Swinton Lions 2017 Squad: Part Three

With the season just over two weeks away we continue to assess the Swinton Lions squad which is aiming to make the top four in the Championship.

Second-row Matt Sarsfield is an impressive addition to John Duffy's squad and comes with a fine try-scoring record.

Sarsfield played for England Schoolboys against Australia as a youngster and was on Wigan's books before moving to Huddersfield. Unable to make a breakthrough with the Giants, he gained gametime with a loan at Dewsbury in 2011.

But it was in 2013 that the mobile forward made a name for himself with a loan spell with the Lions. His try-scoring exploits playing at the Lions' temporary home Leigh Sports Village impressed the locals sufficiently to earn a move to the Centurions.

In 2014 Sarsfield was a regular as Leigh won the Championship by beating Featherstone in the Grand Final at Headingley. Unfortunately the following season injury struck and Sarsfield could only watch on as Leigh defended the Championship crown but fell short in their promotion bid.

After his release from Leigh Sarsfield joined Salford for 2016 but couldn't win a regular place in the side. He had a successful loan stint at Halifax where he scored seven tries in just nine appearances.

Sarsfield's signature is a major coup for Swinton and he's already demonstrating in pre-season what fans can look forward to this year.

Andy Thornley is another Swinton player with Wigan connections. He came through the Wigan system but didn't break into the first team. It was for Salford whom he made a try-scoring Super League debut against St Helens in 2009. Thornley won further experience with a loan at Whitehaven where he impressed enough to become a regular in 2010.

in 2011 'Chest' signed for Leigh where he became a staple of the side for three seasons. In 2014 Thornley lost his place in the Centurions side and had a loan spell with Swinton. Towards the end of the season he was handed a ban for breaching RFL betting rules and couldn't play again until midway through the 2015 season.

Thornley signed for Swinton and over the last 18 months has become Mr Reliable for John Duffy's side as they won promotion from League One and secured their place in the Championship. Thornley rarely has a poor game and his consistency makes him a contender to be club captain for the 2017 season.

The Saddleworth Rangers junior came through the Leeds academy and he made his Super League debut for the Rhinos in 2014 against the London Broncos. White spent time on loan at Gloucester All Golds before being released by Leeds at the end of 2014.

He signed for Swinton and immediately became first choice half-back, eventually forming a good partnership with Chris Atkin. The highlight of the season for White was a last second drop-goal to equalise against York City Knights and send the game into golden point extra time. Of course the Lions went on to win that game and secure promotion by beating Keighley in the play-off final. White performances earned him wider recognition as he was nominated for League One Player of the Year for 2015.

Last season the White/Atkin axis continued as Swinton avoided relegation. With the addition of Grant Gore into the squad White faces serious competition for a starting place in the team.

Andy Bracek is the experienced head in what is largely a young pack. He made his professional debut way back in 2004 for St Helens but made a name for himself at Warrington where he made 61 appearances between 2005 and 2008.

After leaving the Wolves Bracek signed for Barrow who at the time were a strong Championship outfit. In 2009 he played a big part as the Raiders won the Championship Grand Final and reached the Northern Rail Cup final.

Strong form in Cumbria earned Bracek another crack at Super League with the doomed Crusaders in 2011. That year also brought one of the highlights of his career playing for Wales in the Four Nations.

A return to Barrow who by this point were in decline meant dropping into League One for the first time in his career. But Bracek was offered a way out by Halifax in 2013. He made 88 appearances over three seasons at The Shay where he became a favourite because of his never-say-die attitude and aggressive tackling.

Last season after finding opportunities diminishing in Richard Marshall's side, Bracek was loaned to Swinton, a move which became permanent after a string of strong displays. After losing Mike Morrison last season the Lions are reliant on Bracek's experience, especially when the going is tough.

