[Wanderer]

Re: Tonight's game v Leeds. : Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:46 pm  

Ratchford continues to be awful.
( I've been saying for years, if you want to win things employ a real full back).

Both wingers pretty much as bad.

The new signings have time to settle in but some of the old guard continue to drag the team down.

Re: Tonight's game v Leeds. : Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:54 pm  

Ratchford is a massive issue for this team, his supposed utility value stops us adding to crucial areas. We COULD have signed jack walker but didnt (nicey nicey as usual) and now we have the worst full back in sl, but dont worry he's also the 23rd best centre and the 19th best halfback. Getting shut of ratchford would be a massive step in the right direction...price will also annoy me if he continues not to pick livett.

[Uncle Rico]

Re: Tonight's game v Leeds. : Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:11 pm  

ratticusfinch wrote:

Ratchford is a massive issue for this team, his supposed utility value stops us adding to crucial areas. We COULD have signed jack walker but didnt (nicey nicey as usual) and now we have the worst full back in sl, but dont worry he's also the 23rd best centre and the 19th best halfback. Getting shut of ratchford would be a massive step in the right direction...price will also annoy me if he continues not to pick livett.

What makes you think Walker was signing? I think we were a play me/pay me or I'm off decoy. Sure Ratchford had a mare tonight I don't recall him being that unsteady under a high ball previously, it was Russellesque.

As far as the game is concerned a bit more belief, effort and smartness would have seen us gain an unlikely win tonight. Sure Leeds looked better than us, their defence was first class, they made fewer errors and yet they were catchable. Goodwin and Philbin played well I thought Brown was decent enough, Hughes put more effort in than last year, Clarke put a shift in, Roberts will get better as will BMM hopefully.

Yes we lost, but, all is not lost let's see a reaction from all concerned

Re: Tonight's game v Leeds. : Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:48 pm  

My thoughts are the same. Looked a lot better than the first game of last year and despite being clear second best for the most part, we could have won. The champions looked like champions and we looked disjointed but with plenty of improvement in us.

Once the communication improves and the new players get more game time (it was Roberts first match since surgery he’ll clearly get fit and look good on the hard pitches), then I think we will do okay. Probably a year too early to contest the top 4 but as long as we improve over the season we have every chance.

Goodwin looks class. Think Russell will get dropped for Brown and Westwood doesn’t seem to offer anything but penalties, so maybe give someone else a chance.

Most importantly we looked nothing like we did at this time last year.

Re: Tonight's game v Leeds. : Fri Feb 02, 2018 12:00 am  

An overly negative reaction on here in my opinion. Leeds looked like a more well oiled machine than we did which is not unsurprising. Both defences were very good and levelled the game somewhat. From what I saw our attack already looks more threatening than it did last year and will get better. Roberts showed some good signs of what he can do ball-in-hand. Goodwin will be a top centre. Hughes has remembered how to pass! Atkins should have scored. We looked vulnerable defensively on that right hand edge though. Russell will never win an airborne contest for the ball, he's just too small. Makes plenty of meters though.

Re: Tonight's game v Leeds. : Fri Feb 02, 2018 12:47 am  

I saw Russell make plenty of yards, get zero opportunities to score, not scoot and he still gets bagged. Tough crowd. We got done by poor defence off two kicks and a shocker from Ratchford on Hall (I thought I saw a bit of an obstruction in that play by Leeds but haven't watched it back). The same game last year would have seen us concede 30 I reckon, so I'm not too disheartened.

So far I reckon Price has delivered what he promised. And as suggested more work in attack needed.

I'm fairly positive tonight.

Re: Tonight's game v Leeds. : Fri Feb 02, 2018 1:19 am  

Whilst Leeds also have new players to gel, bear in mind we're very close to the WCC - as a club Leeds will have been aiming to hit the ground running. There's far less need for yourselves to try to peak so early.

Re: Tonight's game v Leeds. : Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:56 am  

I think both teams defended the line well, at the same time both teams struggled massively with creativity in attack. I think we still look to lack strike players outwide. Roberts started to take a hold of the game in the final 10-15 minutes but Brown looked a little slow in decision making.

Re: Tonight's game v Leeds. : Fri Feb 02, 2018 8:11 am  

As an outsider just wondering if you have some first team players out injured? Because that bench last night looked awful.

Re: Tonight's game v Leeds. : Fri Feb 02, 2018 9:14 am  

Looking back at it, it wasn't as bad as you think. Defensively we were sound for the most part. Two tries from uncontested kicks was dissapointing and Ryan Hall showed some class off the ball before walking through Russell & Ratchford. So from that point of view it was ok.

In attack it was a different matter .So many concerns. Brown was just as bad as last year. No plan, the same kick with no purpose, not once on the ground or on the line to test them.

Roberts was more of a concern. That performance was nothing to do with match fitness or new team. Continual blind alleys looking for runners who he'd never spoken to and had no idea what he was doing. His decision making was atrocious. Running at gaps that weren't there and ignoring spaces. BMM our big signing wasn't used properly. Two drives in the first half and a penalty.

Cooper, Goodwin & Philbin (to a degree) stand up and take the applause.

Oh and we never conceded a point when Westwood was on. For all the failings his advancing years bring you could see him organise our defence on our line.