Who going to be playing for us next season

[colinb]

15 hours ago, phildog said:

9'Oller...no.9 Archie Bruce fetch him in. Wasn't there a handy forward a mate of his from Moor?

Toulouse perhaps??

[DOGFATHER]

2 hours ago, Keep The Faith said:

Ashton has just signed for Warrington from swinton 

I doubt we will any of the players you’ve mentioned 

Pity about him, he looked useful.

[Lone Drinker]

2 hours ago, 9' oller said:

Rumours of disharmony in dressing room....

I’ve spoken to three players in the past couple of weeks who all spoke very highly of him, one who said he’s the best coach they’ve ever had.

Are there actually rumours or are some people assuming there is disharmony?

[9' oller]

Not sure if your being sarky. But. Here goes.

We're those 3 in his cliq and immune from being dropped.

I know ash Lindsay used to bemoan Kears "school teacher" approach. John presumably came across as mature/wise/strict and certainly not one of the lads.

The 3 years are up. Why reward him or persevere

[toffeedog]

We need a change we didn't beat dewsbury sorry they threw it away 14  0 up they scored two quick trays we looked well shaky till they knocked on then he got him self sinbinned and then Knowles did same it was stupid on there part but lucky.on ours . To.play.louie at fullback and one hooker was stupid yes it worked at rochdale but we shipped in 26 points. You should play your best 13 every week he tinkered and we could have been looking at relegation but we won so of course he takes credit we lose he blames the players not his tactics 

[phildog]

Sorry Colin?

[silverback]

you dont need to ask players,i know a few who reckon hes pap and have said for years before he came to us,but lets look at some a the quality players who looked better before they came here,or even how well those that left have kicked on with the game in enjoyment and looking good again, for me its the 0 against bulls, and the fact we should be at wembley or at least a put a fight up,but to not even score a try in such an important game for the history and what it would a ment for fans and a day out we never see again.he failed in all departments for me, we have to get away from one a the lads and nights on lash,have fun as a squad all day long but lets get a bit a fighting spirit back on the pitch first and make the mount a place teams dred coming to,lets get back to looking forward to a fev or fax game without wandering how many start we need, funs been gone a while now so for gods sake bod please get us back on track and stand by the fans for once not someone who aint up to the job from day one.i aint going thru same old same next year thats for sure.

[RogerT]

phildog, I started the list for signed on players on the 3rd of September 2018 for the 2019 season, so don't hold your breath.

[colinb]

1 hour ago, phildog said:

Sorry Colin?

Judging by team selections this year...Bizarre ones.....wouldn't be surprised to see Bruce selected for this trip. Like I said ....Bizarre....nothing will surprise me this season.

[Blind side johnny]

4 hours ago, DOGFATHER said:

Pity about him, he looked useful.

And they paid a big transfer fee - has was under contract for 2020. Drop your sights a bit DF.

[DOGFATHER]

1 hour ago, Blind side johnny said:

And they paid a big transfer fee - has was under contract for 2020. Drop your sights a bit DF.

I thought he'd be a shoe in, he could have even shared a lift to training with Galbraith, Taira and Yates.

Back to the drawing board then.

[DOGFATHER]

9 hours ago, 9' oller said:

Matts natural tenure has expired it hasn't worked. (3 yr generous anyway) Rumours of disharmony in dressing room and 100's unhappy species floating away.

I get the "be realistic" angle of we are never gonna be rewarded with "qualifiers" money and exposure again. Nor should we have a god given right to expect to be in top half of league.

I'm not even concerned with our lack of ambition or just exist to starve off relegation as we aren't alone amongst many clubs predicament feasting on scraps.

The club is starting to feel like an old boys club. Either with us and keep schtum or walk away you won't be missed. How much patience do bissa supporters clubs and various other volunteers need to keep before the cracks become unrepairable

How can you be sure Matt's natural tenure has expired and it hasn't worked? Nobody, except the BOD and Diskin will know what his targets and KPI's are. He may have been targeted with simply avoiding relegation for 3 years. If this was the case, then he has passed with flying colours. He would have been crazy to have accepted the job, if his target was to get in to the SL playoffs every year, as some seem to think we should be. 

Unlike us, Bradford for example, should really see missing out on the playoffs as a disastrous season. They get huge gates in comparison to us, have 22 FT players in the squad, an exceptional coach with bags of experience, and a playing budget likely to be in the top 5 in the division. Even they didn't set Kear a target of reaching the playoffs this year.

