I still can't understand why we have to release players to accommodate Smith. Shortly after Westerman was sold Pearson stated on RH that he was going to invest the money on a quality outside back and Carney was a possibility if he fitted in with the rest of the squad. If we have anything left on the cap I think we should hold on to it in the event of an injury to Houghton.

Forgive my ingnorance but what are the rules with regardss to u23s. Are we able to play overage players.

I would see Whiting as the ideal man to captain that side and lead them around the park and be the calming head / coach on the park.

Maybe cash, and not cap, is the issue, with pass sales down 1000. Perhaps that wasn't foreseen when we were entertaining Carney.

The bottom line is we are massively top heavy in forwards and there are question marks rergarding a number of our supposed first choice back line.

Who honestly knows how the likes of Tuimavave are going to go and to a lesser extent Fonua. Talanoa has had niggling injuries for a lot of last season and Logan is still a rookie. I personally feel that Lancaster will break in at some point this season if he stays fit but he's another to be plagued.

So i can see why Radders is genuinly interested in Smith. He's only 29 and can offer us real flexibility.

Whiting shouldnt go anywhere. The club will find a post for him when he does hang his boots up if there's any justice or foresight. You don't need pace to be a top coach

I think you are spot on. However, if we did sign Carney or a player of his quality at that time we might have shifted more season passes!

After seeing him play yesterday I understand even less why we would want to sign him, he looked overweight and slow and I dont see what he offers over and above what we already have other than great kick-offs!

I think it goes back to our coach not really liking Jamie Shaul.

Or to be fair, it could be Shaul's attitude, which has been brought up a few times going all the way back to his time on loan at York.


I'm not really bothered either way about Smith. If he signs, it's an extra back providing cover for 1-5, a decent backup kicker and extra pressure on the starting 5 for a place. If he doesn't sign, nothing really lost. Can't be any worse than Michaels anyway.

we don't have much in the way of a back up kicker. perhaps this element to smith's game is more important

I don't mind Smith signing, my concern would be if any injury happened to Shaul or Fonua, would Radford (Like he has in the past) use Smith or the likes of Naughton and Lancaster.

Difficult to judge smith v Doncaster, no disrespect to the donny team

Can see him staying though as we are light in the backs

Looks to me from radford's comments that he will be staying and at least one will leave to accommodate. Doesn't look like he's talking about loaning anyone out to me but a permanent move

not sure about smith, but I remember the meltdown on here when we signed aspinwall mcgoldrick and feka,and they didn't turn out to bad

Michaels to go?

Lancaster has said he is open to a loan move if it helps his progress in hdm

A lot of the 19s lads are being fast tracked up too 23s to speed their progress and I think fash downes turgut and lancaster will possibly go on loans to championship clubs to do the same

The reason is because we had to get rid of Westerman to be under the cap with our new signings, fans were totally misled/lied to, Motu Tony said we had space to be able to bring in a Carney level player which was/is a complete load of cobblers so we've next to no space under the cap as it stands.
It's got sod all to do with cash (he's a free agent), the simple fact is we are pretty much at the cap and would have been massively over if we had kept hold of Westerman, the intention was to sell him all the time otherwise why are we scrabbling around for the likes of Smith and considering loaning players out to fit him into the squad.
Frankly it's a disgrace if we sign Smith, it shows yet again no faith in the youth system and that we have people in the squad that were surplus to requirements last season never mind this, handing out new contracts to those that don't deserve them has come home to roost about now.

Although I agree that Smith is a pointless signing, the rest of your post is just another example of you embarrassing yourself.

According to this morning's Yorkshire Post, Radford hinted that if Smith had a decent game against KR at the weekend the club would sign him and that there was enough funds left to do so without moving any player on.

You really cannot help yourself can you.

You have not used any facts.

You miss out the phrase "In my opinion" as thats what it is. Trying to pass on your thoughts as the facts is in itself misleading.

Why is Smith being a free agent anything to do with this? I would say on the evidence available, pass sales are down, less cash available, that wanting to watch outgoings would be of paramount importance.

Signing Smith shows no faith in the youth system? Frankly, that is a disgrace of a comment. The mere fact that Abdul, Turgett, Downs, Fash Logan, Lancaster et al all have a decent number of SL games under their belt shows the club very much have faith in the youth system. Other clubs could easily have gone to the loan market late last season but we didn't.

The FACT that we are short of experienced back is clearly the motivation to sign ONE player who has been there and done it. Who has won the MoM in a GF, who was part of the set up which resulted in the likes of Ryan Hall, Kallum Watkins, BJB, etc. Perhaps, just perhaps that experience could be passed on. But I am guessing here, as I don't know the facts of the matter, a little like you.

Taylor was full of praise for Smith on radio.Mind you what would he know lol

Radford's own words "It would be a stretch (to accommodate him under the salary cap) but there’s room to manoeuvre I think". That is then a FACT that we are operating just under the cap.

Not if he wants £200k a year

Exactly. It's only a 'simple fact' (as Bumpy puts it) if Bumpy knows how much Lee Smith is wanting, therefore knowing how much cap space we have free. No facts, no matter how many times he writes 'fact', just an opinion based on a personal hatred for Radford and anyone else at the club - quite sad really.

There is something many business's do, its called budgeting.

#midseasonsigning

....or maybe we have set aside a sum for "unforeseen circumstances", and Smith's signing would reduce it.
Or maybe we're just below cap and haven't needed to declare the £175k allowance for Pritchard.