I really don’t understand the doom n gloom on here.
We finished outside of the top 6 for how many seasons?.
We’ve suffered countless batterings.
Yet I keep reading posts about we shouldn’t have let this player go etc
Those players were part of the problem
( apart from swift ).
2nd row ? The last 5 seasons apart from the occasional game , our 2nd row struggled as did the team.
The team are younger and bigger this season.
A number of the “kids” are now 20yrs old. That’s old enough to be playing 1st team.
Apart from Wigan and Saints., there’s nothing to fear.
Leigh, Salford and the dobbins have shown it’s possible. Those teams aren’t exactly packed with internationals.
Most fans i speak to are looking forward to watching how the team go this season.
It surely can’t be any worse, can it.
Cheer up and don’t let it spoil your Xmas.

Must be one of the few that feels we may well get a surprise from the squad assembled for 2024.
Whilst there's little doubt we are a long way of in terms of the quality/star players we had in 2016/17 seasons, we have still squads that looked good on paper and took us to the limits of the cap yet they failed miserably and continually.

I'm looking forward to a fresh start in 2024. I do wonder if one of Sao or Ashworth play in the SR alongside Okunbor whether the club have high hopes for the likes of Brown and Diakhate to step up in the forwards.
Think Walker will start as FB with Hoy in the halves alongside Nu until Trueman returns, then its anyones guess who plays where if they've all been on top form. Can see Nu Brown going at LF if Hoy going well in the halves, Walker the same at FB, Houghton/Balmforth/Smith the same at 9.
We have some young players also the mix that do seem to be genuine contenders to be top SL players.

Considering the complete mess that the whole squad was in this time last season I think the club have done remarkably well in the recruitment with the constraints. In all honesty the only two I am really gutted we couldn't retain for 2024 were Clifford and Swift.

A lot comes down to attitude, our 2012 season is a good example the squad was put together last minute with some random signings (Tony Martin, Aspinwall, McGoldrick etc) but as I recall we had our best home form for years, finished 6th and won a playoff game. Whereas some of our more expensively assembled squads didnt deliver.

Ive said it before and ill say it again im happy if we are in with a shout of the top6 with a round or two to go. If we just miss out then it is. What I cant stomach is anothet season of downing tools at the end of July.

Was 2012 when Seymour and McKinnon were released during the season too? We did well getting to 6th that season! Think it was also when we had Jamie Foster and Matty Russell?

Yes very chaotic on the ins and outs! Andy Lynch was a good signing though, had Ellis not signed the year after he may have been at the club for years.

Pack was top class
O Meley
Houghton
Lynch
Manu
Tickle
Westerman

Moa off the bench too

A lot of people full of doom and gloom.

2023: Tag, Houghton, ligi, lane Savelio, Cator - Satae, brown, Fash Dwyer

2024- Ese’Ese, Houghton,Ashworth, ligi, Okunbor, Cator - Pele, Brown, Fash, Balmforth/smith

Don’t think you can say 2024 pack isn’t better and the further depth out of the match day squad is much improved. Bigger, better quality and seems to have a better attitude. I also think Nu brown will find his was to 9/13 when squads fit.

2023: Litten, McIntosh, Carlos/Scott, sutty swift, ben Mac (Truey when fit), Cliff

2024: Walker, McIntosh, Carlos/Scott, Sutty, Tindall, Tex, Brown (Truey)

Backs definitely weaker in parts losing swift and Cliff but there’s an argument we should be more exciting this year. Fit Tex is like a new signing, Scott gets better every year and just look at Nu browns instagram. He’s not coming to play. Jack walker is just a Rolls Royce of a player if they can keep him on pitch

I preferred you when you wrote this e to wind Dobbins fans up and played down our chances in league to wind FC fans up You’re scraping the dregs from the bottom of the barrel now. Never thought you’d be one to write the club off. I well remember your arguments with Burnsy and Gollum on Humberside. Get a grip, Coffee girl!!!!

Such unnecessary abuse. U OK? x

Have you gone all woke on me? Where pray tell is the abuse?

I like the fact that we're wrote off. It takes off the pressure.

