Definitely agree about resting Houghton but I'd look at putting hookem in the half's and get joey in at 9 because after all the hype at the beginning of the season with his performances I feel he is becoming just a OK sl player at 6. Wigan away and magic are the only 2 games where I thought he was good at 6. Really need benny back

I don't disagree to an extent but he would be far more effective if he was rested and able to fully recover and then spelled with a player such as Balmforth arther than flogged for 80mins then expected to do it week in week out even on short turnarounds and the heat.

I'd tend to agree with you on having Hookem come in if we had a 7 that was on form and had actually shown any sort of form over a period of games but sadly with Gale we have seen little from him in that respect so asking a young player to step up week in week out under those circumstances would have a bigger negative impact that positive on the player and team.

Houghton won't be dropped, Hodgson doesn't have the balls, won't even sub him unless the game is gone.

I agree and i have said several times he is too loyal to certain senior players.
Its stupid because we have a little pace now at full back with a player who can back up breaks and also make breaks himself then all the momentum stop at nine.
Hodgson really has continued to flog Houghton without interchange or any real thought process in what he wants at nine yet week after week he sees opposition nines destroy us with speed from dummy half.
It looks like he has now seen the light with Griffin,but no doubt there will be an excuse of he tweaked something rather than coming out and saying he is dropped and Taylor should be next in the firing line when we have more players back.
He wont drop Houghton but his master stroke for Friday will be to have Johnstone on the bench.

I really don't buy that BH has favored players.

He's dropped Gale, Reynolds, Shaul, Griffin, JJ off the top of my head this season.

Last season he didn't have any issues dropping Fonua or Faraimo.

He's made a big decision of Sneyd. Which admittedly we could've signed a better replacement, but at the time most were positive about Gale.

The only one you could say is Houghton, but the injuries to the spine has probably meant that Joey hasn't got the run at 9 he wants. JJ not being good enough and green academy lads probably hasn't helped either

Just watched the trys again and this and following the Rovers game, I'd drip the whole left side of Griffin, Simm and Longstaff. Simm was responsible for 3/4 trys due to an error and one on one misses. Big game from Walker needed as he went from Hero to Zero.

Walker
Martin
Wynne
Mitch
Mcintosh
Hookem
Gale
Satae
Lovodua
Evans
Mau
Lane
Fash

Sao
Taylor
Brown
Houghton

If Taylor and or Satae are out, bring in Longstaff and Laidlaw.

Agree unfortunately Hodgson isn't brave enough, Andy Last was

Taylor also

Not sure Last dropped Houghton as such. He missed four consecutive games in the October. I can't remember if that was an injury.

He played every other game, although he was mainly used off the bench.

I've not seen any Academy games would you say Martin is in front of Barron now dave for a wing spot?

All this talk of he hasnt got the balls to drop people. What a sac of s hite. He picks who he thinks will do the job. His jobs on the line in the long run so he thinks yea keep playing my Bessies. He might make wrong team selections definitely. He's slowly but surely weeding out the players and moving us in the right direction. It's not a quick fix. Some on here would want a new coach every time we got beat.

I dunno, it would take some balls to pick a player who you think isn't the best choice. Deliberately picking a worse team would be very bold.

If you asked everyone on here to pick a 17 most would be different. He sees what goes on and who in his opinion plays. I honestly believe we are going in the right direction albeit a very bumpy ride. IMO we will get in the top 6 which is an improvement. Nevertheless we are well off a top 4 team ATM.