages. At that time pride in the club/town were the major driving forces, now, for the most part, it is simply cash.
If your aim is for GF success then you are likely to be regularly disappointed unless you support one of probably four or five clubs with overriding cash reserves. The rest, like us, are trying to steer a path to glory paying as much as they dare, but not too much.
I suspect that most supporters these days are looking for a more orderly and fair organisation of the game as a whole. That should offer a chance for almost any club to get a chance of the big day.
Sadly, the game will never survive on crowd support alone and even the TV income will be insufficient to finance all clubs.
The franchise system which benefitted our club is probably the only realistic way that clubs in our situation or worse could possibly have an opportunity to play SL rugby for long enough to evaluate their best support. Bad management can sink any club, as we know to our cost. Others have gone down that path, Some have been rescued and rose again.
For the future much depends on the RFL/SL deliberations. How big of a league system do they want? Would they be happier keeping all the TV cash and settling on a reduced number of selected clubs to go forward?
For the present I just thank my lucky stars that we are still alive, struggling but alive. For what it's worth I can only see our struggle continuing until we miraculously expand our bank account, or we give up the ghost.
For those who only want to see SL success and can't stand watching a side that loses maybe a change of club? But if that really is your bag only one club wins, the rest are failures, no matter how gallantly they fought.
For older Widnes hands who have been here before, we carry on!
Agreed SG, times change. Like some older posters, I’ve seen the good times and some absolutely great players in a Widnes shirt.
But the past is the past and I don’t expect to see us back in SL for quite some time.
However, what I do expect is that our players and coaches demonstrate pride, and put in the maximum effort they can, for the club they represent. And, if they can’t or don’t want to, then they should do the honourable thing and bugger off!!
My major worry is that the game could finish up made up of only teams that have a financial backer. Clubs like ours priced out of the game.
We might end up like the teams of my youth, made up of local 'hard men' who just enjoyed a hard man's sport.
Love it on here, people say we are a lower team and expect us to be world beaters
ok we had a great start which probably flattered us and expectations were raised
we should have beaten Newcastle, but we are bereft of attacking ideas, that game was like watching Widnes of old playing a current depleted Widnes side - boring as shite
so the calls for change -to what exactly ?
we sign up 5 Aussies ? With what and where from ?
get real we are in for a hard season - I am in for the long haul, hopefully most are
onwards and sideways !
Since when has anyone said we should be world beater's donkey dick? I think it's totally acceptable though to at least be bettering the Batleys Dewsburys Sheffield's and York's of this world.
The calls for change is because Simon finningan is enept and out of his depth in many obvious area's of our games.. I personally think these group of players are better than what we are seeing out there on the pitch and a temporary or permanent coach is needed to rescue this season.. we can't afford to write another season off.
Get real about what you sarcastic twix?.. just because we question what's going on doesn't mean giving in.. me and my daughter's season ticket will be renewed year on year.. adiós 🤘
Must be Easter - the spirit of Capey has risen chow x
Aww cat got your tongue donkey dick 😂
Agreed SG, times change. Like some older posters, I’ve seen the good times and some absolutely great players in a Widnes shirt.
But the past is the past and I don’t expect to see us back in SL for quite some time.
However, what I do expect is that our players and coaches demonstrate pride, and put in the maximum effort they can, for the club they represent. And, if they can’t or don’t want to, then they should do the honourable thing and bugger off!!
The trouble is for people like me (33) and younger, the best we've seen of Widnes or ever likely to see is the period 2013-2016; and even that failed to attract sufficient enough fans to be sustained (indeed, many fans moaned about the coach/squad even during that time, but I'd absolutely bite your hand off to be back there now, Rule et al).
How we can get to a point where we don't end up with an ageing fanbase and nothing to entice younger ones in again, remains to be seen.