I think he was at the time but since then has struggled to kick on (unlike Myler).

I wouldn't have minded Ratchford at Wigan, could have done with a utility half with a bit more experience than someone like Mellor. However if the rumours about the wage are correct I worry you may have overpaid (but obviously he could have taken less to play for Wire over Salford)

Therer have been many times this season we could have done with him in the team the most obvious being on saturday. For that reason he's worth it.

If he is even mediocre in the halves he can be of use. I have heard he is good in the halves and the the quarters.

This means that if briers, evans, atkins, bridge etc are injured there does not have to be a drop in quality.

I like Ratchford, more of a flair player than a grafter but we have seen how Tony Smith has improved the defence and work ethic of players of a simliar ilk. Good addition to any squad.

Warrington use their full back as a 3rd pivot coming into the line as do majority of the top sides so he will be playing as a pivot just in a different way.

Rob, the two you mention have been playing wing & scrumhalf for the 20's, nobody is getting pushed out here pal.

He'll be a cracking signing for us. Next year, he offers you versatility whilst he learns the ropes from BH, then he steps in as your 3rd pivot fullback, quality. He's young, ambitous & talented, and he'll fill one of the gaps that people keep telling us we need to fill over the next couple of seasons.

With him, Myler, Gareth O'Brien, we could have plenty of talented ENGLISH players occupying our pivots in the next couple of seasons.

JWP

Whose playing fullback at the min in the under 20's ? How far away off a first team run out would you say they are ? Ben Helliwell looked class at fullback for the Bulls in a couple of clips ive watched, suprised we have him on the wing.

As for Ratchford, its one of them where time will tell if its a good signing or not. I hope he turns out to be the next Brent Webb and some of us are left eating our words.

Whats this link up with Salford we seem to have in recent years, they have took Mike Wainwright, Ian Sibbit, Richie Barnett Jnr, Rob Parker and Vinnie Anderson off us, we have brought in Richie Myler, Steffan Ratchford and Karl Fitzpatrick.

Ben Helliwell is only about 17 or 18

Ratchford will be like Bridge a player who can fill in many roles.

When he's fit & here, Chris Riley is playing fullback for the U'20's, just my opinion but I'd say he's miles away from a first team start. In all seriousness, I think Smith has made up his mind about him, I'm here to be proved wrong but I'd be surprised if he's here next season and I think this is another nail in that one. We've used Williams, Evans, Blythe, even Bridge on the wing instead of him this season and we've just signed a 'back up' fullback for a season that will then become the fullback, it doesn't look good.

Hellwell has played wing when I've seen him Rob, I think as the season has gone on, plenty has changed positionally with the 20's, Riley was a first teamer then dropped down, O'Brien stepped up then injured, Evans in & out etc, so people have had to move around, Burke at 7, Mendieka at 6 etc, but when I've seen Hellewell he's been wing.

On Ratchford, what I would say is all of TS's recruitment is considered, to a point where a player is only signed with specifics in mind it seems, he'll have seen what he wants from Ratchford. Next year might be ideal for him, almost a settling in year, not the burden of expectation that Myler had, he can get on with it, learning the ropes from BH etc.

According to most it was Wigan we beat to get him.

I don't rate the lad that much from what I have seen but I haven't seen him play week in week out and soon as he puts a Wire shirt on he will get my full support.

Going slightly off thread, Riley is a mystery to me.

How can you go from narrowly missing out on SL top tryscorer, to go out on loan to a poor side, all in the space of 6 months.
Especially when (as JWP says) he's had
Blythe (just NOT a top SL side's 3/4, second row maybe)
Evans (great prospect, but still inexperienced. Riley has 5+ years of experience)
Bridge (never a winger)
Williams (imo, just not good enough for us, if we are to stay a top four "big team"icon_wink.gif
in front of him.

What's gone on?
Has something gone on, behind the scenes?
Are there compromising photos?
Or, does Smith just not rate him all of a sudden?
Baffling.

Going back to Wire_85's comments...I too have not seen to much of Ratchford that sets my world on fire, BUT, if the rumours are true as to his signing, if he plays for us, I'll give him my support, too.

Firstly, not sure it's confirmed. Ratchford is known to be a joker on Tw@tter (the card) and has announced he's leaving in the past on there - for Hull I think? I suppose Vinnie Anderson getting in on it gives it more credence but I wouldn't rule it out being a joke.

Secondly, and having said that, if we have signed him (as I suspect we have) then I suspect the logic behind it is:-

- He can play FB/SO/Centre
- Hodgson is our 32 year old FB
- Briers is our 32 year old SO
- You can never have enough Centres(!)

He'll be playing with much better players at Warrington, under a much more experienced coach in a successful environment (sorry other teams fans, it's 3 years since we ended a season potless). He's bound to improve here.

Lets also remember the gnashing of teeth when we signed Myler on the Salford board about how 'Ratch' was the one they really wanted to keep. Suspect Adamson will now become the next best thing (till we sign him)

According to GMR he was offered alot to stay but still wants to go.

If he does come I wonder if its to link him up with Myler again as our long term 6 & 7?

What evidence do you have that he can play fullback ? Not the odd game once in a blue moon to cover for injuries like a lot of teams do with various players, where is the evidence that Ratchford is a competent fullback ?

If he had obvious potential as a fullback then why would Salford have signed Luke Patten and wasted a quota spot in the process ?

Who's ever said that's what he is being brought in for though? Surely he's just a Matt King replacement?

Matt King's replacement will probably be Chris Bridge, if not him then Joel Monaghan will move into the right centre with one of the youngsters on the wing.

The only evidence I have that he can play Fullback is the fact that he has played Fullback. He's only a young player Rob, I'm hardly likely to be able to point to 100 games where he has played there. Experience isn't necessarily a bar to entry - how many games had Lockyer played at 6 before Bennett moved him there.

I don't know why Salford recruited Luke Patten to play Fullback. Presumably because he is an experienced Australian player and they thought he could bring something to the team.

If the plan is to play him at Fullback then I suspect the person we really need to ask is Tony Smith. Suspect he might be able to explain.

He's not a winger though.

Welcome to the Wire, Ratch! Yeah, I'm already going to simplify his surname.

Look, i've read through some posts on here whereby somebody for one reason or another isn't excited at the prospect of him playing for us. But Ratchford has bags and bags of potential. Trust me. He's shown at Salford how good he can be and he is a loss to them no matter what they think.

[urlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/14296075.stm[/url

confirmed.


new coach isnt too pleased that we took myler now ratchford. diddums.

Aww shame. They've had Wainwright, Neal, Vinnie, Parker, Barnett etc off us.

Err.. Parish = Dick. What "isn't right"? If you want to keep your best players, perhaps don't leave it until mid season of the last year of the contract to start negotiating when other clubs are allowed to approach them. Not ing hard.

You're 100% right but to be fair to him there's not a lot else he can say really. He's got to ingratiate himself with the locals so he may as well have a dig at Ratchford.

I note that he's 22. Rogues will go mental - he's 30 in 8 years time!

He's only been in the job for a week, and he's allready proving to be a bigger Berk than McRae ever could be(and that takes some doing)

Has nobody told him about the £200k (?) for Myler, we didn't exactly 'take him', they did that to Widnes when they were on the ropes. We paid our way.

The hunter can quickly become the hunted.

We're the Wire, we'll sign who we want.