Are you for real?

If he signs for us I'll be happy to agree.

To spot a repeat of this season the defence has to be improved. This is the first time in the summer era we have had a negative points difference.

Correct, for most of last season (and quite a bit of the previous one) I said that the halfs are the main issue, and therefore needs to be the main area to be addressed in this off season. However Sykes' form at 6 at the back end of the season (and some glimpses of the old Deacs it has to be said) toned down my view from "absolutely imperative" to "seriously needs looking at". Kearney signing to play 6 could be McNamaras answer to this one? I wouldn't say no to someone like Orford, Brough, Pryce or even Ratchford though. (I feel like doing a bit of wishful thinking )

I can only hope SM has a different opinion to you. Because if he honestly believes that Deacon and Sykes are good enough to be our first choice half backs then we might as well wave goodbye to the 2010 playoffs right now.

Deacon has been a running joke throughout the entire SL, including many of our own fans, for as long as I can remember now. He is simply not good enough anymore.

No he isn't.

I'm pretty sure Macca has his own opinion and likes to do things his own way, and maybe that's why we've had the worst season in the whole of history last season. Most of the time his opinion is different to mine.



I don't think he does to be honest, but there is little he can do, is there? Who's available for him to sign without offering a transfer fee and if that does happen, what if the transfer fee is not accepted? What do you suggest? Personally I think from within the club at the moment, a Sykes/Deacon combo is the best option. And there's evidence to suggest that it works aswell with us winning 4 games with the combo at the back end of 09.



Hey, I'm not a Deacon fan, R Kid. But I think HB's are the least of our worries the pack is far more of a concern. Take a look at Huddersfield for example, the crappest HB's in SL in Brown and Robinson, yet because they were playing behind a pack that got the better of their opposites most weeks last season, they could pretty much do whatever they wanted. Where as our's couldn't because our's didn't muscle up until 5 games into the season, and then when they decided they were going to, they went on their best run and the not so great HB's in Sykes/Deacon, could do pretty much whatever they pleased.

Burgess is a big loss. Morrison less so because he has hardly played.

Replacing Newton with just about any other hooker makes us stronger.

Right.



Right.



Wrong.

I said the same thing red, reckon he'd squeak in the top 5-8 but that's pushing it. Still I'd be happy to have him in our second row and he'd be a decent signing.

If Watmough is only a 'decent' signing then what constitutes a top quality signing? If we signed Watmough, personally I'd be very happy indeed if we signed him!