Next years key signings are...... : Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:13 pm  

1. Conditioner, we simply aren't fit enough and we're picking up injuries that smack of poor conditioning. Though if we used the ball
at bit more instead of one out rugby we might not be blowing after 25 minutes!!

2. Defensive Coach, we're miles behind in technique, enthusiasm, and implementation (see above)

3. Experienced Academy Coach, to prepare our players in waiting properly and instil a winning culture, with all due respect Stuart
who??

4. Top drawer scrum half, even if we need to pay a fee! We can't wait any longer to grow our own. A fee could come from surplus cap
not spent this year before it goes on painting the toilets

5. Quality centre or centres to release Ainscough/Raynor who have 30 tries a season in them combined outside a class centre(s). Our
wingers haven't had a decent supply since Hape left. They also need to be rocks in defence to make up for our lack of size out
wide. Fingers crossed for Lulia as one of them!

In my view thats all we need to push on into the top six, my starting 'fitter' 13 would be:

1. Royston (no coincidence in my view that our little winning streak coincided with Shad at FB, Kearney's a Stand Off, end of!!)
2. Ainscough (we need to see him in space)
3. We need a bloody good Centre!
4. Lulia (hope he's a good solid signing )
5. Raynor (worth another year)
6. Kearney (spoilt for choice, but he's our best option)
7. We need a very good Scrum Half
8. Kopzjack (solid, we're a better side when he plays and another off season will only help)
9. Le Strange (need his energy from the off, and I'd make him skipper)
10. Hargreaves (Solid 20 from the start with Tom off the bench)
11. Elima (will only get better after a good year this one)
12. Whitehead (will be a star, needs another off season)
13. Addy (time for a ball playing 13, lets throw him in - Saints do it)

14. Scruton (impact baby)
15. Burgess (see Scruton)
16. Diskin (great when opposition tire)
17. Platt (utility back)

In reserve we have plenty of cover and enough to shuffle the pack in:

Bateman (Centre)
Briggs (Scrum Half/Stand Off)
Crookes (Wing)
Crossley (Prop)
Donaldson (Second Row)
Finnegan (Wing)
Jeffries (Scrum Half/Stand Off)
Lynch (Prop)
O'Brien (Hooker)
Olbison (Second Row)

I'd release the following and use the cap money on the Scrum Half/Centres we need!

Ah Van
Herbert
Langley
Sibbitt
Sykes
Walker

See it aint so bad, thats a top eight side coached effectively, discuss...........

Re: Next years key signings are...... : Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:28 pm  

I stopped reading as soon I saw you claim Kearney to be a stand off. You obviously know nothing.

Re: Next years key signings are...... : Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:34 pm  

Whilst you of course are a rugby genius, you might like to check the clubs official description of Kearney's position on the Squad section of the website!

Now jog on sunshine

Re: Next years key signings are...... : Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:39 pm  

Frank Whitcombe wrote:

I'd release the following and use the cap money on the Scrum Half/Centres we need!

Ah Van
Herbert
Langley (2 years)
Sibbitt (1 year)
Sykes (2 years)
Walker

You would probably not release any cap money on the three I have highlighted.

You would have to pay their contracts off, and - apart from taking up funds that could be utilised elsewhere - the pay-offs would count as cap spend for 2012 and 2013 as appropriate. You would only free up cap space if a deal was done with other clubs to take them, deals with which the players were satisfied and which did not involve us in funding part of the salary at the new club. If these three are as bad as you suggest, what other club would want them?

Re: Next years key signings are...... : Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:43 pm  

I hadn't realised the restrictions on releasing them, my apologies and I didn't say they were bad just surplus to my vision for improvement.

Re: Next years key signings are...... : Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:46 pm  

It would be useful to have a comprehensive list of those players who are out of contract at the end of the current season.

I know there used to be a thread about this, but I can't seem to spot it at the moment. Having the relevant list would help to put a stop to these constant and daft posts about 'getting rid' of this or that player.

Re: Next years key signings are...... : Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:49 pm  

Frank Whitcombe wrote:

I hadn't realised the restrictions on releasing them, my apologies and I didn't say they were bad just surplus to my vision for improvement.

We made the same mistake on here when discussing releasing Hall. I had not fully appreciated the salary cap rules where a player is "released" until one of our visitors (IIRC) pointed out the rules. As someone who thought he was pretty clued up on the cap rules, I seem to recall having to eat a portion of humble pie for tea that evening...

And OK my bad for misinterpreting your meaning re the releasees. But, knowing our track record, I'd bet the mother in law on most of them going on to great things as soon as they signed for their next club...

Re: Next years key signings are...... : Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:51 pm  

paulwalker71 wrote: It would be useful to have a comprehensive list of those players who are out of contract at the end of the current season. I know there used to be a thread about this, but I can't seem to spot it at the moment. Having the relevant list would help to put a stop to these constant and daft posts about 'getting rid' of this or that player. It never went away...

paulwalker71 wrote: It would be useful to have a comprehensive list of those players who are out of contract at the end of the current season. I know there used to be a thread about this, but I can't seem to spot it at the moment. Having the relevant list would help to put a stop to these constant and daft posts about 'getting rid' of this or that player. It never went away...

Re: Next years key signings are...... : Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:39 pm  

Adeybull wrote: It never went away... Thanks Adey So, for the sake of clarification, the players we can get rid of are Chev Walker Patrick Ah Van Marc Herbert Shaun Ainscough Gareth Raynor Shad Royston Vinny Finnigan Hmmm. It's interesting that, in the midst of the talk of a 'clear out', most of the players that people seem to want to get rid of are the ones we can't. And the one's we can lose, well quite a few people want to keep them.... A lot of people want to keep Raynor, Royston and Ainscough. If we can't get better from down under we are possibly going to be retaining Herbert and/or Ah Van as well. And losing Walker and Finnigan isn't really going to make much space in the cap for new blood is it? Sorry to sound pessimistic, but I don't really see how we are going to be able to have a big re-structuring. We could probably lose one of Raynor, Royston or Ainscough, but - again - its not freeing up huge amounts of money. Looks like 3 or 4 new players at best, of which one is presumably Lulia.

Adeybull wrote: It never went away... Thanks Adey So, for the sake of clarification, the players we can get rid of are Chev Walker Patrick Ah Van Marc Herbert Shaun Ainscough Gareth Raynor Shad Royston Vinny Finnigan Hmmm. It's interesting that, in the midst of the talk of a 'clear out', most of the players that people seem to want to get rid of are the ones we can't. And the one's we can lose, well quite a few people want to keep them.... A lot of people want to keep Raynor, Royston and Ainscough. If we can't get better from down under we are possibly going to be retaining Herbert and/or Ah Van as well. And losing Walker and Finnigan isn't really going to make much space in the cap for new blood is it? Sorry to sound pessimistic, but I don't really see how we are going to be able to have a big re-structuring. We could probably lose one of Raynor, Royston or Ainscough, but - again - its not freeing up huge amounts of money. Looks like 3 or 4 new players at best, of which one is presumably Lulia.

Re: Next years key signings are...... : Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:50 pm  

Kearney is a fullback. Anyone who's watched the game can figure that one out. Its like Michael Monaghan was touted as a scrum half but everyone knows he plays better at hooker.