...we lose.

First of all, i’m going to count some of our blessings and acknowledge some current difficulties.

The last couple of seasons the team has achieved its main goals, and we’re up and running this season with a couple of wins, including a dramatic last gasp victory in the derby. Also, we are missing a few and we’ve got a few still settling in. Plus we know we’re unlikely to be challenging at the very top of end the league, so defeats are going to happen. This, isn’t all woe is me.

But what the poop is it with us chucking away big leads quite as often as we do? It’s like it is in our metaphorical DNA, the flip side of the coin to ‘never write off the Saints’, whoever is playing or coaching. ‘Never bank on the Rovers’. Does it just feel like it happens to us more than to other teams at our level, and much more often than we do it to others? Or is it a real thing?

Has it happened so often that the crowd gets tense when we go 14 up, and that transmits itself to the players? Or something like that?

Bloomin’ heck.

It’s early hopefully the real rovers will turn up I hope

My daft thick Rovers mate has just texted me to say it was all the refs fault.

he must be thick if hes your mate keep trotting

He's as mahogany as you.

are you a hampton of withernsea or gisumville

Yes. I'm on the electoral roll.


I gave you to much credit.
More balsa than mahogany.

Sau should have seen red. Again we are on the wrong side of it Tomkins perfectly good try wiped off. Lack of speed at PTB.Missed tackles and poor end to sets. Should have won that but until we have our key men playing with heads up and controlling things we invite teams back in. Hastings milking penalties and being generally grubby doesn't mask the fact he's the best half in the league

Disappointing today but looking forward to listening to Radfords heroes tomorrow. I like a bit of beach fishing so With is fine place

We'll always be perenial under achievers untill we sort out our defencive problems, missed tackles, dropping off tackles, shooting out of the line.
We never improve in these areas year after year, no matter who the coach is.
Last week half time came at the right time, unfortunatly it went against us today because we went in thinking the job was done and we never got going again. Credit to Salford for jumping on us as we dozed off

On the one hand Rovers could so easily have won - if the Tomkins try had been allowed (and Joel is adamant it should have been) it would have been all over at 28-14 yet a minute later it was 22-18.

Then after repelling some very good Salford play with resolute defence we give away the softest of soft tries to go behind and lose. Very frustrating and annoying.

On the other hand Salford were the better team for the majority of the game and deserved to win. Rovers seemed to have a strategy of hanging on to the 22-8 half time lead but handing over the initiative like that is asking for trouble and trouble eventually came.

For me the warning signs were there when we were so pleased with ourselves for losing 28-14 at Warrington. At half time today at 22-8 I said that I just hope we aren't too pleased with ourselves. We probably were not , we didn't give in by any means but we did try to shut up shop and hang on. It might have worked but it didn't.

I hope very sincerely I will be proved wrong but I see us in the bottom 4 again this season, with away games at Cas & Wakey next up we are looking at a likely 2/6.

We were totally dominated in the second half another try after half time would have closed the match out but you could just see what was going to happen

Not seen the stats but it feels like we had enough chances to score fair few more points. Hooker and Halves ain't firing and poor game management in the 2nd half let Lui and Hastings run riot again. If I was Sheens I'd be getting a new hooker in this week as a priority and then thinking very hard about dropping McGuire for Atkin. Atkin only played few minutes and was a waste of an interchange when Jewitt may have helped us front up a bit more? Can't rely on Garbutt doing it on his own every week. The whole lot of them need a rocket up them.

FWIW, having watched it on on Hull KR tv, I don’t think many neutrals will have much pity regarding Tomkins disallowed/unawarded try.

I remember Liam Watts getting one vaguely similar for us after a video review a few years ago. But at full speed it looks like a knock on. If he was grounding a kick, he might have been in with a better shout.

I'm surprised and disappointed we bottled it but in truth we had the game sewn up and just took our foot off the gas. I'm happy with the forwards and we will only improve when Jewitt returns. Mulhern, Garbutt, Masoe and Jewitt are a top half set of props without a doubt. Main worries are hooker. Especially next week as McShane is quality. It's also looking a year too long for Mcguire but I think he will come good and next week we should be bossing their halves because of the experience and quality advantage we have. I actually feel confident going into the Cas game. Today they fielded Jordan Rankin, Egodo, and Claire - hardly world beaters. We should have a good idea regards Top 5 aspirations after the next couple of rounds.

The still pictures do prove pretty conclusively that it was a try I think if it had been on SKY with all the technology it would have been given.

It wasn't and Salford were good value overall.

We are just a very dumb team. Maguire needs to sit on the sidelines until called upon this season now. Atkin to the halves instead. But while we are at it, a rocket up Drinkwaters arris would do.
Our direction and descision making is amateur at best from the halves. Maguire has gone a season too long. That break away from Addy in the second half used to be bread a butter for Mags to follow up on a players shoulder,but whether he’s got the desire or the speed anymore that’s anyone’s guess. What is the point to carry on with Maguire anyway when it’s his last season and we’ve a perfectly good England knights up and coming halve being d1cked around on the bench.
We all could see that Dagger should of been full back from the off and now fans are asking at atkin re-enstated, I hope Sheens sees sense and changes things around.
Btw, how bad was Kienhorst yesterday!

Tbf, McGuire agreed to come to us when we were a Championship team and play at that level if needs be. I’m sure he’d admit he’s not at the level he was 5 or 10 years ago.

I like Atkin, but I don’t think he’d make a big or immediate difference. His form hasn’t been great so far this season either. If it was him in the halves and McGuire on the bench, there’d likely be calls for our experienced, highly-paid, multiple grand final winning, former international to come back in to steady the ship after defeats.

That were we differ MR. I think Atkins form hasn’t been great because he hasn’t been played in his correct position. He’s no full back and we all know that.
And if you think Maguire is 5 years past it then that pretty much answers my question with who should partner Drinkwater.

I think he’s 5 or more years past his best, but it was quite a best. Atkin will do well to ever get to that level.

I like Atkin and can definitely see a case for playing him at halfback. But he’s still learning. Being picked for the Knights was a great achievement a year after joining us from Swinton - but it is ‘just’ a development squad.

Who is better, right now? not much in it imo. Atkin will get his chance, i’m sure.

did you listen

I did. The full game, would have been harsh for FC to lose that game funny as it may have been. I suppose you will be treble winners now after that? Shame Hardaker missed his kick but these things happen

nah not treble winners lol, Just glad to get the win,

Said on VT that I'm not sure GP is needed in regular season games and a point each plus point for GP seems fairer? To be level after 80 min in a league game and lose without touching ball in OT seems wrong. I'd feel same if Wigan had done similar. Still it is what it is and think teams will taste both sides of it eventually

Complicating things can create problems. Or inconsistencies at least. Widnes being accidentally financially incentivised to keep us out of the 2018 MPG springs to mind.

Say two teams are battling against relegation. One wins 8 of 29 games and finishes with 16 points, with no gp games. The other has seven normal wins, two golden point games (winning one and losing the other), and 20 defeats - they finish on 17. They’ve effectively had a three-point win to make them safe.

That specific outcome might not be very likely, but if you look at making 5th for the play-offs or top spot for the LLS, one of those consolation points will make a difference at some point.