Good analogy RD. Its a bit like assembling a flat pack cupboard from Ikea into a wooden toilet icon_smile.gif

Even if Ratch & Bridge are not officially both playing at half back there is nothing to stop them combining every now & then for a match winning move....the amount of positional changes that are happening during the course of games means that at some point(s) in a game our stellar duo will find themselves playing in the halves together. Our trouble is actually crossing the try line & things will be even worse when old father time gets a grip of Mickey Higham. Unfortunately, some of our players who look good in a team going forward are not so hot in defence so we are on the back foot all too often.

Fare point 9a but there is a obstacle that prevents certain moves from happening on frequent enough basis to win a game....
GOB.
I'm not dishing the lad. I want to see the winning formula put together again to create a winning habit.
Then we can integrate GOB back in slowly.

Back on to the agenda. I still stand by this post.

Why do we need to come back to this worry time we lose, yet every time we win it doesn't get a mention. Bridge was exceptional in those few weeks. He's been tried in that position this year and been a million miles away from that sort of form. Ratchford needs the freedom full back gives him. It's the most attacking position on a RL field these days.

Apologies for feeding the troll.

I mentioned it plenty of times win and lose.

I cannot see a way to turn this slump around other than playing our best two backs together.

Synde and Price won the backs battle.
Last week Brown and Mellor won the backs battle....a big help of luck won us that game.

I thought a link up play from Ratchford, chiming in from full back, passing to Monas won the game?



Do you think Bridge has been good enough this year to take on that role?

Bridge wasn't match fit.
He came in for flack because he returned too early to help us out.
He had no pre-season through an operation on that goal kicking foot and some hearsay reoccurrence.

Fit he and Ratchford are our clear best.
We can salvage this season with them at 6 and 7.

Today Price did exactly what I said he would so when he signed for Hull.
I said he ain't the best 6 in the world but he gives a presence.

That is what R&B do, their proximity at the front of attack bolsters the weight up the middle channel. It creates shat loads of room out wide because it pulls in the defence.

20 yards from their own line with 40 seconds to go, Mellor kicking it into the arms of Atkins, when even kicking it straight into touch would have ran out the clock, that was what lost them the game.

There was no chiming in from FB when we start the move camped on their line! Ratch was however, in a hb position cutting out Bridge in that move.

Doesn't matter how we ended up with the ball. We took advantage.

Myler takes the ball from higham on the short side. The other half (Patton) is the other side of the play the ball. Ball is shipped to Ratchford as he has the freedom to roam - Patton (or any other half was never going to be there) and Ratchford gives a pass across bridge, to Monaghan to score. It was actually a poor pass

Point is, had we had Ratch and bridge in the halves that final pass would have been on Russell's shoulders, as the other half back would be on the other side of the field. Ratchford used the freedom full back gives him to take the ball on the short side and pass on the Monas to score. We didn't deserve it, but sometimes world class players win you games. Hats off Monas.

Your "world class players" ought to be in a position where they can get their hands on the ball.
In that move their was no roving from deep?
Ratchford was up in the line at the pivot position of a stand off, Ratchford delivered his pass.

I don't care what number Ratchford wears on his back, what position he defends from and what position he will play from next season, so long as he is in that head of attack from zero tackle to five this season!
This season, as we were last, we are in a fine mess and only Ratchford and Bridge fixed it from the position of halves.

The picture is all about now, not how good Ratchford plays at FB but how much better we are with him at 6. Unfortunately we don't have a Lee Briers or a Danny Brough here to allow him to play your preferred FB.
We've got GOB, Myler and Patton on whatever combination you want.
However you mix that combination it doesn't better Ratchford and Bridge, they fall short by a very very long way.

Gone are the days of a small framed crafty half running around a 5ft 6" and 17 1/2 prop.
The new athelete props arnt sluggish guys anymore, they are lean and 6ft plus.
Halves need to be big enough with craft to be able to play against these athlete forwards.
How many times have we seen GOB proned, knock out because his upper body mass is low.
Over in Oz the best halves in the game are 5ft 13 plus and around 14 1/2 - 15 stone lean guys. The likes of Widdop and Cherry-Evans.
If Myler goes over to OZ he'll end up playing reserve grade like Matty Russell.

