Quote: Paul T - HKR "First of all, I don't mind you calling me 'deluded' even if it is disrespectful, because it seems to me you need to be 'having a go' at the moment.
I disagree with you when you say Rovers are behind where they were at this time last year; can I remind you, beaten handsomely by 'Fax, thrashed by Warrington (40-0) and struggled to beat a very poorly prepared Fc (Radford OUT followed that knee jerk result).
I didn't 'conveniently' fail to mention Cas, I purposefully 'leapfrogged' Warry into the 5. I hope Cas do push on but I feel Warry's recruitment will see them regain a top 5 spot.
For the record I do honestly and realistically believe 8th is achievable. If last seasons table is anything to go by SEVEN points separated 6th from 11th, and more astoundingly 10-14 matches were LOST by teams finishing 5th to 11th. To me that demonstrates how tight the dogfight will be.
I know it looks as though the teams in the dogfight have recruited better than Rovers, but for me, even as it stands at the moment, the core of the team is intact, underperforming as one would expect at this stage of pre-season, Campo and Lunt will be back sooner rather then later, it isn't as bad as people want to make out.
Deluded, not at all, just putting the trial games into perspective and looking at the bigger picture. . .in my opinion.'"
A well constructed post. I like the bigger picture perspective you believe you are adopting. It tends to be the route I go down normally. As a Rovers supporter since 1966, I have learned a couple of things. Never take anything for granted in sport and never write off the Red and White.
Sadly, I disagree with you on what that bigger picture is at the moment.
If you equate me "having a go" to me "venting my frustration", then yes Guilty as Charged. That said, the glaring defensive frailties we displayed all too commonly last season with this group of players have well and truly resurfaced. Don't you feel we even deteriorated in this regard week on week from the Huddersfield performance, if that's possible? Given that this was known to be our Achilles heel last year, we have a right to expect a modicum of improvement in the off season and a stiffer defensive resolve.
All will be revealed in 2 weeks time against Cas. If it's the same old, same old, the bigger picture will mean 1000 off our gates for the foreseeable future, a season of financial struggle, a bottom 4 SL finish and I hope a change of coach. For my part, I desperately hope this does not turn out to be the case.
Finally, I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I was just telling it like it is imo, as we do round here.
