I don't know a great deal about Ratchfords amatuer game but has he ever played at scrum half? I just read that Luke Swain thinks he is the most creative player in the squad so it would seem obvious to me that he plays in the position where he can create the most damage.

A couple of times in a seperate thread I haver ead that we played good entertaining rugby when we throw the ball about and I do get the impression that Ratchford is a more off the cuff player than Myler was, so maybe scrum half is the position where he can go on to become the player we all suspect he will do.

Stand off for me for off the cuff stuff just like the great Kenny Gill

played six from the age of about 10 through 2 age sixteen with thomas coyle (oldham) playing seven in a wigan st pats team that only lost about 6 times in that time.

don't think it matters if u start at 7 or 6 now as which ever u are u stick to ur side of the field therefore if ball is on your side of the field u become 1st reciever and your half back partner is 2nd and vice versa

But sadly too often with us we have a prop as fiirst receiver and there is no second receiver.

Correct the scrum half and stand off positions are identical in the modern game apart from the scrum feed, but the half backs often interchange and share this duty now.

Like you said one half operates the left and the other plays on the right.

I know traditionalists won't like it but maybe it's time for the naming of the positions in our game to be changed to Right Half and Left Half? It would certainly be less confusing for young kids learning or playing the game.

Unless you use a second "stage" attack (I've heard it under different titles) where a number of backs and the loose come of a stand-off from a pass from a 2nd row who was put into space by the scrum-half. (Horrible English).

I'd leave him where he is. We are sometimes in danger of over coaching and programming players into a given pattern. I feel that the worst phrase in the modern game is "game plan". Let Ratch do his thing and I think Matty smith may well be a good foyle for him with J Smith working the dummy half.

As for Thomas Coyle (son of Blackpool Borough's Bernard Coyle) I saw him last week playing for Barrow against Sheffield. Is that a permanent move or a loan deal?