Just got back. Boy what an awful game that was. No one covered them selfs with glory today. Poor performances all round.
Rochdale had a game plan of upsetting our rhythm today. Plenty of stops in play and plenty of niggle. And on top of that, an awful display of refereeing.
But once again, we do our usual and start poorly, and let in our customary first try of the game and that set the tone of the match. Our completion rate must have been around the 20% mark in the first half. Awful, awful, awful!!
We tried but our effort was well below what I want to see in a rovers team. We can count ourselves very lucky we didn't lose that one.
Amazing tho what we put up with as fans. Wigan beat Cronulla to become world champs while we just survive beating Rochdale. How far we have fallen.

what about poor old don Estelle

The point I was trying to make is that this is a team in development, we have some young, untried and inexperienced players who need time to find their feet at this level.
The expectation of the fans is at present, greater than the sum of the teams ability. Given time and the right coaching we will win much easier than we are at present.

But I was not trying to excuse our performances, just offer a reason why.

I can live with this kind of disjointed performance for now, just don't want to see them in August.

3 games 3 wins. 2 away from home against 1 our biggest threat in the division and the other against unbeaten form team.
Terrible start for a new team finding its way isn't it...
Shows they have far more about them than last year's team who would have lost at least one of those games.
Positives....not being bullied, keep going. Showing lots of potential. I'll judge them better after a dozen plus games.

You can't do better than win 3 from 3, even though the last 2 performances were ugly bug*ers.

In wet conditions, we are always going to need to grind out results like today against pumped up physical teams until we mature as a collective unit and gain confidence. Having 2 successive home games now will help in this regard.

Rochdale will be top half in this division this year, so a good result today in spite of the poor completion rates, poor execution and missed conversions.

Did somebody mention Lisa Stansfield? Great singer, brilliant live performer and cracking down to earth Rochdale lass. Never mind Gracie Fields. Lisa is still Rochdale's finest imo. I'd prefer her at Craven Park later in the year instead of Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott.

I agree with you but we need to fix things up, however, I'm sure Sheens can see it.

We have a few of our bigger players in Blair and Greenwood particularly that are just not turning up at the moment.

I wasn't particularly pleased with the signing of Scruton, I've always thought he was a bit of a flat track bully, flexing into the changing rooms and such like, but to be fair he properly turns up and puts a shift in. I'd say he's been our best player so far, he clearly is here to get us back up and to play back in SL if possible with us.

The 2 pts is all that matters but I agree it's concerning that we aren't playing fluid rugby but it's early days .reminded me a little of Huddersfield performance other night.In that going for harlem globetrotters plays and trying to score off every set.but basic rugby from Salford did them.luckily today we won .think the Oldham game on horizon we need to show the professionalism that was lacking last season in the cup and absolutely wallop them.3 unconvincing wins can be excused but we need to be seeing improvement every game

Lots of clubs in sports lose there way after a relegation and plummet into the abyss.
Currently Rovers have one of the best coaches in rugby league's history at the helm.
So far so good for me. These championship teams are no pushover and would have turned over Webster's or Chester's teams.
They will improve I'm sure.
Leigh went about buying all the best available big names...Hock, Hanson, Chase etc. Sheens is going about it a different way....which may be a better bet in the long run. Depends if we get promoted of course but so far so good for me.

It's easy to get dragged down to championship levels and it sounded like this happened to you in this game. The refs at this level don't help you get fast PTBs.

Still, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Leigh pasted everyone in 2015 yet fell short when it mattered. In 2016 they peaked at the right time. That's what you need to do.

There's lots of pitfalls for this team. Grossly under rated opposition, the pitches and conditions, the officials, intimidation, injuries. That's not mentioning the damage repair to the organisation from last year. Lots of bigger sporting establishments than Rovers have nose dived in situations like this.

We have one of the greatest coaches the sport has produced. We'll not see the real benefits of the technical and cultural changes for a year or two. In the meantime the team keep winning with huge potential to improve. Moss Hefernan, Minns, Quinlan, Abdul, Clark will only get better and have big potential. We haven't seen the new chef on the wing yet but he is a big lump. The back row will begin to contribute. Blair carried us for large parts last year. Wait till he starts getting involved. Greenwood is ok but a tad over rated on here. Injury prone too many penalties. He stood out in our back row last year but then so would have Kenneth Williams.
Sheens seems to have a long term plan. His track record is remarkable.

We also need superleague teams to capitulate too...Giants and Widnes look most likely to given the past year or so. Who knows with Koukash.
Good luck to the steampigs. Hope you stay up. You have all on to do so.
I've nearly forgiven you for Jeff Grayson walking your side off at Craven Park. I know we were a bit rough but Jeff was no angel...

Think Salford, Hudders, Leigh and Widnes will be the bottom 4 (not necessarily in that order).

Anything can happen in the MPG but you have to get there. Think Fev could be a threat to you this year and maybe London.

Thanks for the good wishes. Could be difficult to stay up.

I remember the "walk off". A bad day for the game. Robin Whitfield never forgave us after that!

After watching Leeds twice this year I can see them in and around the bottom 4, they have no threat on the line whatsoever.

Our biggest challenge will be Fev and Toulouse away.

As long as Catalans don't get involved in the bottom four. We don't want an away tie there.