Rovers are missing their key play maker and their best attacking forward. This hasn't happened before while those two players have been at the club. The drop in form is inevitable and it illustrates how a coach is only as good as the players he has at his disposal at any given time. Confidence comes from winning and winning comes from having your best players out on the pitch playing. It's not rocket science despite all the nuances and ulterior motives some fans spend their lives dreaming up.

1. Rovers got [ipromoted[/i because they invested in their first team. Without that promotion, investment in youth would not have served Rovers interest in a significant way. Widnes got [iawarded a licence[/i in part because of their investment in developing players. They responded successfully to the incentives that exist now, just as Rovers did back then. None of the Tigers, Giants and Reds spent more than a season in the second tier after their relegations from SL, iirc.

2. It wasn't a complaint - it was simply pointing out the reality of the situation.

What you say is true but is also pretty harsh. Cas, Huddersfield and Salford only had brief stints in the National League so their youth programmes were not really disrupted. Widnes by their admission have invested heavily in their youth because the RFL told them to as a key criteria to Super League admission. I bet they wouldnt have if it was straight promotion/relegation. They would have invested in their first team just as Rovers did.
It is also worth noting that 3 of the players from Rovers inaugural Academy side in 2008 played last night (Watts, Taylor and Latus) so we are clearly showing a commitment and ability to bring kids through the ranks.
As an aside, how many Hull FC Academy players of the year have Rovers taken off their hands in the past 4 years? If we miss out on them at 15/16 we are trying to get them here at 18/19/20/21. Surely this shows a desire to bring quality youngsters into the club.

Fact is mate no matter how you dress things up Rovers problems are of their own making and unless there is a big change of direction they will get worse.

I'd rather have these 'challenges' than the problems that would have been risked by taking a SL standard budget for youth development from a NL first team budget.

I don't know how good the structures are, but given Rovers' starting point on this, I'd be surprised if things didn't get [ibetter[/i... relative to the rest of SL at least.

Disagree mate.
Im sure he hates losing as much if not more then the fans.
But if he walks around with his chin on his knees how would he be able to lift his team.
The defeats to Cats,Cas and Salford have been the disapointing games.
Wins at Saints are rare and if you but the disapointment to one side Rovers showed big improvement at stages last night

I didnt take your comment in that manner mate.
Must be hard for coaches on a losing run not to just churn out the same old lines

well said, I agree. The disappointing thing is when we do put it together we do look half decent, I don't buy this idea that we have no flair without dobbo, welham's 1st try last night was as good as anything that will be scored in the league this week for me. The trouble is when we are having our bad spells in games we look positively amatuerish and are leaking lots of points.

You are alright then, as Dobson will be fit for the Leeds game, certainly Wigan. I wonder if he will play though?

Probably, if he is registered in time.

dont know where you've got this from, dobson will not be fit for leeds for sure and I'd think it's unlikely he'd be fit for the wigan game

Only if Berrigan's Bitch releases Mason's passport from her knicker drawer...