I'm sorry this is just ridiculous, not only do you call OBrien championship standard...(Chris Hill was once Championship standard BTW) you then think Tony Smith is either Stupid or Arrogant..........a bloke that has delivered more silver ware than the previous (at guess) Ten wire coaches, stupid and arrogant he is not.

and No the Darryl Clarke money should not have been spent on a top class half otherwise you would have bored the crap out of us with the same "arrogance or stupidity" nonsense over Smiths failure to replace Michael Monaghan.

two seasons without a trophy and people post this arrogant and stupid crap...........

I forgot biscuit that you're the only one entitled to opinion on this forum, who very rarely reads posts properly

I raised that the fact that Smith has not addressed the half back problem for two seasons, and every fan, bar you can see where the issues lie, so I stand totally by that point. To not have addressed it shows he doesn't recognise where the issues lie. At no point did I raise what he's science achieved in the past

Smith has brought his out if work mate on board, so took Hull backwards, has took France backwards

If you don't think we're screaming out for an organising half, then you're obviously deluded. So IN MY OPINION the team would be performing far better with a class half, and for this season we could have easily coped with Higham and AN other at hooker.

Let me remind you that O'Brien is 23 not a total novice, who had been sold to Bradford who are a championship club, so stand by my point again. Chris Hill was championship strandard but was on the rise, O'Brien had been here and had gone backwards.

After St Helens Smith labelled the kicking game a bit off. 7 of O'Briens first 8 kicks went down the full back or wingers throats, The mark of quality half? Yet he does it week after week, and gets no blame apportioned, so Smith sees nothing wrong

Chris Hill was once a great Championship player plucked by Smith and turned into a great SL player. He has not been able to turn GOB into anything like a great SL player and that is the reality of the situation.

Clarke coming over the hills should be up and running in the Wire game plans, but he isn't. Is he not wanting to play for the Wire? Is he not able to change? Is the step up to big? Something isn't right for such a good player to be so far off the plan.

Sims, we could use the age old he needs a season to bed in?

Leeds have Cuthbertson what a start he's made. HKR have Kelly and Campezee two more great starts.

Smith has won many more trophies than the previous coaches, but he hasn't kicked on we all want the title, we are going further away from it as the seasons go by. We are now in a position that we have no credible half backs I can't remember when that happened in both 6 & 7 positions. We all took the pi$$ out Wigan for signing Smith and Green. Somebody got the best out them and look where they got too. I have said this previously and will say it again, Briers was told a 5th opinion on his condition was out of the question in the middle of his final season. The club knew then that he was done. One full season and 7 rounds later where are we?

I don't see where arrogance comes from, the forum is for us all to express a view, there will always be some daft stuff and some good stuff. Progress to the heady heights followed by a slide whether that's results, staff or both doesn't bode well for any club or the views of its supporters.

Not to mention putting down the Championship, which is a decent league.

Contrary to popular belief, Rugby Leaue is just not solely related to Super League.

I don't know why the club did the turn around with O'Brien and Bradford but from that moment he was going to be one of the halves, that's the hand TS has been dealt it's where we are, he's trying to make his way with other young players and at times like Friday that general inexperience shows, it's his first full season so to compare his game to Campese and the like is a little unfair, yes he has to grow some start bossing and showing more authority, like one or two others to be fair.

I have seen some indifferent form from all halves so far this season including Wigan's impressive crop, just like all the other halves O'Brien knows what he has to do time will tell.

Once options in Australia closed I suspect Smith opted to believe in GOB, Ratch, Bridge, Myler + punt on Wheeler. Whether his faith in these is correct only time will tell.

Even if Smith now thinks he has made a mistake he is not going to say it as this will a) undermine the confidence of the players involved b) erode confidence in him as a coach, c) achieve nothing d) alert the market in the Championship giving teams time to extend contracts of potential targets . So Smith mentions that "our kicking game is poor" and "we failed to control the game" rather than "our halfbacks are shat and I made a whopper of a mistake". This is why he is a top SL coach and not a forum poster.

The only options left I think are "Do an Appo" and find an unlikely squad member who can moved to the halves or attempt a mid-season signing from the Championship.

Who would people suggest for either of these options?

has anyone suggested giving bridge a game at 6 yet?

Not Bridge.



Ryan Brierely.

What is with these people who bring perspective and balance?

The obvouis answer is to make Smith self-flagelllate, whilst whilst setting fire to the stadium.

Jon Wilkin and or Paul Wellens, no not really.

Were we not mentioned with Brierely when Briers was still playing.

Could Clark play in the halves...??

According to some people on here, Clark can't even play as a hooker, so christ knows what help he is going to be in the halves......

People went on about Dobson closed season before going to Salford...he would have made a difference on reflection, god I think even Tim Smith would have made a difference.

We ought to play to our strengths.
If we're shat at kicking then we should be running.

So I won't say who should be at 6 and 7 as you know my thoughts and we should be running like feck from dummy half, rolling over and over like Saints.

Having a great kicking game is something to be reliant on when your running attack is shat.