I forgot Scruton is back as well.

I'd probably keep him and McGuire for the Wigan game. I know it's a big game, but I'd rather them be properly fit for the season then rush them back for this game.

Quinlan in the half needs to happen he is sharp at 6 and Matty marsh will find it hard I think with him and Atkin not enough experience imo

what crowd do you think it will be, we have sold a record amount so should be a cracking atmosphere

Probably 10500. I think with our team pretty much decimated for Friday and you with your timely boosts, people wont want to turn up to see us get beat by you lot.

ha ha, seen to many derbies to get cocky, whoever plays for you will be up for it, think you might also have timely boosts,

Record amount? Surely you can only sell the allocation we give you (1600 + 800) and you will have sold that amount out every year since we opened the North Stand.

Or have we given you more areas of the ground?

Hull haven't sold out their allocation yet but looks like they will bring a good following which is very good news.

Over 18,000 watched the two teams last Friday so it should be possible to sell out Craven Park but probably that won't happen. Should be 10,000 plus though surely.

A Good Friday derby is a great occasion and I'm expecting a cracking game which could go either way. Don't think it matters all that much who lines up for either team usually it's about who wants it more. Under Morgan that was usually us under Radford it has usually been them. Let's see what Sheens brings to the party.

Sums up my thoughts too.

On paper you'd say we had the edge and bookies are giving you around an 8-point start, but we all know the Derby never follows a script, it never follows the form book. Looking forward to it.

A couple of years ago, I did an admittedly slightly half-baked analysis that indicated that recent form is [iusually[/i quite a good guide to the outcome of derbies. However, the exceptions tend to stick in the mind more.

Under Morgan our really good run of derby results in 2008 and 2009, coincided with years when we finished a few places clear of Hull in the league. As you improved under Radford and we drifted towards relegation, you had much the better of the derbies.

I agree that derbies are different, and acknowledge that for a team with top 4 aspirations your form has been scratchy so far. However, having the better team is probably more important than wanting it more, IMO. I think we're probably more ready to acknowledge a quality deficit than Hull fans were in 2009, for example, and tbf you did have some bad seasons for injuries (as was mentioned now and then at the time). So for Rovers' fans, I think form/quality counting for nothing is a hope, rather than a way of making sense of a situation we're struggling to come to terms with. I'll hold on tightly to it until the result is determined, because occasionally it happens - but not often.

McGuire, Lunt, Scruton, Kavanagh & Jewitt all in the 19. I'm shocked Decimated we were told.

To be fair though, arguably your two best players so far this year are out, Heffernan & Mulhern.


Houghton & Paea back for us. Hadley & Manu are our two out with injuries.

By one definition of that word, we'd only need 3 or 4 injuries for it to be accurate.

But we've got decent depth now, and there are some who haven't made the 19 despite being fit and capable of 'doing a job'. We just lack a bit of power and, in places, quality. If the result reflects that, then there's no excuse, other than that is the current reality of our situation.

Danny won’t be affective if he plays after that horrendous head injury .

Same for Lunty after sustaining that horrific injury to his knee , surprised he has been named in the squad to be honest .

Rovers naming patched up players against a full strength Hull team .

“Full Strength”? You incapable of using Google to find Hull’s 19-man squad?

Talisman Houghton back coupled with the return of Paea
Timely boost for Hull.