To a point yes, no guarantee that will be the 17 or that all those players will still be around?

Don't see how people think our squad is stronger than it was last year.

O'Meley, Lynch, Briscoe and Tickle are all better than the players that they are getting replaced by. Paea and O'Meley is the only one that I would even say is close.

With Johnson and Galea going we have lost some depth too which will probably mean that Bowden and Kent/Hadley will get some game time due to the fact they are from Hull.

Tuson never ripped up any trees this season. Tickle has performed to a far higher standard, nothing to say he wouldn't have hit those heights again.

I actually think Paea is a far better player than O'Meley but I have read so many times this season how well he had played, some even wanting an extension to his contract. Feka is a laughable signing by practically all other supporters of other clubs, I doubt he will ever hit the form he once had at Wigan, how many years ago was that?
And again, you have lost Lynch, maybe a workhorse these days but surely if another prop ain't signed one of your youngsters will have to step into his boots.

For your sakes lets hope your three youngsters can carry on in the form they finished off in. Seen plenty of players suffer in their second season. Arundel was one at Cas who springs to mid.

Pretty harsh on him given he only played 3 or 4 games in his second season before he was ruled out for the year because of injury.

Completely agree with this although tickle was either injured or crap all last year so maybe that's the only one we'll not miss.

Our squad is nowhere near the quality of wire, leeds, wigan, saints or hudds and probably no better than les cats or rovers. Salford are an unknown quantity.

We just don't have the quality that we need to compete with the top teams

The squad overall is not stronger. You have just put a bllinkered positive spin on it all. Prime example ''we've lost lynch, but he was just a workhorse'' -

Yeah, you've lost briscoe but he only scored tries, broke tackles and won more quick play the balls than anyone else in super league. You've got biggs now, who despite not actually playing the sport of rugby league before, will be awesome.

You can just as easily put a real negative slant on the changes, as you can positive. But the reallity is, there is no real evidence that the overall squad is stronger. At best it's about the same, overall. Some areas are stronger (feka from the bench, good impact), some as things stand are weaker (biggs and the graft in the centre of the park - o meley, tickle and lynch).

The coach is also less experienced, so overall you could argue things are weaker.

We will miss him mainly because of his goal kicking. Don't think anybody will feel too confident with us going into next season with Holdsworth as our goal kicker, especially in tight games.

I'd say overall the squad remains about the same, possibly a bit weaker on paper.
However it all remains an unknown quantity. If we have a major attitude change and can keep some consistency in a lineup then who knows.
Look at those 5 games we lost on the bounce last season, taking the Catalan game out the equation we lost the following 4 games by an aggregate of less than 20 points. We all know how badly we performed during that run and a simple change of mentality would likely have seen us win those fixtures which amazingly would have put us 4th above Wigan.
Whilst I agree that we don't have the quality to reliably beat the likes of Leeds, Wigan, Wire etc in the big games we're not quite as bad as people are making out.

have to love the concern for our well-being from our vastly inferior neighbours, nothing to talk about at their club obviously.

Is Biggs signed for the start of the season, or from May ?

crooks is the best outside back the club has produced in 30 years or more and he'll only get better. lineham, likewise will improve. Can't see any way either of these 2 will go backwards or stagnate. shaul has had a promising start but has a lot of flaws in his game to iron out.

there hasn't been any clarification that I've seen.

I've been told that he arrives in May which I cannot believe for a second.

Then again, we are talking about Hull FC so it is quite possible.......................

I wonder how biggs' contract stacks up to what Briscoe has signed for at leeds