Anthony Bate played his amateur rugby at Thatto Heath before joining Leigh. The second-row forward made his debut for the Centurions in 2013 and made plenty of appearances for the club, mainly coming off the bench. Bate scored a try in the 2013 Northern Rail Cup win over Sheffield which he describes as the highlight of his career so far.

As Leigh continued to invest in their squad Bate's appearances became less frequent and he moved to Barrow in 2015 where he became a mainstay of the side in League One alongside fellow new recruit Chris Hankinson. Bate faces a lot of competition for a place in the side, the Lions have plenty of options in the second row, but he's made a good start to pre-season scoring his first try for the club against North Wales Crusaders.

Swinton Lions 2017 Squad: Part Two

We continue to look at the squad Swinton Lions coach John Duffy has put together for the new season. In this instalment we look at squad numbers 6-10.

Former Widnes half-back Grant Gore arrives with a reputation as a dangerous kicker and strong in defence.

Wigan-born Gore started at Widnes where he won Academy Player of the Year in 2010 and made his professional debut in 2011. But it wasn't until 2013 when he found more regular playing time with loans to Workington and South Wales as well as Super League experience with the Vikings.

Gore's real breakthrough though came in 2015 with a loan spell at Whitehaven. After crossing for seven tries in 23 games, the Cumbrian side made the move permanent. Last season Gore was a fixture in the side as Haven were relegated, his last try coming against the Lions on the final day of the season.

The stand-off needs no introduction to Lions supporters having made a huge impact at the club over the last few seasons.

Another graduate of the Widnes academy system, Atkin played for England Students at the 2013 Student World Cup whilst studying at Liverpool John Moores University.

The following year he signed for Swinton and managed eight tries in 13 appearances as the Lions were relegated from the Championship. Those performances impressed John Duffy enough to earn another contract and Atkin had a 2015 to remember. Early in the season he set a club record by hitting 13 goals and scoring 34 points in a Challenge Cup game against London Skolars, a record that was beaten just a few weeks later by Ian Mort!

After starting the season at full-back, Atkin made the stand-off position his own and in the play-offs he was to earn himself a place in Swinton history with two crucial drop-goals. First he scored the golden point which saw off York in the semi-final. And then in the final at Widnes, Atkin again scored a match-winning drop goal to see off Keighley 29-28.

Last season his reputation continued to grow with opposition coaches regularly earmarking him as a threat. Atkin won Lions Player of the Year for 2016 and showed his knack for dramatic moments again by setting up a last minute Stuart Littler try and then converting to win a vital two points at Sheffield in the Championship Shield.

Rob Lever came through the Wigan academy where he won Young Player of the Year in 2013. His professional debut though was for South Wales and he also gained experience with a loan to Workington in 2014.

Unable to break into the Wigan side, Lever came to Swinton in 2015 on an initial loan. He made an immediate impact with his big hits rushing out of the line popular among supporters. Lever won Lions Young Player of the Year as he helped the team to promotion with an excellent display in the play-off final.

John Duffy wasted no time in signing Lever who can play anywhere in the pack following his release from Wigan at the end of the 2015 season.

Competition for places throughout the team looks strong and nowhere is that more true than at hooker. The number 9 shirt has been given to Anthony Nicholson who will be keen to have a good year after injury disrupted his first season at the club.

Nicholson has experience touring Australia with GB Community Lions under-18s and spent time in the Wigan set-up playing for the under-20s. After moving to Leigh, the hooker made his debut in 2010 but couldn't nail down a starting spot in the team. Following a loan at Barrow in 2013, Nicholson moved to Batley in search of first team rugby.

His two seasons with the Bulldogs were spent mostly as change hooker and in 2016 he re-united with former Leigh team-mate John Duffy at Swinton. Unfortunately for Nicholson his debut season with the Lions ended early due to a bad injury and he played his last game at the start of June.

Another player who endured an injury-hit first season with the Lions is prop-forward Jordan Hand.

