The last full game I watched was last years Million Pound game. Since then due to COVID related work I've not had the time, rarely been able to even come on here.

I saw the highlights of the Hull and the Wigan game, unlucky in both but sadly second best I suspect.

I was never going to watch my recording of last weeks game for obvious reasons, so no comments.

So yesterday was my first game in nearly a year!

It wasn't as bad as I expected and I could see we were missing some key players, most notably in the backs.

However, it was nothing like the team of 18 months ago and played nowhere near as well as I know they can or could.

I'll tell you what they reminded me of, the team CC took over in 2016. Beaten before they began, no self-belief and a lot of going through the motions by some players. They looked like a team that had never met, a hallmark of the Smith days.

I might be oversimplifying here, though in my experience the simple answer is usually the right one. All CC needs to do is whatever he did the first time in 2016. Drop whatever system he thinks he's devised, swallow his pride and go back to stage one and start again.

Big ask? No not really, not if you want to carry on coaching a SL team. I may be wrong but that's how it struck me.

The trouble is the team C C took over was a lot young younger ,and wanted tweking at the end of each season he as just kept buying older players so now the forwards are a dad's army

It's not the same team that played last time you watched. That's the main issue.

To a degree. Green, Westerman and Brough were all mistakes IMHO. The others have been ok though. I think its more a case that the likes of Batch, Jowitt and Crowther simply have not been allowed to move on. They should all be first on the sheet IMHO, People go on about Kear but that was his big failure so maybe CC needs to go back to his pre-Kear days, just a thought.

Let the youth loose (I don't mean the likes of Aydin etc) but the youth who are now proven. Let's build the team around them instead of importing past it players with bad habits.

It's not far off PT in terms of individuals. However the whole point of a squad system is that it can keep its shape regardless of changes, Obviously, 2019 pushed it to the limits but this year it's less of an excuse tbh.

For me the problem is the motivation of the players that is sadly lacking from our games at this present time .We have struggled with consistency for as long as I’ve watched them but teams I’ve watched over those years with far less ability than the present squad have dug In and played there guts out wether it ended in a win or a loss I went away happy knowing they’d give their all .As I’ve said many times it’s not the losing that’s ever bothered me it’s the manner of the loss that kills me every time .As seen over the weekend the effort was creeping back into our game and hopefully will continue into next weekend .

So we should play Batch, Jowitt and Crowther even if they are not the best players in their position?
I don't agree about Westerman. He was one of if not the best player before lockdown. Brough was a risk and injury meant he couldn't fill the gap we wanted him to. When he and Miller were both fit we look very dangerous and we're winning games.
I agree we need to build, as I'm sure Chester does but it needs to be around platers that are capable.
Batch hasn't played mainly through injury. Crowther has had some injuries but is in a busy position to take a first team spot. But played at the weekend. Jowitt hasn't locked down his spot because other young players are also aiming to take their chance.

Why do you not think they are the best players? I do. Ashusr is bust, Tanganoia has hands made from butter, Kirmo has gone, who exactly is better?

I think Chester had an advantage in that the team he took over were fit and well drilled . Yes the players were supposedly opposed to Smiths strict regime but it was easy for Chester to then get the best out of them ..

Tbh there was nothing in batchelors performances last year to make you think he was kicking on, of all our players coming though he was the one I had the greatest hopes for. Not quite sure what’s happened, crowther for me is the archetypical club man and does what he’s able to do and he reasonable level of opportunity, the one I don’t get is jowitt who always impresses and yet has been picked over at full back again by gigot, and then displaced by Hampshire this week - fail to see why as Hampshire was probably the worst player on the pitch against Catalan part 1 and actually jowitt planting behind a totally trounced pack did ok. Re past it players I agree but you can’t build a team around our three or 4 first. Team locale