Why did we sign Lineham? To score tries. He is scoring at rate of one a game. That will do me.

Yes that's it, score a hat trick at home to HKR, bomb a chance or two at FC away it's evens-Steven's.

TANCW you've got to want more than that, I do perhaps unreasonably so. Or are you saying that he couldn't/shouldn't do more as in any event it's all simply about number crunching averaged out over a season, a profit and loss account?

Unbelievable Jeff.

We've bought a player to do a job....score tries. He's doing it, and still some bleat.
He's scoring at a rate of one per game. Pretty impressive, but not enough for some.
He's not had the mickey took out of him, by the opposition's winger, but faults are being found.
The dimensions of his Aris are being brought into doubt. Tell you what. Remember the early days of SL, when certain try scorers had their own songs when they scored. Perhaps we should use The Devine Comedy's "National Express" for the line "but it's hard to get by, when you're ar5e is the size of a small country" whenever he goes over the whitewash.

It's almost like winning one of those 80's competitions WIN A DATE WITH A PAGE 3 GIRL/ MISS GB. You greet her with a kiss on the cheek, only to tell her a couple of seconds later that you don't like the way she's done her hair.

For the record, my only gripe with Lineham is the money we've spent on him, but it's not my dosh, it's Moran's.

Some people on here would whinge if they'd won a triple rollover jackpot on the lottery, only to be told that they had to share it with one other punter.

I know, let's swapping with Patrick Ah Verage at the Smellies

YCNMIU

Poor lad! He scores a totally solo try from a bit of quick thinking and another ... but they seem to be not even worth a mention. Oh come on.

This thread should be titled: Tom Lineham - we've found our new scapegoat. I suppose we desperately needed a new one now Atkins has found some form! 8 from 8, he's still young and in a new team, besides everybody (and team) has an off day, lets give him a proper chance. Can't we just do without a scapegoat? considering nobody would have really thought we would have won 7 from 8 at the start of the season and sit top of the pile on points difference.

For the record I am making it up, it's called an opinion and here's another whilst you're at it, if there's any negative comments no matter how slight there are some too quick to use the scapegoat card IMO and that's why I posted.

My "bleating and whinging" FWIW is based on a view that although I agree that he was bought to score try's and 8 in 8 might look impressive it is too simplistic to measure performance, or may be you think it isn't, simplistic that is as you're obviously impressed? If only he'd scored another hat trick on Monday we'd have won, no bleating/scapegoating just crowing, but, he didn't and we didn't...just think if he hadn't dropped it over the line he could have taken a two week sabbatical from try scoring.

I don't want to see him fail BTW I just thought that the OP made a valid point for discussion, he posed a question only to be shot down

He's been brought in to score tries, he's doing it. Why are we whinging?
He'll have opportunities to score tries, but he'll miss some of these opportunities, either because he's made a mistake/took a wrong option/good opposition defence. He's a RL player. Des Drummond, who's seen as a God on here by some (me included), did this. As did Joel Monaghan, and John and Brian Bevan. See. Even the best don't score EVERY time.

You can transpose this into any sport. It's The Masters, next week. You can guarantee Rory McIlroy will (at least 5 times or so, during his 72 holes) knock a great iron shot to 12 feet, and guess what, he'll miss the putt. THAT'S SPORT. I can guarantee his fans and commentators wont get on his back for it.

We're top of the league, and Lineham's at the upper end of the try scoring charts, and someone's started a whinging thread.
As I said, unbelievable, Jeff.

Thanks UR.

I didn't start a whinging thread, but there is winging on it now from posters reading something into something that wasn't there to start with and whinging about daring to discus it.

I simply asked if everyone was happy with him?
I personally think Joel is in better form.
I attribute it to Tom looking a little unfit.
I'm not unhappy with him but I think, no... I'm hopeful, that he has more development within him.
He has the potential to be the best in the league no question. At this time there are a few I think in better shape and form.

Tell you what, duckie, I'll throw you two names "into the mix" that some older people would know.

Brian Bevan (who looked like a good dinner would finish him off), and Billy Boston (who looked like he'd enjoyed too many dinners). They're not as toned as Joel. So flippin' what.

What do we want? A try scoring winger, or a cover model for Muscle Monthly?

The fella's in good form. Why the need for a thread, if it's not to praise him.
To think. There's a thread on here, laughing a Stains for having a Cunningham Out petition. We have one, on a player that's in form, picking fault.

If it's not broke, don't fix it

I agree with you, seems some on here are not happy unless we have someone to pick on. Infact why not pick on Penny i saw him miss a tackle in the Widnes game and then stand and watch instead of going back after him, didnt see the need to make a thread to bash him about it though, and before you start Rico i get your point about opinions and people are entitled but jesus we have had best start to a season in a long time why do people feel the need to puck on a player why cant we just enjoy it while it lasts.

Who said I wasn't enjoying it

Brian Bevan ... would have taken so much stick on here. Bloody awful defender. Must of given away countless tries!!! Should have bulked up.