A product of the St Helens academy, Hand made his Super League debut in 2013 and gained further first team experience with loans at Rochdale and Whitehaven.

The following season Hand gained more extensive Championship experience with a return to Whitehaven before Wakefield gave him another taste of top flight rugby in 2015.

In 2016 Hand joined Swinton and won fans with his aggressive style and strong defence. An injury midway through the campaign hampered his progress and he'll be looking for a strong 2017 as a key part of a young pack.

Coming soon: Numbers 11-15

Stats from: http://www.loverugbyleague.com

Swinton Lions 2017 Squad: Part One

With Swinton Lions' squad numbers being announced and the first friendly game this weekend it seems a good time to start looking at the squad John Duffy has assembled for 2017. We start here with the squad numbers 1-5.

Jack looks likely to be first choice full-back after a season where the Lions had a few players fill the role with nobody really nailing down the spot as their own.

He started out with Wigan where he made a try-scoring Super League debut in a 22-30 defeat to Bradford in 2012. Lions team-mate Rhodri Lloyd also featured for the Cherry-and-Whites that day.

Unable to take the full-back position off Sam Tomkins, Murphy gained further experience with loans at Salford and South Wales in 2013. His debut for the Welsh side was a memorable victory over Rochdale in which he scored 14 points and won Man of the Match.

The following season Murphy moved to Workington where he became a very reliable player racking up more than 80 appearances over the past three years. Lions fans may remember he scored at Heywood Road last season though thankfully the home side won the game.

Fans' favourite Robbo retains his number 2 shirt for 2017.

Robinson made his professional debut for Oldham in 2011 in a heavy defeat to Steve McCormack's Lions who would go on to win the Championship One title. Aside from that tough start he had a good first year notching 8 tries from 19 appearances.

Injuries hampered the winger's progress the following season but Robinson got back on track with a spell at Oxford where he scored 11 tries in 17 appearances playing alongside future Lion Jimmy Rowland.

That good form earned a move to Rochdale for the 2014 season but it was after joining Swinton in 2015 that Robinson really made a name for himself. In the League One promotion campaign, Robinson was prolific playing outside the experienced Stuart Littler and ran in more than 20 tries including the Lions' final try of the dramatic final win over Keighley.

Last season didn't bring as many tries but Robinson's popularity continued to grow, his commitment never in doubt. One of the highlights of the memorable win at Mount Pleasant was Robinson dumping Batley centre Shaun Squires into touch.

Chris Hankinson signs from Barrow where he picked up two gongs at their 2016 presentation night.

Goal-kicking centre Hankinson started at Leigh where he made his debut alongside Matt Sarsfield in 2014.

With opportunities at LSV hard to come by, Hankinson went to Barrow for the 2015 season and it was during this year he caught John Duffy's eye as the Raiders thrashed Swinton 50-12 on a windy night in Cumbria. With 9 tries in 24 appearances Hankinson had found a settled position at Barrow who retained his services last season.

Again Hankinson continued to impress in 2016, finishing as joint-top try-scorer and kicking a century of goals. Pre-season could be a battle of the goal-kickers as current supremo Chris Atkin competes for the role with the new signing.

Welsh international Lloyd will wear number 4 for Swinton in 2017 which suggests he will be used as a regular centre. The versatile player has played in the second row and at loose forward in the past but maybe his strong running game is better suited to the backs.

Lloyd started at South Wales in 2011 where he impressed Wigan who signed him in 2012. After making his debut for the Warriors he found first team rugby hard to come by and spent much of the next three seasons on loan at Leigh, Widnes, London Broncos and South Wales.

In 2013 Lloyd featured for Wales in the Rugby League World Cup and continues as a mainstay of the Welsh side to this day. In the October last year Wales qualified for the 2017 World Cup in Australia.

It was in 2015 that the Welshman first joined Swinton on loan from Wigan. He played for the Lions in two spells bookending the season and finishing with a strong try-scoring performance in the play-off final at Widnes. Lloyd also spent time that season in Cumbria with Workington and Whitehaven.

