I think the chances are we'll be waiting another 12 months for a new prop forward which is again a blow as we've all been saying we need one for 2 or 3 years now but if the right ones aren't available this year what can we do.

By all accounts next year props available include-

Fui Fui Moi Moi
Luke Bailey
Carl Webb
Louie Mcarthy-Scarsbrook

If they all move onto superleague clubs and we don't get any of them then big big questions need to be asked about the prop situation. We should have stacks of cash available with Coley, Feka and especially Fielden being off contract. I can only really see Feka being kept on 'if' he shapes up.

I now think we've reached the stage where we need to see how our existing resources respond to the new coaching regime, rather than harp on endlessly about buying a new prop.

Some people (me included - I've done it as well), are starting to talk as if this new prop will be some kind of magic bullet, and yet the reality is that we've now got seven props on our books (three of whom have international credentials).

I think we're getting a bit irrational. If we released Coley, Feka and Fielden all at the same time, we could be in big trouble. We'd need to sign two new props, maybe three - and then we'd be in the situation of having yet again made wholesale changes that might not work out.

I'm not sure why IL didn't move for a prop before (apart from his being warned off the Aussies he went to look at by Bennett etc), but possibly he's now imposed a moratorium on major new signings until MM has had a chance to work with what we've already got. Just to see Feka and Fielden restored to their previous form would transform our team beyond all recognition.

On the playing front I cannot see why Deacon for a year isn't a good move.

No matter how much we worship the ground Tomkins and McIlroum walk on, they are young and inexperienced.

They are definately good enough, but if we should be prepared in case either/both need to be pulled out the team for a few weeks.

Players with the earning potential of Orfordare not not going to come for that kind of role. And Deacon has shown time and time again he's a very adequate half, as well as the key to making Bradford tick.

I'm actually pretty excited by what Feka and Fielden can offer this year. I think both will have big years because of the fact they're off contract at the end of the year but i just get the feeling we'll have abit of a prop overhaul at the end of the year. I don't see Fielden staying on whatever happens because i feel he'll want to move back to Yorkshire and I can see Coley moving on aswell.

I suppose though we all need to concenrate on 2010 and stop getting a year ahead of oursleves. Tony Smith hasn't ever spoke much sense but he made a cracking point about the Wire fans always looking a year ahead when they were in the middle of a current season. He said they should just enjoy that year and the prospects it brings....................thats exactly what we all should be doing. We've not even got into 2010 yet and we still look ahead to 2011(me more then most).

Even with our current squad 2010 has the potential to be a cracking year.

I agree. But for what it's worth, I've been told that Coley also turned in for pre-season training a week early and has so far been working his socks off.

Some would say 'about time', and I'm not unsympathetic to that view. I don't think we've ever seen the best of this lad in cherry and white. Maybe he will also surprise a few of us this year.

I've always like Coley and tbf he gets a hard time on here even tho he was easily the best prop we had for a long period of last season!

I agree, I think we'll see far far more from our pack next year. It's interesting that people also are so sure we need an 'enforcer' prop, when in reality most teams don't have one of those, including some tremendously successful teams like the Storm.

How did we go on last season without Deacon ?

We had Smith for much of the season.

no mate.........Radlinski played for nothing (allegedly) when we were struggling in the wake of agent millward

wasnt you lot saying that about menzies?? before you failed to make the play offs and had your worst season in recent memory?

Foe me this is a good signing, i think that Deacon is a better all round scrum half than Tommy, last year there where many times when we lacked an experienced half back to settle the ship. Deacon will give us this and also a much needed kicking game and hopefully will also help Tommy develop as a scrum half, that is if MM sees Tommy as a scrum half and not a hooker.

Adam Blair certainly fits the bill for them in that department.

In my eyes and Enforcer is not always going to slap people about and give away the silly penalties it is someone who commands respect, gets on with the dirty work and is not afraid to mix it if needed. Hard but generally fair, although prone to walking the line without stepping over it.

Pongia did that for us and despite having a fearsome reputation from his younger days never got involved in a fight on the field once to my memory in fact more often than not he separated them, but he never needed to mix it himself as nobody mixed it with him.

are you jokin mate?

deacons best years are behind him, and im betting the bradford fans arnt sorry to see him go.
he didnt do much leading from the front and "steadying the ship" last year.

tommy is a way better 7 than the deacon of today.

But Deacon is there as back up.

If Tommy gets injured do you suggest we throw Sam & Joe Mellor in at half back?

I quite like Coley tbh. I think he's always done a solid enough job for us but his role has been let down abit by the 2 big money lads in Feka and Fielden not living up to their reputations.

I just get the feeling at his age the club may look to move on and get a younger version of him in. A player like Mcarthy-Scarsbrook is a real workhorse and alot younger then Coley and could possibly be available on similar terms.

I'm looking to 2011 yet again

Nothing but that isn't the point I was making.

If we was on £10K he would most likely be one of our 2nd tier players so that £10K would come out of the 2nd tier cap budget which is only £50K. That would reduce the clubs ability to give débuts to young players because they would only have £40K left.

If he was one of our 1st tier players he takes up one of the 25 slots so we can't sign a 26th player even if we didn't spend to the full cap.

So the bottom line is if he is on £10K it impacts what 2nd tier players can get a game next season and if he is a 1st tier player (whatever his 1st tier wage is) he takes one of the 25 slots.

In theory if he was on a low 1st tier wage he could drop out of the top 25 earners if we signed another senior player but his wage would then come out of the 2nd tier budget. So if he were on say £30K he would take up 3/5 th of it in one go of that happened.

So signing a player [ueven on a low wage[/u always has an impact on what else you can do with the squad.

Dave

Yes it has an impact, but if you look at the squad we only have 24 players without deacon before we even get onto Liam Farrell, Josh Vievers, Ian Thornley, Chris Tuson and Ben Davies (Lee Mossop, Sam Tomkins and Sean Ainscough are included in that 24) And as far as i'm aware at least a couple of those are going out on loan potentially.

So I don't really see it's going to prevent us doing anything, and I'm sure if it was felt it was, IL and co would not have made the signing.

Which is what Fielden and Feka at least should be capable of doing with the right coaching and motivation isn't it.

Disagree, its more a personality trait that neither have, have never seen that nasty side in either of them even at the top of there game, nothing against them they make up for it in other ways, but we have seen in the past that nasty intimidating side is not something you can force on a player it has to be a natural thing, Ian Lucas under Monie for example.

This is the squad Deacon played with when he earned his reputation:
1 Robbie Paul
2 Tevita Vaikona
3 Leon Pryce
4 Shontayne Hape
5 Lesley Vainikolo
6 Michael Withers
7 Paul Deacon
8 Joe Vagana
9 James Lowes
10 Paul Anderson
11 Daniel Gartner
12 Jamie Peacock
13 Mike Forshaw
14 Lee Gilmour
17 Stuart Reardon
18 Lee Radford
19 Jamie Langley
20 Scott Naylor
22 Karl Pryce
26 Chris Bridge
27 Rob Parker
29 Stuart Fielden
30 Richard Moore

Make up your own minds.

Looking at that I'd say it's better than both the current Leeds team and the St Helens side of a couples of years ago.

Only my opinion of course.

I have a sneaky feeling he will be back at Warrington soon.

Without doubt.

That is some 'squad' and highlights how the standards have dropped in this country over the past few seasons.

We've seen over the past 2 or 3 years Saints and Leeds really dominate the game over here and then been left even more deflated as guys like McGuire, Sinfield, Burrow, Pryce, Wilkin etc get found out at the international level as nothing more then average jo's when they look immense in superleague.

and scott logan of 06