Re: Improvement Needed : Sat Sep 21, 2019 7:04 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

I know it's early days and he's only played half a game at HB, but I'm not convinced about French in that role.

The guys exciting and absolutely electric, but is he too off the cuff? He was certainly a live wire when he came on but the team shape seemed to suffer.

If we signed Lam for next year then, apart from on the wing, I'm struggling to fit French in my side.

I would have French in for Burgess next season unless Birgess can start to play like we know he can hes lost a yard or so of pace i think and has a face like a slapped backside half the time!

Re: Improvement Needed : Sat Sep 21, 2019 7:25 am  

A win is a win. Massive effort from Salford. Our scramble defense is absolutely outstanding. I cannot fault our D and we will need it for next week.

Lam said it after the game - we need to be smarter. 2 chances to kill the game off with a drop goal and we didn't take it. At 19-12 with 10 minutes to go you can see the game out comfortably.

In attack I felt we took the wrong options on occasions and some of our last play choices need improvement.

As Bilko has put it on Twitter, next week is a free shot. Nothing to lose. If we can put some points on the board early, get some tension in the crowd we have a chance.

Re: Improvement Needed : Sat Sep 21, 2019 7:33 am  

French: I don’t feel it’s intelligent to make a call on French as a half currently. There’s a number of different variables that will change for next season. Let everything bed in before ruling him out just yet.

Hardaker: I’m posting about Zak in comparison to French. I rate Zak, safe as houses, but how often does he break the line? How often is he an attacking threat anymore? I actually don’t blame Zak for this but the way we’re structured doesn’t get the best of what he can offer.

Are we going to see French at FB? With the way we play his style suits the current system would benefit from his attacking out wide.

Getting such combinations wrong between the 1, 6 and 7 is very visible we’re disjointed, flat and often lacking. This has been a constant through 2019.
We’ve got enough about us to win games, but we’re still not playing well in attack and I honestly think we’re not good enough to challenge Saints sadly.

Wingers. I’m commenting on this as recently Burgess has been getting stick. He had a good game last night defensively strong and active in attack. Did well. In comparison we have Marshall. Again diamonds and rocks. Can be a sensation in attack but always has that costly error in him. His dropped ball after he made a good catch nearly cost us the game and put us under the pump for a sequence of plays which saw us zapped of all energy. Sadly when a winger or FB drops a ball or makes a mistake from a kick it’s often massive due to positioning and where the ball will he turned over.

I think moving George to 9 is Lam thinking about next season and not this. He better having Tommy there keeping George at 6.

Overall I think we have the players. Last night their work rate and effort in D won us the game. But the coaching decision made it very difficult to shape the attack after Powell was taken off.

I’m going to roll the dice. Next week, in a game which we can lose and still be in the GF, I’d play French at fb. Zak to wing or centre. Keep Tommy and George in the halves. Start Lockers let him be the link. Let French basically play like Tomkins.

Let’s throw something new and different at Saints.

Re: Improvement Needed : Sat Sep 21, 2019 1:03 pm  

Not that bothered about the performance, it’s all about the scoreboard. We had to make a load of adjustments and Salford were always going to be up for it.

The only issue for me was that the bench should’ve had a massive impact with the names on there but didn’t really work. O’Loughlin and Flower were really not great.

Also disappointed with Hicks’ performance. Salford’s first try came off a bomb where at least 6 players were offside and then Marshall was tackled without the ball (same as Farrell was penalised for), penalty against Gildart for rubbing a player’s head that isn’t in the rule book and also didn’t back the lineman’s call of in-touch for their disallowed try and sent it up as a try.

I thought Williams was fantastic though, his defence was incredible especially having to switch to 9.

Re: Improvement Needed : Sat Sep 21, 2019 1:17 pm  

Hicks literally made up a rule when giving a penalty for Gildart rubbing a player's head. It isn't sportsmanlike and I don't particularly like it but its been going on for years - was only because it caught a bit of publicity last week that it was penalised.

Re: Improvement Needed : Sat Sep 21, 2019 2:32 pm  

MadDogg wrote:

Hicks literally made up a rule when giving a penalty for Gildart rubbing a player's head. It isn't sportsmanlike and I don't particularly like it but its been going on for years - was only because it caught a bit of publicity last week that it was penalised.

I was pleased he penalised that and hope refs consistently continue to do so. If they do it will soon stop.

Re: Improvement Needed : Sat Sep 21, 2019 2:44 pm  

Trainman wrote:

I was pleased he penalised that and hope refs consistently continue to do so. If they do it will soon stop.

Agreed. I said last week we don’t want to rid somebody like Partington of his natural aggression. His snarling, shouting, pushing and shoving is fine by me but the rubbing of people’s heads after mistakes is a really sad thing that creeped in to the game and hopefully that is the end of it for us. That penalty last night will hopefully have done us a favour.

Re: Improvement Needed : Sat Sep 21, 2019 4:42 pm  

Trainman wrote:

I was pleased he penalised that and hope refs consistently continue to do so. If they do it will soon stop.

The problem is it won't. It'll be forgotten about by next week and we'll probably never see another penalty given for this 'offence'..

Re: Improvement Needed : Sat Sep 21, 2019 5:20 pm  

Tommy leuluai did it late in the second half on Inu but Inu didn't react to it. If the ref is going to police it then he has to blow for a penalty every time and not just when someone reacts to it. He can't make the rules up as he goes along just because someone has a mard lip.

Re: Improvement Needed : Sat Sep 21, 2019 5:37 pm  

Phuzzy wrote:

The problem is it won't. It'll be forgotten about by next week and we'll probably never see another penalty given for this 'offence'..

I which case I will then criticise the referees