At the end of the 2015 season Lloyd was released by Wigan allowing him to make the switch to the Lions permanent. His consistency and versatility make him a great option to have in the squad.

Matt Gardner returns to rugby league for 2017 after time playing rugby union 7s. Gardner is the brother of former St Helens star Ade and qualified to play 7s for Brazil because of their mother.

Gardner's league career is a long one and his experience in the backs is welcome following the retirement of Stuart Littler.

He has lots of Super League experience with London, Castleford and Huddersfield as well as successful spells at the top end of the Championship with Widnes and Leigh.

Lions fans will remember Matt from his last spell in rugby league in 2015 where he played a handful of games at Sedgley Park in the first half of the season. With Liam Marshall reportedly available on dual-registration from Wigan again, Gardner has serious competition for his place in the side.

Coming soon: Numbers 6-10

Stats from: http://www.loverugbyleague.com

The Boys Are Back In Town

The new rugby league season cannot come soon enough

After a domestic season which finished in dramatic style with the Million Pound Game there was a sense of excitement for first the Four Nations and then the 2017 season with Toronto joining League One and Leigh getting another crack at Super League.

The Four Nations was a disaster for the sport. Not withstanding Scotland's excellent efforts, the whole event felt flat and didn't capture the imagination of the general public. So much hinged on England's results and performances that once Shaun Johnson had put on a masterclass of in-goal kicking to defeat the 'Wall of White' (worst nickname in sport?) nobody within the English game really believed they had what was needed to win the tournament.

And so it proved as Australia cruised to another tournament win in front of an Anfield crowd which went in hope of a New Zealand upset. Wayne Bennett was criticised for his interview style, the RFL was criticised for its venue choices, Scotland were criticised for picking players who thought Perth was just a place in Australia. As is often the case in rugby league, hardly anybody had a good word to say about anything.

Since then we've had disputes over England training camps with Kieron Cunningham making it perfectly clear that he sees international rugby league as an inconvenience he could do without. The future of the World Club Challenge was thrown into doubt with NRL sides falling over themselves to decline the invitation. Denny Solomona permanently removed himself from Christmas card lists in the Castleford area by 'retiring' only to rock up at Sale soon afterwards and once again open up calls for scrapping the salary cap, bringing back franchising and getting rid of Toronto before they've even played a game because everything that has gone wrong since 1895 is their fault.

And the coup de grace is the shambles that has become Bradford Bulls. Liquidated just weeks before the season is due to kick off but with a place kept open for a new club by a governing body which frankly is in a no-win situation partly of its own making. Quite how the RFL think stitching together the ashes of Bradford in the space of a few days is a solid foundation on which to build a club is beyond me. They need to step back, analyse and learn from the mistakes made. Rushing back in is akin to falling off a motorbike and jumping back on without looking to see that the reason you fell off is because of a flat tyre.

So that has been the winter for this great sport. My call to all involved in the game is that we draw a line under it. With all the negativity coming out of the game, we have very little right to complain about a lack of positive media coverage.

2017 holds plenty of intrigue. For the first time in the Super 8s system we have seen a side promoted to Super League. How will Leigh cope with the demands of playing full-time teams every week? If the Qualifiers were anything to go by they will feel they have a shot at not just staying in SL but avoiding being in the bottom four altogether. Will we see a revival for Leeds after a tough year saw a dramatic fall from grace for the 2015 treble winners? Will Wigan's consistency see them dominate or could Hull FC or Warrington finally see a new name on the trophy?

In terms of players it will be interesting to see how Declan Patton and George Williams develop. The two are exciting prospects and potential England World Cup stars. Will Slammin' Sam Burgess rediscover his best form? What a story that would be if he could lead England to victory on Australian soil. Excitement for the World Cup may have been dampened by the Four Nations but you never know, it could finally be our year.

