We sit here today almost a year on from leaving our old spiritual home and the Willows is being reduced to rubble. Today I've read excerpts from a book penned by a succesful, well-regarded ex-player, stating how badly run the club has been in very recent years. I have also read that there were officially 146 in the away end at Wigan last night (I wasn't one of them and I'm not sure whether those who did travel should be congratulated or certified). We have already relinquished one half of a decent half-back pairing and the other would appear to want away from the club. Our full back has decided to retire rather than spend another year playing for us. A decent young centre has decided to up sticks and move 100 miles to further his career playing for a different team who also won't be in the playoffs. Our best centre is rumoured to be wanting to move back to the NRL less than one year into his contract. Rumours suggest we are interested in David Solomona...



I was texted today by another long-suffering Salford fan: "Where is this all going to end? And how many times will we ask that question?"



And...I couldn't answer him. Well, to be honest, I could offer my answer, but I really didn't want to consider it.



Anbody?

Derek, you're letting some of the doom-mongers on here get to you so I'd like to offer a different perspective if I may. The way the club has been run recently has long been debated but suffice to say that Robbie Paul's experiences of the club are from a time in the club's history when it was at a previous ground, in a lower division, under a previous coaching regime and a now departed Chief Executive. Things change, we have a brand new home, we're in SL and so far I've seen little evidence that the club isn't at least attempting to rectify things off the field as best they can with limited resources.



I also congratulate every one of the 146 people that made the trip to Wigan last night but the stark facts are that we had 10 first team regulars missing last night through injury with the rest of our fit players playing in a dead rubber game for us (we're out of the play-offs, are unlikely to climb any further places in the league and can't be caught by the teams immediately below us) against a team actively chasing the Grand Final and would likely have beaten us even if we'd been at full strength. Plenty of reasons for folk not to go there I would have thought!



In terms of player movements - has it occurred to anyone that the amount of money Wigan paid us for Matty Smith may well have been more than how much we'd have received by finishing say 8th or even 7th? At the time we sold him we could have still made the play-offs had it not been for some cruel luck on injuries and some woeful defending against sides we should have beaten which was entirely down to some of the players that I'll mention next. I still think it was a good bit of business to get some money for a player that was leaving us at the end of the season anyway.



Luke Patten - hmm, well, great in attack and has been a joy to watch sometimes this year but his defence, positional sense and inability to catch a high ball have lost us a boatload of games plus his recent penchant for slagging off the club in the press has left me looking forward to a change actually.



Sean Gleeson - another that looks good in attack but his defence again has been woeful on occasions - especially against Widnes - he's let in nearly as many as he's created.



Joel Moon - a joy to watch and will be gutted if he decides to return Down Under or leave to go to another SL club, but remember, we'll still get a fee for him, even if he does go back to the NRL. I just think we were fortunate to have him and we pretty much did his deal under the radar of other clubs in SL, you never know, the current radio silence on signings may not be all bad!



Daniel Holdsworth - a complete confidence player if ever I saw one, when things are chipper he's fabulous and every decision he makes is a good one, when things aren't quite going to plan he disappears and his decision making is simply awful - just what was he thinking at London taking a short kick off when we were still 12 points in front with 17 minutes on the clock? That decision finally turned the game in London's favour and it compounded the fact that he'd missed at least 2 relatively easy conversions in the first half - another player for me that has Jekyll and Hyde characteristics.



The good thing is that we still have Sean Long coaching our attack next year so there is hope whoever our half back pairing happens to be and to be completely fair we have seen some fantastic rugby this year haven't we?



The Solomona rumour is a worrying one, I'll grant you that, but it is just a rumour, remember Kevin Sinfield?

I do, and I'm still waiting for John Gallagher, Anthony Minichello and Craig Gower to sign! Let us hope the club have learnt from signing old, past it players - I would rather we promoted from the U20s than waste money on yet more stars from yesteryear...



You make some very valid points, and to be honest I'm not sure I could disagree with much of what you've written. I appreciate the club is working on a shoestring but I think that is what worries me most - the classic catch 22 scenario, but now we are in bed with the Yawnion lot, in a ground we are paying a lot of money to rent, the stakes seem so much higher. Along with the reported precarious financial position we are in, how can we possibly attract decent players to compliment the handful of good players we will have left?

Derek, c'mon, cheer up, there's no point worrying now about the fact that we've no money, it's been the same for years, Wilky has said that the rent is not as much as people think and Sale moving in makes little impact on us if you analyse it properly. It's time some folk on here calmed down (not you) and realised that we're not going to be challenging for honours on a regular basis, in fact, the best we can hope for is securing one of the lower spots in the play-offs (6th-8th). With a little more luck and effort this year we weren't far off achieving that actually. All the positive signs we've seen this year came out of a fairly turbulent season and off-season last year so hopefully this year's off-season will be much better for Vievers and Long and it will shine through next year. I'm not saying that I haven't had my head in my hands on a number of occasions this year with the way we've played but I still think we've done ok considering.

I agree with a lot you say but the fact remains your logic tells me that reduced rent should equal more to spend on players, not a mass exodus. In my book no new players or old hand my downs next season will most certainly equals less season ticket holders plus less away fans as the novelty factor as gone, how many more spirals can the club survive,the cycle continues unless there is some master plan ready to be launched.

" no point worrying now about the fact that we've no money, it's been the same for years, Wilky has said that the rent is not as much as people think and Sale moving in makes little impact on us if you analyse it properly. It's time some folk on here calmed down (not you) and realised that we're not going to be challenging for honours on a regular basis, in fact, the best we can hope for is securing one of the lower spots in the play-offs (6th-8th). With a little more luck and effort this year we weren't far off achieving that actually. All the positive signs we've seen this year came out of a fairly turbulent season and off-season last year so hopefully this year's off-season will be much better for Vievers and Long and it will shine through next year. I'm not saying that I haven't had my head in my hands on a number of occasions this year with the way we've played but I still think we've done ok considering.'"

Robbie Paul said he loved it at Bradford Huddersfield and Leigh,about us he said it was an us and them

situation.He also mentioned the captaincy how we took it of Alker,and gave it to Parker then six weeks later

give it back to Alker, without telling Parker what a shambles.That decision must have come from the top

and that's where our troubles lie,not with Tarry he was just doing what he was told,in my opinion.

Paul and Patten can't both be wrong, and we are becoming a laughing stock.

I just knew it wouldn't be long before one of the usual doom and gloom crew turned up.

What happened when Robbie Paul was at the club is ancient history and should be viewed as such, but hey, you carry on bagging the club, I'm sure it'll boost Robbie's sales and feed your need to see incompetent management in everything the club does.

Serious point though; if well respected players like Paul and Patten are highlighting that we are badly run, who is going to want to sign for us (especially when one is about to become an agent)? Will we then, in turn, have to pay more for the same player to overcome their doubts?

Many of us can see how it is... some people refuse to... some of the most experienced players in the game can see exactly how it is... tell us... and even then... many refuse to believe it.



Reason....

I have little doubt there are issues in the background at Salford but I wouldn't trust Paul for all the tea in China, I would though be more inclined to believe Patten despite his views being aired in the Manchester Evening Comic.

What I read lately on here is complete and utter garbage from posters with a couple of hundred posts, who inevitably sooner or later, somewhere down the line will take their blinkers off. I read somewhere on here recently that Salford were over achieving too





FWIW most of us 'older' heads can see Salford for what it really is, for those less fortunate I pity you.

NAIL HEAD HIT