Semi Final : Sun May 12, 2024 9:04 am  

For what its worth in my humble opinion, next weeks game is *** or bust. If the players (via the coach) can't get themselves motivated for a trip to Wembley then they all need sacking. We know that won't happen so it will be time for the coach to go. As Hangerman2 keeps saying (many times) our spine is just not up to scratch. Loose next week and unless there is a dramatic improvement in form, the season is over. We have not yet beaten a top six team in the league so eighth is realistically where we are at. Sorry Mr Watson, but it's just not good enough. I will be there next week in hope (already booked our Wembley weekend as we go every year).

Re: Semi Final : Sun May 12, 2024 12:18 pm  

I would say ninth (as i did earlier in the year). Leigh are a better side than us, they just need to get going and keep Ipape on the picth, their spine is miles better than ours, with Lam and Ipape offering genuine threat in the middle of the park and a good support player in Moylan. Leeds could end up above or below us depending on how their form goes, but they definitely have a better all round side than ours, and have genuine pace in the middle with Miller, and of course Brody croft and Ackers to provide speed around the ruck. In fact, every side other than London, Hull and Castleford have far more balanced attacks than us. Warrington should wallop us with Dufty and Williams again cutting us open in the middle of the field with their pace and attacking flare. They also have Brad Dwyer off the bench who is EXACTLY the kind of player we should have been looking to pick up instead of Milner, offers real threat and pace from around the ruck and wouldn't have cost a fortune as he is only a fringe player and doesn't play the full 80.

Historically we have performed well in CC semi-finals, so maybe we will catch Warrington on a bad day and get a result, we will however merely be prolonging the agony of a 4th CC final defeat if we do. I never want us to lose, but if going out of the cup is the straw that removes Watson from post i would take it, We wont win the final anyway.

Re: Semi Final : Sun May 12, 2024 12:26 pm  

Could history repeat itself Nathan Brown from memory was sacked the week after we lost to Warrington in a cup semi-final

Re: Semi Final : Sun May 12, 2024 3:18 pm  

[quote="Hangerman2"]I would say ninth (as i did earlier in the year). Leigh are a better side than us, they just need to get going and keep Ipape on the picth, their spine is miles better than ours, with Lam and Ipape offering genuine threat in the middle of the park and a good support player in Moylan. Leeds could end up above or below us depending on how their form goes, but they definitely have a better all round side than ours, and have genuine pace in the middle with Miller, and of course Brody croft and Ackers to provide speed around the ruck. In fact, every side other than London, Hull and Castleford have far more balanced attacks than us. Warrington should wallop us with Dufty and Williams again cutting us open in the middle of the field with their pace and attacking flare. They also have Brad Dwyer off the bench who is EXACTLY the kind of player we should have been looking to pick up instead of Milner, offers real threat and pace from around the ruck and wouldn't have cost a fortune as he is only a fringe player and doesn't play the full 80.



Just a couple of points. Dwyer now plays for Leigh, Wire usually start with Danny Walker at 9 and then bring on Sam Powell in the second half. If you are talking about the pace of Dufty and Williams, dont forget the wingers, Ashton and Thewlis both have pace to burn and Ashton IMO is the most improved young player I have seen for the last couple of seasons, a great finisher. He usually has Toby King inside him and also on that edge are Fitzgibbon and Currie quite a formidable proposition for our right side defence

Historically we have performed well in CC semi-finals, so maybe we will catch Warrington on a bad day and get a result, we will however merely be prolonging the agony of a 4th CC final defeat if we do. I never want us to lose, but if going out of the cup is the straw that removes Watson from post i would take it, We wont win the final anyway.[/quote][quote="Hangerman2"]I would say ninth (as i did earlier in the year). Leigh are a better side than us, they just need to get going and keep Ipape on the picth, their spine is miles better than ours, with Lam and Ipape offering genuine threat in the middle of the park and a good support player in Moylan. Leeds could end up above or below us depending on how their form goes, but they definitely have a better all round side than ours, and have genuine pace in the middle with Miller, and of course Brody croft and Ackers to provide speed around the ruck. In fact, every side other than London, Hull and Castleford have far more balanced attacks than us. Warrington should wallop us with Dufty and Williams again cutting us open in the middle of the field with their pace and attacking flare. They also have Brad Dwyer off the bench who is EXACTLY the kind of player we should have been looking to pick up instead of Milner, offers real threat and pace from around the ruck and wouldn't have cost a fortune as he is only a fringe player and doesn't play the full 80.