Outside Super League, the Championship looks wide open below Hull KR whose excellent season ticket sales are the biggest good news story of the winter and London who have been steadily building for a couple of years. Imagine what a place in the Qualifiers would do for Swinton or Oldham. Toulouse are something of an unknown quantity after stumbling over the promotion line last year and without making the raft of signings many expected. Still, the trip to the South of France was the first fixture every Championship fan looked for. A second strong club in France can only do good for the sport.

Then we have Toronto. It sounds ridiculous. A team in Toronto joining the third tier of a sport within which many regarded Liverpool as an exotic venue for the Four Nations final. The incredulity with which the announcement that the Wolfpack were joining League One was met has subsided although some you sense are desperate for them to fail just so they can say 'I told you so'. If Toronto manage even half of what the hugely convincing Eric Perez is aiming for we could be on to something big. I'll be honest I'm under his spell. If you haven't watched the interview on Rugby League Back Chat I'd urge you to do so.

We have a few weeks left before the gates are opened on the new season. Let's make some noise about how great the sport is. If we as fans, volunteers, players, coaches, administrators don't do it, nobody else will.

You never know, someone might hear it and decide to go to a game. Just as long as the game is in easy reach of the M62 and isn't taking place on a Thursday night or at the AJ Bell (traffic is a nightmare don't you know) or is the 5th time those sides have met or every minute doesn't matter or there are too many Australians on the pitch or if there are not enough Australians on the pitch or if the Bovril is cold or if......

That's Entertainment!

Rugby League's Real Super 8

Rugby League is preparing to embark on its new octo-adventure. Super League and the Championship will soon split into three leagues of eight as promotion and relegation returns to the sport's menu.

It's an innovative and novel development for a sport which has struggled to bridge the gap between full-time and part-time clubs. When the RFL announced the plan it's fair to say reactions within the sport were mixed, but Leigh's impressive growth and cup run have boosted hopes that we may actually see a side promoted. That gap between the elite and the rest could be closing further with the welcome news this week that Sheffield Eagles plan to go full-time in 2016.

The middle eight or the Qualifiers to give it it's proper name is the focus of the sport at the moment. But there is another group of eight teams which takes the RFL's 'Every Minute Matters' mantra to a whole new level. League One reads like a graveyard of fallen giants and expansion clubs but what has emerged this season is an extraordinary race for promotion.

In League One there is no split or blending of the division. The top five teams contest the play-offs with two sides being promoted to the Championship. But with five teams relegated from that level last season and only one team promoted, it was always going to be a tough division to get out of. And so it has proven to be the case as eight teams chase those five play-off spots.

We have the remarkable situation where clubs that are capable of finishing top of the table are in danger of missing out on the play-offs altogether. At the time of writing just six points separates first and eighth place. Here, every second matters. It's almost inevitable that sides will have to be split by points difference.

The league while not being artificially split by the rule-makers is a league of two halves. The expansion clubs haven't been able to compete against the northern clubs but shouldn't be banished to a regional league just yet. What this has meant is that the games between the promotion chasers are real-four pointers and extremely difficult to call.

Keighley set the pace before being pegged back by nemesis Swinton. The Cougars are in second place but with serious injury problems aren't certainties to make the top five. York, without a ground and in a mess off the field actually look the safest bet for a play-off spot despite being in fourth place. A fixture list in which not everyone has the same obstacles in front of them had to favour someone and this season it's York who benefited. That they only have to play ten games against the top eight sides while Swinton, Newcastle and North Wales play 14 times against that same opposition is something that needs to be looked at. Oldham are top but have probably the most difficult run-in along with form side North Wales. Swinton, Barrow, Rochdale and Newcastle are all capable of beating anyone else in this league but have suffered from inconsistency throughout the season.

