We are fourth in the league, having won four, lost three when not playing very well at all. It is only week 7 - there are 16 weeks of league ladder, followed by seven more matches to get into the top 4 (anyone who thinks we won't be in the top 4 needs their head testing).

The league seems very open this year - after these first seven rounds, can anyone really say who will be in the top 4, top 8, bottom 4 later in the season?

The stats from last Friday show we were pretty even with Huddersfield in metres made, tackles and clean breaks. We missed 23 tackles, they missed 29; we made 16 errors; they made 13. It [iwas[/i the kicking that was the difference - either in getting territory or in try scoring.

We are making too many simple mistakes - knock ons, passes behind players, ending a set with a dodgy kicker...

Our discipline is great. I've not checked but I bet we are very low on penalty count - best in the league maybe?

Our half backs are playing poorly overall. We know this, Smith knows it and he has tried different combinations. If Wheeler was fit, maybe he'd be in there and Bridge would be in the centre - I don't know. He has been critical of our attacking/kicking game, but naming names will not exactly help morale, will it?

Clark has not set the world on fire, but then again neither have many of our squad.

Sims hasn't bashed all and sundry. Well, it was only the close season that many were writing off Ben Westwood.

We should be rejoicing in the development of Laithwaite, Philbin, King. Currie is struggling right now and maybe he's suffering from being swopped between centre and second row.

Two weeks running we have been disappointed and that is colouring people's views. Let's see where we are in 5 or 6 weeks, after Easter and after Wigan.

Good post TanCW

I think our only problem is in the halves, some other easily remedied problems nothing major. A decent 6 or 7 would see us closing out a lot of games.

3 defeats --- St Helens away (until they moved to langtree this was always a guarantee), Catalan away (lots of teams are going to find it tough there. I used to see that Catalan might not win the league but they will have a say in who does), Huddersfield at home ..........very disappointing.

Its the lack of direction thats the worrying thing i think.. 2nd lowest scores in the league with 131 points is poor.

I was hoping we would kick on after the leeds game and go on a run... But we have gone backwards since that game.

Im sure Clark will come good, so im not overly concerned with him.. Sims also hasnt been as bad as alot are making out. Also the younger players have come along nicely, so deffo some positives there.

With no kicking game though, it appears that we are going to have to rely on scooting from DH to get us field position.... The last 2 teams we have played dealt with that fairly easily and won as a result of it... Leeds didnt see it coming.. lets hope we can find another way of giving the forwards a platform in the weeks to come... next 5 games are

Widnes A
Cas H
Wakefield H
Wigan A
Leeds A

If think we will need to win a minimum of 3 of those games.

Against Leeds we played some of the best stuff in we've seen in ages, 2 weeks later some of the worst. All the problems that were there last year are still there now ie in the halves, but our squad in general is stronger than last year imo and I'm confident it will show as the season goes on. Given how far we got last year with a weaker squad anything could happen. It was around easter time last year when we went on that long winning streak after previously looking hopeless, so keep the faith and let's wait and see...

I think another big issue is a lack of leadership. Joel does not come across as a genuine leader, and being stuck out on the wing makes it even more difficult. A few times last week I noticed players looking around waiting for someone to decide what to do, especially when attacking their line. The only player directing plays was Micky Higham, the rest of the time we were clueless in how to break down their defense. Maybe we should go back to throwing the ball around, at least we could score.

The problem is we haven't got our likely to get a decent 6 or 7 this season, so the same deficiencies will be there.

It will be a constant struggle to compete in my opinion

So think we're going to be beaten 4th and 8th

i`ll take 3 wins from that lot in a heartbeat

We really do have some miserable regulars on his forum and I am pleased to see the heading and a few different views. I think we ought to look back to the comments just after the Leeds game. Everything was looking so rosy ... and then two defeats and we are destined to the division below. Apart from St Helens & Leeds ... I reckon the season has been a bit of shock for all clubs. You cannot win every week.

I do have perspective, what I find frustrating about it is that I believe we are for the want of a good kicking half-back so near to being a super-strong team. I'm not all doom and gloom about the players we have, just find it maddening that we have several players apparently in the half-back position, whose talents point to them playing somewhere other than half-back IMO, and with a Dureau, a Blake Green, even a Danny Brough, we would be a complete team that I would back to beat anyone.

Hull KR are a bit of a surprise. They have brought in two new very creative half backs ... and they are a real handful on attack. Could there be another nugget tucked away somewhere who could really add to our attack. HKR must be dead chuffed what they've unearthed.