If there had been a really good and viable alternative available, likely to do a far better job than Diskin, I'm sure the BOD would have taken action to replace him. Just like they would with any of the playing staff. For example when Parcell was available from Leeds, if he had cost the same, or less than Leaky, and was willing to come, they would have tried to signed him. Problem is, he wouldn't have come for the same or less money, because he is good enough to play in SL and command more money. 

Many supporters have been trying to come up with possible replacements for nearly 3 years now. So far, not one of the names mentioned, has even remotely convinced me that they would be able to do a better job than Diskin has. The ones that have been mentioned who have a good and current track record, that are likely to do a better job, are highly unlikely to be remotely affordable. 

So what do you do then, replace him for the sake of it, with somebody like Alan Kilshaw for example, who is probably affordable and available? A coach whose only tactic revolves around laying on the floor pretending to be injured. No thanks, better the devil you know. 

[Dogstew]

On 13/08/2019 at 20:12, Bulldog Days said:

I respect your viewpoint DF, however  the 4 players you quote may have other motivating factors other than Diskin - maybe they like what the Club stands for, which is far bigger than any individual Coach.

My point is focused on the quality of coaching, which is not up to a top 6 Championship Club standard, where we should be with the players. In our squad. We took a gamble on Diskin (I suspect for  reasons of economy) which has not paid off over a fair period of 3 years, especially when you consider where we were at the time of his appointment.

Dogfather loves Diskin.

Who could do a better job? He”s a coaching and motivational genius that Batley are lucky to have. Not responsible or accountable for anything. Done the best job ever with the resources available. Not at all arrogant or overblown.

.....and then I woke up and saw the reality.

If you keep doing the same things then you will get the same outcomes. Or worse if nothing is learnt along the way.

2019 season has been pretty dire from this supporter’s viewpoint - with avoiding relegation and a small handful of inspiring performances being the highlights. It will be great to hear what the club’s plans are for next season. 

[Bulldog Days]

50 minutes ago, DOGFATHER said:

How can you be sure Matt's natural tenure has expired and it hasn't worked? Nobody, except the BOD and Diskin will know what his targets and KPI's are. He may have been targeted with simply avoiding relegation for 3 years. If this was the case, then he has passed with flying colours. He would have been crazy to have accepted the job, if his target was to get in to the SL playoffs every year, as some seem to think we should be. 

Unlike us, Bradford for example, should really see missing out on the playoffs as a disastrous season. They get huge gates in comparison to us, have 22 FT players in the squad, an exceptional coach with bags of experience, and a playing budget likely to be in the top 5 in the division. Even they didn't set Kear a target of reaching the playoffs this year.

If there had been a really good and viable alternative available, likely to do a far better job than Diskin, I'm sure the BOD would have taken action to replace him. Just like they would with any of the playing staff. For example when Parcell was available from Leeds, if he had cost the same, or less than Leaky, and was willing to come, they would have tried to signed him. Problem is, he wouldn't have come for the same or less money, because he is good enough to play in SL and command more money. 

Many supporters have been trying to come up with possible replacements for nearly 3 years now. So far, not one of the names mentioned, has even remotely convinced me that they would be able to do a better job than Diskin has. The ones that have been mentioned who have a good and current track record, that are likely to do a better job, are highly unlikely to be remotely affordable. 

So what do you do then, replace him for the sake of it, with somebody like Alan Kilshaw for example, who is probably affordable and available? A coach whose only tactic revolves around laying on the floor pretending to be injured. No thanks, better the devil you know. 

As I replied to you earlier DF, not interested in how Bradford, Toronto, or anyone else are performing, the focus of these posts is around our performances over the season. 

Are you saying that the Club & BOD have accepted this level of performance as the norm, also accepting that there is no better Coach out there that could replace Diskin and improve performances? Maybe it is all about low cost/lower quality, but surely it is a no brainer to invest in a Coach that could get more out of a squad that has quality and development potential,? By the way DF, and I don't see many postings on our forum advocating the appointment of Alan Kilshaw!

[DOGFATHER]

9 hours ago, Dogstew said:

Dogfather loves Diskin.

Who could do a better job? He”s a coaching and motivational genius that Batley are lucky to have. Not responsible or accountable for anything. Done the best job ever with the resources available. Not at all arrogant or overblown.

.....and then I woke up and saw the reality.

