Sport can be cruel sometimes.

He took the job in order to resurrect his coaching career back in the NRL which was looking a busted flush. He probably saw how the Wire finished the season with all those wins and that we probably needed some tweaking and a freshen up and a few players rather than root and branch change, and thought to himself - if I can turn that round I could get in the frame for the next smaller NRL club head coach position ...

Right now he is looking at 8 losses from his last 8 head coach games. The self doubt will be in override. I don't suspect he will be sleeping very well.

He has my support to make the changes we so desperately need - players, staff, culture, discipline. If that means shipping so called 'stars' out on loan - so be it. We tried the softly softly way with Smith. We need an iron fist now.

I hope the board are going out of their way to back him to the hilt as it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Have your been watching back to back chick flicks?
Wire to beat Widnes and win more than we lose of those 8.

Not had an easy start. Only got Hill K Brown and Ratchford for a short period pre season. BMM for even less. Not had his star half back playing any warm up matches and then injured, back up half injured as well...
I’m sure the Board won’t be giving up on him any time soon. Whether the fans will be patient is another matter.

In reality if he ships out first team regulars on loan he doesn't have superstar Academy players to come in, he will just be fielding the kind of side we put out for Boxing Day friendlies and people complain about being asked to pay full price to watch.

That sort of side would finish bottom of Super League.

The question is, if he does that and we finish bottom, will the fans be understanding, and support the iron fist statement of shipping out our star players, or would they this coach is rubbish, we badly need change before we get relegated.

All depends on how he manages the relationship with the fans.

I don't think sending Russell out on loan to learn the basics of the game is the different between SL status or not.

Some lower risk options.

e.g.) Let's give Johnson some games at full back, Ratch to bench.
Livett ahead of Patton.
Mitch Brown for Russell.
Maybe even Louis Johnson on the bench.

What would be your suggestion SC?

I think you may have lost a little credibility with your predictions recently.

If Ratty Muscle doesn't know the basics by now, how is shipping him out on loan going to do it?

Pretty sure he is saying he has lost his last 8 as a head coach. Not that you will lose your first 8. Isn't he?

Well, I hope he succeeds but that's purely because I'm a wires fan and he is successful, we all are.

In terms of sympathy, however, I have zero.

Anyone applying for, or being interviewed for, a job should be thoroughly doing his homework on his employer. If relocation is involved, then you need to be even more thorough. If you accepted a job and then discovered the firm was on the brink of bankruptcy who is to blame? You.

talking 5h!t£ again Rubber...

Yes I was. I thought it was clear enough.

Would love to know your Wire predictions since you’ve been a member of RL.Bet you it ain’t good.

Price will have to be careful with leaving players out this early because with our fixtures coming up we are likely to have a few more losses coming up and the guys who get dropped after the first couple of games will become martyrs if we keep losing. Last year TS dropped Patton and Savelio early on and that started all the stories about losing the dressing room.

the only 2 id ship out on loan at the moment is ratchford and brown...the only snag is who would have em

Don't think I posted on it did I? Don't recall seeing a link.

LEIGH

Can we have less of this reasoned argument as it blows all the pessimists out of the water.

I'd be starting Livett at LF and playing BMM at 12. Cant see the point of us having this 'gelling' period and not playing our most promising young player. BMM wants to play wider and his size and athleticism could provide us with some mismatches on the edge, especially at the opponents goal line (where we've needed all the help we can get for quite some time)

When you say pessimists do you mean forum comments and projections based on what has been seen so far ? I think the biggest concern is that the issues from 2017 appear to be extant in the first games of 2018.

I'm quite optimistic this season. I think we will finish 7/8/9.

Forgive me, but BMM has played second row in both of the games so far. Hughes has played in the middle as 13 until BMM comes off, then he switches out to the right. And so far been the best of our back row, Currie having a quiet start and BMM not getting a lot of minutes in.

Yes BMM has been named at loose but played on the right edge for the first two games. BMM suffered from a chronic lack of ball vs Hudds, everything went left to Brown / Currie / Atkins / Lineham. When Roberts is back and fit hopefully we can redress that balance as Roberts / BMM / Atkins / Brown could be dangerous given time.

I do hope so, but in the interim I’d recommend BMM laying off the fudge. Looks really heavy and slow. He spends a lot of time off the field for a second row.

Shaun Wayne would have no problem dropping any player he though wasn't performing. regardless of name and regardless of who he had as back up. He also doesn't bring a player straight back in if their replacement is performing. he makes them wait till their performance drops. at the minute players need dropping. Ratch, Atkins, Russell, K. Brown, Cooper, G.King.

I'd have no problem seeing a team line up like this against Widnes:

J. Johnson

Lineham
Goodwin
Livett
Prell

Patton
Roberts

Hill
Clark
Philbin
Currie
Hughes
Murdoch-Masila

Smith
G. King (Only if Crosby and Akualoa are unfit)
L. Johnson (Only if Crosby and Akualoa are unfit)
Westwood

Good post but don't think Patton in place of K.Brown. Especially against Widnes seems to raise his game when he chooses.

Moving On...Sean Wane has the luxury this season of being able to drop someone and there is someone who can replace them. We don't...
Thin with outside backs and thin with props. They are undroppable.

Our team is/ought to be class quality but balance is a obvious issue with our team...wherever Atkins goes his wingers come in for a torrid time...Ryan is fantastic as doing what he does but his wingers get crucified.
I would get a passing back and move Atkins out to the edge.