Nonsense. If we can't give a brand new coach two years then we're as bad as the billionaires who run Premier League soccer.

Let's just hope in 2018 we have more than 1 pt after 7 games !

If we win one of those first 7 then that's an improvement right?

All teams have players at the world cup, well top teams do so all in same boat at the start. I actually think its better to play top teams first just have to make sure we're ready and mean business straight away.

What's bad about that?

Tell that to Everton then,that’s what the Sky pundits have said is one of the issues for them,to many new faces at one time still learning the systems.

Sky can call it whatever they want but if Everton don't spend the kind of money City Chelsea and Utd do, they'll never gel, if that is what they call it.

Everton and Liverpool went wrong by not excepting they share the same back garden and by not putting all their daisy's in the same flower bed means they'd missed out on only have to pay for one gardener and spend the savings on more daisys...but that's the tinkers for you.

Absolute clap-trap

Not one Sunday home game is a disgrace.
We are a club that's played all our home games (bar Sky) for the last 40odd years on a Sunday, until last year. Now we have none.
Pathetic
I can live with a mixture of days, but to play NONE on our traditional day is beyond laughable.

Yet again, the pee is being taken out of us, as fans.

Well our spend is pittance compared to money spent to gain success in the Premier league. Our entire annual salary cap won't even pay for one footballers wages for 2 months so their is an expectation of success if your paying hundreds of millions a year Tring to win something. Majority of players sackings are to avoid relegation the club's act fast as the financial implications are huge should we have faced the drop apart from being embarrassing I'm sure it would not have the financial implications of dropping out of the Premier league not even relatively close.

Price will née time to find his best starting team and have them perfect systems and set plays but also reading each other and knowing what each other will do or just being where half back want them. That takes time and not really something happens in preparation season or in friend games it's something that's finished off by playing competitive games.

I believe it was the club's choice as it would mean no Sunday Thursday turn around. From a performance perspective it is the best way?? From a spectators point of view its not great, rugby for me is Sundays not down to availability just that's how it was play amature Sat am n watch wire on a Sunday pm

We need another TV broadcaster to come in with a better offer than sky who can show Sunday games, it's sky's choice not to due to football commitments I don't think Premier or possibly BT sport would have an issue showing matches on a Sunday,

I agree, but it looks like daytime games are a thing of the past. Would think that will have a big bearing on families with young kids but I guess corporate opportunities are more important.

I prefer Fridays to be honest, my 6yo manages it no problem and it leaves the whole weekend for 'family' stuff.

Thursdays are obviously a pain, but Sky are the paymasters, and we're not the only sport to play midweek for TV.

Absolute disgrace no Sunday home games,not to worry,back to church.

ive never read so much rubbish in my my life haha

I’m not sure I’m convinced it’s any tougher than I’d expect from a random first 7 games from 11 other teams?

League finishing positions (Qualifiers classed as 9,10,11,12)

Leeds 2,
Hudds 9,
Widnes 10
Wigan 6
Hull 3,
Saints 4
Catalan 12

= 46/6 = 7.6666. Statistically a weaker than random set of opening games.

Hudds finished 8th. We finished 9th.

Noticed that within an hour of the fixtures being released, our game V Castleford was moved from Friday night to Saturday afternoon. That's got to be a record for a fixture being changed ?

Also, shouldn't it be divided by 7 if so the average is 6.43? Statistics are funny though as we still appear to be doing quite well with below average opponents. However, are Catalans away fairly ranked as a 12?

Anyone know why the Cas & Salford games easter week haven't been giving kick off times yet, can the dates still be changed or are they just waiting to hear on the KO time

Amended - League finishing positions (Qualifiers classed as 9,10,11,12)

Leeds 2,
Hudds 8,
Widnes 10
Wigan 6
Hull 3,
Saints 4
Catalan 12

= 45/7 = 6.4333.

Entire Season
(1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12)/12 = 6.5

Worst case fixtures
(1+2+3+4+5+6+7)/7 = 4

It's a fair opening sequence.

Always hard to judge difficulty of fixtures, based on finishing positions from the previous season. The teams playing Warrington early in 2017 probably didn’t expect such an easy ride.

Correct, the fans of those teams certainly didn't if you look at the Prediction Thread on the VT where we were consistently near to the top, generally in the top 4.