Correct
What about the 2005 Team?
Or 97
Lets not even get back to anything pre85 (I can go back to 77 and Oh My God!)

What a time to be alive. Mick Cassidy at hooker and players like Doc Murray, Paul Koloi and Gael Tallec.

Edwards
Tuigamala
Long

All left 2/3 games into season and then it started

Koloi
Murray
Tallec
Ian Sherrat (OMG!)

Not to mention Hansen coming in for Long

A pretty similar squad apart from 2 of our best players? There you go, we are an average squad and overachieved last year because of a few world class players and Shaun Wanes excellent ability to get players up for a game.

97 wasn’t the best squad but we had World class players in Rads, Robinson, Connolly, Henry Paul and Andy Farrell with decent supplementary players like O’Connor, Tony Smith, Neil Cowie, Nigel Wright and Simon Haughton.

2005 weren’t that bad either with world class players like Rads, Carney (Played poor), Dallas, Newton with supplementary players like Orr, Guissett, Seuseu, Tickle and Wild but both would beat this squad.

Time to put the drink down and step away from the computer.

Computer? It’s not 2002.

It’s beside the point, the table doesn’t lie but there’s far too many happy clappers on here at the moment with their heads buried up their backsides.

I don't dispute that

Sorry, I didn’t hear that, you were a little muffled.

What's that? people with a different opinion?

That would make a change from the last 4/5 years
I post 10% of what I used to do (And feel better for it) due to the unbelievable Negativity over the Years Whilst we "Were Winning".

FWIW - Lam wouldn't be my first choice, he's been dealt a bit of a Bad Hand but he's not made a great fist of it.
I have many opinions on individual issues that have happened and previously over the past 10 years whilst 90% would be positive & 10% Negative the last 12 months or so I would say it's been 70/30 the other way.
There may be many reasons for that - But a One Size fits all lets pick 1 Player/Coach or chairman and not be happy till they've gone only to find things don't improve so we pick on the next person we want to blame approach to things doesn't work.

Good news for Ben Flower. No damaged vertebrae but ligament damage in his back. He’ll be out for 4-6 weeks.

It’s even better news for TT I suspect. Not that Flower’s 7 carries for 50 yds per game has been that good anyway.

I think you do Flower a disservice. None of our props end up making a huge number of carries because they are all spelled pretty much equally. And while Flower doesn't carry as strong as Bullock he gets quick play the ball and has good technique going into contact (although the strapping on his knee slowed him down noticeably). His defence is exceptional and his technique in the tackle generally prevents dangerous players from getting on top and that's what we'll need to replace. Our defence is often noticeably stronger when Flower is on the field, particularly around the ruck.

Also, Tautai shouldn't be in the side given he's the latest on our growing list of drink drivers.

Flower is mediocre which makes him the best prop we have. The TT comment was prior to the news released today.

he must have had a drink to celebrate....

He must have been sipping his drinks through a Homer Simpson style beer can bat because there’s no way he could have kept hold of a pint pot without dropping it.

I would imagine Wigan would have made enquiries about bringing Mitch Clark in now.

Minus Flower I think we can rule out a tilt at the top five. We’re bad enough in that department with him, so I can only shudder how much worse we’ll be minus the only prop we have of an acceptable standard.

It should be a good opportunity to take a look at a few young forwards in the squad. Mist clubs would pull a signing out the bag in circumstances were you’ve lost three props from your squad but I doubt we’ll go down that path. If not then they may as well see it as an opportunity to take a look at a few lads like Partington, Byrne, Kibula, Kilner and Havard. I’d try and get the majority of those some game time over the coming weeks/months.

Agree with your general point but I hope we don't bring Kibula in. He looked way off the pace for Swinton v Toronto. The prophecies people were making of him taking over from Lockers were well wide of the mark. Can't see him playing first team for us again.

TBF most prophesies are way off. Speaking of Swinton, I remember some on here proclaiming Rhodri Lloyd as the next big thing years back. Some of our fans are always at it.

Yep, Greg Burke was the next SOL.

Smithies looks the closest I’ve seen to show anywhere near the potential to replace SOL , but he’s still only very young yet so we need to manage our expectations.

Agreed, the same with Smith and Hanley. There's a long way between being a promising youngster and a competent super league player, never mind any more than that.

I quite liked what I saw of him back in 2012 but he never seemed to kick on.

He's captain at Swinton now. Just found his level I think.