17 replies to this topic

[guest from down under]

I was at batley on sunday and it was really just as i expected it to be honest . the result means nothing and if all those rams fans spewing despair and despondency think about it for a minute logicaly then they will realise that the same players they are blackgarding after a glorified training session are largely the same players who took apart some of the championships leading lights in the second half of last season . panic , dont make me laugh if anybody thinks that sunday will be a guide to the coming season then they are deluded . If it comes to the middle of march and we are looking inept then i will be worried .i somehow dont think that will be the case .

[creditwhereitsdews]

Agree with your sentiments. If I'd had the chance to have seen Dewsbury play last week I'd have been chuffed, however they played, as I've not seen them since last August and at least it was proper rugby league.
Hate losing to B*tley whatever the match but there are plenty of opportunities to put it right when it matters, as we did last year. How good was it when Batley came to our place on a high and we comprehensively outplayed them in every respect?
As you said it's a glorified training session, nonetheless one we want to win. Am confident we'll have a good season and we have to use the pre-season games to let the new players settle. We've lost some big names too and we're not just going to walk into where we were last August.
Remember early last year people were bagging Brambani and it took a while for the team to gel around him but when he did it was awesome.
On the strength of last season - which for most of we were playing well but losing by less than 12 points every week - I'd say it wouldn't be fair to judge us until the last games of the season, by which stage we would have beaten anyone.
Enjoyed last year as much as any Dewsbury season since the early 90s and I don't see any reason for lacking optimism yet.

[grumpyoldram]

I was at batley on sunday and it was really just as i expected it to be honest . the result means nothing and if all those rams fans spewing despair and despondency think about it for a minute logicaly then they will realise that the same players they are blackgarding after a glorified training session are largely the same players who took apart some of the championships leading lights in the second half of last season . panic , dont make me laugh if anybody thinks that sunday will be a guide to the coming season then they are deluded . If it comes to the middle of march and we are looking inept then i will be worried .i somehow dont think that will be the case .

I think you will find those rams fans spewing despair, were simply reacting to the massive disappointment of an inept performance, in a game we had been looking forward to since september - three months without the buzz of a game is a lot to take for bored old lags like myself. It may well have been a glorified training session, (and had I known that was it's purpose, I wouldn't have paid good money in yet another futile attempt to lure my brother and niece away from the Giants) but it was against the dogs, and that should warrant a little bit more commitment than was shown on sunday - I can only hope that the players actually train a damned sight harder than that. I agree there is no reason to panic just yet, and of course we will improve, but I don't see any point in comparing this year with the back end of last. Powell, Brev, Bossy, Robbo and Stenchion were among our better performers then, and they have gone and if rumours are true so has Fox, so we are talking a completely different team. I am sorry if demonstrating anything other than blind faith in the coaching staff is viewed as negativity, and puts one in the category of "so called supporter", but let's face it, this forum is the only place where you can share your frustrations with others, and it's a lot more acceptable than going home and kicking the dog/wife/children (delete where applicable)

[Blind side johnny]

I was at batley on sunday and it was really just as i expected it to be honest . the result means nothing and if all those rams fans spewing despair and despondency think about it for a minute logicaly then they will realise that the same players they are blackgarding after a glorified training session are largely the same players who took apart some of the championships leading lights in the second half of last season . panic , dont make me laugh if anybody thinks that sunday will be a guide to the coming season then they are deluded . If it comes to the middle of march and we are looking inept then i will be worried .i somehow dont think that will be the case .

Fair comments Keith, but would the club then be very disappointed if no-one turned up to watch such "glorified training sessions", such as the ones against Wakefield and Bradford?

If we're in the entertainment business then surely the team should be trying all-out to entertain.




Looking forward to the real games.

[DEWSBURY TIL I DIE]

I think you will find those rams fans spewing despair, were simply reacting to the massive disappointment of an inept performance, in a game we had been looking forward to since september - three months without the buzz of a game is a lot to take for bored old lags like myself. It may well have been a glorified training session, (and had I known that was it's purpose, I wouldn't have paid good money in yet another futile attempt to lure my brother and niece away from the Giants) but it was against the dogs, and that should warrant a little bit more commitment than was shown on sunday - I can only hope that the players actually train a damned sight harder than that. I agree there is no reason to panic just yet, and of course we will improve, but I don't see any point in comparing this year with the back end of last. Powell, Brev, Bossy, Robbo and Stenchion were among our better performers then, and they have gone and if rumours are true so has Fox, so we are talking a completely different team. I am sorry if demonstrating anything other than blind faith in the coaching staff is viewed as negativity, and puts one in the category of "so called supporter", but let's face it, this forum is the only place where you can share your frustrations with others, and it's a lot more acceptable than going home and kicking the dog/wife/children (delete where applicable)

and out of the players whos left most have been replaced well.
i think if we could have kept 3 of the buch id have picked ed barber,alex bretherton and bryn powell however most players have been replaced well

WAINWRIGHT(SUPERLEAGUE PLAYER CAS FANS DIDNT WANT TO GO,100%ER) FOR POWELL
BIBB(SUPERLEAGUE PLAYER) FOR ROBINSON
MENZIES(BASICALLY A NEW PLAYER) FOR STENCHION
HORTON FOR EMMET

however im stil unconvinced with a few of the other replacements wev signed(see below),thats why i think wer missin a centre and a halfback,losing ed barber and alex bretherton will be alot harder to replace than the players above,i dont think wel miss bossy as much as them,after all he missed the last 3 or 4 games and we was stil winnin and didnt look like we was missing him.

