Difference is that, this weekend took nothing out of us like the derby at the KC did. The Robins didn't offer any resistance so it's a good job we're not playing one of the top teams this week or we'd have to raise our game tenfold. Widnes will be a much stiffer test so we can gradually step up in intensity.

Certainly. Will be a tough game.

oh, boo-hoo, good, excellent, it matters not, so, I'll ask again, how may back to back performances have we had this year in the normal accepted understanding of performance and which games were they?*

How many times have we played really well and then turned in a bang average performance, that's the standard 'routine' I was describing as you well know, that's how we've being for quite some years and not just under Radford hence why we've not troubled the trophy cabinet.
If you really think we've being putting in game after game performances then you are seriously out of touch.

That's why I said I hope we don't revert to that mould.
*Shaky unconvincing, scrappy wins don't count in case you're asking.

You haven't answered my question. You said we have a pattern of dropping off after good performances but provided no evidence of this oscillation in performance level. The reality is that we've been OK since Good Friday, barring a dullard effort against Huddersfield. Arguably the last four games have been our best group of performances of the season. How this supports an excellent-rubbish pattern hypothesis, I'm uncertain, but pray continue if you feel it affords you licence to trot out the tired old "years of ruin" lines. We've had 48 hours off, so it's overdue

Turn up with the right attitude and intensity we'll win this. But it does have bubble burster written all over it, hope not

Knockersbump made a valid point, IMO. For several years (at least back to Agar) we've had a habit of producing a good performance, getting complacent and following it up with a stinker, then reacting with another good one, rinse & repeat. 9 games is good, but still a pretty short sample in comparison to what went before (and even then, I don't think all 9 wins were what I would necessarily consider good performances). So he's right to hope that we don't go back to our long-established pattern and instead continue as we have been recently.

Be honest, if that point had been made by someone other than Knockersbump (or Sebasteeno), would you have latched onto it in the same way?

I'm not sure I agree with the analysis. We had a good couple of games at the start of the season, were poor/dull consistently up to Good Friday and have been OK without being spectacular since. Last year we were consistently poor and apart from probably Widnes away I can't remember a standout performance to then fall away from. I didn't interpret the comment as referencing Agar's era tbh.

Last year:

Played well against Bradford, disappointed the week after against Cas, then monumentally poor against Widnes.
Reacted to the Widnes game with a very good performance against Salford (probably Miller's best game for us on his return), then atrocious in the cup game against them the week after.
Responded again with a convincing win against Hudds, only to follow up with another disappointing derby performance.
Then a pretty bad run with the Widnes game in the middle (and a half-decent fight against Wire), only to recover with a good win over Saints and follow that up with the Bradford shambles.

This year I agree it's been less prevalent and extreme, but there are still examples:

2 good opening games, then our trademark complacency sending the defence to pot against Salford.
The Leeds capitulation reacted to with an ok stab at Wigan with both teams carrying injuries, then a win whilst playing poorly against Catalan.
The Rovers debacle at Easter triggered a reaction at Saints, but then scrappy again against Widnes.
Poor against Hudds, then this positive change.

It has been an undeniable trend over the last several years, so it was a fair point. Things are going well, it's great, but I don't think it's time to use the last 5 games or so as the accepted norm over several years of contrary evidence just yet.

Unchanged squad.

Cant argue with an unchanged team, if we have no fresh injuries after last weeks performance.

I'd swap Thomson for Abdul on the bench though.

Thompson got a damaged rib I think
ADFORD NAMES UNCHANGED SQUAD FOR WIDNES TRIP

Lee Radford has named an unchanged squad to travel to the Select Security Stadium to face Widnes Vikings on Thursday evening.

The Hull FC head coach has stuck with the team that beat cross-city rivals Hull KR 46-20 at Newcastle on the weekend.

The Black and Whites head to the North West hoping to cement their place in the play-offs with a win against Denis Betts’ men, kick-off 8pm.

HULL FC: Abdull, Ellis, Green, Houghton, Lineham, Minichiello, Paea, Paleaaesina, Pryce, Rankin, Sa, Shaul, Sneyd, Talanoa, Thompson, Watts, Westerman, Whiting, Yeaman.

We demolished Widnes away last year but capitulated to them the year before. Anything could happen.

However they are one of our main challengers for the top 8 and its essential we beat them. Its effectively a 4 pointer.

Some people may say it doesn't matter as we have to play Wakey twice but I don't think its a given that we will beat them both times.

Widnes:

Ah Van, Ashall, Brown, Clarkson, Dudson, Galea, Gerrard, Gore, Hanbury, Heremaia, Isa, Joseph, Leuluai, Manuokafoa, Marsh, Mellor, Owens, White, Whitley.

Referee: Phil Bentham

Widnes are a decent team at home but if we play like we did on sat we can win. COYH