Historically we have performed well in CC semi-finals, so maybe we will catch Warrington on a bad day and get a result, we will however merely be prolonging the agony of a 4th CC final defeat if we do. I never want us to lose, but if going out of the cup is the straw that removes Watson from post i would take it, We wont win the final anyway.[/quote]

Re: Semi Final : Sun May 12, 2024 6:36 pm  

I'd go with:
Connor
Swift (if fit)
Halsall (if Marsters is banned)
Naiqama
Wallis
Lolohea
Clune
English
Deakin
Wilson
Murchie (if fit)
Cudjoe
Yates

Subs:
Goulding
Seb
Salabio
Greenwood

the rest in contention: Bibby, Hewitt, Rushton (if fit), Russell, Savelio.

Re: Semi Final : Sun May 12, 2024 8:46 pm  

Has Savelio actually played for us yet??? Probably be close first half then another second half collapse following the HT team talk - hoping for a performance and a win but just can’t see it unfortunately, we just haven’t got enough against the better sides

Re: Semi Final : Sun May 12, 2024 9:15 pm  

Gazzagiant2 wrote:

Has Savelio actually played for us yet??? Probably be close first half then another second half collapse following the HT team talk - hoping for a performance and a win but just can’t see it unfortunately, we just haven’t got enough against the better sides

No he hasn't we have become Hull's repository for the sick and infirm. It took Connor over a year to get back to fitness and now we have taken Savelio off their hands and he hasn't played for the first third of the yea, another great bit of business.

Re: Semi Final : Sun May 19, 2024 4:24 pm  

That was absolutely pathetic today

I turned off at half time.

Its clear to me, that those players have stopped playing for Watson

What a total waste of Ken Davys money.

Time to move him on, get on the phone to Nathan Brown & rescue what we have left of this season.

Re: Semi Final : Sun May 19, 2024 8:53 pm  

I know that there are teams in super league that are in a worse position than us BUT:
Today was utter garbage for the second week in a row.
How long do you want to built your team Mr Watson.
How much more money will you take from Ken Mr Watson.
Why can't you motivate the team in a Challenge Cup semi final Mr Watson.
Is it me or have we actually gone backwards since he arrived?
Connor is a liability if things aren't going to plan.
Loose the next two home games and the writings on the wall.
Never thought I could be so critical of a team I have supported most of my life.

Re: Semi Final : Sun May 19, 2024 9:40 pm  

Fartown58 wrote:

I know that there are teams in super league that are in a worse position than us BUT:
Today was utter garbage for the second week in a row.
How long do you want to built your team Mr Watson.
How much more money will you take from Ken Mr Watson.
Why can't you motivate the team in a Challenge Cup semi final Mr Watson.
Is it me or have we actually gone backwards since he arrived?
Connor is a liability if things aren't going to plan.
Loose the next two home games and the writings on the wall.
Never thought I could be so critical of a team I have supported most of my life.

There is only one team in superleague in a comparable position to us, which is Leeds. They have spent a similar amount and have a similar league position. I would much rather have their squad than ours though, as i have said previously.
Watson is living off the cup run we had in his first year in charge, that is the only thing we have accomplished during his tenure. If he had had some positivity and belief that day we would at least have a cup to show for it.
I do not believe the team is unmotivated, they are simply not a good team. It is unbelievable that we have spent a similar amount on players as Warrington, and yet they have pace, flair and threat across the team, whereas we have a one edge (masters and swift) and the rest offers very little. Watson should have been gone at the end of last year, but Ken has clung on, because he is by all accounts a hard working man who has put everything into the job. The problem is, he's not very good at it.

There's no real answer to this dilemma, even if someone else takes over they can't magic up some decent spine players to replace our slow plodders. Most of them are on at least a 2 year contract, some longer, we are well and truly in the dudu.