Only a month ago, we put in one of the most abject 30 minute passages of play, it's been my misfortune to witness as a fan of 527 years of this club. This included a pathetic attempt at a tackle by the club captain, and levels of performance by established pro's, which led to me thinking "wtf is this". No thread start ups, though. No scapegoating. Just the realisation that players make mistakes/poor decisions. We turned it round, and won a pulsating game of RL. As I said, THAT'S SPORT. No need for knee-jerk. No need for witch hunts.

Are some us THAT fickle? Lose a game, and start questioning fitness of indiviuals.
At the same time as that Salford game, many on here where championing our fitness levels and our new conditioner, as the factor to us winning games. If that's so, why were we picking an "obviously unfit player" (Lineham), and praising Clarke/Smith for allowing the same "unfit" player, game time.

Death
Taxes
A Warrington Scapegoat
The three surest things in life

Brian Bevan. He was a freak. I did see him play! Mind you, it was at a testimonial.
I ask another question, would Bevan even make It SL?
He probably might but he'd be near cut in two if the opposition got a hand on him. He'd be laid out more that Wheeler.

Still not biting Lefty.
I questioned his fitness that I consider is effecting him to perform at his unquestioned top draw ability. I'm still to see a creditable argument, just two or three playing the scapegoat card.

I despair.
If he wasn't fit, or any where near optimum fitness, he'd've barely scored a try. Some of his tries this season have "taken some scoring". You don't score those tries if you're unfit.

I'll throw you another name.
When I started watching RL in the late 70's/early 80's, the Aussies had a winger, Eric Grothe who (as well as being called The Guru) who was also unflatteringly known as "the armchair" due to his size. Now I'm not making a class comparison. Just a size. You see. You don't have to conform to a set of dimensions, to be a good player.

Anyway. WHY is he unfit? Is he blowing after a 30m run? Can he not stand the pace of a SL game? Or is it because you perceive him to be "carrying a bit of timber" around?

Didn't do David Solamona any harm, did it (or Eric Grothe)?

forum
ˈfɔːrəm
noun

a meeting or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.

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opinion
əˈpɪnjən
noun

a view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

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discussion
dɪˈskʌʃ(ə)n
noun

the action or process of talking about something in order to reach a decision or to exchange ideas.

a conversation or debate about a specific topic.

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scapegoat
ˈskeɪpɡəʊt/
noun

a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency.

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Straw Man fallacy

when a person simply ignores a person's actual position and substitutes a distorted, exaggerated or misrepresented version of that position. This sort of "reasoning" has the following pattern:

Person A has position X.
Person B presents position Y (which is a distorted version of X).
Person B attacks position Y.
Therefore X is false/incorrect/flawed.

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Great analysis Yed. Makes for an entertaining forum. You'll all get lots of pleasure from watching Tom, he's a great lad.

Bevan and Boston were both great wingers. Bevan was fast and elusive, Boston all power and speed down the wing - almost impossible to stop in the corner. I watched them both though only the very end of Bevan's career. But it was a different era. If you look at Kevin Penny you can see the epitome of the modern winger. Not only is he fast, but he has become very secure under the high ball and he does plenty of work bringing the ball back to give our forwards a rest. Incredibly, his tackling also seems to be getting better and better. So the modern winger has a lot more to do than in Bevan's day, or even Brian Glover's. Lets not forget that Chris Riley scored a lot of tries for us, but TS still let him go. I would have to disagree that the job of the winger is to score tries.

As for the forum, one of the nice things about coming on here is to see all the different viewpoints and think 'hmmm, I hadn't noticed that, or realised such and such'. People will always have very different views about a player regardless of whether they are Sandow or Asotasi. That's life.

He is a good player, with some great skills. If Tony can work with him a little on his decision-making, and on how to use that frame a little more effectively to make metres and linebreaks, he will become a great player.

Very pleased so far.

Where did i say you are not enjoying it, it seems we picking on a player because he is not as good as x y or z was, well in that same mode Chris Hill must be rubbish because he is not as good as Morley ???

Hill is better than Morley.

I agree with this.

So long as 'areas for improvement' are aired in the right manner then it can be constructive, and also enlightening for those of us who are not necessarily so attuned to the tactics etc.
That's what I like - because I learn.
It's the same for players (not saying they read this forum though LJ!

)

Lineham is scoring tries - that's probably the key requisite - which is great and quite rightly he's applauded for that. Modern wingers need to do more than that.
He has the potential to do it all, but at the moment it's not there, or not been shown consistently. Just develop to your potential lad!

All players can up their game in some shape or form.

The ''criticism'' of him shows how well our other signings have settled in and are performing when I consider he's the least impressive of them.

Roll on Wigan.
Don't think we'll win but you never know.

I hope they do sometimes pal, especially when they need a kick up the ar53

I think i probably would as a player to use it as motivation but some respond to critiscism and some go into their shell so i suppose it depends on the individual

Its not as those we are fickle or anything as fans though is it!!!