What's to say they are? A lot of players fail to fulfil their academy potential at SL level. Until they do and you get more than Kris Welham playing regular first team football, it's all just fancy talk.

With 10 of your 17 being overseas players, plus Briscoe, Fox, Colbon, Cockayne, Murrell and Wheeldon in there, I'd say it's your "promoted" academy players who'll be straw-clutching.

Might have missed this but when has Spaven been released, I always thought he looked a good hooker, wouldn't mind seeing Hull go for him for a year.

Rovers have so far done great business got rid os some top earning players who didnt really play, and replaced them with soem potentially very good players in much needed positions (a bit like our recruitment last year).

If Rovers can keep their squad pretty healthy especially Dobson you should challenge the top 4 this year IMO.

Its ok keeping onto players and having loyal servants or whatever you want to call it but the fact is if they're not good enough then you move on and try and unearth some who are. FC have suffered over recent years by doing just that. The kull at the end of last year showed some of that. Add to that Hall going this year and if most of your fans had there way Horne would be gone too. This FC production line is looking pretty thin on the ground nowadays.


Quoting Welham as our only product is a bit weak as well, Latus has done a good stint this year more games than Lynne managed. Watts hasn't been too shabby, yes we brought him from cas but remind me where Briscoe came from. So that leaves you with Houghton, Yeaman and Horne, we've got Welham. So all in all and extra 10 years in SL and you've managed to be running with 2 more 'home grown' players than us, well done.

The fact is looking back over our years in SL you now have less home grown players thaen you did then, you have less prospects coming through.

Even after your summer recruitment for the season of promise you've still fell flat on your ar5e and are entering the 3rd consecutive winter of discontent and are clutching at straws to try and undermine a team that you hate to see doing better than you. What will it be this year and new tongan mafia, sign another machine, Shrek 2 or the best british SH produced in the last decade. Maybe it'll be stick with the same bunch of geriatric bench warmers never know if you say a little prayer before bed time every night they might be better next year.......

PS.. Dave K, stop talking sense, Mrs B will have you tarred and feathered.

Mrs B don't you know its common knowledge that aimimg for Finch was a smokescreen for us signing Green, you really don't know how Morgan works yet we have a very astute coach, i can't actually wait to see just who Hull will sign for next season, i think it will be someone from championship league, Cooki if ur desperate. I can't wait for next season already, our pack will match any team next season we ant done bad this season few silly games we threw away (Derbies included) we would have finished higher, what makes me laugh with Agar he stated at the beginning of the season that this was your year , what your year for an early holiday, lets see what garbage him and rule say for next season. I can't wait..............

The progress for the academy set-up at Rovers see them now surpass FC, this after FC having the uphand on the red and whites from pre-super-league - 15 years plus!!!!

Although the real test is getting the youngsters ready for the uplift from academy to first team, the momentum created has given the set-up real potential to see plenty of home-grown talent make the grade!

Well done all concerned!!!!!!

Hey Basil, you missed off at the end of your post.

I cannot believe that any of you bother with a serious reply to The Macchiato Madame.

You do all realise that [iwhatever[/i you say, she'll argue the opposite.

Fall out with herself at the bottom of a Chilean coal mine that one.

So, in summary:
Rovers are bringing in more overseas players and everyone shipped out is either fed-trained or homegrown, ratcheting up your % of overseas first team to 59%.
Rovers U20s finished 9th out of 12 teams, with just 5 wins from 20 games
Going into your 5th season you have Kris Welham as your own academy product. Maybe you could count Watts even though he's from Batley's academy IIRC.

As said, until your actual number of first team performances from your academy is more than purely tokenist, it's all just fancy talk and promises of "jam tomorrow".