Lee Radford is frustrated by his inability to turn Castleford Tigers into a more consistent outfit in his time in charge so far.
The former Hull FC coach took charge of a club that had finished eighth and seventh in their previous two campaigns under Daryl Powell.
And the Tigers are in a similar spot this season on the fringes of the play-offs, having won six and lost eight following Saturday’s defeat to Wigan Warriors.
Radford admits that it will take longer for him to turn the Tigers into a side capable of producing results and performances on a more regular basis.
“We’re not consistent, we haven’t been for three years,” he said.
“We’re average. Win one, lose one. It’s where the team is, where the club is.
“We’re working really hard to try and minimise that gap between our best and worst.
“But I’m eight months in and it’s probably going to take longer than that, looking at how we’re going.”
It is not only consistency between matches but within them that is an issue, after a Wigan game that saw them start impressively and lead 12-0 before collapsing to the tune of 32 unanswered points.
“There’s a huge gap between us and them at the moment,” said Radford.
“Our inability to get in the trenches when it gets tough is a real concern and that was probably the case (against Wigan).”
The Tigers lost halfback Gareth O’Brien to a calf injury against the Warriors at half-time and Radford is waiting to learn more about the extent of the problem.
If O’Brien is unavailable for next Sunday’s trip to Toulouse Olympique, Danny Richardson could be in line for a first appearance since suffering a neck injury in the opening round of the season.
Castleford will continue to be without Jake Mamo this week, with the centre back home in Australia on compassionate leave.
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