Fair enough peter, although your anti Cullen agenda is less than well hidden .

I honestly dont have an antil cullen agenda. TOC, thats a different issue though! Joke before you lot start

Our squad was somewhat weakened anyway by trying to blood as many youngsters as we are in the first team squad. It only takes the loss of a few experienced first team players and we would already be struggling against most teams - most of which will be able to compete easier on the lower £300,000 cap. If we’d assembled a strong, experienced squad like Halifax Fev and Barrow, and still had our academies in place, then you may have had a point – all be it a very shaky one imo. Several players are also playing with injuries. We probably don’t even have the luxury of a fully fit 17 man team as a result!

As it is, we now find ourselves struggling with ten injuries and three missing dual-contract players. Despite this, we have done well imo, to get the wins we have. We’ve used 27 players already, and we’ve only played 6 rounds. I’d be surprised if we didn’t look disjointed. We just haven’t had a settled side.


This is most certainly the reason for our struggling displays recently. Cullen also hasn’t actually been able to field his best 17 all season so far.

Lot’s of injuries affects sides. Both Rochdale and Harlequins (your examples) are struggling badly and Leeds, with 9 injured players, are out of the top eight after 11 rounds. This is the club that won the comp last season! Our position isn’t so different as theirs, as you seem to be suggesting.

If we start to get some players back, I think we’ll get better. We aren’t too far off it even now. A lot does ride on the performances of our two props the club have brought in on loan. Hopefully they’ll settle in quickly and our run of bad luck with injuries ceases.

Just to make a final point on this before I leave the subject alone, with a much stronger squad in the earlier rounds, we still conceded far too many points and the defence looked very suspect.

Cant use the injured players excuse for shoddy defence when you have the majority of your squad fit.

We’ve been carrying injuries since the start of the season, so we [ican[/i blame them for our current and past defensive form, including no Haggy, and pick's playing with a neck injury. WE HAVE NOT SEEN OUR FULL STREGNTH TEAM YET!!!!! Using lot’s youngsters – which is a good thing by the way – will also weaken your defence in this league. The demanding physical nature of the game is unforgiving of age and experience. But they can only get that experience by playing and toughening up as they get used to the step up from junior rugby.

I think you are simply jumping to conclusions without looking at the situation and what the club and coach are trying to achieve in bringing in lots youngsters to the first team squad, with a view to the licencing process etc...

Only time will tell if your view of Cullen’s defencive organization of the team is good or not. Now is not the time to make that judgment – it just isn’t.

Sorry Pepe but i've got to disagree with you.

I am a staunch vikings fan but I'm a realist aswell and don't buy into the excuses that some people make.

You say that we have been carrying injuries since the start of the season ans have never been at full strength.

Here is the team that played away against Batley earlier this season in our 2nd game.

Widnes: Ford, Ainscough, Kohl-Love, Grady, Gardner, Thackeray, Webster, Pickersgill, Smith, Gannon, Doran, Allen, Gerrard. Subs: Kavanagh, Houghton, Farrell, Davies.

Its a pretty strong squad, and there aren't many players not playing that could strengthen it.

We conceded 30 points by the way!

Toulouse are a quality side. It takes them a while to get going though.

I am preparing for a few teams to get a caning from them. The Wynnes, Martin Mitchall and Brendan Worth will walk into any championship side!

Thank God we played them before they really warmed up !! I predict a very tough encounter when we play them later in the season at Leigh !