The frustration is understandable and consistency is the bugbear

12:22pm Thursday 22nd May 2008

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NO doubt about the talking point of the week - Warrington Wolves' future under the guidance of Paul Cullen.

Some feel the time is right for a change of coach, saying that Wolves are not delivering as they should at this point in Cullen's tenure, while others suggest that people should get off his and the players' backs to let them get on with doing their jobs.

That's top-level sport for you - everyone has an opinion and everyone thinks theirs is right, and I must say that the manner in which some of them have been expressed do not befit the service of a man who has devoted more than 25 years of his life to Warrington Rugby League Club.

Generally in sport, the high profile coaches and players who feel the brunt of such commotion at spells in their careers, they have to cope in their own way and stay focused on the task at hand.

This was always going to be a difficult year for Cullen - in terms of support from the stands - if the squad failed to set The Halliwell Jones Stadium alight at any point in the campaign.

The money spent on major signings for the start of the season, on the back of that splashed out on big names the previous year, raised the bar of expectation to a massive level for a club that has achieved no silverware since 1991.

And Wolves maintained the high hopes with their six wins from eight at the start, despite not always playing to their full potential.

But winning only one of their last six Super League games, having no home win to cheer about for two months and bowing out of the Challenge Cup has resulted in a growth spurt in terms of frustration setting in.

The frustration is understandable and consistency is the bugbear - even within an 80-minute period like at Wigan on Friday.

Lord Hoyle is quite right in saying that the fans deserve better and unless Wolves put a decent run together now the supporters who are voicing their concerns are unlikely to be any less vocal.

The problem I see at the moment is that there are players on the field with injuries and unable to fully do themselves justice.

Some of those who have been playing have been unable to fully train because of their injuries.

Four players have been ruled out for the season and Paul Wood has only appeared for six minutes this year, leaving Cullen with 21 of the squadmen that started the season.

One of them, Mike Cooper, has not played for the first team since his serious broken leg injury 12 months ago, while another, Simon Grix, is battling to regain his match fitness during game-time after spending three months on the sidelines.

We can all debate the make-up of Cullen's 2008 squad, the positional selections and tactics as much as we like, but that won't change the current situation of working with the assets that are available.

With the way Super League is - no relegation and any team in the top six can win the Grand Final - I'm not a fan of changing coaches in mid-season when a late run can't be ruled out and your team is just four points away from second spot.

And I certainly don't believe a change of coach at this point in time would achieve more in the current circumstances.

But consistency is the key and it has got to arrive soon to give some sign that Wolves can be in the mix at the end of the year.