All indications are that Scott Wheeldon has signed a 2yr extention which will be announced very soon.

Really chuffed about this cos I think he's raised his game of late demonstrated by a superb performance against Wigan. Hopefully the coaching team can help him get to this level of performance on a regular basis and we'll have some player on our hands.

I think we're starting to get some continuity in our playing squad now as we're at the point of supplimenting the squad with either quality experienced players on long-term deals (2/3yrs) and/or promoting from within with 5 academy players getting promoted to the first team squad this winter.

This is down to the superb long-term planning of our coach.

The future is bright - the future is red & white!

We are also in the rare position this off-season of being able to bring some more quality into the team without actually releasing any of our players when you take into account that Mills, Cooke and Walker are gone and they didnt figure for us anyway.

Think this is great for Rovers Scotty wants to stay at KR which is obviously the best thing for him and think Morgan now realising what a great prospect he is and is going to be, i always say if you play a player for a few games then that's when you can tell what potential they have Scotty used to give a lot of penalties away at one time, now he is maturing were seeing a different side to him, well done to KR once again for securing his signature, looking forward to next season already...

Yeah it goes to show what value for money we have in the squad when you consider Mills, Cooke and Walker must have been the best part of £250K out of our cap.

Mason, Green and Hall + the promotion of the academy players then we'll have a really healthy squad next season.

Not to mention Scott Taylor, Frankie Mariano and Sam Latus who have had tasters of Super League action this season and will be far better next season for the experience. In 2007 Kris Welham had a taste of action at the end of the season and then made a shirt his own from 2008 onwards. Nothing to say one of these players wont do the same.

What are your ins and outs overall?

Out:
Cooke (federation), Walker (federation), Mills (federation), I'Anson (homegrown), Spaven? (homegrown), Beaumont ? (homegrown)

In:
Mason (quota), Green (quota), Hall (federation) plus some token academy promotions?

Give it a rest will ya - it's beyond tedious now...

How many games did those 6 play between them? 10 tops maybe?
Beaumont i think has been offered a new deal. Not sure about Spav.

With respect to the players listed we havnt lost anybody we wanted to keep.

Indeed. Neither have you got your primary targets of Finch, Lima and, er, Radford though.

And you've missed out on your targets of Fielden and LMS hence why you won't finish in the play-offs next season.

It's odd how you trumpet promotion of academy players into the squad as if Rovers have done something exceptional. It's a requirement to increase the number of homegrown players, so if you're releasing I'Anson and Spaven, you've no choice [ubut[/u to promote academy players, those are the rules.

That is perhaps true. However Justin, being the astute coach that he is, made sure that he had other irons in the fire and quickly wrapped up their signitures. Only time will tell if the two that we signed turn out to be better buys.

Spaven 1, Cooke 3, I' Anson 7. A grand total of 11 games for the 6 players you mentioned thats not even an average of 2 games per player.

The difference now though is that we are promoting youngsters from one of the best Academy sides in the country.

Missing out on them isn't the reason. The point is that the 2010 Top 5 are nailed on for the play-offs next season, Bradford will have a decent coach next year and have strengthened, plus chuck in Salford's very impressive recruitment and Crusaders building momentum and there you have it.

And whats to say where not replacing those homegrown players with better homegrown players. Testament is to the season our U18's had playing with a large amount of players that could feature in the U18's comp for 2 more years.

What's to say they are? A lot of players fail to fulfil their academy potential at SL level. Until they do and you get more than Kris Welham playing regular first team football, it's all just fancy talk.

Clutching at straws springs to mind.

With 10 of your 17 being overseas players, plus Briscoe, Fox, Colbon, Cockayne, Murrell and Wheeldon in there, I'd say it's your "promoted" academy players who'll be straw-clutching.

Might have missed this but when has Spaven been released, I always thought he looked a good hooker, wouldn't mind seeing Hull go for him for a year.

Rovers have so far done great business got rid os some top earning players who didnt really play, and replaced them with soem potentially very good players in much needed positions (a bit like our recruitment last year).

If Rovers can keep their squad pretty healthy especially Dobson you should challenge the top 4 this year IMO.

You convince yourself that Lynne would be playing first team rugby if Calderwood or Whiting had been available then.





AFAIK, the quota rules exist for all super league clubs, whether you consider all clubs have used them to benefit their particular squad is a different question.

And back on topic. Wheeldon v Radford is again the present / future v past.
Wheeldon has his best years ahead so SW everytime for me.

Its ok keeping onto players and having loyal servants or whatever you want to call it but the fact is if they're not good enough then you move on and try and unearth some who are. FC have suffered over recent years by doing just that. The kull at the end of last year showed some of that. Add to that Hall going this year and if most of your fans had there way Horne would be gone too. This FC production line is looking pretty thin on the ground nowadays.


Quoting Welham as our only product is a bit weak as well, Latus has done a good stint this year more games than Lynne managed. Watts hasn't been too shabby, yes we brought him from cas but remind me where Briscoe came from. So that leaves you with Houghton, Yeaman and Horne, we've got Welham. So all in all and extra 10 years in SL and you've managed to be running with 2 more 'home grown' players than us, well done.

The fact is looking back over our years in SL you now have less home grown players thaen you did then, you have less prospects coming through.

Even after your summer recruitment for the season of promise you've still fell flat on your ar5e and are entering the 3rd consecutive winter of discontent and are clutching at straws to try and undermine a team that you hate to see doing better than you. What will it be this year and new tongan mafia, sign another machine, Shrek 2 or the best british SH produced in the last decade. Maybe it'll be stick with the same bunch of geriatric bench warmers never know if you say a little prayer before bed time every night they might be better next year.......

PS.. Dave K, stop talking sense, Mrs B will have you tarred and feathered.

Mrs B don't you know its common knowledge that aimimg for Finch was a smokescreen for us signing Green, you really don't know how Morgan works yet we have a very astute coach, i can't actually wait to see just who Hull will sign for next season, i think it will be someone from championship league, Cooki if ur desperate. I can't wait for next season already, our pack will match any team next season we ant done bad this season few silly games we threw away (Derbies included) we would have finished higher, what makes me laugh with Agar he stated at the beginning of the season that this was your year , what your year for an early holiday, lets see what garbage him and rule say for next season. I can't wait..............

The progress for the academy set-up at Rovers see them now surpass FC, this after FC having the uphand on the red and whites from pre-super-league - 15 years plus!!!!

Although the real test is getting the youngsters ready for the uplift from academy to first team, the momentum created has given the set-up real potential to see plenty of home-grown talent make the grade!

Well done all concerned!!!!!!

Hey Basil, you missed off

at the end of your post.