Obviously. I just wondered what sort of character flaws a person would need to have to become so unpleasant and combative so quickly and without provocation. Small willy, perhaps?



This is a bull argument. Really, really poor effort.



In your opinion. Even if you accept that he is not top 4 standard in one particular position (which I don't necessarily), he is one of the best utility players about. In a salary cap sport, this is an excellent quality to have in any squad.



The same people who extended his contract, then?



So, if he doesn't move on at the end of the season, you'll accept that the 'open eyed' people who run the club are better judges of his ability that you, I suppose?

That will depend on how he has performed during the season, won't it?

Why? If those running the club are so 'open-eyed' their decision as to whether or not they keep Whiting will surely be the right one.

If Whiting has a good season then he may get a new contract, but he will have to have quite a stormer in my opinion.

but the only way you will know is by reading how he did in the Hull Daily Mail !!

Washy is a plodder with a very predictable step that all of SL have worked out now and very little else but still young enough to improve, where as Whiting continues to pull out the bag decent stuff that gives us go forward, good defense and great hands, not world class but with the restraints of Salary cap he is a very very good squad member hence why all recent coaches have kept him through thick and thin!!
At the end of this season lets see who between the two are offered a new contract !!

A lot of people are saying he is not world class - I don't think we';e had a true chance to judge because he hasn't had a decent run in one spot. Admittedly, it's unlikely he will get such a run with the other players we have at second row, but come a few injuries and who knows? Then we can judge fairly.

your obsession is becoming boring

on one hand you say your not bothered what folk say, but if they make comment about your posts or your first hand knowledge your there like a rabid dog!!
Chill out man , just not letting the facts get in the way as you said

Which 2 are you referring to? I hope it's not Washy vs Whiting for a contract as Whiting wouldn't have time to put his shoes on before he was kicked out! The point I'm trying to make with this thread is that with the signing of Turner and the squad formation is Whiting needed? IMO no, because he doesn't offer enough to justify the sort of contract he should be looking for at his age at our club. He's not better than Hall, Yeaman and Briscoe in the centres, he's not as good as Fitz and Washy at 13, he's not as good as Horne and Washy at 6, and we have a lot better 2nd row options with Manu, Lauaki, Tickle, Radford, Fitz, Burnett.
All this without even mentioning Turner who i've left out so I can judge on this season.

Like you say, doubtfull he will get an extended run due to the quality and pay packets in front of him on the playing rosta however as we all know the season pans out in strange ways and the best battle plan of the coaching staff will only last until the end of the first game then the juggling starts, one thing is for sure though RW looks ripped this year and has worked hard off season and by his own admission does not intend to be a utility player this season, and by all accounts has gone really well in pre season too ..
What a nice issue to have for a change though huh! rather than who can we get on loan like recently

Maybe because people do tend to single him out just because he's honest with his opinion and straight to the point.

Or maybe it's something else.

as you say ... in your opinion!!
based on what I saw last year and giving an honest appraisal, he is way above Yeaman based on last term who was quite frankly awful last year, and we have no idea how he would go at 13 as his stints in the pack have lasted mere minutes so its a mute point , as for playing him at 6 again we will never know till he gets a run out there will we...
as i said he will get many chances to impress this season because injuries will dictate that I have no doubt
With regards Turner I am excited by his arrival I have to say

The point about reading the game is a simple one. I would be tremedously disappointed in ANY player who couldn't read the game, especially a player who is at 6. If thats the main selling point, then how is that different to any other 6. I would also expect a centre to be about to read when to jump the line and when to run the angles. If thats the only real plus point, its hardly going to be a game breaker expecially when he has limited pace.

As for being a forward, can't argue with that, but realistically is he really going to get in to our side when we are already overflowing with backrowers.

For a player signed back in 2004 he hasn't been able to make a first team shirt his own. Injuries have not helped. I have no idea how much he earns, but in his 7th season, he won't be on peanuts.

Hind sight is a wonderful thing, but with Raynor now gone, it would have been interesting to see if the SC freed up along with the salary of another squad player could have been enough to attract a centre of real quality. Something we have been missing for 3 seasons now.

He got a new contract for this season from the 'open-eyed' folk who run our club. They obviously see what he brings to the squad.

So, the question remains, if they people who run our club are so open-eyed, will you accept it's the right decision if they renew his contract for next year?

