Here is my question for Fletch: "If we have any areas in the team that need improving, what are they?"
- Thanks, Iain Colquhoun.

The two big areas of the squad that need to improve are experience and the physical maturity of some of our players, especially our forwards. I am constantly looking to upgrade the squad but this must be balanced with developing our own players and budgetary constraints.  I feel that the squad has good balance and is a close-knit group and in the medium to long term we will push hard to win silver-ware.

What do you think the team's best single performance has been this season?
- Steve, Chester-le-Street.

Bristol away. Although in the end we lost, we should have beaten them. We controlled the game and the pack outplayed theirs. Since then we were very consistent in our performances. Admittedly we lost a few, but we were in all the games and could have won them all. In this league all you can ask is that you have a chance towards the end of the game to win the game and we have. People forget two important facts. Our pack is the youngest in the Premiership by a considerable distance, and we have the fewest international caps in our pack also by considerable distance. The exciting thing is that ours is the most improved pack of forwards in the league and they are going to get a lot better.

Do you believe that boycotting the Heineken Cup and Challenge Cup is justified? And do you believe it will benefit or be detrimental to the Falcons 07-08 season?
- Tom Hall, Warkworth, Northumberland.

As a Coach I don’t get too involved with the politics in rugby, but my opinion is that the boycotting of the European competition was justified.  The clubs, through Premier Rugby, were asking for 50% say in the development of the European competition.  Without equal say in the competition, the Union could push through measures that the clubs are not in agreement with.  I firmly hope and believe that the situation will be resolved sooner rather than later.  We are planning that next season’s competition will be as this season and react if that alters during the summer.

Which acadamey players do you think are most likely to break through next season? (if you can answer that)?
- Steve, Chester-le-Street.

Alex Tait, Tim Visser, Ross Batty, Ed Williamson and Sean Tomes are pushing hard and will have an opportunity in the pre-season. There are other players who are also pushing hard but are probably half a season away. Watch the development games, all the young lads play in them.

Would you willingly stand on the touchline starkers every game if it meant a win?
- lebigmac69.

You haven’t seen me naked, not a pretty sight! I don’t feel me being naked or not will affect the result. Have you sought professional help “sicko”?

Do you think the loss of the Borders as a professional team will have any effect on the Falcons? I saw a news report which suggested Falcons were watching it carefully.
- Kirsteen Wright, Glasgow.

We have signed Steve Jones and recruited Steve Bates. I personally think that Scotland having only two professional clubs is a step backwards. The Borders should have been kept on in some form. We didn’t step on the toes of the Borders in their recruitment of players but because of what has happened we will be more active in that area.

Will there ever be a covered East Terrace?
- Lyn Chapple.

Yes, it is in the stadium development plans and eventually we want to finish the ground as soon as is possible. If you have a spare couple of million give Thomo a ring!

My question is: “Matt Burke has a season left on his current contract and Anthony Elliott will leave for Bristol at the end of the season.  Who do you see as our next full back?” Thanks.
- Chris.

We will try to promote from within if possible. I believe that Tom May could play at full back. Ollie Phillips has played at full back in the last three development games and did well. Alex Tait played in a very successful England U18 team at full back and has also played for the development team at full back. Joe Shaw has played full back on a number of occasions and done very well for the club. Mat Tait and Toby Flood could also play full back. Full back is a problem area in the English game, Matt (Burke) has in my opinion been the outstanding full back in the league with Thomas Castaignede and Geordan Murphy the next best. If I feel that the squad would be improved with a player from outside the squad I would sign them. I have my short list of full backs from around the world and will investigate their contractual position. 

We are all impressed with the signing of Carl Hayman and the intent that demonstrates. Are there any other signings on the horizon and, if names cannot be mentioned are there any particular positions John you would like to strengthen. My own view is that we could do with experience at hooker and scrum half - we have some developing talent there but we have missed the likes of Ross Nesdale and Gary Armstrong since they left. 
- Thanks Simon Matthews.

Not short term, we have signed Steve Jones from the Borders to add to the inside backs. We know what type of player and in what positions we are looking at in the next 2/3 years. You are entitled to your opinion; I personally think that at Hooker and Scrum Half we are in OK shape. Longy is a proven Premiership player who still has his best rugby ahead of him. Matt Thompson has improved this season and again at 24 years old will not be at his best for some time. Sitting behind them are Ross Batty and Rob Vickers, both good young hookers who have performed very well against their peers in the development league. At scrum half we have 3 very good senior scrum halves (Dicko, Grinders and Hall) all three slightly different which gives us good variety. Sitting behind them is Ross Samson (Scotland U 19) and Michael Young (England U19). We ask our scrum halves to drive the pace of the game and be a link from forwards to backs and therefore sometimes their running and sniping is not seen as much as other players. This is an area that the team needs to improve. We need more options at times off our scrum halves from other players, this would help all the scrum halves to get in the game.   I think they do that well.

