Blood and thunder

We lost our home game against Newcastle. It rained. I should have been depressed when I left the ground. Was I - no! The game was a hard fought match between two sides who played as if it was the play-off decider. Despite the low score and the poor conditions the match was enthralling . I was dancing on the terraces as the lads got on top in the second half and took the game to the Falcons.

Leeds had some outstanding forwards. Myerscough and Green both have an appetite for the hard yards. Baldwin looks the part at 6. The best performance of the day came from Ben Harris. Remarkable as he has only been a prop for 2 years after moving up from lock & did not have a club when Leeds signed him at the start of the season.

All of a sudden the season has potential & I am looking forward to more wholehearted performances from the lads which will almost certainly see us get into the play-offs.

C'mon Leeds!

Farce!

The game of rugby union was brought into disrepute when Leeds Carnegie played Plymouth Albion at Headingley last weekend. The much vaunted "Million pound pitch" cut up so badly at every scrum that the referee went to uncontested scrums!

In my opinion if the pitch is not safe to scrummage on then the game should be abandoned and replayed on a fit pitch. It would not surprise me if Plymouth lodged an official complaint.

At the 11th hour.

On the last day of the year Leeds Carnegie has announced the loan signing of Rory Clegg until the end of the season. Rory is a 22 year old stand-off, currently playing for Harlequins.

This is a much needed signing which will, at the very least, take some of the pressure off the shoulders of Joe Ford. Clegg needs game time and Ford needs a rest. It does not take a genious to see that this is a good deal for all parties. Looking forward to seeing Rory at HC on Sunday.

The stampede into mediocrity

Another game, another humiliating defeat.That makes four on the trot (heyho but who's counting?) Progress this season has been hit and miss at best, non-existent or even regression at worst. It is time for the management to have a long hard look at the team's performance. Some serious decisions need to be made soon before the club becomes the Championship whipping boys.

My expectations this season are being downgraded from top four to mid table mediocrity. Am I being over optimistic?

And now for something completely different!

Carnegie won in London last weekend and, in my opinion, the result was never in doubt after Oli Goss crossed for the second try and Joe Ford popped over the extras from out wide. So what I hear you thinking?

Well the one thing that has eluded us over the last 15 months is consistency. We have, on occasions, played superb rugby. More often than not this has been followed by abject rubbish. Diccon Edwards has selected almost the same team for the game against Moseley and for this he is to be applauded. Now it is up to the players to put in another solid performance and deliver a second win away from Headingley. Winning on the road is a good habit to get into.

We are not the only team to be inconsistent, Bristol and Pirates are equally guilty. However we now have a chance to get into our stride and put down a marker for the teams below us in the league. Now that would make a refreshing change!

More road trips

At the start of the season a bold new strategy of taking the Carnegie show on the road was announced. A good idea? Possibly, but to attract new support the " product on sale " has to be good. The venues must also be centres of population where there is no rival "product". So York fits this bill but Hull and Wharfedale do not.

The club have now announced 2 more road trips - Otley and West Park. Er, what happened to Bradford, Harrogate, Halifax , Huddersfield and Wakefield? Someone more cynical tham me might suggest that the "roadshow" was organised purely to facilitate the relaying of the Headingley pitch and for some bizarre reason the club decided to keep this from the fans. Surely not?

Road trip!

Sunday, 21st October 2012 and I am trekking across the county to see the Tykes play Jersey in the Boring & Inconsequential Cup today. Why am I making this trip? Well partly because if I want to see the lads play then I have to go to York but also because travelling anywhere by rail on a Sunday is bleddy exciting.

Last time I went to Clifton Park (as a player back in the 80's) it was exciting because there was a ladies hockey match on the adjacent pitch and we struggled to keep 15 men on our pitch!

Also hoping to spend a few minutes in the bar on platform 2 at York station. Happy days!