Joined: Dec 07 2006 Posts: 1983 Location: Just turning your corner now
Quote:Don't confuse big names with being X factor players
Durr...me sorry me not clever like you...
The point I am making is Wires bought players that showed hints of this elusive' X-factor' at previous clubs (and yes I DO include King and Monas in this), in the hope it would continue.
By the by, I despise the term 'X-factor'. It's lazy media speak.
Joined: Jan 18 2007 Posts: 861 Location: Biding my time
sally cinnamon wrote:Since we've moved into the new stadium we haven't signed players with X factor other than Gleeson and Johns.
Don't confuse big names with being X factor players, Reardon, Johnson, Rauhihi, the Andersons are not players who can break a game, neither really are King or Monaghan, even if they'd played up to their reputations at former clubs.
By X factor player you need someone like Leon Pryce, or Jason Robinson. Warrington have had all too few of these. Jonathan Davies had it, Iestyn Harris had it, Allan Langer, Nigel Vagana. We had other players who had X factor at first but then lost it (Henare, Toa, Appo).
This post imo is spot on, and looking at it like that i would say throughout the whole of super league, that there are only a handfull of these players at best. Maguire, Pryce, Gleeson, Barrett was for wigan last year and scott Donald is a definate game break player for me.
These are players imo who can be a matchwinner in the blink of an eye or just take a game by the scruff of the neck, i would also include Sinfield in this too.
So maybe a fairer question considering the lack of x factor players across the league would of been.
Out of all of our squad, how many of our players do you think last years top 4 would gladly have in their teams . i reckon the answer would of been a fair few more than just Gleeson.
I'd say our problem is we buy players but we don't build a team. Well we do build a team just an underperforming one. We have built one around Briers for the last couple of years and now his playing years are over we need to start thinking of building another team, nearly from scratch. Tony Smith needs to say to players that if they aint gonna put 110% into every game then there's the door.
What teams in SL have these 'X-Factor' players though ? Hull KR's backline isn't full of danger, they are going well. Wakefield don't have speed to burn neither, Catalans had Raguin & Croker in the centres last year and finished third.
X-Factor isn't the be all & end all, gameplan is far more effective.
In 2005 when we probably were as exciting as we've been for a long, long time we had a backline of Grose, Fa'afilli, Gleeson, Toa, Bridge/Barnett which wasn't an 'on paper' exciting backline.
There's just not many of these players around, the Jamie Lyons of this world, and if you get one your lucky, and the cost you, alot.
I think if you were looking for an exciting backline in SL, that you could realistically get, given the odd transfer fee, slice of luck, contract renewal etc, I'd be happy with
Greenshields, Fox, Lee Smith, Shenton, Penny, Bridge, Dobson
Players that I would deem to have the X-Factor are minimal across the globe. As said those that can turn a game with a moment of individual brilliance; Inglis, Lockyer, potentially Thurston. I wouldn't include Pryce in this, but I would include Long he has that ability to see a situation and take advantage of it before the opposition and probably most of his teammates.
I guess it comes down to knowing when to do the unpredictable and execute it to perfection.
Didn't William Webb Ellis pick up the ball and run, someone should really tell Rugby Union.
Joined: Oct 31 2005 Posts: 3726 Location: Northamptonshire
JWP wrote:What teams in SL have these 'X-Factor' players though ? Hull KR's backline isn't full of danger, they are going well. Wakefield don't have speed to burn neither, Catalans had Raguin & Croker in the centres last year and finished third.
X-Factor isn't the be all & end all, gameplan is far more effective.
In 2005 when we probably were as exciting as we've been for a long, long time we had a backline of Grose, Fa'afilli, Gleeson, Toa, Bridge/Barnett which wasn't an 'on paper' exciting backline.
There's just not many of these players around, the Jamie Lyons of this world, and if you get one your lucky, and the cost you, alot.
I think if you were looking for an exciting backline in SL, that you could realistically get, given the odd transfer fee, slice of luck, contract renewal etc, I'd be happy with
Greenshields, Fox, Lee Smith, Shenton, Penny, Bridge, Dobson
Spot on. The team we have now is more or less the same one that at times ran Saints, Bulls, Leeds, Pies, Widnes and others ragged. We need application, dedication and inspiration to get back to those levels, a wholesale clearout of the extent envisaged by many on here would leave us struggling to recruita squad big enough for a full SL season.
Joined: Nov 24 2008 Posts: 1639 Location: ben harrisons hair
KloeLovesChrisBridge wrote:I'd say our problem is we buy players but we don't build a team. Well we do build a team just an underperforming one. We have built one around Briers for the last couple of years and now his playing years are over we need to start thinking of building another team, nearly from scratch. Tony Smith needs to say to players that if they aint gonna put 110% into every game then there's the door.
i agree with you there , and if they dont perform or they mess about , then doc the wages until they perform
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