Here we go again.!!!!!

Asotasi can go paid up for me now.

Saints play a backrower and Burns, the only players they have available and we had a choice of 5 and played with the 2 smallest guys in our team.

FFS the two small men were 2nd best to the bigger but average pairing of Saints plus they faced big props like facing LMS Warmsley and Massoe.
Get the biggest pair if backs we have and get them in the middle of the pitch.
Ratchford and Bridge need to be right in the heart of everything that goes on.
We need a fecking big turn around in our season like last year.

I like Patton but he still needs selected games and time.

Wire team to save our season that are available (When fit)

1. Penny
2. Joel
3. Currie
4. Atkins (Toby)
5. Gene
6. Bridge
7. Ratchford
8. Hill
9. MOS
10. Sims
11. Laithwaite
12. Westwood
13. Harrison

14. Dwyer
15. Patton
16. England
17. George..?

Our go forward is cack as it is, we can't have Patton AND Dwyer on the bloody bench.

It's a case of who we have fit.
2/3 weeks off Toby and Philbin and Evans coming back in so the bench will look much healthier.

Disappointing that Tony Smith uses the injury card this week and Keiron Cunningham didn't despite Sts being decimated at hb.
Wire need a prop back soon. Let Asiteasy go either way.

But you put /Grix? So is he fit yet? If so then two little guys on the bench goes away. Grix in at 13, then you have Harrison, England, Dwyer and King on the bench which looks better. Whos' actually injured right now? I can't keep track of who's out of favour and who's sidelined.

Edit: Nevermind, you dropped Grixs' name.

I did.
Trying to look too far ahead, I realised what matters is now.
Yes Patton I give the bench spot because he could be the future and we need some cover at halfback because were thin on 3/4 quality.
Dwyer in because we lack quality props and Clark will need a break without a dominant pack to run with, it will be asked to do more defence.

Revisited magic 2014 report wire v saints The teams are more or less the same as in 2015. On paper I'd say saints were the strongest. www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/m ... -st-helens

Revisited magic 2014 report wire v saints The teams are more or less the same as in 2015. On paper I'd say saints were the strongest. www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/m ... -st-helens

Quote ="rubber duckie"Revisited magic 2014 report wire v saints The teams are more or less the same as in 2015. On paper I'd say saints were the strongest. www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/m ... -st-helens'" Exactly duckie, same squad give take a few , it's since agar has arrived the side is not progressing him and TS as a team isn't working!!

Quote ="rubber duckie"Revisited magic 2014 report wire v saints The teams are more or less the same as in 2015. On paper I'd say saints were the strongest. www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/m ... -st-helens'" Exactly duckie, same squad give take a few , it's since agar has arrived the side is not progressing him and TS as a team isn't working!!

Back on thread title

Please God, this must happen

Tonight, Myler has been more anonymous than a grey man, in a grey suit, at a convention for 10,000 grey men. The living endorsement of the phrase " or champagne"

GO'B isn't good enough at this level. Years of evidence (he's 24) proves this.

Patton isn't at the level we need (week in, week out), yet.

So, until we recruit at Half-Back (an ESSENTIALITY) for next season, we need Ratchford and Bridge at 6&7

Never has it been so obvious as tonight either Lefty.
Whoever we have lined up for hb I can't wait for but we have problem that we can fix this season by simply putting our two best most experienced backs together.
Long term answer it possibly isn't but it'll do till November.

Never more was it proved with Clarke's half time "heat map" where PTB's are taken.
All that possession, and 2 tries, against a team who aren't exactly "ripping up trees" themselves

The only way we will get to old trafford this season is if Mr Moran gets the team complimentary tickets for the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand

Ratchford has been great at fullback, by virtue of his agility and the space he is afforded from fullback. Instead of keeping him there, you want him to be moved to scrum half, despite the fact that he isn't known either for his organisational ability nor his kicking game?