grumpyoldram

Not sure the club have covered themselves in glory in dealing with a fantastic servant to the game, and to the club. Still a fans favourite, I have the depressing feeling his contribution to the club will not be marked by the recognition it deserves, but by a non too subtle push into retirement. In an irrelevant competition, which is essentially a collection of meaningless friendlies, Sykesy should have been given the opportunity to give the fans a few more memories of a Dewsbury legend.

Sometimes the RFL do get it right. Congratulations Paul - and heartfelt thanks for your dedication to the cause.

Should still be getting a game IMO, even if only off the bench. I think to let him just drift out of the game would be disrespectful. Will he get a testimonial ?

Yep, the way things are going, by 2028 all that will be left will be a 16 team SL, and a two team championship, comprised of the ever thrifty Dewsbury and Batley. As things stand, that will guarantee the Rams a top two finish every year, but could also mean we are bottom every year.

All well and good if you have dainty dexterous little fingers, and can still pick your nose, but if you are a coffin dodger with fingers like blind cobblers thumbs, iphones are a challenge. Add to that the bane of predictive text and I’d sooner not bother with the forum at all

Has Piggy’s Mate started following the Rams then ?

Never thought of that. Means we now have no chance of meeting them in the challenge cup final at Wembley though.

Terrible news. Feel for their supporters, and their absence will leave a hole in our own finances this season. Hope they are back in the fold next season, we can’t afford to lose such a grand old club - god forbid they go the way of Bramley.

Just out of curiosity, who do you think will have the best, most successful team in 26 ? Poor, rudderless, bankrupt, down on their uppers Fev, or well managed but financially limited Dewsbury ? No criticism, I wouldn’t have it any other way, but I do get a bit fed up with some posters telling me clubs were spending money they didn’t have, and would probably be folding imminently (take your pick here) : Donny, Eagles, Fax, Salford, any of the development clubs, and now apparently Fev, and yet they will still be chucking money at recruitment next season. Just saying.

Aye but that was cutting edge plumbing. You must remember the facilities at Barley Mow, the old Bramley ground. This consisted of a length of guttering stretched between two posts. A length of hessian sacking was stretched between the posts to preserve the dignity of the customers. The problem was, that to access the turnstiles, you had to walk across the front of the sacking, and run the gauntlet of the cloud of gypsies kiss generated by a row of pressurised bladders. Not a pleasant experience in the depths of winter. Those in the know walked behind the urinators to stay dry. Happy days.

And he will still most likely be the most creative and classy back in the squad. Probably the fittest too. Well done Paul, at least I now feel a bit more optimistic.

Have a feeling we have come full circle and back to the first season of Mark’s rescue act. Don’t feel quite as optimistic as I did back then though.

Absolutely gutted at the fev situation. A league without fev is unthinkable. Soft spot for them since “that final” when they shoved it up moneybags Hull (I was there). Great weekend with the fev faithful. If there is any justice they will survive. Fingers crossed guys.

Sorry, I was assuming a merged division was nailed on. If that is not the case apologies, I don’t follow the forum (or the game) as avidly as I used to.

The good old days when both HW forums were spiced with humour and good natured banter ? Poor old Coolie is still hamstrung by the thought police and Piggy’s mate has bailed out. Maybe normal service will be resumed when we join you next season.

Neither did he invest heavily in keeping the club in the Championship in 2024, when everybody from the bookies to the players themselves knew we were always hot favourites for the drop. Makes me wonder if Mark is really Mystic Meg in disguise or just a smart cookie with his finger on the pulse.As they say, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

Yes, but how often did they take her advice.

As a long term supporter, two people personified the club for me. Jack Addy and Elsie Fryer. I doubt Elsie will be up there resting in peace - more likely shouting her customary encouragement from beyond. Thanks Elsie.

I read this article with real interest. I’ve got to say those knee supports they are advertising look really good.

"However I'm not one for blaming the coach here, he can only work with what he has." At the risk of stating the obvious, Paul March was the one who signed most of what he has to work with. He signed the fringe players from the side that let us down so badly in the 23/24 season, amateurs used to playing in the second tier of the conference, a few journeymen, and the three players who are still the stand outs when they play - Fergie, sykes and Day. They appear to be ignored at the whim of the coach, regardless of their on field performances. Fact remains, it's a bad workman that blames his tools, particularly if he buys them from poundstretcher. I feel sorry for MS, who has given us twenty years of rugby that we might not have otherwise enjoyed, and I am still grateful to him for his continued generous financial input, but I do wish he was a decent judge of a coach.

This is the one I meant. Michael Hunte came to England from the Caribbean in 1957, aged 12. A natural at rugby at school and then for Lockwood ARLFC in Huddersfield, he went on to represent Yorkshire and England at open age in the amateur game. Hunte became Wakefield Trinity’s first black player in 1966, where he spent most of his professional career, although he was regularly hampered by knee problems. He returned to the amateur game with Eastmoor and had a short spell with Dewsbury in 1977.

I am probably wrong, but I was referring to ex Dewsbury kit man, and the former Wakefield flier who turned out for us in the mid seventies on his gammy leg a few times, and he was still quicker than the rest of the team. Wasn’t Billy eighties ?

I’d settle for a Billy Pickup.Or even a Michael Hunte (for the even older ones).

The point is that the residents bought a house next to a rugby ground, what did they expect. The tenants of the new development will be doing the same. The “local community” friendly council will almost certainly uphold the complaints, and restrict the clubs efforts to trade. If the occupants of the development had bought houses on a new build next door to Manchester airport, would they be pushing the council to restrict flights to 9 - 5 pm Monday to Friday because of the racket ? Actually they probably would.