Hopefully, at least.

After 4 generally happy seasons in SL, everything seems to have gone wrong at once. Along with Crusaders we've won the fewest games in SL. There's no disguising that we are currently poor. The game has evolved even since 2009 - I think we've tried to evolve with it, but not really succeeded. Patience and containment aren't enough anywhere near often enough - I haven't checked but it seems to be a much more free-scoring competition than 2 years ago. Dobson's prolonged absence offers some mitigation, but there is more to it than that IMO - and we aren't the only club to lose key players to injury.

So, anyway, I want to cast around for some positives...

We've got 3 games we'd hope (and even now, expect) to have a decent chance in coming up - and we need some league points for morale as much as anything else.

I tend to look towards Catalans previous season for a measure what we might do each year, as they entered SL a year before us. And it hasn't been a bad estimate. They of course 'won' the spoon last year - but are showing it is possible to bounce back from that.

There are some bright spots - Taylor and Green. Hodgson and Latus are getting better. Welham has been excellent.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger (supposedly) and there is no relegation at least!

I think we need to get rid of some dead wood this season, we have had quite a Gud run the last two seasons and we've gotta ride the storm with this one two or three wins will take us back up there but will the confidence be knocked out of us once again, maybe Morgan shudnt have changed the side that challenged Leeds and wigan, we tackled our hearts out but then were to knackered to do anything else, who knows what's round the corner we just gotta keep believing and all will come good.

Agree re the dead wood comment, we've had a few seasons with relatively little transfer ativity postseason. With a few players contacts coming up at the end of this year, perhaps now is the time for a shake up and to re establish the squad for the next couple of seasons?

maybe the training needs lookng at? we leak 30+ points every week nowadays, thats a big problem that should have been worked on weeks ago,
if were going to climb the table we need to tighten our defence in the middle of the field, stop teams making easy yards and cut the offloads down too.
we need to be more expansive, take more risks and make the oppostion work harder.
this season is far from over but we have to start winning games NOW.
If we finish down near the bottom and our ground improvements havent started we could be gone in favour of Halifax...............

A win on monday and things wont look as bad ..
the whole mason /dobson/cockayne thing hasnt helped .no excuses fc were the better side yesterday and deserved there victory .
we need to get the whole situation sorted with willie and ben then we can focus on what we have left and go form there

The challenge with moving, say, 5 or 6 players on, especially if they are first teamers like Vella, Galea, Briscoe, Cockayne, Colbon, Fisher, is that there are not loads of players available in the market, particularly as I think that you only have Galea's overseas spot to use so the rest must be replaced with non quota. FC were in the market for a prop last season, pursued LMS and Fielden for ages and came up with neither, hence re-signing Radford and Dowes. Whilst fans of all teams not performing that well demand wholesale changes, the reality is that there are few players on the open market, and the real gems amongst younger British players are signed up long term and their current clubs will do everything they can to retain them. It's a tough market IMO.

Yep quite possibly Ur right there we could end up at the bottom am sure the ground improvements will happen

Looking at the hudgell interview in HDM then things will get sorted at least he has held his hands up and admitted that it was a big gamble that hasn't paid off, I dont care Wat anyone says but it was a big distraction a the negative news this week, so onwards and up from here, let's get behind the team on Monday.

id love to see us go out and bring some good young English talent in ( preferably our own ) but like Mrs B says there all tied down on long contracts,
we have some good young players just waiting for there chance, so lets try them out. lets try Sheriff against Quinns if Charlie is in trouble, if Green misses out then Murrel to 6 and give Petersen a go at 13, ( Netherton will play thou unfortunatly) Beaumont needs to be given a try too, Wakefield had to throw the kids in and there not doing to bad are they? Cas as well are throwing the kids in this year too.

Why has Netherton all of a sudden becomne a scapegoat, in all the time he has played for us he has never let us down and given 100% to the cause. Some on here seem to think we can have world class from 1 to 17, well unfortunately this is the real world not the land of make believe. I would have Netherton in the 17 every week, you know he will give is all when he is on.

hes always been my scapegoat, because he offers nothing, doesnt make yards, people go on about his tackling, but does he do 35/40 a game, i doubt it very much. i wont knock the kid for his effort, he does as you say give it everything, but his everything just isnt good enough IMO.

Yes, I'd agree with that. We need to be replacing (fed-trained/exempt) retiring players with roughly the same number of our own players coming through the ranks each year to be pulling our weight. We should now be getting to the point where that is realistic expectation.

Where we are 'swapping' players with other SL clubs, improving the squad is going to be difficult in a highly competitive market. There might still be value in refreshing it though.

Welham is a good lad and will get even better imo..He will be a seasoned International by the time his career is over. I liked the look of that Latus, defended very well. I thought your team defended well overall tbh.

When you see the likes of Frankie Mariano performing brilliantly for Wakefield, it makes you wonder what the hell were we thinking when letting him go. Did Mariano have to leave in order to leave cap for Mason. Everyone can see the build that Mariano has and raw talent meant that he could have made it with more experience, maybe even the next Phil Lowe. At a crucial age for getting to the 'next step', why didn't Rovers allow him to leave, but only on a loan basis to Wakey, he is looking a fine player. Isn't he a homegrown player too? Invaluable in the modern day.
The way Morgan has shunned the lad means that there is little chance he would ever return to Rovers if Wakey's franchise bid goes belly up.

In that case when Galea leaves lets go and get Iain Morrison back shall we?
Infact no we had better not as Iain Morrison is a better defender but he actually looks like he is going to break a tackle now and then.
In 2007,2008,2009,2010,2011 he made a total of 40 (Yes 40) tackle breaks now for a foward to make 0.48 tackle breaks per game is bloody awful.
Joel Clinton made an average of 0.59 BTW as an example in the past year and a half.
In 2007,2008,2009,2010,2011 he made a total of 11 (Yes 11) off loads now that is 0.13 per game.
Joel Clinton made an average of 0.56 BTW as an example in the past year and a half.
Im sorry that is not SL standard.