ROBBIE

Get a cheeky bid in for Robbie, won't cost much, offers better leadership and more creativity than what we have currently in the halfbacks, and despite his age would be a better option than jeffries,

Would play with more passion than some of the players we currently have and could cover the halves and hooker

You've got to be joking

And that is a your problem. A team with the key positions filled by either mediocre players, or players who are past it, and injury prone.

I said a while ago I wouldn't mind seeing Robbie back at the right price. He isn't going to work miracles but he could do a job and we know we're going to get 100% effort out of him, plus it would be a boost for the club in terms of having a well-known face and media personality on board.

Robbie back at the club working in the community/media.. yes please. As a player.. I think he is probably past his best. We need a quality half back.. not another back up!

IMHO hard not to agree with all of that.

Robie hasn't been right or played 100% since he inured his arm

Why go after Robbie when Myler is already a far better player and a lot younger ?

We had Harris and Deacon for the last four years, Jeffries was a stop gap. We knew we needed replacements. Why don't we have a crop of aspiring half backs in U21's and Academy just chomping at the bit for a chance? Everybody except the coaching staff has seen this coming for the last 4 years. Same goes for the Hooking situation. All we seem capable of bringing through is Forwards. Yet again we are part way through the season and having to scrape the bottom of the barrel to fill in where we all knew we were going to be short.

Ask the people in charge when those lads would have had to be signed.

That would be our present Coach. If we had signed some 16 year olds 3 years ago and they were any good they would have been ready for a run out now.........

Where are the ones signed 4-9 years ago that would be 20-25 and in their prime?

Good young players aren't like gold nuggets lying around on the floor to be picked up by anyone who bothers to bend their back. You need a system in place and that takes time. We've done that and as a result we know we've got talent coming through but they are still a little way off. Prepared to stick it out? We could see a pack with three (maybe four) Burgesses in it in a few years' time, surely a sight worth seeing?

We are basically asking the same question. And I am prepared to stick it out. Our problem has been that we will only play youngsters when we have no other option and that usually means putting a young lad in a team that isn't playing well, not the best situation to put him in. If we'd filtered them in to a team that was playing well and rested key players then that would give them quality experience for when they are needed. Unfortunatly for us the last 3 coaches have all done the same with the youngsters. Let's hope we get somebody in charge who has a little bit more faith in them, and hope it happens soon.

I never thought I would say it but I actually enjoyed some of Wigan's play last night. They threw the ball about with youthful flair, passion & commitment. You can't ask for more as a supporter.

As an aside, Tim Smith is probably going cheap.

I disagree that the problem with our current-'bubbling unders' is SM won't pick them. Most have had dog's abuse on here when they have played.

I think you're indulging in wishful thinking here - that things can get better quickly with a change at the top, someone with 'more faith' in youth. SM puts in a lot of miles chasing youth products for someone with no faith in youth, I must say.

I didn't say anything would happen quickly, it would be a continuous improvement started by filtering the players in. We are talking about a coach who sits a kid on the bench for 75 mins while the team struggling completely wasting a sub place and then throw him on for the last couple of mins after the game is lost. Faith,I think not.
We also rely to heavily on Burgess and Lynch playng 80 mins. We will just burn them out. Menzies as good as he is also shouldn't be playing for 80 mins. He lookedout on his feet last week after 60 mins.

IIRC that situation was forced upon him by injury - surely you can understand having a young player on the bench because he'd be better than no one, but being reluctant to play him unless absolutely necessary because he isn't ready?

I could accept that but it has happened too often and Macca is not the only coach that has done it, I recall Noby and Elliot doing the same. I would argue that if he's good enough to be on the bench he is good enough to play. If that's not the case then the whole coaching system has failed.