I dont have an issue with honest appraisal but when you stick your head above the trench you have to be willing and man enough to have it shot off by those who do not agree ... which he is not good at !
also why is it if others in this forum disagree thay are ridiculed??

forum is for all views, some we agree with some we do not but all relevant and all irrelevant as the only view that counts at any point is Agars!! we just speculate on here but in that speculation has to be balance , not just standees view however honest or straight to the point you may think it is.

shhhh they dont like it you know!!

His reading of the game is much better than most. It's a strength. Of course every player should be able to read the game, just like every player should be able to pass, tackle, and run. But every player isn't equal at all of those things. One of Whiting's major strengths is that he reads the game very well, whilst Calderwood's is that he can run very fast, Long's is that he is a good playmaker, Lauaki's is that he is a nasty bas*ard etc etc.

Whiting has numerous other strengths - not least his utility value - and has only one real weakness: lack of pace.

And my point is that in our squad Whiting has stood out as a player who reads the game and makes intelligent plays. Now that might say more about the other players than it does Whiting, but it has nonetheless made him a valuable member of the squad over the last several seasons. Whether it's been a 'game breaker' or not is a little subjective, but I can recall plenty of occasions where his knack of being in the right place at the right time has resulted in a try scored or saved.

I do actually agree that it's a shame he doesn't have the pace to better exploit this talent, but that doesn't entirely eliminate the benefit it brings to the team as a whole.


I'm not arguing for him to be in the starting 13, or even regularly in the 17 assuming everyone is fit. I think he somewhat falls between two stools physically (too slow for a back, too small for a forward) which has been a contributory factor to him not tying down a single position. However, as a utility player who can cover positions in both the backs and forwards I think he is good value as a squad player to cover our inevitable injuries.


Given the little we know about the wage structure at FC and it's emphasis on International honours to enhance salary, it's doubtful that he's being paid a huge sum. I'd expect him to be on a similar wage to other squad players at other clubs with his experience.


But would leave us short of our one proven utility player in case of injuries. Given our recent history I'd be less than sanguine about doing that TBH.

You seriously need to grow up. you also need to have a look back to page 3 of this thread to see my initial response.



Experiance of these forums leads to the need for such responses at times, this being a relevant time judging by your childish attempts to belittle someone. The provocation was your illogic theory that because Paul Cooke didn't have any pace, it was justification for the selection of Whiting



As pointed out in my reply to Kosh, it really isn't a bull argument. If his only real selling point is reading the game, that should come as a minimum attribute to any SL player. Strangely few seem to have identified Richards biggest plus point, his defence.

The successful sides in SL have very few utility players. Probably the reason they do so well. We however are overflowing with them. Even when the likes of Lee and G Horne leave we have utilities as replacements. Hopefully they will be of a better quality. Tansey appears to be just that and hopefully he will make the No1 shirt his own. Turner on the otherhand appears to be a like for like replacement for G Horne (just one with more speed and potential.)

Richard has played for England.

So had Crooke, but that apparently doesn't count as far as the club is concerned. It has to be the 'proper' international side.

Exactly right, i don't think there is a need for utility players nowadays. As a club we've suffered from having too many of these and people were calling for more specialist players. I would rather have a natural centre, SO, 2nd row as backup with youngsters then backing that up.
there is also the point that given Whiting has worked with 4 coaches at our club and not one has played him 13 or 2nd row for any amount of time speaks volumes for me, but hey maybe some posters are better coaches!

Says the one who resorts to throwing around childish insults.




There's never a need for you to respond like you did without any provocation whatsoever. Like I said, it says a lot about you.



If you are referring to my last post to you, I was merely searching for a reason why someone would post like that - looking for which particular chip your shoulder is harbouring.



No. My theory was that Paul Cooke has no pace, but makes up for it in other areas. As does Whiting.



No, it really is a bull argument. Garry Schofield? What nonsense.

Also, read my previous reply. He is a better reader of the game than most. And no, it's not his only selling point, but it's something he does particularly well.



Much of which is made possible by the effectiveness with which he reads the game.



Overflowing? Really?

Tansey, as far as I'm aware, was bought as a full back and will be used as such. Even if Whiting and Turner both fall into the 'utility' bracket, it's hardly the case that we're 'overflowing' with them.