What are my eyes seeing?!?! People raving about George Griffin. WOW. I don't want to knock the lad but he's not a Super League player, belongs as somewhere like Fev. I'm struggling to see where he impressed last year? Bobbings at London, don't think Wakefield where overly impress with his loan stint. What is his natural position, he's played, prop, second row, loose and in the halves. His best attribute is versatility, I'm sorry that my assessment but then again the Hull fans love Whiting and he's literally player every position for them hasn't he!?

So, Vidot is the first long term casualty. Who will replace him? Are Greg Johnson and MCB still with us?

You need to get some control of your exaggeration. Nobody has raved about him, just that some people can see potential in him and that he could be a decent forward. Whether that happens will be primarily up to him. It may happen, it may not. But nobody has come on here and said they think he's the next Sam Burgess, so I don't understand the tone of your post.

Griffin is in the same category as Krasniqi, both have bundles of potential and it is very much their time to forge a career in SL or if they don't to eek one bimbling around the lower leagues.

I'm still convinced that both the Walnes have the same potential, if all applied themselves we have the makings of a pack for the next few years.

I totally agree with your assumption regarding George Griffin, he's a Championship player with Krasniqi. Also with others claiming Griffins potential is to why he should be given playing time, well these are the same people who claimed Luke Adamson had potential . Great judgement on Championship standards

To me, it looks like we have assembled a group of hard working forwards, also hard working for each other, a team of 100% workers for the full 80 minutes. If that is the case we will be difficult to beat

I agree.

I think a lot of people think we need superstars in every position, and while that's desirable it's certainly not realistic. Team sports often require mixes of talent to get the most out of a team. Skilled players, grafters, on-field managers, defenders, hitters, etc etc. We've assembled a young and fit pack that will be required to graft. Until we see them after a few games we'll not know whether we've got that or require a different element. It's pretty unfair for some people to label certain players as Championship quality like that's a negative thing. There's plenty of Championship players that have become SL names, and there's plenty of talent playing in the lower league right now.

You see players being labelled as championship ilk is a negative thing, yet i see picking championship standard players is a negative thing. We are where we are due to this notion we just about scraped home for our Super-league status

Name me One recent decent Championship signing Salford have made who is of Super-league standard with the exception of Coley, ( he's was a One Off .) I'm not saying the Championship holds no talent, i'm saying we're pretty drab at scouting them.

OK I'll bite:
Liam Hood: I felt all season he was a SL hooker.

Yes iI would agree re Liam Hood. Don't know why Salford have released him, is for him to develop better in Aussie or is it something in his persona make up, in his head (aka Gareth Hock )

Liam Hood. Yeah right massive queue for his scribble. Thats why Sheens released him and went for Tomkins Good Call.

Can't think of any other than Coley who you mentioned. Ian Bragger the centre from Keighley many years ago perhaps? Didn't he start off like a house and fire and score about 20 tries in his first couple of season's with us? I think we then sold him to Castleford and his career nose dived for whatever reason.

I honestly thought we'd snatched a gem from Swinton in Menzies - big, mobile prop with a good pair of hands but with that bad lengthy injury last season Sheens obviously didn't like the risk.

I thought the same. The highlights video was very impressive but aren't they always?

Problem was we couldn't get him on the field.

Pretty sure I saw him on Twitter saying he'd started personal training so may have finished altogether.
May have not entirely recovered, pitty if that's the case.

Wasn't Richie Myler signed when Widnes were in the lower league?

Yes I'd forgot about that. We benefitted from their misfortune of going into voluntary administration if I remember correctly.

Tex Evans is another player who did well for us after signing from Swinton. I'm not sure though if Swinton were a top flight team or not though when he signed for us back in the late 80's . They may have been relegated the year he signed for us?

Evans came from Swinton at at time they were a yo-yo club (like we had been just before) so I cannot remember whether we signed him just as they won the Second Division or just as they were relegated back the next season(s).

I remember Brags well, played against him in the BARLA National league i think he played for Eastmoor he's pre Super-league anyway,

I wasn't referring to Salford, Stanley, just to the notion that people band that phrase around in a negative context when there's talented players in that league. As for Salford, well, we're not in a position to be offering the best in RL a chance to play for us, either financially or in the credibility stakes. Seeing as we are only able to 'Scrape through' to maintain our SL status (By a clear 4 points) it's a wonder we have the personnel that we do. We need to build our credibility to grow our team, both on and off the pitch. We need to start somewhere and I think the last few seasons have been wasted years trying to do it the quick way.

The irony here is that during the time we had 'names' playing for us, a lot of people were clamouring for us to grow through the Academy and youth and have players that want to graft and play for the shirt. When we get that they're underwhelmed by it and start with the doom and gloom. I don't really understand what they want. You can't suddenly have both until you've made a mark on SL for a few seasons.

I'm concerned about certain aspects of the team, but I think it would be folly to cast judgement at this stage.

There maybe plenty of talented players knocking around the lower leagues, but that doesn't mean they can cut the mustard in Superleague, we're talking a massive gulf here in ability. We always seem to sign the garbage. The odd one or two like Hardaker and Hill just to mention a few rightly get picked up by the bigger clubss. We on the other hand pick out the odd gem in Coley once in every blue moon. Our newly formed pack with the likes of Joseph, Griffin, Krasniqi, Haggerty, and the Walnuts have really got to improve ten fold if we're going to deny Leigh's push for glory this year. Yes i feel negative with this pack in fact i'd go as far as saying its the worst i've ever seen beating the Steve Hurbett and David Major days. Well on paper it is anyway. And thats saying something, I've seen some Shite.

Spot on Butcher the money is easily wasted without good foundations and it doesn't happen overnight. We have to aim to progress year after year at a realistic pace. It's about developing the right culture, getting the right mix and investing more time, money and energy in youth. I have to agree though that the first thing we need to do is to focus on rebuilding our diminished credibility in the game. The last 4 years have been a complete PR nightmare in the face of some hard work, ambition and best intentions.

Correct but it's the Doctors money that you're talking about,because our contribution doesn't scratch the surface.
When he first came in it didn't look like he was a long term bet,and he might well turn out to be,so it wasn't about building it from firm roots.
Cutting through the crap,we all want success. Plan A has failed,but it was fascinating.
I hope he has the patience for Plan B.

We're already on Plan B. Plan C looks imminent if any more of the squad repeat Vidots wretched luck.

True it will have cost him a lot and no supporter wants to see their club or club owner not getting value for money. Be it the Docs cash, the £2 million sky money each year or the other income the club generates.