If you keep doing the same things then you will get the same outcomes. Or worse if nothing is learnt along the way.

2019 season has been pretty dire from this supporter’s viewpoint - with avoiding relegation and a small handful of inspiring performances being the highlights. It will be great to hear what the club’s plans are for next season. 

Please can you highlight where I have posted this?

I will be ecstatic when we replace Diskin, and all of the current players for that matter, provided we replace them with better ones than we already have. The problem is, so far, even with your incredible insight, and unbelievable knowledge of the inner workings of the sport, you still haven't found an alternative that I believe is likely to do a better job. 

I'm apathetic towards the coach, please convince me that you know of someone that is likely to come to us, within budget and state how and why they are guaranteed to do a better job? I will back you to the hilt on it, I'm all ears.

This season has been shockingly bad, but whereas you are convinced Diskin is the worst coach ever to grace the game. The truth is, there are undoubtedly better and worse coaches out there. There are currently 4 in the division with a worse record this season for example. Which is not to say they are worse coaches, but they have hardly projected themselves as being the answer either.

What if we replace him with somebody worse? That is a pretty big gamble to take, given that the funding is likely to be pulled in L1 when the next tv is sorted out. Especially since 4 of our best players have stuck with the club with the likelihood of him being in charge next season. The players are closest to all of the goings on, and they are visibly backing him and the club by signing on for another year. So despite the made up rubbish you read on here, the better end of the players we needed and wanted to keep have started to re-sign for us. 

[Bulldog Days]

22 minutes ago, DOGFATHER said:

Please can you highlight where I have posted this?

I will be ecstatic when we replace the Diskin, and all of the current players for that matter, provided we replace them with better ones than we already have. The problem is, so far, even with your incredible insight, and unbelievable knowledge of the inner workings of the sport, you still have found an alternative that I believe is likely to do a better job. 

I'm apathetic towards the coach, please convince me that you know of someone that is likely to come to us, within budget and state how and why they are guaranteed to do a better job? I will back you to the hilt on it, I'm all ears.

This season has been shockingly bad, but whereas you are convinced Diskin is the worst coach ever to grace the game. The truth is, there are undoubtedly better and worse coaches out there.

What if we replace him with somebody worse? That is a pretty big gamble to take, given that the funding is likely to be pulled in L1 when the next tv is sorted out. Especially since 4 of our best players have stuck with the club with the likelihood of him being in charge next season. The players are closest to all of the goings on, and they are visibly backing him and the club by signing on for another year. So despite the made up rubbish you read on here, the better end of the players we needed and wanted to keep have started to re-sign for us. 

I take on board your point about risk DF. To expand on this, the whole sport of RL is becoming a 'risk', where Clubs have to take 'risks' outside their comfort zones to progress, develop, and compete to attract people to their stadiums. Quite simply, it has now become a risk not to take risks, to achieve any realistic level of funding/prize & placement money from the pot offered to the game by TV & sponsors.

[DOGFATHER]

12 hours ago, Bulldog Days said:

As I replied to you earlier DF, not interested in how Bradford, Toronto, or anyone else are performing, the focus of these posts is around our performances over the season. 

Are you saying that the Club & BOD have accepted this level of performance as the norm, also accepting that there is no better Coach out there that could replace Diskin and improve performances? Maybe it is all about low cost/lower quality, but surely it is a no brainer to invest in a Coach that could get more out of a squad that has quality and development potential,? By the way DF, and I don't see many postings on our forum advocating the appointment of Alan Kilshaw!

I absolutely 100% agree with you. 

The standout word in your sentence above is could. 

We could bring in somebody else who might do a better job. We could also bring in someone who might do a far worse job too.

There are currently 4 teams in the division with a worse record than us. Would you want any of them?

There are 9 teams in the league, with a better record. Which of these coaches would you pick?

I cannot see how we could persuade any of them to join us, given the budget they would have to work with at Batley, will be lower than the one they will have if they stay with their current club.

5 out of these 9 are also full time, so we would not be able to afford them. That leaves Ford at York, Carr at Fev, Grix at Halifax and Aston at Sheffield. I really cannot see us being able to attract any of them either. If we could get Ford, I'd be all for it. But we won't.

There are 12 coaches in SL, that will be on far more money than we could pay. So they are a write off. 

There are 11 coaches in L1 who would probably come, but which ones would you want, as they are not coaching at the same level, and pose almost as big a risk as Diskin was 3 years ago. 

