karetaker wrote:
Find that strange, I mean look at Chris Hill and James Harrison where they came from, Walmsley at Saints. You can’t tell me there are not hidden gems in the Championship and we seem to have stopped looking there and bringing Aussies over who play the homesick card after 2 weeks ok that’s extreme but it seems to be the way these days.
Have we stopped looking? In the past few years we have brought Ashton and Harrision in to the club who have gone on to become first team regulars, there may well have been others in that period that we have missed out on but I think we are as active as other clubs in looking at the Championship.
I also think more young players have been given opportunity during Powell's tenure than any other coach I can remember for a long time. Yes they get limited time and they tend to come in for a few games then back out again, but listen to Gary Chambers - he fully believes it is the correct tactic to not over expose young players until they are physically ready.
Of course we are getting some hit and miss with our overseas recruitment, it's inevitable to a degree and all teams suffer with it. Saints, Leeds, Wigan, Hull, Catalan have all had issues with players they have brought over in recent years. It's easier bringing in an overseas player that is already settled in the competition, Mata'utia. Kasiano and Drinkwater were always going to be safer bets than Vaughan, Dufty & McGuire, as it's impossible for the player to know how they will settle before they arrive with their family. The signing will (and should) obviously go down as a mistake, but I think calls for Powell and/or KFP to be kicked out too are far too extreme. He got the ban, I'm sure was talked about regards future conduct (just like players like Hardaker have been in the past) and he has made the same mistake again.
