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Bobbie and board in heart-to-heart

by Mike Floyd
6/ 5/2008

HORNETS directors are set for a heart-to-heart chat with coach Bobbie Goulding following Monday’s 35-28 defeat by bottom club Hunslet Hawks at Spotland.

The board are keen to avoid a downward spiral of losses triggered by defeat to a Super League side in the Challenge Cup – last year it was St Helens, this year Hull FC.

Bobbie Goulding’s men just weren’t at the races in an error-strewn performance which lacked passion and belief against a club who hadn’t won in the league this year. Even in defeat it wasn’t the type of performance expected of a team coached by the former Great Britain scrum half.

Hornets chairman David Vining was ‘embarrassed’ by the performance and apologised to the fans.

And his sentiments were echoed by Director of Rugby Martin Shenton who said: "I totally agree with the chairman’s comments, I think we were very poor. I didn’t think we created a lot. I think the enthusiasm out on the pitch was low and I felt sorry for everyone who turned up and supported us. I think we need to look into it, get involved with Bobbie and the coaching staff and see how we can work as a team. Let’s get this club on track because it was a very disappointing performance."

Commercial director Karen Reynolds was keen to emphasise the need for a team ethic at Spotland, involving the board, the coaching staff and the players, adding: "I know the lads will be hurting. I know Bobbie and Phil Farrell will be hurting and all the back-room staff. That aside we have to move forward and learn from the mistakes we have made in the last couple of seasons when we haven’t taken positive steps. There’s a board meeting on Thursday evening when the only item on the agenda is how we can work with Bobbie, Phil and the team to move forward. We will look at our shortcomings of which there were many on the pitch. We must and will take positive action to pull the season around."

Goulding, pictured, was mortified by the performance of his team and said: "That was an unacceptable display, unacceptable. Fair play to Hunslet, they came did a job and they were more enthusiastic than us.

"If you are the best team in the world and a side out-enthuses you, they have a chance of winning the game. And that showed today. I don’t think they are a better team than us, but they were more enthusiastic.For me, one of my goals is to be more enthusiastic than the opposition. If you have 17 players who do that you win the game.We need to look at the squad, look at everybody in the squad. Yes we have got quantity, but we are short on quality.

"It’s not panic stations yet, but you set your standards, and mine are higher than that, and I hope the lads are higher than those they have shown today.I know we are a better bunch of players than that. We have shown it in training and we have shown it in patches this year but we might not be as good as people think we are. It’s up to the players to go out there and prove people wrong.I’m just really upset, it’s difficult to accept a performance like that."