The clubs in varying states of decay, revival and development are putting on a great show for supporters. With young players making a name for themselves (remember the name Rob Lever) and experienced pros trying to outwit their opponents it's an exciting league to watch. The speed and fitness might not be at Super League levels but that's not why we watch sport. We want to be entertained and in that regard League One's Super Eight is as good as anything those above it can offer.

I Don't Owe You Anything

Why football fans don't deserve the loyalty they demand

"No loyalty, it's all about money these days, I hope we spend well to replace him"

Words Tweeted, Facebooked and Talksported throughout every transfer window. Displaying a total absence of self-awareness the football fan blusters his way through the summer. Departing players are mercenaries, while arrivals who presumably haven't left anywhere to join their new club are welcomed with a photo-op holding the shirt and the usual clichés of joining a 'big club with a great set of fans'.


Footballers go to work and play football for a living. During their 15 year career nearly all will move clubs at some point. It's no different from you or I moving jobs. Except when we move on, we don't get personal abuse and threats from customers of the company we are leaving. A teacher who moves to another school doesn't get former pupils posting vile comments online. So why has it become so common for the bile and anger to overcome football fans?

The supposed death of loyalty seems to be the trigger for so much rage. There is only one loyalty in football and that is of the supporter to their club. Outside of that fans are just about as fickle as any group of people in the world. When a player is doing well we exalt them. Heavy words are so lightly thrown. Players are freely labelled 'heroes' and 'legends'. If he has a bad game we may show limited loyalty and search for excuses. 'He's carrying a knock', 'he needs a rest', 'he's being played out of position' or even the less vindicating 'he's just having an off day'. But such excuses and loyalty have an expiry date. Depending on the bank of goodwill a player has built up this could be several months or just several misplaced passes. 'Get him off!' can become 'get rid of him' in the space of a few weeks. Where is the loyalty then? Heroes of yesterday are quickly forgotten when a new star rolls into town.

What about managers? They'll sign a player and hail him a key part of the clubs plans. If the player doesn't perform he is dropped and eventually sold or released. To managers, players are a commodity. They are bought, used and then moved on when either their usefulness diminishes or is superseded by the money someone else is prepared to give in exchange. There is no loyalty. Circumstances change. A player may sign a four year contract after being told he's at the heart of the manager's plans. Does that mean the player has to start every game for four years? By football fans' own warped concept of loyalty I suspect it does.

Players can expect limited loyalty from supporters and their managers. So why is it demanded of them? It's funny how the loyalty of a departing reserve player is never questioned. But the second a star thinks about moving on and the gossip columns go into overdrive, posters are ripped off walls and shirts are set ablaze.

I've managed to avoid naming names so far but it's inescapable that this post is on the back of two of the summer's big stories so far. First Fabian Delph and the collapsed transfer to Manchester City. The news broke at the end of last week that he was set to move north. Nothing was official or confirmed but paper-talk was enough to get Aston Villa fans (and football fans generally) frothing at the mouth. Without going into the merits of such a move, it was a shining example of why fans' version of loyalty is so misguided. Delph, Villa's captain and player of the year, was subject to personal attacks and labelling based on something that never even happened. As soon as the story of his transfer broke his good play and invaluable contribution to Aston Villa's season was forgotten. Fans were tripping over their keyboards to label him a 'mercenary' and wish him failure in the future. The usual re-writing of history ('he wasn't that good anyway') was barely underway when the deal fell through and Delph announced he was staying. What must he be thinking? Fans turned on him while at the same time screaming for loyalty.

And finally to Raheem Sterling whose move to Manchester City does look like being completed. Liverpool fans stick to the jilted club script: 'only moving for money, we don't need mercenaries, he wasn't very good anyway'. Come the first day of the season they'll be cheering for players signed from other clubs. Fans of these other clubs will be cursing those who left but cheering for their own new arrivals and so on. Dejan Lovren threatened to go on strike if Southampton didn't let him move to Anfield. The Kop made him very welcome. Whether Sterling is a success or not at Manchester City is irrelevant. He played well for Liverpool and has moved on to what he hopes will be better things. Does he really deserve the vitriol he's been subjected to?

