No. A season too soon I think.

A sprinkling of quality signings next year and who knows!!

I hope we can make our home ground a fortress and not have cr*p early season displays like we've done in recent years.

Whatever will be will be tough. What's the point in predicting anything?

Hull FC mite be a team worth watching next year, last term they made a very good start but went off the boil but with a few new recruits they mite finish in the top 4.

Two stunning wins at home is what's required to get the season off to a flier, no excuses, no baby and bathwater, it's been too long!

It's about the game started talking about Wigan for the right reasons....!!

Yeah I said that the other day. Crusaders should be cannon fodder. Professional job, no excuses. Get them beaten first twenty!

I don't fancy them to do too much tbh.

They've signed players on reputation imo even though they've not been at their best for a little while. I can see Fitzgibbon being pretty good for them but I can see O'Meely shooting his mouth off a little too often and becoming a target and I just don't see Sean Long being the same player away from St Helens(were he's not cracked any pot for a year or 2 anyway).

I can see them battling for a spot just about in the 8 but could finish as low as 10/11th.

I think we need to be a bit more realistic about our chances next season.

To get any improvement we are relying on the new coaching set up to extract an improvement out of what is basically the same squad and to do that in [ujust one short off season[/u.

For us to be dark horses means to me that they would be able to get enough improvement to put us in with a chance of GF success. I think that is a tall order given other sides have not stood still and puts a lot of expectation on the coaches given they have got what they have got to work with.

Some sides still have on paper better packs than we do and even if the coaches can get the side fitter and mentally tougher ultimately that can't make up for any lack of quality.

If we take the cherry tinted specs off never mind going for the usual scapegoats such as Riddell and Feka, is TL a good enough no. 7 or Phelps a quality no. 1 for example? In how many positions can we say we have one of the best players in the league?

We certainly have the potential to improve and should not be getting beaten by the Crusaders and should be able to put away any injury hit sides we may face (instead of actually losing!) but being cautious I think that is all we should expect improvement-wise from the squad. To win the games we should win instead of failing to turn up expecting an easy ride.

If we get it then all things being equal to last season that could still get us a top four place but as we know all things won't be equal and I would at least expect Tony Smith at Wire to get their poor league form sorted out.

So for me we will actually do very well to get into the top four but if we miss out on that but see the kind of improvements I expect than that is a step in the right direction.

Dave

Many saints and leeds fans I spoke to on the train on the way home from the GF thought that Wigan are the biggest challenge to them. I agree.

I was hoping to reel in some Wire fans with what I said, unfortunately you fell for it

i think all this season will bring us is a more consistent league campaign with mayber a top 4 finish. i still think we'll lose in the semi of the playoffs. You never know with the CC. Wire did it last year but the draw was very favourable to us all with some big teams going out in the early rounds. 2011 will be the benchmark year for us when wane and MM can start bringing the players they want when we have cap space available, ie bailey and fielden.

I'm hoping for an improvement on last seasons finish - 6th.

Leeds and Saints will still be very strong. Bradford have recruited well but their backs are awful, Sam Burgess will be a big miss & they have a new halfback combination - as do Warrington (although they have also recruited well). I think Les Catalans will go well next year and Hull FC will make the play offs. Hull KR and Huddersfield do not look as strong (On paper) as the previous year.

Looking forward to the season.

Why not?