www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... uotes.html Finally! A coach that see's what we all see!

www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... uotes.html Finally! A coach that see's what we all see!

i only got to hear the tail end of him on bbc manchester, however i did get to hear shaun mccrae sound like he's looking at the resignation letter in it's entirety.

Yep, fair assessment.

Yeah, I'd go with what he said. We'll play much better & lose.

I must say, I feel a little sympathy for Salford and Celtic as they have been thrown into the deep end a little, and to be honest, don't really look up to it.

It can't be good for the game that the 2 new clubs end up propping up the table...it just gives the impression that the depth in quality simply isn't there to warrant a 13th and 14th team in the competition.

I suppose only time will tell over the course of the next 3 years, but for a club like Salford especially, who have never exactly set the world alight, it could end up being a long struggle.

Salford's season will start v's us, you can damn well bet your house on it.

strangely given the results and performances between the two you'd say celtic look more like the team that have been in SL previously.

john dixon looks to be a good coach(as well as a bit like harold shipman).

Was quite impressed by ryan o'hara today, though was a bit surprised that they had rotated their starting props off and on again before half time.

How can Celtic & Salford be thrown in @ the deep end? They have had 9 months to prepare & recruit players rather than in previous seasons getting promoted in October

Off the BBC website:

Warrington coach Tony Smith:

"I'm pleased that the players found a way to win the game when we didn't play very well. It's a good attribute to have. We were way off today. We are setting high standards for ourselves and we're a bit disappointed.

"Some of the players were flat but there were some outstanding performances. I thought Lee Briers was terrific. He came up with some massive plays, which swung things our way. I thought he was back to some of his best.

"Ben Harrison got an injury but went back out there and toughed it out and Paul Wood had an impact when he came off the bench."

Questions need to be asked about two or more players, the anderson brother were awful today. It's a long process i suppose, but we were lucky to get a win i feel it's a good job Celtic ran out of steam.

In at the deep end ?
2-3 weeks ago if they'd played us like they played today, they would have 2 points on the board !

That was my view of it as well. Warrington showed some mental strength and composure at crucial times.

yep the andersons have not been great for a while! the rest of them was good though

There were 12 players out there today who are out of contract at the end of the season which ones do people think may get another deal
2. Paul Johnson 2009 Yes if he keeps clear of injury but needs to go back into the pack imo
3. Martin Gleeson 2010 NO he is going anyhow and he is playing like that as well imo
6. Lee Briers home grown 2009 No we need fresh blood in this pivotal position imo
8. Adrian Morley 2009 with option for 2010 yes no need to say why his performances say it all ,but he isn't captain material imo very quiet on the pitch !
10. Paul Rauhihi Overseas Quota 2009 he is going anyhow I just hope his replacement carries on from the form he showed last season and this
11. Louis Anderson Overseas Trained 2009No performance speaks volumes
13. Vinnie Anderson Overseas Trained 2009 No same as his brother
15. Paul Wood home grown 2009 Yes if can keep injury free
18. Mike Cooper home grown 2009 Yes improves every game
20. Simon Grix 2009 Not sure maybe, maybe not
23. Chris Hicks Overseas Quota 2009 No .He has no pace and I would prefer a half back or in my quota, wingers are a waste of a quota spot imo
25. Chris Bridge 2009 No looked lost for long periods but maybe inclusion in the 1st team will bring him on but I am unsure about his attitude and application to being a professional sportsman so a NO for Bridge but another one who can improve and earn it but not sure he has enough desire to do that so he is a maybe ,watch this space in my books!

What are other peoples thoughts !!!

Last season we would have crumbled and conceded a couple of late tries.

I don't, and I doubt that any Wierdness or Leigh fans have any sympathy either. They have had far more time to recruit/prepare than any promoted club has had, plus they are safe in the knowledge that they have three years to 'get it right'.



Call me pedantic but...



I suspect Gleeson will not be with us next season, but it won't be because his contract has not been renewed.

Would definately keep Bridge, all the talent in the world and hopefully Smith has the discipline and management skills to bring him along.

Hicks, is beginning to disappoint me a little, he's bombed a few tries of late by getting either held up or put on his booty. Seems to have lost that killer instinct, but still have faith in him.

Thought Briers had a cracker today and was the difference between the two teams and was glad that TS noticed, I wonder if Latchford noticed too?

Can't believe no-one has given Riley a mention yet, thought he was outstanding tosday, very brave.

i argree apart from bridge i wpuld drop lee and play bridge and monas in the half backs brdge is class act for me

At least we have a coach who sees what we see, which has to be a good thing after all.

To be honest, which ever 2 sides had been promoted, they would have struggled as Salford and Celtic have done.

It pains me to say it, as I would love nothing better than a strong 14-16 team competiton, but at this moment in time, and even for the forseeable future, I don't see the quality to sustain anything more than a 12 team league.

Only a club with a wealthy backer, and a guaranteed 7,000+ support should have been considered worthy of a spot in the league, and neither of the newcomers have these credentials.

As for TS's assessment that its good that we can win when playing poorly, then I agree to an extent...Yes, we were poor, but its becoming increasingly apparent that this standard of performance is about our average...We simply aren't as good as we all reckoned we were....Big changes are needed, and 2 relatively unconvincing wins against teams we all expected to be beating comfortably, shouldn't hide that fact.

is it me or are celtic very good or were we that predictable

Celtic do, kind of. A shade under 6k average to date, which isn't a fai reflection seeing as they have only had two home games.

Let's not let the facts get in the way of a nonsense fuelled rant though eh?

As an aside, I thought Penny was shocking today.

monas also had a stinker