I saw Uncle Peter (Gentle) yesterday morning, sat up in the co-pilot seat, next to Anthony 'Hook' Griffin at Accor Stadium for the Bunnies/Saints game, and it got me musing.
For all Lee's faults, our little run of silverware success in 16/17, seemed an age ago. There was a steely determination, hunger, desire and even anxiety to win us something that we all craved so badly.
I didn't get the same vibe under PG and I'm not getting it from Brett Hodgson, although I doubt it's through lack of wanting.
Maybe you need to know the city, the people, the history?
A leader on the pitch is also massive.
Kearney or Ellis-esque.

Unfortunately from 2018 onwards we didn't have much steely determination, hunger or desire from Radfords team.

We hardly picked up any key injuries in 16/17 too.

Eventually the club became stale under Radford with the majority of the big earning squad members contracted until the end of this season. So we haven't had much wiggle room to bring the right players in.

In 16/17 we had a better squad and very few injuries. The pack was top notch and the players in it at peak form - Taylor, Houghton, Watts, Mini, Sika, Ellis - four out of this six made the SL Dream team in 2016 and Bowden/Green were really solid interchanges. This provided that platform for Shaul and Fonua (also Dream Team) and Sneyd. Teams outside the Big Four need some level of luck to achieve stuff and maybe having a fit squad and a combo of quality players in their pomp with some very experienced ones recognising a last hurrah coming up was ours. To deliver consistently though you need big £ invested in infrastructure IMO - environment, youth pipeline, off field, and most clubs don't have that hence the stranglehold of Saints/Wigan/Leeds on the SL title for years.

Halcyon days indeed. [i(> lets out a nostalgic sigh <)[/i

Hodgson didn't sound happy, let's see use of the squad, drop the under performers.

Swift out for Wynne.
Vuli out for Carlos if fit.
Need more from Griffin, Gale and Satae.
Lane in for Johnstone

Has to start Lovodua at 9, get structured and organised, get the props working, start Evans who looked hungry if we have too and bring Satae onto the bench.

No intensity yesterday

That was the most disappointing aspect. That said I'd be surprised if Huddersfield don't make the playoffs, they're a handy side.

There had been talk during the week about having ‘selection headaches’ and, maybe an unpopular opinion here, but Ive never really understood why this is seen a positive thing?

Don’t get me wrong, I like Hodgson, we have seen glimpses of the changes he’s making to the squad and overall we are playing a better style of rugby. But I am not convinced that he knows what his best squad is. Having a half on the bench is just baffling to me, you have to play one or the other, not both. We play with 3 hookers on the pitch yet continue to slog out houghton for 80 minutes? Give the fella a breather and he might actually start showing some intent in attack.

Spoke a big game during the week about making harsh decisions and players having to miss out and I didn’t really see it yesterday. Hoping savelio isn’t anything too serious

Oh it was definitely going to be an arm wrestle. Or should of been, we turned up thinking we were playing Sheffield again, trying to play like the Harlem globe trotters.

I'd really like to see Gale getting our sets of 6 organised more and demanding the props get involved more. Sick of seeing Swift carting the ball out our 20 and making 5 metres.

No real platform for the creative players to create chances due to the wrong game plan (I feel we should of concentrated on winning the forward battle first as we did when we played hudds at home) , coupled with sloppy play and errors. Twice Swifts bombed easy catchs out wide now, dropped one vs hudds at home too.

Let's have some accountability and some changes, and we may see some consistency and a few get their fingers out.

I think we l beat Rovers, I'd like to see Wynne and Lane come back in at least if we're going on form.

Team for Rovers would be.

Connor
Wynne
Griffin
Carlos
Macintosh
Gale
Reynolds
Sao
Lovodua
Evans
Savelio
Mau
Brown

Houghton
Satae
Lane
Fash

I really don’t understand this hate of houghton. Sat in amongst the giants fans a bunch of us were saying how much we admired him.
You need your work horses, and he will give 100% every game. Players like that is why hudds have been more successful this season.
Your big name players just didn’t perform. Connor was too busy trying to con a penalty every set than trying to create anything (someone should tell him he missed the BAFTAs) and Gale is- well just gale. Never rated him and biggest mistake you made was swapping sneyd for Gale IMO.

Houghton wouldn’t get in any other SL side baring the likes of Salford/Wakey/Toulouse. It’s frustrating to see a player like Lovodua play out of his skin whilst out of position and not even get a sniff at playing in the position we actually signed him for. Levi ripped us up today, can’t recall the last time I could say that about Houghton

I wouldn't say anybody 'hates' Houghton, just hates how he is used. We signed Lovodua as a hooker and yet Houghton has still been getting flogged for 80 minutes every week. Circumstances with injuries have dictated that to an extent, bit yesterday we had both starting halves available and 3 hookers in the squad but Houghton still played 80 minutes. It just nullifies his attack cause of the amount of defensive work he has to get through. Having said all that, age is catching up with him and he's not the player opposition fans seem to think he still is.
Disagree about Connor not trying to create anything. I'd say the complete opposite. He was almost trying too hard, throwing long balls and flick passes that weren't expected by the receiving player (everybody needs to ALWAYS expect a pass when Connor has the ball).