He still slots in at first receiver plenty of the time, but with the arrival/emergence of Sneyd, Pryce & Abdull, I imagine he's been asked to carry a different role in the side than last season.

This isn't aimed at you specifically Baldy, but our fans are guilty of having their favourites and having preconceptions about others. Westerman is one of those who falls into the latter category. Barring a couple of nightmare games this season, he's been fantastic for the past 18 months. Prior to that he was moved all over the place, halves, back row, back to the halves etc.

Why anybody wouldn't be bothered to see Westerman (our only England International, a player about to enter his prime years, a key, stable part of our team etc), leave the club is beyond me.

Holding his transfer fee against him is also quite bizarre.

i think on the defensive side of it, when he (westerman) has missed a tackle/s (only a thought, I have no stats to back it up) is highlighted more, because it has led to a try, on a series of events leading to a try etc.

I know sometimes at a game someone breaks through the line with ease and,you will think 'who the Feck was that, trying to make that tackle' then when you look on sky or big screen, its highlighted there.

what im trying to get at is, maybe people think his defence is so poor, because these 'missed tackles' etc come at big moments in a game, were errors from players are spotted, picked up on etc.

I'm not westys biggest fan, nor do I knock him as a player. I can see (as many probably can) he has all the attributes there to be a really great and top class player. but, because his roll has changed this season to last season, we haven't seen exactly what he can do. he is now adapting to a new style, a style that may not suit him now...or ever.

I also think, that next season, he will be asked to go back to his original style of play, which got him his England call up.

I have simply pointed out the massive flaw when people throw around stats.

Who do you think caused the error if a hooker throws a shocking pass around the ankles to the ball carrier and he knocks it on ?

Anybody watching the game will say the hooker caused the error however OPTA will mark down the ball carrier for the error.

Make some good points and I admit I'm not a great Westerman lover and accept that he was shunted all over the park under Agar and had to play the Aussie style 13 under Gentle,last season was his best for us and maybe he isn't hitting those heights as he knew he never had a threat to his place until now.On a side note,I always thought he had captain wrote all over him

I know what you're saying, but don't think it will suddenly ramp up the amount of errors he makes. In Houghton's case though... I also spoke to somebody once who actually does the stat work and he said even if a player doesn't get a hand on him, if he attempts a tackle it will be marked down as missed.

It would have an impact though. I like Westerman at 13 and agree with you about Abdul not been ready to do the workload Westerman does.

My main issue is the way the people throw around these stats on here and claim they can't be challenged despite their obvious flaws. People have even started using props metres per carry to back up arguments even though any team would sacrifice a extra 1-2 metres so they could win the floor and control the ruck.

Putting JA at 13 would be the biggest positional mistake this club would have made for years, as others have pointed out he doesn't have the ability/physicality to do the graft that a Westerman type does, certainly not for now.
He's just a big number 6 and people think he'd be a natural 13, I just don't think he is, it is down to his size people instantly see him as a 13, if he were smaller people wouldn't.

We have a hard enough time developing class halves as it is, I don't see that dog in him and frankly I'd rather have him as our 6 and see how we can develop both him & Sneyd into a pair of halves that see us through for the next few years together.

If he isn't working out at 6 for whatever reason and he wants to bulk up (properly & less of the padding) and play 13 in the future we have that as an option but to stick him at 13 when a) he simply isn't close to filling that spot to the level required and b) we remove any chance of having a home grown talent in the halves makes no sense whatsoever.

I think that is a fair post, particularly the opportunity to produce a really good home grown 6, they don't come along often.

All I've been trying to say is that if JW did go, I think JA would step and do a decent job.

I actually hope JW next year stands up and reaches his undoubted potential, I don't feel he has yet despite the clear 'graft' he gets through. There is so much more in there I think, he has to deliver it for me.

But I pointed out in another post, what a great predicament it is, for the first time in many years, we have real strength in depth it would seem, and a bunch of youngsters coming through that means the future looks bright. If LR can find that magic formula next year (I genuinely hope he does despite my reservations) then the next 5/6 years at FC could be magic (always hoping)

I've seen enough to convince me to get a pass, and that wasn't happening 10 games back.

Still peed off about the academy merger though (sorry not trying to derail, but this thread about Abdull should be enough to prove it didn't need to happen, money saving aside).

Roll on 2016.

The posistional mistake! Yep hull have been guilty of that for years, taking a young kid and turning them into something they not. 1865 probably knows more, but aint abdul played majority of his hull junior careerat 13! Certainly think hull have been developing him for that roll, and for me id love having a 13 who can bullet a pass out wide to a winger and not always have to rely on , 6,7,1 do it. And I thought htw was lined up for the 6 shirt. Ive nothing against westerman , im just so bored of hearing about his undoubted potential and at 19 I see far more in abdul. Get him in the pack with taylor, houghton, watts, manu, ellis, pritchard,mini take your pick to who starts on the bench, but after a preason behind him, cant see abdul having a problem, infact , I think hed thrive on been in the middle with them beasts

Talking of half backs, them 2 for huddersfield dont look to bad!

Some Hull fans just have it in for Westerman despite the stats that show his importance to the club.

Presumably they are lining him up to me the scapegoat in residence once Yeaman is no longer a first choice.

Ive never used yeaman as a scapegoat, and I never will westerman. Why cant you accept that some fans dont rate him.

Some players divide opinion. Westerman is one of those. He's a good player IMO, and as Clarkey said on the Saints game commentary will benefit from playing in a pack that's been upgraded with Pritchard and Manu next season. Abdull has a touch of Cooke about him, but is still very young and needs a massive off season, so really hoping he remains injury-free in the remaining 5 games.

Yeaman isn't a scapegoat, he just hasn't being good enough consistantly enough for far too long, to retain him again for next year is ridiculous IMO.

Tend to agree, I don't really see the point in retaining Yeaman given he's supposedly covering the back row where we have our best quality and depth.

I never said you did. But some do and many have it in for him like when his ex said he'd been out drinking before a game (turned out he'd been told he wasn't going to be playing). Plenty of Hull fans we're slating him saying he was bad news.



Why can't you accept that some do?

I completely do, I just dont agree

All this based on a few good performances in a completely different position?

Each to their own opinion, that's fair enough. Is part of your opinion because Hull paid a fee for Westerman?

For me, Westerman is more than just a solid player and is never one to shirk responsibility. That said, it would be good to see the flashes of creative brilliance he is capable of which only come out once in a while.

Every fan at a club will rate players others fans don't.I have said on here I aren't a massive Westerman fan but wouldn't slag him off or Yeaman as they pull a shirt on and put there bodies on the line for 80 mins in a game none of us would last a minute in.I also don't rate a couple of other players at the club but each to their own.

I have had two criticisms of Yeaman whilst on the pitch. For a Centre with 14-15 seasons first team experience, he still finds it difficult to pass to his winger. This other is the frequency over which he has jumped out of the defensive line but them misses his man leaving his winger exposed.

I'll never question his effort or commitment. ATEOTD, its not his fault he gets picked.

He reminds me of Jason Smith in how he plays, he looks like Gareth Carvell, though, and frankly seems a bit of a pudding. If he doesn't shed some timber quicker players than Kevin Sinfield will expose his lack of athleticism.

defo needs to up his fitness, but imo a star in the making

Needs the mother of all pre seasons. Could be very good.

agree and hopefully will do, the kid has talent though and lots of it