the man

Old Friends in Ulverston is a great place for real ale and also big sponsors of rugby league and the club. There is also a festival in Ulverston today so could be a great time to visit.

I'm not prepared to say who it was. I believe I am open and honest with the majority of club matters but I don't want to disrespect the player or club by naming them after they did a U-turn And of course we are going to try to stay up.

No, it wasn't him.

I'm afraid I've had a bad last 24 hours. The player I was 95% certain of signing has changed his mind. On Tuesday morning we had everything agreed and produced the forms to sign. 24 hours later and the player had changed his mind due to a rival offer. The second signing isn't dead but it is a loan signing and his club picked up injuries at the weekend and need some to clear before the deal is done. On the plus side Willie Minoga landed safely, we picked up no injuries at the weekend and Danny Morrow has been declared fit to add to the squad. We will keep trying.

Willie Minoga lands back in the country on Tuesday and I have almost agreed terms with a club for a season loan for another player, I'm 95% sure I will get the deal over the line. After that we are still talking about another player to their club and I'm hopefully we can get something agreed . Sometimes things go really slow then bang you have your signing. For tomorrow, we are probably at the strongest we have been for ages. Aspinwall, Stack and Walne return whilst Josh Johnson is now fit having played when he could hardly walk at Halifax.

Smith and Spedding are out, Spedding only for one week as a precaution. Fit are Johnson, Walker, Walne, Johnston, Amean Returning are Dallimore and Riley Available after injury Dan Toal, Shane Toal and Brett Carter Plus newly signed Susino From being very worried we now have to leave players out

The injury situation is a lot better than first feared on Saturday

Bucket collection at Barrow on Sunday. We can't afford to lose clubs like Widnes.

He's out for 6 weeks. He had a scan last week which confirmed the damage. He has been playing through the injury but has now been told to rest for fear of making it worse. If there is no improvement in 6 weeks then he may require surgery.

We can't do what we've always done and expect different results. If we don't try things to improve the crowds we won't improve the crowds. We'll look at the numbers after the game and see if we have been impacted financially or indeed we have gained from the promotion. It isn't an exact science because we won't know who came who wouldn't have bothered but after our hammering at York and the big football match on the TV we can't afford to just sit there and hope for the best.

Barrow Raiders Published by Steve Neale · Just now · Barrow Raiders are delighted to offer a fantastic deal for Sunday's game versus Dewsbury. At 1pm Hindpool and Askam under 14s lock horns in a curtain raiser and for every supporter who is in the ground before the 1pm kick off time entry is only £5. That's a massive £12 off the entry price. The Raiders Bar will be open and Man Utd v Liverpool is being shown from 2.05pm. So to all our fans who drink in the surrounding watering holes get yourselves to the ground early for a great saving.And don't forget any number of kids go free with one paying adult. Please share.

Barrow Raiders Barrow Raiders are delighted to offer a fantastic deal for Sunday's game versus Dewsbury. At 1pm Hindpool and Askam under 14s lock horns in a curtain raiser and for every supporter who is in the ground before the 1pm kick off time entry is only £5. That's a massive £12 off the entry price. The Raiders Bar will be open and Man Utd v Liverpool is being shown from 2.05pm. So to all our fans who drink in the surrounding watering holes get yourselves to the ground early for a great saving.And don't forget any number of kids go free with one paying adult. Please share.

There's still a lot of money difference based on league position

I've had a lot of complaints about this, it was also still showing a minute to go in the Wigan game when the hooter went. It isn't good enough and it will be fixed for the next fixture.

Gareth Hock has not left the club, he is having his operation next week and is looking to get back to fitness some time in May. We did sign Johnson because we thought we were a little light in the front row with losing Bullock and Susino and only replacing like for like with Minoga. We may not have been so keen if Gareth was fit as the plan was to hold some money back for mid-season but I think we have made the right move for now. I've said before if the crowds and sponsors continue to back us then we can apply for an increase in our salary cap. Alternatively, directors can personally guarantee increased spending. Ideally the squad we have put together, with players like Hock and Toal to come back, should have enough quality to achieve our mid-table ambitions