There are the SL assistant coaches I guess, but most will be full time and on more money as an assistant than they would as head coach here, they are also likely to be a write off. 

Then there are those coaches that failed, like Betts, Kilshaw and Pryce, the retiring players that want to chance their arm at coaching and those that have been out of the game for a long time. What makes you think any of these guys would be able to do any better than Diskin has?

That is where I have the issue with replacing him. If there was somebody out there that really fits the bill, I would be agreeing with you, in saying we should get rid. I also understand your viewpoint on risk, but it has to be a calculated risk IMO. At the moment, with the names mentioned, it is not a calculated risk, it is just an outright gamble.

My shortlist is pretty much down to Lingard, who I think did a good job at Keighley, but I'm not convinced he is any better than what we have and is unproven at this level.

With such a big decision, I would hope to have somebody lined up who is a little more proven and almost guaranteed to be better than what we have. 

[Dogstew]

8 hours ago, DOGFATHER said:

Please can you highlight where I have posted this?

I will be ecstatic when we replace Diskin, and all of the current players for that matter, provided we replace them with better ones than we already have. The problem is, so far, even with your incredible insight, and unbelievable knowledge of the inner workings of the sport, you still haven't found an alternative that I believe is likely to do a better job. 

I'm apathetic towards the coach, please convince me that you know of someone that is likely to come to us, within budget and state how and why they are guaranteed to do a better job? I will back you to the hilt on it, I'm all ears.

This season has been shockingly bad, but whereas you are convinced Diskin is the worst coach ever to grace the game. The truth is, there are undoubtedly better and worse coaches out there. There are currently 5 in the division with a worse record this season for example. Which is not to say they are worse coaches, but they have hardly projected themselves as being the answer either.

What if we replace him with somebody worse? That is a pretty big gamble to take, given that the funding is likely to be pulled in L1 when the next tv is sorted out. Especially since 4 of our best players have stuck with the club with the likelihood of him being in charge next season. The players are closest to all of the goings on, and they are visibly backing him and the club by signing on for another year. So despite the made up rubbish you read on here, the better end of the players we needed and wanted to keep have started to re-sign for us. 

More endless blab, if mildly entertaining.

Comment is free.

[DOGFATHER]

4 minutes ago, Dogstew said:

More endless blab, if mildly entertaining.

Comment is free.

Insightful as ever  congratulations!

[graham fisher]

What about Barry Eaton? Currently out of work and would jump at the chance of coaching Batley

[Blind side johnny]

9 hours ago, Bulldog Days said:

I take on board your point about risk DF. To expand on this, the whole sport of RL is becoming a 'risk', where Clubs have to take 'risks' outside their comfort zones to progress, develop, and compete to attract people to their stadiums. Quite simply, it has now become a risk not to take risks, to achieve any realistic level of funding/prize & placement money from the pot offered to the game by TV & sponsors.

May I just disagree with this philosophy as it implies that taking risks results only in reward whilst ignoring the commensurate hazard. By implication taking a bigger risk results in greater reward so should be the only plan of action.

I believe that casinos thrive on this line of thought.

A strategic plan isn't a risk though and, if it is a good one and followed without wavering, can produce tangible long-term benefits.

[phildog]

Dogfather, your point on who we could expect as a coach and what it would cost....we got John Kear, just out of a SL job, didn't put the club out of business!!

[DOGFATHER]

14 minutes ago, phildog said:

Dogfather, your point on who we could expect as a coach and what it would cost....we got John Kear, just out of a SL job, didn't put the club out of business!!

No I haven't, I am simply asking for the name of a coach that is likely to come, that is significantly better than the guy we have!!

[Keep The Faith]

24 minutes ago, DOGFATHER said:

No I haven't, I am simply asking for the name of a coach that is likely to come, that is significantly better than the guy we have!!

John Sharp, Brian Noble and Denis Betts 

[DOGFATHER]

4 hours ago, Keep The Faith said:

John Sharp, Brian Noble and Denis Betts 

Brian Noble has cushy number at Toronto, therefore very unlikely to want to coach us. Jon Sharpe would be welcome with open arms, but what makes you think he would be remotely interested in coaching Batley? Plus his history with the club is hardly exemplary. Denis Betts has a worse win/loss record than Diskin, so no thanks. 

Why don't we just get Justin Holbrook in? It is almost as likely to happen!