This is something I pointed out to the director of a championship club a few weeks ago, who was getting a bit wound up by the constant negativity and people putting genuinely positive work from the club down. The message board in question can't have more than 15 regular posters from said club. Not an accurate representation of the general RL public at all.

If they had any real credence they'd be putting some of it into practice instead of tens of thousands of posts on the internet.

He has been selected. He's had numerous appearences from the bench, and produced nothing.

That is not a serious selection. Widdop needs to be selected as a starting half and play 80 minutes --- as he has been doing so well for Melbourne Storm.

I agree, however he only got to play 16 games because of that nasty hip injury. If he's up to scratch again, fully match fit, then put him in instead of Chase.

nasty????
I dislocated an elbow playing Gaelic Football and have an opinion on pain regarding child birth.....what happened to his hip was slightly more than "nasty".

Chase has been nothing other than "looking busy" so far.......the Kiwis will wind him up and he'll become a liability....

I'd be surprised if the skipper carried on after the WC anyway. If Steve Mac doesn't get a final app under his belt - I doubt he'll be retained but we'll see.

TBH we need a coach who gets his players fired up. You look at the players in the England Team not performing well, yet those same players run blood to water in leagues.

George and Sam Burgess have both been absolute machine in NRL. The Wigan, Leeds players for example the same.

Yet for England they can be pedestrian. That to me is down to McNamara.

He didnt fire his players up at Bulls, he hasnt for England.

Considering the potential, the England side has had a wasted few years imo.

I was looking forward to watching Widdop this World Cup. I believe he should be playing for England, and it's a shame that we might not see him again.

The jury is most definitely still out on Widdop. He has proven very little in his career, and that's not his fault. At the Storm, he has filled in at fullback and played a secondary role in the halves from 5/8. This World Cup was meant to be his first real go, so we thought. It looks like we'll now wait until next year when he will surely be a main man at St. George Illawarra.

Anyone holding Widdop in high regard today, I say, wait a little longer yet.

I'm sorry, have I slipped into some kind of alternative timeline where we have already been knocked out of this world cup? Why are we running a post mortem on a team that is about to play a semi final

I think a more interesting thread will be what will certain posters do if England do actually win the thing? Kevin Sinfield is a model professional, a nice guy, someone who has worked hard and made the best of his talent, he has had a hugely successful career and at all times represented himself, his club and his country with the utmost professionalism and dignity for 16 years. Yet he has all this vitriol and criticism aimed at him because he has captained his country to a world cup semi-final that we aren’t guaranteed to win.

Steve McNamara has taken on a poisoned chalice, a hiding to nothing, put up with years of whining and criticism, insults and people hilariously spelling his name wrong, all because he took on a job no-one else really wanted, worked hard and diligently and prepared the team as best as possible to try and win a world cup we are still involved in.

Some people have set themselves so far against the people who are working hard to try and win them a world cup that if we are successful they are going to look like utter morons. I just don’t get it. Why not just support the team? What precisely is all this negativity supposed to achieve?

I think sinfield has been solid in this tournament.

Two things spring to my mind
1 - if England are to win this tournament (or even reach the final), they will need the kicking game and game sense under pressure that sinfield can bring.
2 - sinfield deserves more respect (as a player, professional and person) than he gets from sections of the rl public.

I hope he has a blinder and shuts a few up - the main problem is outside sinfield in the 6 shirt in my opinion.

Can't argue with much of that, particularly Chase, who is an absolute waste of a shirt. Sinfield always comes across well in front of the cameras when interviewed and is clean and hardworking on the pitch. He has a stack of medals to show for his hard work and but for a brain fart at the millenium a few years back may have had the CC medal that should go with his collection (running the ball rather than equate the scores against Bradford with a highly kickable penalty).

My biggest gripe is playing Sinfield out of position. He isn't an international class 6, 7 or 9 and we have better choices for 13 (his most natural position) yet he is shoehorned into the role he currently adopts at the expense of better and more naturally gifted players who could give the big two problems taking the ball to the line or keep them guessing. Sinfield just isn't good enough in those areas at this level (admittedly not helped at all by the Maori next to him). Maybe he wouldn't have got the flak if McNamara hadn't picked Chase? Maybe McNamara should get the crap for his choices?

Welcome to RL Fans Forum. Misery Central!
Wait till you see the moaning if we win it!