For me the issues are clear (as they are to a lot on here) pointless, hopeless, clueless, skill less half backs. Ok that's a bit harsh, but it is reality as described by many on here. The coaching staff and players are the ones charged with turning that around. Against Leeds they did and we looked every bit a top two side. Since then we haven't kicked on (excuse the pun), we haven't played at the same level, all we have done is regress. It hurts all of us to hear that we are only a decent half back away from brilliance, what hurts more is to hear the very people charged with sorting that out saying the same. The club have got this wrong, I would hazard a guess that there are half backs in the Championship that could do better than what we are trying to do,which is to turn none half backs into Andy Greg and Shaun Edwards. Personally I find it incredible that a top class coach and a top club is struggling in this way and for this to be the second season is mind boggling.

Identifying a half-back is one thing. Signing them is a whole different proposition.

Four points over Easter will change everything again! We need a big effort Thursday and hopefully Leeds will soften Cas up on Friday, ready for Monday.

Brough bossed the game last Friday and it was disappointing to see as player for player, we are a better side than Fartown, but it just shows how a top half back is key!

Our half backs are still quite young (except Bridge who I do not think is fully fit yet) so they will learn and mature each game. It's a big season for Gareth O'Brien but as a Warrington lad, I would love to see him go on and be our 7 for years to come. I was as disappointed as anyone Friday but sometimes, upon reflection, which is a great thing afterwards, patience is needed and it is a long season.

I've got no doubt we will be in the mix come play-off time and to be honest, looking at Saints and Wigan, there isn't much difference between the top teams.

There were still some noticeable major issues in the game against Leeds, which I can't see being solved this year. Any team will have a few big wins- look at Wakefield last year beating us, Leeds and Wigan. As a club we had moved on from beating Leeds being a big occasion, if we want to be the 'big club' we claim we are them there is a hell of a lot of work to do.

When I watched our tries from the Huddersfield game I was surprised by positive the contribution of Bridge. The forum comments seemed to imply that he wasn't on the pitch. He was definitely there and made at the least two important passes.

It seems to me that everything has to be black or white on this forum, with the preference for black.

We've got a very good 6 in the shape of Stefan Ratchford. The problem is TS seems set on playing him at fb.

As a bridge at SO 'criticizer'(if you will) i have no problem saying that he did very well for those two moments, however the rest of the game, he was a passenger, including the 4 sets in the first half that we were camped on their line.

These are all the more memorable due to his abscence and invisibility for the rest of the game.


I myself, try not to be black or white in opinion, i'm not one of the 'throwing my hands in the air' brigade who have to criticize wire players "cos they're e, get rid of them" even during my disputes with the duck, i've tried to remain respectfuly in my opinions of bridge, because he is a bloody bloody good centre, but never ever a stand off.

As for ratch, he may be a stand off, from his time here i've not been overly impressed with his play in the halves and i've never quite worked out what it is, till recently, he reminds me of Iestyn harris (bear with me) in his early years at stand off, Ratch has this stepping, wobbling head back and forth style that he uses and harris used to do that a lot as well although he also at times had the ability to actually beat and go round a man, which you don't see ratch do off his own back.

This is why i see his best position in the team at full back, he can utilise his strengths best there, chiming in and also occasionally picking up at DH when the time is right, not when we're spamming the place out with DH runs.

That said, i think he's still learning his defensive positioning at fb, as he was at fault i think for at least two trys on friday, the Ellis one and also the one in the NE corner that everyone had a pop at penny about, he should have been on his way over to cover that, penny had to be up in the line.

That's why I thought he was given the No 6 shirts more fool me

You said it.

I happen to think that Ratchford is a better fullback than Russell, certainly from a joining in the attacking line POV, where he has more space suited to his running style. Admittedly, Russell looks busy on kick returns, so I've not totally written him off playing in a position that matches his shirt number, just think he needs to be a bit smarter.

I was disappointed with Ratchford last week, although he's not alone on that score and he's one of my current favourites. I wasn't in my usual SW40 spec but over in the NE and thought that one of their try's was a misread at best, but, at worst he looked like he bottled it. Admittedly the bounce wasn't kind, but, from looking like he should have got there first, to a dead heat, he stood off and the rest is history.

IMO there was no need for Penny to jump in the line for the other kick to the corner so I'm not pinning that one on Ratchford FMC.

Onwards and hopefully upwards NTW

Ratchford full back or centre for me he doesn't seem to make enough room at half but that's the same for others at the moment, is it the forwards they are good in the wrestle and usually solid but rarely break the line as Philbin did at Cats to put the opposition on the back foot.

Still need a bit of perspective do we?

Oh yes mate .. The Garbage served up in front of us and the fact we are the laughing stock of Super League should just be ignored apparently ..!

Yes.