I'd ask anypne to argue Patton isn't our best goal kicker, drop kicker, short game kicker, long game kicker, sharpest back half with ball in hand.

Compared to Brown and Smith currently?
Try arguing that Patton is one of the Top 4 half backs in the UK SL.

Currently in the top 4 English hb.
Yes available.

Better than Patton; Williams, Gale, Trueman, Myler, Lomax, Richardson, Connor, Hastings (can play for England), Sneyd. Probably missed a few as well. Now as HBs go it's a pretty sorry bunch (bar a few) but as i've said before Trueman is clearly class after just a handful of games - and is already playing at a level Patton can only dream of after 80 SL games.

I’ll leave it to Steve Price to decide how good Dec Patton is and what potential he has ,,funny how it only seems to be our fans that don’t rate him

Selected for England "A", go figure!

Steve Price seems to have decided that he is such a good halfback he will play off the bench as an interchange 9.

I think giving Patton 7 is the break he needs.

But

We could argue both sides.
There's no denying there has been times when I could shake him and say back yourself and just do it for that brief chance he might get.
I think TS scared the risk out of him, and O'Brian and Myler too.

I want Patton to selfishly think about himself and just rip it up.

I can see Patton ending up being like Penny, a player with a mythology around him that he would have been a great but was ruined by coaches.

It will be TS ruined him by 'stifling his natural game' and then Price ruined him by using him as an interchange hooker.

I've seen Dec do some great things But he isn't involved enough with last plays or decision making, if that's coaches saying Kevin brown calls and makes the 5th tackle plays then that's a sad indictment of what our coaches thought about Dec patrons kicking game and decision making.

My biggest reservation about Dec is that sometimes we are crying out for someone to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and just decide where the game is going to be played and I have never seen Dec do this. Maybe given a run he could develop but IMO the time is now, we should have a great chance next season given saints and Wigan could be unsettled for a while, I'm not saying they won't be challengers or better than us but they could both end up being weaker than this season. In 2019 both titles are there for the taking if we can get a player with the necessary game management skills to make up our major flaw. I don't think that's Dec patton.

I wish we hadn't given him a contract extension after a few good games as a bench hooker. 1, because I don't rate him and want rid. And 2, we could've all seen the calibre of club that would've signed him. It wouldn't have been anyone in this season's top 8 and it certainly wouldn't have been Wigan duckie

If Patton is our starting 7 next season then I do fear for us. Interchange hooker at best and I’d go as far to say we need to improve upon that too.