Watching the wire Wigan game how different it is to watching the trin looks like a totally different game.
We are crying out for more quality when the most common plaudit you get is "I was proud of the effort" then u know your in trouble bored of seeing just effort would love to see sportsman in there prime down at belle vue
I know finances dictate otherwise but oh to dream

Your last line says it all. When two top class teams meet and are on their game this sport is brilliant. Sadly the intensity of Trinity games are several notches below what was served up tonight, but given the difference in player quality it's not really surprising.

Watch yesterday's nrl play off between the cowboys not broncos and that's world's apart again just how it I'm afraid not even in the same league

Exactly, let's sort our own back yard out first .

Money does mean that the wealthy clubs attract and keep better quality of players. That said there are many areas where we can improve and areas where are standards are just not acceptable and should not be accepted . Firstly I would suggest that our players are not as fit as the Wigan - Warrington players. This is an area that Brian Smith highlighted and was so dismayed that he brought a specialist over from Aus on a three month contract to try and get our players fit , he obviously had no confidence in our fitness staffs ability . Yet the same people who have season on season failed to get our players fit are still in their jobs . We seem to concentrate to much on strength training, from speaking to players who have moved on to other SL clubs they point to simple things like there were surprised by how much running they have to do in training at their new club. Wigan stated that it took them 4 months to get Tautai up to their required fitness standards . So it seems that we could be miles behind in this area and could therefore improve massively .
Secondly I think our senior players over the last few years are simply unprofessional, we have an attitude that runs through the players that results in inconsistancy of performance , one week we play with pride , desire , passion the next week we pack in and let 50 points in . Look at the desire of the best sides in defence , they simply fight for every inch of ground , they defend their line like their lives depend on it . To me this is all about professional pride and attitude . I am not counting the young players in this as they take their lead from the seniors but our attitude stinks . We have senior players who look like they simply do not care . Don't get me started on Kirke and Anderson but it that type of attitude that infects the place . Again this is an area that can be improved , we need to sign a couple of players who are leaders , who have pride in their job and will demand 100 % from the squad everyday.
I would suggest that our game plan can be improved , with the quality of players we can afford we need to keep it simple , respect the ball . We consistently give the ball to the opposition in our half and then don't have the ability to defend . We also give away more penalties then any other side . Again we can improve , a game plan which cuts down our error rate it easy to introduce , and professional players should be able to improve on the ammount of penalties they give away .
We need a new captain. We need some rugby brains in the side. Our defence has been poor for a long time , fitter players with a professional attitude , with a pride in performance , with a never say die attitude are better players .
So the good news is that we have areas that we can massively improve that should make us more competitive and a better side to watch .

Some very good points there Belly. I would also add another factor which is out of our control and that's the ground and facilities. The top teams turn up for 'work' at top class stadia with top notch facilities our lot have to put up with the dump of Belle Vue week after week . If your work place is a depressing dump with poor facilities that has a detrimental effect on your attitude, standards and overall performance.

Is that the Wigan we beat 62 - 0 or was that a different Wigan - short memories.

A fair point but playing at Knowsley Road didn't do a great Saints team much harm nor Naughton Park re the great Widnes teams. Though I admit all teams were very much in the same boat back then. But then Cas don't seem to be doing too badly at their dump down the Lane.

your best post Belly - I concur with almost all of it!

Agree about leaders in the pack....Sheffield Eagles squad are up for grabs apparently due to financial issues ...is it worth a punt on their prop & captain Steve Thorpe? www.sheffieldeagles.com/Teams/Pl ... nId=181091

Agree about leaders in the pack....Sheffield Eagles squad are up for grabs apparently due to financial issues ...is it worth a punt on their prop & captain Steve Thorpe? www.sheffieldeagles.com/Teams/Pl ... nId=181091

These are all things which we as fans can see and point out so let's hope MC and Chester can do something about it. The coffee club culture has to go and players who dont like it are showing they haven't got the right attitude and can go as well.

Why should the coffee club culture have to go, the players should be allowed to relax how they want after training, as long as it's not illegal or dangerous.

By coffee club culture I was referring to the laid back attitude that seems to exist in some of the senior players who didn't like Brian Smith cos they had to work hard

Sorry, but it was nothing to do with the working hard bit.

The 62 0 defeat of Wigan was an anomaly a freak result hold onto it if you want vastman wear a t shirt with the score on.
It simply has no reflection on anything and to use it as a barometer of where we are as a playing group is bordering on the dillisional or hopelessly optimistic .