That's very true and may account for some. But what we can do is look at those we have signed - very few could be described as good or excellent. We are the 5th most successful club in the entire SL era, and 3rd in the last 8 years. I'd like to think we would be able to entice a higher calibre of player.

The balance of evidence is suggesting that recruitment is poor, youth development success is low, and on the pitch we are atrocious. If it wasn't for Ratchford and Clarke we would be well and truly in trouble.

I was hopeful of an improvement with the addition of Cooper, Crosby and Savellio replacing Evans, Dodds, Cox and Bailey but as soon as Sandow said he wasn't coming back we knew we were in trouble even if we didn't admit it.

It's not Eden so much it's Shenton. Swap Atkins for him and Lineham will be bouncing like a pogo stick down Canal St.

I think the Sandow saga has had a bigger impact on the team than we realise. Not only in the fact that he is not out on the pitch but also the fact that he is not in the dressing room and the way it was handled.
He was on fire before he pulled up in that Wigan game
He then spends a bit of time "recovering from injury" which may or may not have been the way the coaches expected him to do his rehab.
IIRC he spent one game in the south stand with Key Penny.
He then makes a return from injury but was not the same player (was that still an injury or was that when the "home sickness" was kicking in)
Then he is gone and kev penny has barely been seen as well.

If Tony Smith expected Sandow to be as good as gold and not need managing then that is naieve at best (could say incompetent)
I get the impression Sandow was well liked in the dressing room and maybe it could have all been dealt with in another way.

When Smith first came here he threw his weight around and Gleeson was gone and Briers dropped but Briers was not going to run off back to St Helens saying he was home sick.
I would love to know if Hodgson, Wood, Higham and others still send Christmas cards to Tony Smith.

I am all for discipline and professionalism but I wonder if there are only so many players that you can fall out with before word gets round that Warrington may not be the best place to be.
So maybe Barba and others may have different reasons for choosing other clubs.

When Fergerson signed Cantona I reckon he knew that there was going to be times when he would have to earn his money as a manager and not just get rid because he was a pain in the arris.

Just a thought.

People were laughing when Eden was announced as a replacement for Solomona.

I actually don't think we need that many players in. A half back and a centre and I think I'd be happy.

We need that along with someone who can get the best out of the likes of King, Patton, Livett et al.

Unfortunately I don't think that's Smith. For whatever reason things have gone stale, all good things come to an end and I'd like to see some sort of attempt to save us from the quite possible threat of relegation. An injection of fresh ideas and a fresh approach to reinvigorate a stuttering squad that is mostly capable, bar a few positions.

I think the salary cap has now evened things out so much its down to who has the best coach. Its like pure coaching....as go karting is real racing and not handicapped by car/money as in formula 1. I think with this i mind Smith is really struggling....a cracking hands off coach with great players maybe....and perhaps a quite poor one when he's got a level playing field and it comes down to tactics, structures and canny recruitment.

Last year, when Shenton missed the whole season, Snake broke the Super League try scoring record. Dorn was full back. This year Shenton playing, but no Dorn. Gale is the common denominator, and that coach nobody wanted until Cas came, Powell.

In case you misses my point, its that Eden gets a pass....and a winger is only ever as good as his last pass.

Ferguson?

He fell out with Beckham, Keane, Yorke, Heinze, Van Nistelrooy....

You are right sal. I shouldn't try and pretend I know anything about football.
The point I was trying to make (albeit poorly) was that Smith should have been fully aware of the character that Sandow was and been prepared to manage the situation.

I don't pretend to know all the details but If it was home.sickness then surely that could have been managed better and the player supported if it was something else then that also could have been managed better.

There are loads of players running round in the NRL and SL that have had "issues" but some of the coaches are able to manage those situations. Obviously a lot of players with issues drift from club to club but not all of them.

For the first few years Smith was here he managed to deal with some difficult situations but for the last few years it appears from the outside that these things are being more of a problem.
I don't think it is unfair to say that the last 2 significant halfback signings have been reaction signings rather than recruitment that was well thought out, strategic, long term planning for the team in key positions.

The signings that showed strategic long term planning were probably Myler, Ratchford and Clark, who have had mixed success.

As for Sandow - the reason he ended up at Warrington was because no coaches in the NRL could handle him / wanted him, which is why he's now in the Queensland cup rather than the top flight.

It does seem like the NRL are not big on 2nd chances, but that may be due to a much deeper talent pool (or the realisation of the harm such behaviour can cause to team dynamics).

I agree. It could be down to the talent pool, because there are so many elite players there to compete with, that there isn't the license to be a problem player that can get away with things due to his outstanding talent...because sooner or later clubs can find a disciplined player with similar talent.

But also there's quite a disciplined, moralistic attitude in Australia when it comes to sport. Although having a laugh and enjoying a drink and a bit of boofhead behaviour is part of their culture, they do seem to take a dim view of it in sportsmen, I think because sport is held in such respect in Aussie life, they expect to see their sports stars uphold certain values.

Apart from the 'It was better than Lego' interview by Matthew Johns after the GF win, still off his face. Unable to keep it together because of Andrew running round shirtless, flying so high he could smell colours