Salford Red Devils 2016 Season Review
Salford Red Devils 2016 Season Review
The Red Devils have struggled on the field since the takeover of Marwan Koukash but there have also been numerous off of the field issues hitting the club hard. This year both things came to a head and nearly saw the club relegated to the championship with only a miracles last 90 seconds of the club’s season saving their Super League place.
Regular Season
The Red Devils seemed set on much improved season and with Salford looking likely to reach the top 8 and perhaps even causing a few upsets along the way the way the club is run off of the field ruined everything. After bragging about breaking the cap the club’s owner must have known there would be eyes on their spending from the RFL so it’s no surprise that any breach was picked up on straight away.
Instead of simply admitting their quite obvious guilt, the club’s hierarchy deciding to try and get their 8-point penalty back. This led to the points loss dragging over the club which of course impacted on the playing staff and the fan base with crowds dwindling and the team struggling on the field.
The club decided to bring in high priced moderators for the appeals process who simply backed everything that was said in the initial hearings meaning the ego of those in charge was deemed more important than the wellbeing of the club.
It’s no huge surprise that the Red Devils therefore found themselves down in 10th place and having to face the uncertainty of the Qualifiers.
Super 8’s
The club seemed doomed from the off in the Super 8’s with a tough fixture list seeing them lose their opening 3 matches to Leigh, Hull KR and Leeds but then they turned things around with wins against Featherstone and Batley although a home loss to London summed up their season.
That run saw them face Hull KR in the Million Pound Game and with the side down by 8 heading into the dying seconds it was a true miracle performance that saw them not only draw level with 2 late tries but also secure safety with a drop goals in extra time.
Biggest Disappointment
The clubs off of the field issues impacting yet again on their on the field performances. The way the club is run has seemly lost them a huge part of the fan base with crowds plummeting at their new home.
Reasons to be Positive
Despite all that is happening the club still have lots of great players and if they can have some stability both on and off of the field there is huge potential at Salford.
Overall
A hugely disappointing season that promised so much.
Next Season
The club need to get their recruitment right during the off season with only small changes as huge turnovers in players have been a big part of their problems. The club’s management need to give the coaching and playing staff the room to concentrate on just the rugby side and perhaps most importantly the club as a whole need to forged bonds and ties with their fan base and local community.