I look at the squad and think it looks like a more attacking team than defensive. That probably doesn't do us any good when it comes to winning trophies, but it will give us the mentality of going out with the attitude of we'll score more points than you. Which is a Tony Smith trait If we can do that then that will be an improvement on last season. It surely can't get much worse?

I think we'll do OK in getting back on track to where we want to be. But It'll probably be another year before we can challenge at the top again.

I actually think we will be better this year and at least stay in the fight for the full season, as most if not all, of the perceived bad apples have gone. I think Nu Brown will be every bit as good as Clifford was, he is a current Kiwi international and that takes some doing, when you consider the talent that they can call on. The pack will hopefully be better, Okunbor worries me, but Tony Smith knows more about RL than any of us on here, so he has obviously signed him with a plan, if he can hit the right lines he has nearly as much pace as our wingers, so getting down the field shouldn't be a massive issue for us. I was looking at a fans forum and the Bulldog's fans seemed upset that Pele had left, without being given a fair crack, so its up to him to prove a point and his size and speed could make him a revelation, off the bench when defences tire. All in all, we look in better shape this year and I don't think we'll be miles off the top 6, although I don't quite think we'll make it without some luck with injuries though.

still think Okunbor will end up playing on the wing for part of the season.
I can understand peoples optimism, new season and all the player changes but we really do lack quality and look especially weak in the second row.
Ligi Sao is not a second row.Playing there for Samoa with quality players around him hid the fact that he is too slow to play this position and needs to play in the front row.
If the new big men in the middle can bend the line and get us some offloads away then i can see Jack Walker becoming our main strike player from the back with his excellent back up play and pace to finish off the break.

We look weak in the 2nd row, but you expect our main second row to play on the wing?

Keep up and read the post i said part of the season
He has already said he has been training on the wing as well as second row
I wonder why?
answers on a post card

Where do you think we will finish Bonaire. ? . What do you think would be acceptable for this year?.

I reckon 15 league wins, beating a top flight team in the cup and avoiding a hammering in the first round of the play-offs would leave him projecting his pessimism onto 2025.

Fewer than the 11 wins Hull FC managed under B. Hodgson in 2022 (again) might blunt your optimism a bit. Fewer than 9 and even clinging on to replicating one decent run of form or injury whatifery becomes a stretch.

Most likely it’ll be somewhere in between and you’ll both continue to be confounded and wearied by each others attitudes.

Wigan and Saints will contest the GF.

Soothsaying in RL super easy.

Nothing wrong in having a positive attitude is there?. Or supporting my team through good and bad times ? Thought that's what supporters do ?.

Never said there was.

Equally, there’s nothing wrong with having a moan and expecting the worst. Just different ends of the coping mechanism spectrum.

Shame to hear Feka is leaving the club, can’t believe he’s been with the club 10years (where has time gone).

He’s not only been a great servant to the club but also a great ambassador too.
True gent and all round top bloke.

Well Smith has got our least affective forward(according to you and some other wannabe coaches on here) training at hooker to cover if injuries occur during a game.Maybe doing that with Ocunber to cover wing and the coaching staff may feel that the other wingers aren’t yet ready for S/L as they see them all the time at training and judge them on that and their experience as coaches and not wannabe coaches on a forum .

We a one man team? As Walker is going to be doing hell of a lot according to another wannabe coach.

What are you talking about, you sound like another angry individual (maybe Cators Dad or mate) who doesn't understand what a forum is or how it works.

Fans give opinions (although the Cator one can be backed up with stats if you want) that's the point of this forum, we won't agree with everyone, but this wannabe coaches thing is absolute nonsense

Players might be training in different positions to play to cover injuries, that doesn't mean they will play there, particularly moving away from a real problem area. Plus do you think Smith will be telling all other teams his tactics through the HDM?

Don’t patronise me,I’m not a angry individual or cators dad for that matter.I do know how a forum works but get fed up when players get a right bashing off people who think they know it all and bring up the old stats chestnut to back them up.Did I say they was playing there…no…I said in case injuries happen during a game.How can Smith tell teams his tactics through HDM…they aren’t covering rl any more.

We can give opinions but you seem to belittle people who don’t agree with.There is a few of you like this on here…I just find you a wannabe coach=#FF0040 “insult removed, it’s supposed to be the season of goodwill after all”