0/6...

Fridays performance highlighted a problem (goal kicking) we have suffered for years and got away with for the most part.

We will address this. A number of the young backs coming through can kick goals.

Why we didnt go for it when we had the momentum and wakey had been beaten last minute the week before still baffles me.

It wasnt a kick under the posts and he had missed 5.

For me the more worrying aspect was with wellos match performance again.

His performances have deteriorated over the last two seasons and especially this season when gidleys absence makes our backs look distinctly average we need him to be at the top of his game.

Soliola and hopefully some of our young uns will address some of this BUT we probably need to look at another full back a season or two sooner than we would have hoped.

His lack of pace has always been an issue but when yards are harder to make with the slower play the ball a quicker return is essential.

For me though he isnt nearly the player he was 2 years ago and perhaps time is catching up with him rather than him continuing in his prime.

He`ll be 30 at the beginning of next season and has played 10 years at the top.

Do you think so? I think his performances this season have been better than last (with one or two exceptions, but that seems to be the case for most of our players this season).

Lomax hopefully will show he can be a great replacement for Wello.

who will do the goal kicking for you next year?

Arnold

utter brilliance!!! Is that not gloating??
Your utter brilliance failed to beat an average, but hard working side Friday( by poor goal kicking Admitedly!!) and two GFs on the spin!!! Muppet your almost as bad as the pieeaters!!

And who will do it every other week when Eastmond is injured/ill?

Wheeler or Lomax or Ellis or Foster or maybe even Wellens if he puts in the practice!

We could end up having more kickers than we know what to do with next season. Wouldn't that be cool?

You can't blame a part-time kicker for missing them. Another day and he may well have kicked 3 or 4.

It's weird how sometimes teams have only one kicker at the club and other times seem to have almost endless options - Leeds have Sinfield, Burrow, Smith and Gibson, with the very dodgy McGuire (first choice kicker for GB in one game

) if all else fails.

The amount of times Wellens has saved us and won games for us in the past more than makes up for a few goals he missed.

Exactly, plus noone would have been more gutted to have missed those kicks, he bleeds (quite often) for the Vee. Realistically Kyle will be back next week so the kicking job will go to him. No major panic needed, on to landan !

I don't think anyone is seriously blaming Wellens. If they are they need their heads examining. The thing I find surprising is how few games we've lost since Scully finished being our regular (and surprisingly good) kicker. The truth is we've rode our luck and, for the most part, it's paid off.

Chris Dean can kick really well. Kicked at Widnes when on loan.

I think? haha

Some one please correct me otherwise.

Was'nt that Steve 'where are you now' Tyrer?

you got that right

How can 0 from 6 attempts be an improvement?

His previous attempt was 0 from 7

Ha, ha.

I meant he now kicks better generally. He kicks further. And in terms of goal kicks, he nearly made a couple of them whereas last time I saw him kick (last season?) he was nowhere near the sticks or the height needed or anything. A bit more practice should see him able to kick goals.

You're making it sound as if he was kicking like a 5 year old last time he kicked.

He wasn't

Nope. That's what you're inferring, which suggests more about your thoughts than my intentions. I'm a fan of Wello. I would never insult him like that.

Last time I saw him kick, before Friday that is, he didn't come close to getting the ball over. His kicks were too low, too short and way off in terms of direction. The kicks on Friday were spot on in height and length and on a couple of occasions as near as dammit in terms of direction. He's improved considerably in his goal kicking technique. He just needs more practice, especially in strong winds (which he probably didn't have when he was practising during the week). I've also noticed that his kicks from under the goalposts have gotten more punch to them. He could become quite the kicker if he practises more. I hope he does. It would be good to have him as a kicker to add to the other kickers.

Stating that he



makes him sound like he's a kid kicking a ball that's too big for him. He's never been [ithat[/i bad.

He did get near the sticks, the height needed and anything once last year, missing 3, and 12 times in 2007, missing 9.

Doesn't look like his kicking has improved to me, now going 0 from 6.

Paul Wellens isn't a kicker!!!!

At the end of the day i would rather have him n the team, with a different kicker, rather than not having him in the team.

Well, the time I remember from last season he was indeed [ithat[/i bad. I didn't see him kick in 2007. He was no worse than Long can be but compared to his attempts on Friday, the kicks I saw him take were pretty bad. (And, let's face it, Long can be pretty bad at times too!)


I was basing that on his kicking technique this time compared to my memory of his last attempt (last season). Until you told me, I had no idea what his success rate was.