Dosent look to bad, another prop and we should be ok. Top 8 here we come

The top 7 are miles in front IMO. There are several - HKR, Wakey, London, Bulls - competing for 8th.

On paper maybe but you never know, Hudds where one of the best teams at the start of last season look how they finished, and leeds had been written off but GF winners again.

50% win ratio is enough to get into the 8

My money would be on Anderson to be first coach to go next season. Still they should easily have enough class to ensure top 7, not that I think 7th would be good enough for Davy.

Anderson has done the smart thing considering he has inherited a team who appear to have lost all belief in what they were being asked to do. He's packed the middle with size and numbers, and will utilise Brough's boot to full extent.

It might not be fun to watch but they'll win more than they'll lose in this comp.

They did last year but 7th is not good enough. He's certainly going for size & power but half of the game is defence. You also need technique to go with power. 14 games then goodbye IMHO.

They won't sack him for finishing 7th, not after the fiasco of Brown's last months. The main reason they fell in such a heap was the lack of props (Gilmour?). If you lose the battle in the middle, defending in the channels is near impossible.

That sounds like a truism that might get repeated often on our forum over the coming season

It depends on one bloke to be honest; if Davy is prepared to say 'we're a new team and I'll give him time to get it together', then he has a chance, otherwise I agree. The 'winners in life', like Davy, don't normally have much of a reputation for being forgiving of failure though...

Apart from pea head leaving they aren't that new. Davy has invested a fortune & will want a return. Appointing Anderson was extremely naiive in my humble, the classic Peter Principle.

Yeah, I agree they're not really 'new' but the coach is and the team had crumbled, whatever the reasons and needed ( still needs?) an infusion of confidence to become successful again. I know full well they are (on paper) a far better side than they showed last season and Davy will want a return on his cash. I think I sort of alluded to this in what I said about patience, but naive blunder or masterstroke, will Davy be patient enough to find out? Maybe he won't have to be - there is a lot of quality in that side.

Think Tigs comments about the top 7 are true. On paper they have better squads.

Hopefully the spirit we showed at times last year will still be there and Cummins will inspire them. He's worked under some fantastic coaches and he is Potter's recommendation so I'm putting my faith in him.

bateman op means he mises first month of season ( plus a month to get back to full match sharpness ) but Gales ankle op means he should be back for first game. the luck with injuries just keeps on coming. and I dont know why I heard this on BBC five live sports news first, have relations broken down with the TNA?

Was on the bulls website from 7, T&A news seems to have been getting later and later for a while. Looks like the policy in the bulls camp is that they break big news on their own site, and you either break it with them or after, not before. Maybe the T&A aren't fans of this policy, or maybe the lack of real news recently has led them to take their eyes off the ball.

I think Heppenstall's reporting is genuinley rubbish anyway.

I 2nd THAT!!!!!

Just noted ewan dowes is on a return to uk, and bradford have been linked

Well yeah. He's a prop. We're short on them.

TBH we're being linked with every OOC prop going.

He's already signed for Workington.

Has anyone heard the rumour that Lee Smith has signed for Bradford? He was on a 1 year deal with Wakefield.

Not heard that one. I guess he'd add some utility to our backline and with links to Leeds it might have some legs perhaps. I thought he had re-signed for the 2013 season though?

I thought the same but you never know, he played very well for wakey last year

www.loverugbyleague.com/news_9691-wakef ... anent.html says here he signed until end of 2013. We have been linked with him before but unless we are due a whirlwind set of changes maybe platt/purtill moves I cant see us affording Smith as he wont be cheap - he did play well and unless he has upset somone? Think a short term loan for somone like sam powell at wigan or gareth o'brien at wire might be most likely option ... or we could start up the lee gaskell rumours again for amusement... saints may be likely to allow a short term loan as oppose to long term..

www.loverugbyleague.com/news_9691-wakef ... anent.html says here he signed until end of 2013. We have been linked with him before but unless we are due a whirlwind set of changes maybe platt/purtill moves I cant see us affording Smith as he wont be cheap - he did play well and unless he has upset somone? Think a short term loan for somone like sam powell at wigan or gareth o'brien at wire might be most likely option ... or we could start up the lee gaskell rumours again for amusement... saints may be likely to allow a short term loan as oppose to long term..

No truth in it, he's staying at Wakey.

Thank goodness for that.