Without wishing to put words into northmanchesterdevil's mouth (and then doing exactly that), you're making a number of assumptions here:

1. Salford had all senior players available at all times last season, and didn't have to resort to playing academy players who just weren't ready.
2. All those senior players let them down.
3. All the senior players who let them down have been retained, and now occupy the lower places in the squad.

I suspect you don't know whether any of these is true (why would you?), which is why s/he suggests you need look at the squad itself rather than just jumping to a conclusion.

13. Widnes
14. Wigan

We didn't release Broughton though did we? I spoke to his Dad last year and he told me that Jodie was offered either a 1 or 2 year deal (sorry can't remember now which it was) with us on similar money to what he was already on but Jodie wanted a much longer deal, the club and him couldn't agree terms and the Giants offered the deal he was looking for, so he left. Meli is probably not his like for like replacement, Greg Johnson is to be honest, he's just as fast as Broughton and Noble is already predicting big things for him.

I don't doubt an offer was made, and tbh given the numbers that have flown round about what various players are getting paid at Salford next year it's no surpise he refused similar money. But an increased offer would still been far less than meli and help bolster the squad - accepting I just went from the squad list of Sa'u and meli (Sa'u I can understand as a signing, and I think him and broughton on the wings would of been as good as anything for next year) - how the new younger players develop I don't know.

As I said though this is diverging from the point of the thread

Broughton was off Contract at the end of 2013, Noble wanted him to stay but he wanted a ' new challenge ' after 4 years at the Club . Meli was brought in on a 12 month deal so is not strictly his replacement , and with Meli, Morley & other squad players deals ending in 2014 , it allows the owner to continue to ' build ' for 2015.
Funnily broughton came in as a free agent in 2010 after being deemed surplus by Leeds & Hull FC.
Aswell as the aforemention Johnson , we have Jon Ford & Niall Evalds capable of staking a claim for a wing spot + 2-3 good prospects from our U19's .
next season was all about re-establishing the club with experience & better all round quality but still allowing progression.

A 34 year old from Saints on more money? I spy another assumption. Do you know for a fact that he's on more money?

Anyway, if you look down 18-25, straight away, at 18, you hit Harrison Hansen. I think he'll be pushing for a first team place, don't you? At 19 you'll see Matty Ashurst, who pushed for and achieved a first team place last season, being one of the first choice second-rowers and playing in pretty much every game (he's one of the ones who didn't let us down). At 20, Adam Walne, played a whole bunch of games at prop in the second half of the season. Stuart Howarth spent the season on loan at Saints and played I don't know 15? times at hooker for them... and on and on.

Let's be honest, you don't know a great deal about the players in Salford's squad beyond the first 17 (18 really), just as I don't know a great deal about the players beyond 17ish in the Hull squad. Where we differ is that I'm not assuming that all those players at Hull who I haven't heard about are just not good enough.

He's told a lot of saints fans just how much he's on. Even an exaggerated number assumption still has meant you'll never find any post by me saying I wish we would of kept him (I still think he has a good few years in him, and has definitely found his groove after a shakes start, but no way would I have matched the supposed offer from Salford)

Anyway, that's a digression on my behalf, Hansen I assume will go straight into your starting line up, and had the deal been done sooner would have a squad number to reflect so. I would imagine McPherson would be the drop out (I don't know) and as a straight comparison with Pitts at hull who would you rather have in your squad?

Ashurst is a major disappointment for me as a saints fan, I saw him come in and show all the promise in the world (as with Dixon) only to never seem to push on past the new kid. Unless drastic changes happened without me noticing last season he wouldn't get near a top 8 team (if you combined ashurst and Dixon, taking ashursts size and Dixons line running then your on to a winner!)

Walne, I don't know a lot about fair enough.

Howarth was the most shockingly bad hooker I have ever seen in a saints shirt (and I've seen Scott Moore) if your argument of quality replacements rest on him then you ain't gonna ever convince me.

I don't know a lot about the batley duo, and from what I have heard, potential is the most common adjective, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are going to be ready next year etc etc

Saying other youngsters to come through etc that I don't know about, that's also true of every other club - Salford haven't done a lot to convince me the youngsters who I don't know are going to rip it up. Wigan have, Leeds have etc

Surprisingly, I do like to be a little informed.

Hmm, so you imagine that McPherson would drop out whilst saying you don't know, then ask us to make a straight comparison between him and Jay Pitts at Hull as to which we would prefer in our (weak) 2014 squad (I assume you were smugly thinking that we would all see how right you were)? Then, despite finishing your flourish by saying that you like to be a little informed, you missed the fact that McPherson has over 90 NRL games under his belt for the Rabbitohs? An easy answer for us Salford fans I reckon and aptly demonstrates your lack of knowledge.

And played 22 games last year and did nothing to stop you finishing bottom?

If we're going off former calibre josh perry, state of origin and australian international, grand final winner and manly stalwart, was the greatest player for saints for the last few years ... Right?

Anyway it's an irrelevant argument, because according to koukash you guys are aiming for 4th - so maybe we could compare it to the saints squad instead?

7/8th is a good and achievable target for Salford next season (as I said in my first post on the matter) that doesn't mean it's going to be as easy as some Salford fans think, and people are allowed to have question marks over the depth of your squad

I'm not sure why a few Salford fans are so defensive over this.

Oh come on, it's chalk and cheese that you're talking here - last year he would have been an automatic choice because he's quality in a team that had very little quality, strength or depth, you could have put Sam Burgess in our side last year and we'd still have been battered by the large majority of sides, now we're talking about whether he'd make the first 17 and whether he would be good cover for injuries! It's a completely different scenario and you know it.

FWIW, I agree that 7th or 8th is a good and achievable target for next year and I also agree that it's not going to be easy but anyone who thinks that the personnel we retained from last year are automatic dead-beats just because they were in a side that finished bottom is making a mighty big assumption.

I agree entirely that it's totally different given the new personall around, and some players will find a new lease of life.

I've not once said anyone in the Salford squad are dead beats (minus ashurst and howarth, as I've had the misfortune of seeing them in a saints shirt) - all I have said is the quality is lower than in others pushing for the playoffs. That's not to say McPherson, or ashurst or whoever, wouldn't get into any other team in superleague, on the contrary, they'd probably do very well in Bradford or London or wherever, but the gulf in quality between the top and bottom is absolutely massive.

Let's be honest, if Wigan had 2 teams competing in superleague they wouldn't finish bottom (and that pains me as a saints fan) - but that depth is indicative of what it takes - which is why a lot of teams this year have announced squad numbers well into the 30s - and why I just don't feel Salford can match that if injurys come along

Can someone please predict their bottom 2 and stop this nonsense.

If Bradford sort themselves out

13 Wakey
14 London

if they implode

13 Bradford
14 London