Bigmouth Strikes Again

It's not often I can turn the car radio on and hear them talking rugby league. Less so at drive time on a station that isn't Talksport. And that is Dr Marwan Koukash's great strength. His press conference on Tuesday was the latest in a long line of outbursts to make headlines beyond rugby league circles. He single-handedly gets the sport in the newspapers and for that we as a sport should be grateful. But should Salford fans? 

Dr Koukash flew into town and saved a dying club. But that does not mean the Salford faithful have to accept everything he says and does. And he has a lot to say. News coming out of Salford seems to be a stream of negativity. Whether it's the usual soft target of the RFL, players departed or even their own supporters there's always someone in the firing line.

Tim Sheens' appointment is a big coup for Salford. That should have been the story on Tuesday. Fanfare ought to greet the recruitment of a World Cup winning coach but it was lost in the noise of accusations and threats. Whether it is a good appointment or not remains to be seen (penny for Iestyn Harris' thoughts) but as a news piece it should have been standalone and something to shout about. 

What did Dr Koukash and Salford really gain from making accusations, counter-accusations and threats against the Council and Kevin Locke? The intention was some sort of rallying call to supporters but I think it was ill-advised and badly timed. The reaction from fans has been one of unease, not the 'us against the world' mentality Dr Koukash must have had in mind.

Negativity breeds negativity and I think in Salford we have a club with an image problem. They're desperate to increase attendances to help meet the huge rent costs of the AJ Bell Stadium. In March Dr Koukash announced the club could lose up to £20,000 a game if crowds didn't grow. Clearly attendances have been a major worry at the club culminating their official Twitter account calling out the fans after a poor turnout against Huddersfield in May. The backlash from fans couldn't have been clearer. 'How to alienate the fans', 'embarrassing', 'pathetic and small time' just three responses that summed up the mood. You can't expect thousands who wouldn't otherwise have gone to a game to turn up because you're telling the world you can't afford them not to. 

Putting aside issues with the ground itself, the location and access being the main bugbears, there is one thing that guarantees better crowds and that's a successful team. To that end Dr Koukash has done his best. He's funded some big names and pushed for the marquee player rule to come in so he can bring in a real crowd-puller. But it will take time to build a team that can challenge. This isn't football where relatively quickly you can assemble a title-winning side provided you have deep enough pockets. In the meantime you have to build a unity, the sense of a club all pulling in one direction. That is where Salford are completely failing.

Look at Leigh and the journey they are on is clear. The stories coming out of the club are relentlessly positive. They're attracting Super League players and have the momentum of a town behind them. The club is everywhere in Leigh. Of course it's easier to get everyone onside when you're a full-time side in a league of part timers and win comfortably most weeks. Salford don't have that luxury so what are they to do?

I think the time has come to shut up shop and focus on getting things right on the field. They can learn some lessons from across Manchester. When Manchester City won the lottery the club was the focus of lots of negative attention. When it started to get to those entrusted with running things they stopped talking. Motormouths like Sulaiman Al-Fahim and Garry Cook were given the boot. They even hired a manager whose press conferences are so outstandingly dull reporters have been seen drifting off at the back. Salford could benefit from a similar approach because the noises coming from the club are so overwhelmingly negative they can only be damaging.

Players and coaches can claim they don't let outside influences affect them but I don't believe that for a second. The negativity and image coming out of the club impacts directly on the team when it deters potential signings or makes current players think twice about signing a new contract. And it impacts indirectly when it affects the number of people watching games and the mood they are in when they get to their seat.

A strong Salford side would be good for rugby league but they need to reassess their approach as a club if they are to realise the owner's dream. They have much to be positive about, not that you'd know it if you read the newspapers.