Left in attack Dave. No4

Thanks, so against Crooks then, Yeaman v's Bridge on the other side.

Some very good battles especially in the pack, you have to be favorites at home, but more confident that previous years with Briers and Hodgson who have both caused us some many problems the last few years now retired.

Definitely PLAY HIM and keep the faith.

Other options weaken an already poor left side.

i voted no, but having thought about it for a while, i'm changing to a yes, purely and simply because he lied to me.

I would keep faith with Atkins for the next couple of weeks at least. It has been a difficult start to the season and it was always going to be thus based on the changes in personnel and our opening fixtures.

Also, he isn't alone on the lack of form 'front' alythough I didn't get to see the Leeds game and there appears to have been some improvement, we don't have a team made up of 16 players playing to 100% potential plus Atkins letting the side down on his own.

Without discouraging Evans, (is he fit?) let's see how Atkins goes against Hull and that there London would get my 'vote'

Going on his performance last Friday he should surely be dropped, but TS is the man to make the decision. He will know about any underlying reason for his drop in form. It could be a niggling injury, lack of sleep or a number of reasons.

Hopefully, work would have been done in training to get him back to his form of a couple of seasons ago. Let's stick by him, we know what he's able to do.

Defiantly needs dropping! His heads not in it what so ever! His performance last week was embarrassing!

Atkins has to be replaced just as Riley did last weekend. Im sure Riley will work hard to return stronger. TS has got to show Atkins the same rules apply to all players when it comes to playing standards.

As for replacing Atkins I know Evans is the obvious choice but I think Ryan Shaw deserves considering, I've watched him a numbers of years now and his skills are far superior to Atkins and Evans, he played well in the pre season win against Leigh in the left centre with Ormsby outside him.

How do you drop someone defiantly?

How did he lie to you?

Riley turned up against Leeds, put his shirt on and was adamant (stand and deliver you're money or your wife), I digress...yeah Riley he had his shirt saying
"No Ormsby isn't playing I AM PLAYING"

Anyway Tony and Willie (the assistant coach, otherwise this gets really surreal) had to pin Riley down and shout at him.

"No Chris, NO, take that kit off, it doesn't even fit you and you look nothing like a Sikh without his turban so you wasn't fooling us, get back in the stands or we'll make you sit in the coach outside. YOU ARE DROPPED FOR THIS GAME, PROGRAMME YOUR SAT NAV FOR THE LSV"

Riley: No I won't do it

This is when Harrison and Wood had to drag him to the coach and lock him in the boot.


I imagine Atkins is going to put up a similar fight so they're going to have to be very defiant cos Atkins is bigger and stronger.

I detest this type of thread. you would think that he played badly on purpose last week. We've had two games, he's not the only one. There are one or two on here whose opinion I normally respect who appear to have sided with those who tend to simply shout the loudest. The lad will come good again, just get off his back.

You shout IM DROPPING YOU, then thump your hand down on the table, before standing up and showing them the door.

and this is why you should read to the end of the thread before replying.

I cant remember Atkins having a good game in a while Tees.
I'm sure he will come good.
I just don't know why he is playing without any confidence.
It's no shame if he can find it at Swinton.

Yours was the ADHD version

I like him and don't mean to do him down but I wonder if that's still right, or whether he's another player who's had a bit of the pace knocked off by injuries. Seems to me to even have lost a bit of speed, sadly.

Difficult one this....as we all know there is a decent centre in there somewhere. However, it isnt just the first couple of games where he has been poor is it? For me, he has been poor for a season and a half or more. When is the last time he had a massive game against one of the big sides? CC Final v. Leeds maybe?

If he does play Sunday (which i think he will), it has to be 'last chance saloon' time. Then if he does play poor, then Smithy needs to think about giving him a couple of weeks to give his head a wobble....

I think the scenario could be that he tries to hard v hull to correct it, it may make him more calamity and and shatter his confidence altogether??

Worst bit is, we have him till 2017

He told me that we were competing with south's, the bulldogs and the roosters during our training sessions in Australia, but in the two games we've played we look like we'd struggle to break down and score against Gatesheads defence.

I feel somewhat misled.

That's the royal me, of course.

How long do we have to wait though? Ever since he had a child, started his own business and got linked to Union he has played like dog poo. Coinciden've? I think not.

Play him and potentially end up 0 in 3? Nah, you're alright.

He's been poor for a while now and expecting him to just up his game isn't working for him or us. I've liked Atkins since he's been here, there was a point where I couldn't look past him and Bridge starting for England, but his form at both ends is so poor it's harming our results.

He doesn't strike me as the type of person that doesn't put it in during training, but he's woefully out of form and maybe a bit of time away is what he needs. Blitzing a few tries for Swinton might be the perfect morale boost for him, but another battering on the pitch is only going to make things worse.