[PopTart]

Re: Schofields prediction : Wed Dec 18, 2019 1:39 pm  

Fishermanscap wrote:

Hastings is the key here, shrewd signing no doubt but also highly fortuitous. I’m not denying Salford did extremely well but to suggest they had prepared and thus expected to be where they finished is a fantasy. If they carry on in this vain for the next few years then it will have to be re-evaluated but for now it’s just an unexpectedly good season, a one hit wonder and as we know the second hit is always the hardest to find.

All the same I do wish them luck, they are a club I’ve always liked.

I don't think anyone suggested they would get to where they did but they certainly prepared for it.
And equally the reason they feel less confident is their current campaign is they they lost their 2 key players. Hastings was 2 steps ahead of most other players in the field.
Put him in our team this year and I'll put a bet on us not only reaching but winning a final. He made a big difference.

Re: Schofields prediction : Wed Dec 18, 2019 2:03 pm  

Fishermanscap wrote:

Hastings is the key here, shrewd signing no doubt but also highly fortuitous. I’m not denying Salford did extremely well but to suggest they had prepared and thus expected to be where they finished is a fantasy. If they carry on in this vain for the next few years then it will have to be re-evaluated but for now it’s just an unexpectedly good season, a one hit wonder and as we know the second hit is always the hardest to find.

All the same I do wish them luck, they are a club I’ve always liked.

Whether you are right or wrong over Watson, I'm not sure but, you are certainly being disingenuous towards his coaching skills.
You seem to have forgotten that they lost many of their "better" players from the previous season, particularly Murdoch Mesilla and seemed to be on the wrong end of a swap deal when they "traded" Lui for Lolohea during last season.
Lui went backwards at Leeds and Lolohea was "re-born" at Salford, which wasn't a coincidence.
If you remember, Salford were many peoples pick for wooden spoon contenders at the start of the season and there was only the most optimistic of Salford fans who had them down as anything approaching mid table and Grand Finalists - not one.
The mark of a good coach is improving the players within their squad and to a man, I would suggest that he managed this, not only this season but, the previous season too.
Yes, he may have had some luck - every side needs some but, give the bloke some credit - he deserves it.

Re: Schofields prediction : Wed Dec 18, 2019 2:10 pm  

PopTart wrote:

I don't think anyone suggested they would get to where they did but they certainly prepared for it.
And equally the reason they feel less confident is their current campaign is they they lost their 2 key players. Hastings was 2 steps ahead of most other players in the field.
Put him in our team this year and I'll put a bet on us not only reaching but winning a final. He made a big difference.

Agree, like you say stick him our team and plenty of people would fancy us to maybe do something, whether that be the CC or get to a GF, not that neither's improbable now tbh.

They obviously prepared their attacking structures and defensive structures very well around the resources they had and got team spirit spot on. But you only have to look at the size and depth of their squad, an injury to just their halfbacks and hooker, like we went through, would have caused massive troubles. Tbh that's what I thought would happen when predicting at the start of last season, that their depth was gonna catch them out at some point; but good for them it didn't and nearly won the prize.

Re: Schofields prediction : Wed Dec 18, 2019 2:21 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

Whether you are right or wrong over Watson, I'm not sure but, you are certainly being disingenuous towards his coaching skills.
You seem to have forgotten that they lost many of their "better" players from the previous season, particularly Murdoch Mesilla and seemed to be on the wrong end of a swap deal when they "traded" Lui for Lolohea during last season.
Lui went backwards at Leeds and Lolohea was "re-born" at Salford, which wasn't a coincidence.
If you remember, Salford were many peoples pick for wooden spoon contenders at the start of the season and there was only the most optimistic of Salford fans who had them down as anything approaching mid table and Grand Finalists - not one.
The mark of a good coach is improving the players within their squad and to a man, I would suggest that he managed this, not only this season but, the previous season too.
Yes, he may have had some luck - every side needs some but, give the bloke some credit - he deserves it.

I agree and also don't, BMM left a couple of seasons ago.But apart from Hastings and Lussick, Josh Jones was a great buy for them.

