20 years plus experience of following us teaches me to have no expectations.

With us, anything could happen.

What I expect is another roller coaster season with highs and lows but how many of each?

What I hope for is for us to solidify our place in the league with an expectation that the squad and coach can compete for the top in 2 seasons time.

Unfortunately we will have to wait and see how the SL clubs use the feeder club system to see how it impacts on our league, there'll be some weird results .

Let's be honest here, the Championship playoff games could be decided by which Super League teams are or aren't in their playoffs and who, or who they don't make available. It's a joke, we could in theory see the Super League Man of Steel in the Championship grand final.

I hope I am completely wrong and I do agree with Stealth that anything can happen as we have seen year after year but unfortunately I dont think we have a really strong squad this year and there's not many players that actually stand out. I think we will struggle this year and I have said this from the start, now the playoffs have been moved to the top eight I think we will be very very lucky to make the playoffs and I dont mean to put the lads down before we have really even started but when you look at some of the other clubs in this league I'm affraid on and off the field at the minute we have taken ten steps back. I thought last season we were making progress but some not all of the players that have left the club I dont feel we have really covered.

These first 6-7 games for me will make my mind up where we are going to be the first few games are a good mix of fixtures that will really test us. The problem is we have a few injuries already within the squad and yes we might have a big squad but for me the players we have especially some of the younger lads that are quality up and coming players just don't have the experience to step in at this level and fill the boots of some of the lads that are out. I hope we might have some pennies left to call in 1 or 2 more players from some where. A few people pull down spending big and bringng in big signings but come the end of the season we might just have to compare this seasons success to last years and see if the club was right not to bring in some more big names.

On the attendances for this year and having read Garys article in the Keighley News this week I think we will be lucky to average 900-1000. Reason been, last year we sold about 380-400 season tickets and we averaged 1100, this year to date we have sold just over 100 season tickets so not expecting big gates. It will be interesting to see the gate against whitehaven, this will be our first home game and I'm sure whitehaven bring an ok crowd with them and you would think our fans will come out in numbers to see there team in the first home game.

Anyway all we can do is back our team the best we can this season and hope a few of us on here are wrong wouldn't be the first time. Not trying to be negative or getting the axe out just trying to be realistic

Looking at how the championship is set up this year the linking with SL Clubs will no doubt cause us problems.

There are other teams who IMO have not linked up but are well established enough to survive without SL help.

IE Fev, Fax who I think are strong enough to go it alone.

The teams we have to look at are the ones who we think could have been favorites for the drop.

Barrow, York, Hawks, Donny, Whitehaven, Workington and even Rams.

We need to effectively finish above 2 of these.

They have all linked in with SL Clubs and as the Maths paints a picture at the end of the season we could see
full advantage of these partnerships being utilized to secure their survival.

Many Cougars fans shouted loud and proud they did not want to be a feeder / partner a Super League Club.

Maybe the directors listened to this and Cougars have done the noble thing and gone along with it.

We may have stuck the proverbial finger up at the RFL.

However if we want to poke the RFL in the proverbial eye, we need to back it up by surviving the season out
of the bottom 2.

Early days I appreciate and whilst I don't know what investments the club has planned.

What I think is a dead cert is that Cougars have never needed there fans more than they do this season.
They are up against a monumental task and it will sometimes feel like we are playing 2 teams.

Every fan through the gate at home matches, every positive cheer, every pound into squad builder, every
single positive contribution possible.

In hard times some younger less experience players will have to play above their ability. They may make mistakes.
They do not need our fans calling them dogsh*t as I heard on Sunday.

In my opinion the only way Cougars can survive this season is by a collective effort of maximum number through
the gates, maximum positive crowd, and all who can afford a little put it in Squad Builder.

In the meantime I am preparing for a roller-coaster season.

I wouldn't be too sure about that mate, Keighley are expected to take 5 players from Castleford anytime soon.

I sincerely hope not, i'd rather see us languishing in Championship 1 than just be somewhere to keep those who can't get a game at Cas fit.

Agree with Micky that all fans need to support Marchy, the players and the directors positively with the aim of finishing as high up the table as possible.

But there can be no compromise - NO TIE UP OF COUGARS AS A SL CLUB FEEDER CLUB!

Cougars has to stay independent whatever - otherwise the dream is dead - even if we are not dreaming of anything too great just at this time.

This doesn't mean that Cougars can't look to bring in players from clubs in a higher division (on loan or whatever-but NOT as a feeder club) - as Keighley always has done eg the possible loans from Castleford mentioned above etc. Don't suppose Hetherington would do Keighley any favours - but surely Richard Moore would be better playing first team at Keighley on loan for a while if he's not in Leeds first choice 20?

I am a little bit concerned about what Paul March ststed after the Batley match. He said that we were in talks with a Super League club about getting in some experience. Firstly he is wrong about Batley gaining any advantage with DRs as they didn't have any on Sunday. They had Alex Walmsley on loan from St. helens, but that is no different to what has been possible forever.

I have just bought a season ticket at the weekend, but if I find that we are going into a partnership with anyone I will be demanding my money back as I have no intention of watching Castleford players or whomever. I am a Keighley supporter and I am only interested in watching players who's primary focus is Keighley.

Just so you know. Richard Moore isnt in the squad at the moment. As he had surgery during the close season. Still not fit enough to play.

Just to be clear, I heard it wasn't going to be an official partnership between Keighley and Castleford, just a simple Dual Reg agreement, much like previous years.

Keighley and Castleford have a lot in common - perceived 'small town' club aiming for success. And look at the success Cas has had - virtually never out of the top division, Wembley, cup wins etc. Cas should be an inspiration to Keighley - Cas is only half the size of Keighley and is in the same district as Wakefield and Featherstine & on the doorstep of Leeds.

In the spirit of sport Keighley should be able to do all that Cas can do - and more. The junior game in Cas shows what should be aimed for.

There is a bit of history of the two clubs co-operating in signing each others' players - Keighley got Bill Bryant, Derek Edwards, Paul Orr (Danny's dad), Bunny Ackroyd etc from Cas. Not many the other way but when Cas signed Alan Dickinson from Keighley it was the highest ever transfer fee received by Keighley.

Whoops. Sorry. Except for Terry Hollindrake to Hull.

Not sure what to make of it all to be honest, I like some of the idea but not all of it. One thing I do know is that if we don't get some big players with experience from somewhere we are in trouble. Everyday more and more players are been signed up to clubs especially the ones that we could nearly be 100% sure of a win.

Swinton have got nearly all of the Warrington squad and hunslet are building a cracking team with rhino players and 2 more have just been announced for hunslet in the shape of Moore and Leuluai.

You can't take players on DR unless you are officially twinned, only on good old fashioned fixed term loans.