Here is the first Diary of our 150th Year as a club lets hope it a great one! Thanks to Joe at Blackandwhites and to everyone for their support www.blackandwhites.co.uk/

Here is the first Diary of our 150th Year as a club lets hope it a great one! Thanks to Joe at Blackandwhites and to everyone for their support www.blackandwhites.co.uk/

The usual top quality read Wilf, the first of many for 2015 with no attempt to sugarcoat our prospects for the season, realism never does any harm.

Great read again Wilf BUT you have missed the BIGGEST factor in any clubs success or failure this season "THE USELESS OFFICIALS" who will have MASSIVE bearing on each game.

I walked away last season because of them, will I be back, probably.....but it will not take much for me to walk if these buffoons act up again.

Officials make mistakes, players make mistakes, you make mistakes. Get over it.

Good pre-amble to the upcoming friendlies as ever Wilf.

The Gareth Westmorland section was interesting. I've long been of the view that, whilst Humberside is manned exclusively by Hull KR supporters, we've had it pretty good with the HDM for a while as James Smailes' positivity went up against the ambivalent (at best) Charlie Mullan. This new kid is hilarious though, like a slavering red and white cartoon. We've had a 2014 Rovers season review that ended in "You bet! " (have we even had an FC one - not that I'm keen to relive it?), a local sporting top 10 wish list opening with Rovers winning the Grand Final, and a tidal wave of flowery metaphors and adjectives that genuinely read like the scribblings of a lovestruck teenager. You can almost visualise him sighing and doodling a draft on a notepad with Chezzie in a little heart and Weyman and Mike Smith as a rotund cupids. I think it's meant to be a wind-up. It's certainly comedic.

Good read Wilf and yes I did go to Headingley with my brother in law ( Wakey fan) and my sister
Although it was probably a money making exercise by the clubs I can't help but think it gives the clubs an early view on where they are and ultimately more time to put it right before the season starts.
As for Gareth Westmorland one game stands out for me he stated Rich had been outplayed by a player from the other team, how that works
when they played on opposite sides of the pitch is still beyond me.
Can't wait for the season to start should be a good one

Westmorland did also wish for Hull FC to win the CC. Half-heartedly and with mention of the Wembley hoodoo, but still. And City to win the FA Cup - so that is one gone already.

I do hope we get more poetic and vivid pen pics in the Grand Smailesian mould - for both clubs. With even more man crush. I think it is time for us to hear from an intense, brooding, pensive, driven Adam Pearson - part Heathcliff, part... erm, Gordon Brown?

Happy New Year Wilf and thanks for this weeks effort. Like you I'm living more in hope than expectation that we can finish in the coveted top 8 but we've got to believe that our boys are up to it. It seems that the Dobbins have actually stolen a march on us by appointing a resident club comedian in Master Westmoreland, but hopefully by the end of the season they'll have nothing to laugh about. I'm counting the days now until we can get to a real game to cheer the boys on, as I'm sure all of your readers are.

Entirely tokenist and barbed as you imply. Westmorland is to Rovers what Buddy the Elf is to Christmas. Smailes is very much South Pole by comparison.

"Call me Smailes one more time"

Great first diary of 2015 Wilf .I agree with your view on our prospects for the coming season. With really tough start we need to stay calm and back the coach and squad .Without being to over confident I do believe we will finish in top eight.The pressure is on many Clubs this year and we wont be the only fans getting twitchy. On Westmorland I think HDM should take a good look at how biased he is ,I have no problem him backing Rovers but some of his articles are a joke.

Good shout, but surely it's grizzly old pessimist Smailes snarling "You feeling strong my friend? Call me Westmorland one more time?" Westmorland, arriving early for each weekly Tuesday presser, will be more "Chester's coming! Chester's coming! Oh my God, I KNOW HIM!"

wow! what a great first diary of 2015,agree totally about the boy Westmoreland, although now instead of making me irate he really is a constant cause of amusement.your pretty much spot on with your assessment of the coming season,I thought who could we possibly finish above,and I could only list rovers,wakey,widnes,possibly Salford?, not sure how cas will go, having let some good players go? so yes 6/7/8th. but of course the dreamer in me sees us beating Huddersfield first up,then a resounding win against warrington at the kc,and the whole club, players and fans alike filled with enthusiasm for the season ahead!! told you I was a dreamer! lol