ROBERTS FOR BOSTOCK ??
SAXTON FOR BRETHERTON ??
SHAW FOR BARBER ??

[Piggy's mate]

It is always easy to dismiss a friendly (esp if you loose and loose easily), but surely the club want to build some momentum towards the NR cup? As Batley proved virtually any team in CC can win it esp if teams look at these fixtures as training sessions or just to give players in a big squad a game!

Take it from me the weekend in Blackpool & winning the cup was GREAT FUN

[John North]

I am sorry if demonstrating anything other than blind faith in the coaching staff is viewed as negativity

Given the performances the team finished last season with, where is the "Blind Faith" ?

I think Jowitt has more than proved his coaching credentials, and as a result, many on this forum (including yourself) have dined on a slice of humble pie when his "questionable decisions" have borne fruit.

[EQUALIZER]

Its the devil and deep blue sea.We would all be gutted if we showed up first match with injuries caused by friendlies.However i agree 100% with Grumps,there should be a bit of a show. I always thought friendlies were there to practice a few moves ect.On the bright side we will have a decent season and ive backed us to finish alot higher up than most.Just wish we could get Foxy back on side.He was the one i was looking foreward to see the most this season.

[DEWSBURY TIL I DIE]

Its the devil and deep blue sea.We would all be gutted if we showed up first match with injuries caused by friendlies.However i agree 100% with Grumps,there should be a bit of a show. I always thought friendlies were there to practice a few moves ect.On the bright side we will have a decent season and ive backed us to finish alot higher up than most.Just wish we could get Foxy back on side.He was the one i was looking foreward to see the most this season.

our first freindlies always the worst anyway by far,i remember getin hammerd at batley a few years ago in pre season in warrens first season incharge and 2 week later we almost beat a almost fullstrength bulls(they missed just 3 players) at tetleys stadium.

[grumpyoldram]

Given the performances the team finished last season with, where is the "Blind Faith" ?

I think Jowitt has more than proved his coaching credentials, and as a result, many on this forum (including yourself) have dined on a slice of humble pie when his "questionable decisions" have borne fruit.

Got to agree with you John, I have eaten a few slices of HP in the last two seasons, and have the figure to prove it, and I wouldn't challenge Warrens motivational or even coaching credentials, but take off the rosie specs. Last season, a large part of our survival revolved arround the huge points deduction of Keighley, and Whitehaven going bosoms up when they did - had they hung on to their decent players a few more weeks, it would have been too late. Then Spicer and Austin returned to add some backbone to the team - in the nick of time, along with Brev who was able to cover a centre position which had leaked tries and squandered chances all season. Add to that the inspired signing of Craven and Matty Fox and yes - we were able to finish in style. The bottom line is we gained promotion, then stayed up - just. Andy Kelly did the same and with one place to spare in his first season in the championship, signing the backbone of last years team along the way, but he couldn't hack it the season after. I am not having a pop at Warren - he has had to do the job on a dwindling budget, but he ain't the finished article yet, and he has so far made more uninspiring than inspired signings IMO. I genuinely hope that at the end of the season, I am eating the biggest slice of humble pie since Tony Greig suggested he would make the west indies test team grovel and if that's the case I would be quite happy for Warren himself to cut me a piece.

[jt]

I wasnt there on Sunday so can not comment on the actual game but i wouldnt worry too much. It was your first game this season and like other clubs WJ will not of been able to train them like he would of wanted to. I can remember At Fev last season we got hammered at Leigh in the NRC and some of our fans said we would get relegated we were that bad but we did well once we got going. One friendly and no one can really say how you are going to finish + you will be up to speed with the league from the off this year so stick with it your aim will have been to stop up last year and you did it lets see what people think in June

Good Luck this year

[NickD]

Fair comments Keith, but would the club then be very disappointed if no-one turned up to watch such "glorified training sessions", such as the ones against Wakefield and Bradford?

If we're in the entertainment business then surely the team should be trying all-out to entertain.

Spot on as ever BSJ. These were more or less the same sentiments I expressed in an earlier post. I know that these games dont mean much, but they are a chance to appeal to quite a few speccies who dont normally come along and lets face it, not many of the non committed will be queueing to pay £13 based on Sundays game.

[FarOutRam]

Roll on the new season! Friendlies are there to give players a bit of match practice.

[Blind side johnny]

Roll on the new season! Friendlies are there to give players a bit of match practice.

..............and fans a bit of moaning practice (not that some of us need any!)

[Ossy]

..............and fans a bit of moaning practice (not that some of us need any!)

Moaning? Thought it was more like constructive criticism...

[grumpyoldram]

Moaning? Thought it was more like constructive criticism...

No he's right - it's moaning. Then again, I travelled 90 miles to the match from my New Years break in Lincolnshire in lousy conditions, spent forty quid in entrance money for myself and two guests, plus refreshments in the dungeon under the members stand , then endured the p**s taking for the 90 miles back to Lincolnshire. Including petrol money I reckon the whole venture cost me about 80 beer tokens. Of course now that I realise it wasn't a proper match, I feel much better

[Piggy's mate]

No he's right - it's moaning. Then again, I travelled 90 miles to the match from my New Years break in Lincolnshire in lousy conditions, spent forty quid in entrance money for myself and two guests, plus refreshments in the dungeon under the members stand , then endured the p**s taking for the 90 miles back to Lincolnshire. Including petrol money I reckon the whole venture cost me about 80 beer tokens. Of course now that I realise it wasn't a proper match, I feel much better

Come on Grumpy you must be used to it by now?

[Blind side johnny]

Of course now that I realise it wasn't a proper match, I feel much better