Give him more time and support him, no point knocking anyone at this stage.

Oh how i'd like the club to set up a competition between you two!

You think he would come out from behind his computer into public view do you? I bet he wouldn't

We're four games in for Gods sake, neither Smith nor John have been dreadful (kicking game apart maybe), both have shown signs that there are things there to work with, both have set up tries (remember Johns sweet short ball to a charging ali v widnes ngb4c??) and admittedly both haven't been outstanding. Lets give them some time to settle in and support them rather than bag them from the off.

i had a giggle at that but bill arthurs didn't seem to notice.

Indeed - neither did Barry Macdermotts.

Good point, and one that's sadly often overlooked. It isn't easy starting out in a foreign country, thousands of miles away from what you know. It isn't easy switching from winter rugby in a mild climate to summer rugby at -°7C, when you hardly know your team mates or the style of game that's played. As a young bloke in that situation, the least you could expect is a little understanding and support. People should get off his back and let him grow into our game, FFS. I reckon he'll come good.

It strikes me that some of these lads, including coaches, come over here without realising how tough and intense weekly SL games are; maybe they get taken in by some of the superiority complex that afflicts the Aussies when it comes to RL or maybe it's just a bit of naivety? Either way, he's come from playing the majority of his RL in the lower grades on t'other side of the world and has been chucked into a pivotal position in one of the struggling teams - all that whilst trying to adjust to life in sunny Wakey, which will be worlds away from what he's used to.

It's telling that old-stagers like Southern, Patten and their ilk can slot in to the rugby pretty easily, meaning they only have the lifestyle to adjust to; they're pretty comfortable getting knocked to bits on the field every week, as they've been doing it tough in the NRL for years.

I still think we need to recruit a kicker and give John a few starts off the bench, for confidence reasons, but what we certainly don't need to do is allow a few morons to give him the impression that the fans are not appreciating what he's trying to do; if his confidence is shakey, that's the last thing he needs.

I'll keep a close eye on whether or not the next English youngster gets the same leeway given to Isaac John, should be interesting.

And there lies the problem with British rugby league why do clubs like Wakefield continue to do this year in year out one day he may develop into a half decent player but he should be doing it in Oz. He is no better than the halfbacks we already had Moore/Wildie and Moore had a better kicking game

As for Smith he flopped at Wigan and he flopped back home I have seen nothing from him apart from the last 15 minutes at the worst team to ever play in SL
For me overseas players should only be signed if they are better than the British players they keep out in both cases they are not.

It's not just the clubs is it. Did you not want Wood dropped because you thought Ellis "deserved a chance". This despite the fact that Wood has probably been the new signing to make the most impact so far and is IMHO considerably better than Moore or Wildie at this moment.. I agree with the sentiment but it also requires a great deal of patience by fans as well and sadly in my experience the vast majority are beyond fickle.