The difference between Lui and Lolohea could come down to simply what team they were moving to, one was having a good season, team spirit, confidence and playing some very attractive RL and the other was, well not. So just that alone could account for the way they played when they moved teams. Obviously though Watson created those structures, that led to that atmosphere etc; we had a similar thing going on in 2017 but failed by the skin of someone's body to get to that next level.

Re: Schofields prediction : Wed Dec 18, 2019 2:49 pm  

Shifty Cat wrote:

I agree and also don't, BMM left a couple of seasons ago.But apart from Hastings and Lussick, Josh Jones was a great buy for them.

The difference between Lui and Lolohea could come down to simply what team they were moving to, one was having a good season, team spirit, confidence and playing some very attractive RL and the other was, well not. So just that alone could account for the way they played when they moved teams. Obviously though Watson created those structures, that led to that atmosphere etc; we had a similar thing going on in 2017 but failed by the skin of someone's body to get to that next level.

I agree but, I do believe that Watson deserves massive credit for their success.
As I said, they were tipped for bottom 3 and to finish the season as beaten Grand Finalists was utterly superb.

Re: Schofields prediction : Wed Dec 18, 2019 4:26 pm  

PopTart wrote:

I don't think anyone suggested they would get to where they did but they certainly prepared for it.
And equally the reason they feel less confident is their current campaign is they they lost their 2 key players. Hastings was 2 steps ahead of most other players in the field.
Put him in our team this year and I'll put a bet on us not only reaching but winning a final. He made a big difference.

Yes but they didn’t prepare more than anyone else. Hastings turned out to be a sensational signing but planned it wasn’t. Salford took a punt on an Aussie naughty boy and it paid off.

It’s all fantastic stuff but no way had Salford planned it. Then again I’m a great believer in the idea that you can overthink stuff and quite often the off the cuff signings can be the best, David Fifita springs to mind, he became available and we swooped.

I’m not suggesting Dave is quite in the same class as Hastings but I’m certain that had he stayed fit we may have ended the season a bit higher than we did, even with all the other injuries.

Sometimes a season just works other times it doesn’t. You have to prepare of course you do but sometimes things just randomly click. Salford IMHO we’re looking purely for survival last year and made a final. We were possibly hoping to makes final and survived by the skin of our teeth, who’d have thought

Re: Schofields prediction : Wed Dec 18, 2019 4:47 pm  

Give Watson credit a coach who new when a player was injured leave him out .I do think Salford will finish higher than us down to the coaching ability.Mr Carter said one thing that help them was the Squad Builder were fans give 10 £ a month wich goes towards signing first team players.He also said that Wakefield we're going to give it a go .For the 10 £ you would get the 2 £ magazine free

Re: Schofields prediction : Wed Dec 18, 2019 6:17 pm  

alegend wrote:

Give Watson credit a coach who new when a player was injured leave him out .I do think Salford will finish higher than us down to the coaching ability.Mr Carter said one thing that help them was the Squad Builder were fans give 10 £ a month wich goes towards signing first team players.He also said that Wakefield we're going to give it a go .For the 10 £ you would get the 2 £ magazine free

What extra coaching ability, nice for Chester to know he has your full support, you know that coach who's teams have consistently finished higher than Salfords until last season. Short memories some folk

Virtually every RL pundit anywhere in the world had London as favourites to drop last year followed by Salford yet now they are SL challengers despite losing the actual man that made it happen, Hastings!

Re: Schofields prediction : Wed Dec 18, 2019 6:31 pm  

I think the teams that will finish above us are Saints, Wigan, Warrington Leeds, Hull, Salford and Cats therefore I would predict 8th position for Trin.

Re: Schofields prediction : Wed Dec 18, 2019 8:52 pm  

You do realise that the backroom coaches are the same ones that we had in the last million pound game .It wasn't till Chester came in and played a no fear rugby that we looked a lot better.Afterabout 6 games last season we stop playing fear free rugby.As said Mr Chester said he made a lot of mistakes last season so let wait and see what happens be for we talk about Chester .In no way have I criticised him just said that last season Watson did a lot better