nathanfilkins

As a Widnes fan, I'm quite happy with this, better for both parties. Gelling is a quality player for the Championship but he isn't a game changer. The current squad + Gelling wouldn't get top 4 so is there any point paying him? Would be nice to sign a half back but we can't risk paying these salaries with such a competitive league and looking at the situation Leigh are in. I'd rather sit 7th in the Championship every season than risk the longevity of the club by attempting to be ambitious and paying extortionate salaries for players that won't change much on the field.

The problem at Widnes is not that people don't desire to watch the rugby. They don't want to support the club. We finished bottom last year yet still averaged 5600 over the year, 2000 more than last night. Fans are now starting to boycott the games as they want the board and the coach out the club and i think last night was a real eye-opener. Nothing but chants at the board, boo's around the ground, much like the hostility at the West Ham games this season. So for one, fans are boycotting the game as a direct attack at the clubs hierarchy and for 2, what family would take their child to a game where fans are hostile and aggressive towards their own club and board. I think as soon as there is change at Widnes, fans will come back, but if not, i can see this club dipping into semi-professionalism and never returning.

Being a Widnes season ticket holder, On the field seems to be the least of the problems. Whilst the board are very stringent with money, I feel like many of the fans would be content with that if the board had any connections with its fans. No communication, no updates, nothing. I think what is necessary, as sections of the Widnes fans is 'Betts Out' and sections aren't, the board need to update us and tell us whether they have faith in Betts. Me, personally, i don't think even Ivan Cleary or Wayne Bennett can do anything with this squad, How is Betts able to pull off top 8 with half the squad thats never been able to pull off a pct over .500 since coming back into super league and half the squad consisted of the academy. Any Hull fan who was there Thursday would of told you the state of the atmosphere in that crowd. Even before the game it looked like we were deflated. Widnes fans are so divided at the moment. A record low super league crowd for the Halton Stadium was at Salford, 4,007 i believe. So... as the kids were on half term on Thursday, why didn't they do something like kids get in free if an adult buys a ticket. Screw the money, lets face it, the mean age of the widnes crowd is above retirement age anyway and this would have been a great way of getting families there who couldnt afford to take the kids out during half term, we live in a working class town and this is a working class game, maybe something they should of thought about. What we didnt need was another record low crowd. Many will say that its a thursday night and maybe wigan or wire would have brought more away fans. But Hull turned up well IMO, i have seen alot worse. I think 2 unlucky seasons with injuries, divided fans, probably lowest average age squad and no communication from board to fans are all the problems with Widnes. Also half-back pairing Mellor and Gilmore has been a talking point of the fans. I believe squads should have one conservative half back and one half back with flair. Brown and Mellor complemented eachother perfectly, when we needed to calm things down, Mellor took over, when we needed to ramp things up, Brown was the main guy. However Mellor and Gilmore don't seem to work well together because they have similar assets of skill. GIlmore gets much of the criticism because he is the 'replacement' of Brown and the pressure on the kid is unfair. The one thing that will solve the crisis, Championship rugby, i like the championship and thoroughly enjoyed it when i was a kid before we got back. The 'transition' that is happening that includes implementing 7/8/9 academy players per round will only be better in the championship, give them some confidence, i know they can do well, they just need time before playing against senior players and especially in 'must-win' games when the pressure is at its maximum, they just dont have experience to go the distance. This is what turns away fans, when must-win games, i.e Hull KR last week are lost. And fans just look at the scoreline (31-12) and think wow if we cant beat KR then how do we beat FC. Well 12-10 up with 15 to go and all 4 subs injured and you expect academy players to go and win away in that muvch of a tense game. No chance.

2 Super League games in 2 nights where i have questioned the level of quality of our 'elite' competition. I have been playing, coaching and watching super league my whole life and last night was the first time I have ever turned off a game from complete boredom. Hull KR and Catalans in that first half were abysmal and that game doesn't deserve to a super league game, but then again what does? We talk about the Australian game and how we could catch up, yet Leeds (Which i would say is our best side in super league) fell apart this morning and i don't see the 2 sides putting up a fight tomorrow. I am a Widnes fan so i'm not just having a go at the teams below us for not making the competition 'elite' enough. Tonight's game was not as bad as Thursday nights but not much better. Less handling errors but honestly ask yourselves, what team posed a threat to the opposition tonight? How many line breaks were there in that game? 2/3? I don't remember many and was that because of good defences - No. Summary: -Hull KR still look like a championship side - Catalans look like an amateur side - Australian game leaps and bounds above ours with no way of catching up - Warrington are a shadow of their former selves (at least in my opinion as biased as it is) - And for Widnes, i'm all for youth academies, but relying on youth week in week out is not what you do in an 'elite' league. Maybe i'm pessimistic but I just want the league to be better, The league that's being broadcasted and labelled the 'elite' in our country is so far not up to standard. We want bigger and better marketing deals for this game and we want to propel it worldwide, maybe sort out the quality on the field too because this is the worst class of rugby teams i have known since I was born (2000 btw). Oh and don't get me started on the refs. I'm not one to blame the refs for defeats and i'm not going to, but the amount of times Eddie or Barry or Terry tonight questioned the decision of the Ref, for both teams mind you, was appalling.