The 19 for Hudds announced, Joel is back (will be changing my predictions

)

Roy Asotasi, Ryan Atkins, Chris Bridge, Daryl Clark, Ben Currie, Ben Harrison, Micky Higham, Chris Hill, George King, James Laithwaite, Joel Monaghan, Gareth O’Brien, Kevin Penny, Joe Philbin, Stefan Ratchford, Matthew Russell, Ashton Sims, Ben Westwood, Gary Wheeler

Ratchford
Monaghan
Bridge
Atkins
Russell
Wheeler
Obrien
Hill
Higham
Sims
Currie
Laithewaite
Westwood

Harrison
Asotasi
Clarke
Philbin

Penny, king to miss out.

Good to see Wheels back, I was getting worried that he was going to be as bad for you guys as he was for us.

so you'd drop our player of the season so far. Any particular reason apart from being hung out to dry by his centre and second row last week.....

You must be outside of your mind Sir. And before you say "defensive liability" and all that tunnel vision nonsense, you have picked Wheeler, who against Catalan, put in the worse defensive shift of anyone I've seen all year.

I've got to agree with you KT, surely Bridge at SO, Monaghan in at Centre and Penny on the Wing?

Only thing i would agree with is starting Higham.

Bridge is not a half back, that is clear to see. We need people in their best positions and make do with what we have.

We haven't signed a half back, that's a mistake on the clubs part. We shouldn't be moving people out of position to make up for that fact.

Bridge is a quality centre, he isn't a half back.

Monaghan is a great winger, he isn't a centre.

Out of the squad of 19 that leaves Gary wheeler as the only 6.

Bridge should be in centre, monaghan is too good to be left out and is a better winger than penny so kev misses out. And yes, he is a defensive liability, and hasn't been our best player this season.

His return and better than usual performances have been overhyped ridiculously. Bear in mind I don't dislike kev, and I'll admit he was great against St George. But the first half of the hull KR game and all of last weeks match he just proved he hasn't improved his wing skills at all. All that has improved is his tackling.

I don't tend to look at these threads (like the prediction ones) as they're just filled full of testicles
Smith will pick who he picks, it doesn't matter what a poster on here reckons (I just look at the XIX and then move on). And as for predicting, you feel a bit of a twonk if you get it right, but haven't gone to the bookies

BUT

I'd love to know what Bridge has done to merit a place in I Hate Pies' starting XIII, as he's done the square root of nowt this season, at the expense of Penny, who's been a bit of a revelation since February.

I'm intrigued.

Can somebody please delve into the archives, and find that picture at Knowsley Rd, where Penny got hung out to dry by St Matthew of King, 5 or 6 seasons ago.

Yes, a lot of Saints attacking last week, came down Kevin's wing, and one try was scored wide out, BUT, Penny's 2nd Row and centre were within spitting distance of the posts. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT KEVIN TO DO? STAY ON THE TOUCH LINE AND SHOUT "LOOK, I'M IN MY CORRECT POSITION....IT'S NOT MY FAULT!".

No, he has to fill in, because we've been exposed in another man's position.

Warrington Scapegoatedry at it's finest, in this thread alone

I picked bridge over penny due to known ability above overhyped performances.

Not overhyped at all
He's scored a couple of belters
Tackled well
Kept a good (if not better) standard of performance
So I fail to see the overhype

Yes, he's made mistakes. IIRC, so did Hanley, Johns, Meninga and Thursfield.

Opinions, eh? 'ooood 'ave 'em

As for Bridge, and proven ability. Well, it's not been on show, so far, this season (and I'm a Bridge fan)

Russell
Monaghan
Bridge
Atkins
Penny
Ratchford
Obrien
Hill
Clark
Sims
Westwood
Laithewaite
Harrison

Currie
Asotasi
Higham
Philbin

Bridge and king for me,, bridge is no where near fit, king still has time to develop

King and wheeler/bridge to miss out.

In our desire to solve the half-back conundrum people seem to be prepared to try any combination possible, I'm half expecting big Roy to figure at half-back in someones line-up.

Re 6 & 7, the facts are these, your worship.
Wheeler did a very convincing impression of a fletcher st. turnstyle in France
At themoment, Bridge looks about as dynamic as a Jeremy Kyle guest, and half as fit
The only two players to have shown any kind of creative acumen at HB thus far are Ratchford and O'Brien so they get the nod

Furthermore, the game plan for anyone v Huddersfield remains simple - nullify Brough, particulary his kicking game, and Ratchford has the size (height) to enable him to do this better than anyone else in the squad.

Elsewhere, he may be nippy, he may stand on the wing with a centre inside him, but that doesn't make Russell a winger. His positional sense at St Helens wouldn't have looked amiss in the bar side of the Lower at chucking out time.

Russell
Monaghan
Currie
Atkins
Penny
Ratchford
Obrien
Hill
Higham
Sims
Westwood
Laithewaite
Harrison

Wheeler
Asotasi
Clarke
Philbin

Rachford
Penny
Joel
Atkins
Russell
Bridge
GOB
Hill
Clark
Asotasi
Westwood
Laithwaite
Harrison

Sims
Wheeler
Philbin
Higham

I'd put Sims on the bench not as to be relegating him but because I would rather see Asotasi soften them up in the first 10mins.
Sims would then play out the next 30mins rather than the other way round which we are doing presently.

Sims would be better against a softened up pack. He looks a little lightweight for a prop. He really wants it but he is far from a Paliasina type hitter.

The fact is we are a halfback short. O'brien is having to do it all on his own. In the first team squad the players that can play, or should I say have been selected to play halfback are

O'brien
Myler
Ratchford
Bridge
Wheeler

O'brien is one.

Myler is not good enough and is currently out the picture through injury anyway. We know once he's fit he will he straight back in.

Ratchford is our best full back so should be played there and only there.

Bridge is a cracking centre and isn't a very good stand off, play him where he is best.

And that leaves Gary Wheeler as the option, somebody who doesn't have a best position because he plays about 3 games a season yet the club signed him anyway. So here we are, wheeler is the only option unless you can call up Declan Patton but I don't think there is much chance of that happening.

Bridge is not fit and Wheeler is a defensive liability and I would leave them both out and play Ratch in the halves.

Sorry Morrissey but Russell has spent a good portion of his career so far as a winger.

That being said:

Russell
Penny
Atkins
Bridge
Monas
Ratch
O'Brien
Hill
Higham
Sims
Westwood
Laithwaite
Harrison

Clark
Asotasi
Philbin
Currie

I could go with that but I would also throw in the idea of swapping Penny and Russell around. I think Penny could do well at FB - he's always been good under a high ball. Russell could stay on the wing. Apart from last week he's played well there this season.

I think Joel does need to come back in on the wing as he takes away one of our major attacking threats out wide with the kick to him.

Its an obvious tactic but it has proven success

Couldn't he swap with his partner at the appropriate play, just think of the confusion this would cause and merriment on the terraces when O'Brien puts in the grubber under the sticks instead for Clark to score, we would bamboozle every defence in SL...genius.

BTW I don't know why we are all bothering with this thread. Lefty, despite taking the time to join in, said it's a waste of time and TS knows best and we shouldn't be guessing or stating what our preferred line up's should be, we should just accept that we are foolish and be quiet.

His defence is, he was like a cat flap at Catalan.