Is it coincidence that after five years of being rotated with other hookers, when Matt Thompson finally gets a good run of starts in the team (in 2007) that he has shown form that few people thought he would ever be capable of? What is the thinking behind the rotation policies yourself and Rob Andrew previously employed to key positions such as hooker (until a few months ago) and scrum-half?
- Stephen Thrift, London.

I agree that a couple of times we have rotated the players and it has not worked. I buy into rotation if the players are similar in their effectiveness to the team or if a player suits the game plan i.e. kicking game, tight game etc. I will in the future pick the best players (in the coach’s opinion to win the game). However when the team becomes more consistent and is in the top four I may readdress the position because one advantage of some rotation is the development of players, but I accept that the balance of the team needs to be right and it can’t compromise the result, which is the most important factor. 

Fletch, Can you please keep us informed of the progress of injured players via the website? We often see them being helped from the field and are not sure what their injury may be.  Obviously if it is serious, there is a mention on the website and in the press, but if it is not very serious we often do not know what is happening.  If they do not return the following week, or for several weeks, we would like to have an idea of how they are progresssing, even if it it just to know that they are in rehab or light training etc.
- Thanks, Anne-Maria Musgrave

I must admit I wasn't aware that there was a problem here, but I have had two questions of a similar nature so obviously we will have to look at it. As you may well already know during the season we hold a weekly press conference at which members of the media are free to ask me any questions they like. If there is nothing in the media about a player's injury that will be because I haven't been asked about it. If you speak to any members of the press I'm sure they'll tell you that I have never shirked any direct questions, be it on a player's injury or whatever, so there is certainly no concerted effort on our part to 'cover up' such information. If you look at the club website during the season I think you'll agree that we are very lucky to have a press man like 'Scoop' (aka Mark Smith) who obviously takes a great deal of time and effort to keep you all informed about what goes on at the club. This whole 'Ask Fletch' thing was actually his idea, for example. If there are ways we can do this better then I'm sure he will look at it for next season. What I will say, however, is that putting injury information on the club website can work against you. Generally in the week before a game I will ask Scoop to trawl the websites and local press of whichever team we are playing next to find out their injury situation and likely team selection. If that information is easily accessible on a club's website then we would undoubtedly use it to our own benefit.

Of course we are all over the moon with the signing of Carl Hayman, however is it wise to have two props on the bench, presumably then with only two backs, just to ensure that both he and McDonnell can play? Following on, have you had secret info that the foreigners rule in the Premiership will be changed next season?
- Stephen Thrift, London.

The rules change all the time, although I have not heard anything about the “foreign player” rule. My own opinion on the matter is that the rule should be based on non English qualified players. It is a bit strange that a team can play 15 non English players and get away with it but could play 13 Englishmen and not be allowed to play two foreign players.  Carl and Joe can play in quite a few games together (all Europe, international call ups) and they will be part of the squad on the rest of the occasions. Very rarely does the prop play the whole game and very rarely does more than one back get injured in the game, plus a back row player at a push can play in the backs.

Why does it seem that particular players get shunned to the side, for example Elliot and Visser?  They are both extremely good wingers however rumour has that they are out of favour.  We've lost Elliot to another club and the last time I saw Visser he was refereeing an U8 tag match.
- Joe Robinson

Both players got injured when they were in the team. I was the person that organised Tim’s trial week from Holland and organised him to come to school in Barnard Castle. I am very aware of Tim as a player and the huge potential he has. People need to remember he played his last 2 seasons at school in the back row and is still learning the game. He will push hard this year. Ant did well for the club but he played in a position were we had a lot of players and quality. He was at the end of his contract and 2/3 teams came in for him. We couldn’t offer him a contract at the time that he needed to make his mind up. I wish him well at Bristol.

What are the latest plans for continuing the extension of the stadium?
- Stephen Thrift, London.

They are ongoing. We will finish off the stadium as soon as we can. I would say within the next 3 seasons at the latest the stadium will be finished. As in all things the books have to balance. It was planned that we would develop the East side of the ground this summer but with the uncertainty of Europe and the financial consequences we are holding off for the moment and are upgrading our training facilities.

You seem to select new signings very precisely rather than just picking off a few here and there as they become available. How much of this is to bring experience into the team? Matt Thompson has improved immensely for one example since the new forwards arrived and with our largely young squad it seems to be making one heck of a difference.
- Monkey1 (Col).

Recruitment is the most important thing. It is no coincidence that coaches/mangers like Arsene Wenger spend a huge amount of time watching players from all over the world. All football clubs have scouts and the scouts are a massively important part of the structure in football. Coaching is easier when your team of players is better than the opposition (Bill Shankly). I have a list of all positions consisting of players from all over the world. We employ a “scout” in New Zealand and South Africa. We watch most national 1 games all age group home nations international and I am aware of all the players in the premiership and academies.