Salford Red Devils coach sends message ahead of fan protest as loan update given for Wakefield game

Salford Red Devils assistant coach Krisnan Inu has spoken to the media ahead of his side’s clash against Wakefield Trinity on Sunday and addressed the planned protest by Salford fans that is set to take place during the game.

Since their takeover in February, a number of failed plans and broken promises has led to disgruntled fans losing trust for the new owners and have now had enough, as they look to take things into their own hands via a peaceful protest.

The 38-year-old was asked for his thoughts on the matter a weekly press conference. Inu did not give an opinion on the protest, formed by a group of fans called ‘The 1873‘, but he was asked to give a message to the disgruntled fans.

He said: “I don’t know. It’s hard to say, everyone deals with the frustration [differently]. There’s a lot of things that I know that I can’t speak about… but, I don’t know. I love our fans. They’re real passionate, real supportive as as a player they were second to none as a player and now that I’m part of the coaching staff.

“I do feel for them, but there’s a lot of things that like you said, there are some answers that need to be presented to them, which I think will be happening before Sunday. I can’t say if that protest is right or wrong, but at the same time I think there will be something done between now and Sunday.”

Salford Red Devils coach issues loan players update

Salford were heavily beaten by Hull FC last week, as seven loan players needed to be drafted in to their squad in order for the fixture to be fulfilled.

Inu spoke on whether the same would happen this week, and admitted he has no idea what the team will look like at the weekend.

He said: “I think we will field a team. It’s still Wednesday today so we’ve got a few more days. Our team changes during the week two or three times so on Friday, hopefully we know a bit more.

“It’s a hard one because obviously some of their teammates have left and a lot of changes during the season and how our season’s gone, so you can only imagine, but the boys still crack on. Everyone wears their heart on their sleeve when it comes to training and games so they always turn up as professional as they can.”

The New Zealander said there is a potential to bring in more loan players, but the constant chopping, changing and uncertainty of players make the ability to coach the side that much harder. Salford have now used 61 players this season, with 17 of those joining them on loan throughout the season for a varying number of matches.

“We might have some boys coming in,” he said. “We haven’t confirmed that yet. Like I said, our team changes Friday and then Friday changes to Sunday, so we never know.

“We never know who’s going to be part of the team, or who’s part of the club. So every week’s different. We can’t really bark orders to the boys that have put their hand up and turned up for the club every week, so we do our part as coaches and try and upscale them as much as we can and give them some sort of game plan leading into each game. This week’s no different.”

One of the players Salford Red Devils lost last week was club captain Ryan Brierley, who moved to Championship side Oldham. The Salford-born full back was key to Salford’s success in recent years and has stuck with his boyhood club for as long as he could possibly take it.

Inu revealed the effect it has had on the squad, losing someone of his calibre both as a player and a person.

“Some of the boys have played with him for a long time and there’s lots of relationships between him and a few people, staff included. So that hurt a few people, and obviously the fans, he’s a Salford wonderkid, so for them to see him leave hurt a few people: