Their form comes in contrast to last season when they recorded a fourth-place finish under Paul Rowley and reached the play-offs in an impressive campaign. Despite being taken over on the eve of the season by a consortium led by Swiss businessman Dario Berta, the club have been beset by problems. Wages have been paid late, key players including talismanic scrum-half Marc Sneyd have left, while chief executive Chris Irwin resigned after less than three months in the job. In addition, Salford City Council pulled out of negotiations with the club over their attempt to buy their Salford Community Stadium home in May. A sustainability cap imposed on the club by the Rugby Football League has affected team selection, leading to the Red Devils fielding youthful sides and being on the receiving end of a record 82-0 defeat by St Helens at the start of the season. The cap also led to centre Nene Macdonald taking unpaid leave earlier this month as he was restricted to just five appearances for the Red Devils.