Yes, the two London defeats were huge disappointments but to be fair after the first one we won 6 of our next 9...including games we weren’t ‘expected’ to win.’

Both Leeds at home and Hull KR at home were very similar games, low scoring in atrocious conditions and were won by fine margins...Hull KR nicking it late on after we had a perfectly good Johnstone try disallowed earlier on and if I remember right against Leeds in a very tight game Tanginoa broke and all he needed to do was find Hampshire with a simple pass to go in front but had it intercepted and that was the difference...to counteract those two though we won 35-18 at Headingley during our good start and 38-10 away to Hull KR when really needed at the back end.

What I’m trying to say is break it all down and take injuries into consideration and the returns are nowhere near as bad as everyone is making out...in my opinion of course...

The basic fact is he is going nowhere so we now have to hope that we can produce something like a performance against Warrington. I have not seen anything to say we will, so what I expect is, players being used out of position, for us to be outflanked, have no second phase, use the drop off on every play, lack a game plan and basically continue to be the least exciting team. We can then expect Chester to see some improvements and take the positives into the Leeds game.
If any of you could explain what Batchelor has done not to be selected, he was an England Knight player because currently Westerman is not fit.

If you look how fit Paul now looks at Salford ,slimed down .you can see how bad the Wakey conditioner is

Regards to Batchelor, I can’t remember him being picked after he got sin binned in second half against Cas.

No why pick Batchelor when you can play Kirmond who with respect his body now shows the ravages of a long SL career. It is a waste of a younger player when let’s face it our performances have not exactly been stellar.
I have said Chester should go because I worry his selections are now based on favouritism rather than performance, but I also know this is not going to happen. If we carry on the way we are good luck attracting supporters because with the performances being televised our true skills are on display for all to see.

Hampshire is rubbish - not interested

I would make Pitts captain now, free up Milky to play more like he did on Sat, his best game for sometime...as for Rocky, I'd have him as an impact hooker - with no scrums it means being in/around the middle from dummy half to use his pace to exploit tired big men in the middle, a bit like when Woody used to come on for Randell.

Then it would be a straight choice between Max & Gigot at 1 & 6, for me I'd try Gigot at 6 but I'd also have Bailey on the bench as cover & to be introduced slowly with a view to blooding him gradually towards taking over.

BTW, much as Pitts brain storm turned the tide, I think it was turned before that when we got back to 12-6 and knocked on from the set after the kick off, from which they scored. Although we had a dig after that we always had too much to do and never looked good enough to do it

Regarding Batchelor...the question I’d pose is...is his body physically up to the demands of super league?

At one stage I had him down as one of the most promising youngsters I’d seen for a long time...even likened him to Gaz Ellis to a workmate...he seemed the natural replacement for Kirmond but at 10-15 years younger he’s getting too like Kirmond in the sense that he puts that much effort into tackles he just seems to pick up knock after knock...shame the way the game is at the moment as I feel he’s a player who’d really benefit and gain confidence from a month on dual reg in the championship. I do want him to succeed but will his fragility hold him back I’d ask?

And as for Westerman not being fit. How is he going to get fit? These are unprecedented times...the lads had 5 months off and have come back with no pre season and with the changes to a much quicker game...they could have trained every day at home during lockdown but surely that doesn’t equal match days...give the lad some slack, he was looking good preclockdown...remember him making 46 tackles vs Hull...that’s not lazy nor unfit so I’d give him and a few others the benefit of the doubt at the moment and get behind them and the coach!

I think I would make Pitts Captain as well for the same reason and I also agree with you about Hampshire.
I know Walker didn't cover himself in glory against Catalans but he's never really had a chance to settle at FB so I would continue with him there, seeing as my preferred FB by a mile (MJ) will never claim the position - it seems.
But MJ is far too good to leave out so he would be at 6 and Milky at 7 for me.
Whatever else he is, MJ is not a winger and I really didn't understand that call.

100% agree

If the 58 - 0 game we were bullied for 80 minutes.
Mcillorum is the player doing a hefty share of the "naughty" stuff and not once did we respond.
You could argue that the ref should have dealt with him and penalised him but, surely, the Forwards should be "letting him know" that he isn't going to get away with it and if neccessary, do something about it.

Chester comes across very relaxed and not interested in giving interviews. The squad plays like no rush and it will be ok.
We have plenty of potential just needs coaching out.

There's one thing about this is we can't all be wrong. But we're banging our heads up against a brick wall

Could argue he shouldn't have been playing in the first place after he went in with the knees last week.

I think previous evidence suggests we (you) can indeed all be wrong.

Mmmm interesting

I was referring to the first game and yes, he was at it again on Saturday.
Pitts was right to get stuck into him, although, his timing wasn't great, as we were in the ascendency at the time.

He is just an (ex) Wigan grub, and was allowed to do what the hell he wanted for most of the 2 games.

I wish we had a couple of similar players.

We did and he would have smashed the grub, but he was an absolute loon off the pitch.

Agree 100% that we were bullied off the park and our big men were pretty feeble. However remember this, we moan like chuff when players get booked and call them penalty machines, in fact Pitts is getting some stick for manning up. So those demanding we toughen up then fine but remember the down side before you get on their backs, you can’t have it both ways!

Other teams don’t get away with it as we seem to think, it’s part of their game and they know how to deal with the fallout, we don’t we go to pieces because our forwards don’t defend their own penalties. You can get away with almost any penalties if you’re willing to defend as a unit.

Walker played all of last season for London at fullback and whatever games he started for us this year had been at fullback. And I have yet to see him offer anything more than either Max or Rocky do at that position, other than maybe faster than Max and better under the high ball than Rocky.

The signing of Walker is another example of Chester trusting another club’s academy product than ours. Max has been around the first team for nearly 5 years now and if anything other than the first year where the other fullback was either Craig Hall or BJB, he hasn’t had a fair run at FB.

Take 2017 for example. Salford away in the league, Max came in for Grix, had a stormer then got dropped the following week.

It would seem that the SKY and BBC commentary teams see Mcilorum as some sort of "character" a "bit of a lad" sort of thing and not the inherent nasty player that he is and was all the time that he was at Wigan. They seemed to treat his thuggery as a bit of a joke. No wonder Jay Pitts lost his rag.A typical Wane product, and rightly deserves the "Grub" tag that he's acquired

I don't think there's any difference between McCllorum Wilkins and Buchanan Jones when it comes to snide assaults on players, probably a select mutual appreciation society.

Can't agree, McCilorum has been in a class of his own since Gareth Hock retired.