Hoy has been affected by recruitment decisions this season, we signed a starting fullback in walker despite having a quota fullback already and a good backup in Litten to be his successor. We also signed Morgan Smith to play in the halves when the logical solution would have been to play Hoy at 6 and brown at 7 (or not sign walker), poor recruitment decisions by Uncle Tony/DJ Clarke

I'm not sure, a good player would still ve able to look good even in a poor side, not sure he is as good as he think he is, even last season with a better side he was more miss that hit.

It's like Brett Hodgson, I think he could have thrived at a Wigan/saints style club as he is a very clever bloke and had lots of good ideas he wanted/tried to implement, unfortunately he had no chance at FC with player power roolling the roost.

Agreed, I just think he’s a poor player and a poor signing. Simple as that.

Hodgson should have been sacked for playing Jordan Johnson at scrum half.

He also signed Reynolds and Evans, too very very expensive flops.

Think Smith would have done better if he had Hodgsons budget.

The fact he thinks he is better than he is makes it a bad combo

We've actually had 4 of our youngsters out on loan at Fev and Oldham the last couple of weeks, doing it the right way, not throwing them in at the deep end like Fc have had too.
Oh yeah, remember the loan signings of Walker, Longstaff and Sim, you really backed the youth then, now Pearsons skint your forced to play them whether they ready or not. Both of them two young lads, Charles and Moy are at least two years away from being physically ready for SL

Should smith then be sacked for playing two hookers at 6&7 and having Jordan lane fill in at hooker, flogging your most experienced player and training Cator as an interchange hooker?

Smith has played alot more games at halfback than hooker, Brown probably 50/50. The point is Smith hasn't been given the resources Hodgson had when we were over the cap and paying marquee wages to Reyolds.

I'm baffled by some of Smith's decisions, but I can't see how anyone can defend Hodgson, when we were awful during his time with a much bigger playing budget and better equipped off the pitch too.

In my opinion Hodgson is a good technical assistant coach,
But has no man- management skills.

What about your loan signings from Catalan last season ????….wow,you got 4 players out on loan and doing it the right way.Dragging something up from 2 years ago when we was injury hit and did draft in loan players and some of the young ones and still beat the Man City rovers.

Bishop is talking rubbish they have loaned out young players for years, all teams do it including us with Litten, Staverley, Balmforth and Severs.

Not sure why he is making out like it's some kind of Rovers initiative.

No I didn't say anything about any Rovers initiative did I.

I'm just pointing out that you're playing the youth because it's been forced on you by financial restraints, not by choice, you'd no doubt rather send them out on

loan obviously but because of Pearsons cutbacks you can't, even though there not physically ready.

Not sure why you are making out Rovers are doing it the right way while we aren't when we have done the sane thing as you, just a year or so ahead, look at Staveley, loaned out and would now be classed as a regular if it wasn't for his injury.

That's not true though, Smith could play someone like Harman or Balmforth, who are older and more experienced than Charkes. Same for Moy with Litten. Martin over Tindall this week is another example.


Both clubs have disappointed with the bringing of youth players through over the years, but that's one area we are better at than Rovers, previously and now.