Possibly the signing most in need of context before judging I can remember. On the face of it and in isolation it's at best a gamble, but until we see both who else we get and how he does/what shape he's in it's just nigh-on impossible to make an accurate call on how good a signing it is.

One thing that has to be acknowledged though, is that we lacked size up front and we're clearly trying to address that.

I ain't flowering nothing up, reports suggest he is playing well & in good nick, based on that I consider he will be a decent addition to a squad of young forwards, simple as that really.

Which one is paleaaesina ?

Probably plenty of shorts and shirts! Lol

I honestly thought this was a wind up yesterday, talk about lack of forward thinking and ambition.

Is it possible the club are going to be spending under the cap next season as both Thomson and Feka are going to be on way less than the players who have gone out, money troubles?

Oh and I have been deeply depressed all morning as I have just started out on a 7 and half train journey to work, this news will now keep me giggling all day long and possibly into sometime next week lol

Well its not exactly a compliment.

Im actually excited at seeing how paea n Feka go if the money's right then I think this is a good signing as long as he keeps in this kind of shape.

Don't mind this to be fair. Be cheap enough n I imagine it's a very incentive based deal.
Could be a masterstroke n if it fails won't be disastrous. But by all accounts in top shape now. About to start in French league n then come in November. So will be at a decent level fitness wise before pre season.
People probably right to be sceptical, underwhelmed critical even. He's a big boy n his short comings left him at the point where he is. Could of being playing at a top team over the last few yrs.
What I don't like is the bagging of young kids like Thomson n Arundel was when they've not had a chance. Feka will hopefully do the job we want. To be fair if on top form he's a potential fans favourite!!

I guess it depends whether we are getting the Feka who played for Wigan (I remember one game at the KC where we just couldn't handle him) or the overweight, unfit Salford player.

If he can only manage 10 minutes in each half then I can't see the point of him. However if we can get 30 plus effective minutes a match out of him as an impact player he may prove to be a good signing. He certainly brings some experience to a youthful pack.

Hopefully we are not paying much for him but I'm surprised at a 2 year deal and would have thought one year with an option for a second year would have been better.

I have my doubts but am happy to be proved wrong as I was with Aspinwall and McGoldrick.

If you use him right, he will go ok for you. He will be a good squad player and to be honest, he's a good bloke to have around the club. People like him, and when he makes one of those barnstorming runs when he comes off the bench he will lift the team and the fans.

You can only look at playing him effectively for 10-15 minute spells... but I think with Gentle you have a coach who understands the game well enough to bring him on at the right time. You need him as an attacking weapon, and he's also effective at bringing you up from out of your own half when you need to try and turn the game... i.e... when you've been under the cosh for 4 or 5 sets and you need to get out of your own half... because like I said... he comes on with one of him runs and the crowd lifts, as does the team.

Where he lacks is defence... but like I say... You need to know when to use him... and when you are in the middle of the 4 or 5 sets of pressure... you don't bring him on when you don't have possession. That's what Salford seemed to do... we'd bring him on to defend when we had lost the ball on our own 40... and he'd end up dropping off a tackle because he wasn't fast enough... or could get down low enough to stop the faster players.

Give him a chance... may not set the world on fire as far as top signings go... but judge him on what he can give your team rather that what he can't. Gentle wouldn't have signed him unless he had a plan of how to use him.

He wasn't wanted at Salford and remind me of how good they was back then, what big club could he have possibly attracted?

He will give us some much needed go forward.

I can understand this signing.

Could go either way. Obviously Hull have had a look at him and based their decision on what they've seen. Would imagine it's not a big contract and doesn't affect fed spots so could indeed be the signing of the season if his performances are at SL level. If not then I guess he'll struggle to get a spot in the 17.

The thing I'm most encouraged about is the speed with which the signing has been dismissed by many of the usual suspects plus of course the knowledge-free fans of a local small club. The fact that that has happened vastly increases the chance that this punt will be successful exactly as happened with Ryan McGoldrick. No guarantees obviously but it certainly helps.

I do take your general point but that's just the way all business work nowadays. It's nothing personal.

And RL clubs have, by and large, become just like other businesses. It's a natural consequence of becoming a pro sport.

This huge signing must attract some new support and bring back others who have been lost to the game, season ticket sales will be on the rise!

Yeah, like with Galea. He certainly proved the doubters wrong, eh?

Like I said could go either way. The doubters may be right. Galea was a strange signing as we didn't need a second rower particularly so the gamble on him never really had the reward to match the risk. I know you'd prefer Cookie but I think we need more grunt up front. At least this player in theory could provide that.

I'd imagine our season ticket sales will go up, after a challenge cup final, a play off win, and two victories against that small club across the river this season.

I never disputed the fact that it could go either way, I was responding specifically to your assertion that the signing being unpopular amongst a certain section of our fanbase (and extremely popular with the Rovers fans) somehow increases the chances of the gamble paying off.

I believe that - couldn't give a flying one if you don't.

Rovers have the "my council tax funded" stand though to smash their season sales through the 10k "break even or go into administration" mark.
So in short term we are utterly doomed.

As is your right, but it's an utterly illogical standpoint. For every unpopular signing who has proved the doubters wrong, there's at least one more who hasn't.

He could be a good signing but he's got it all to prove after his spell out of SL.

Time will tell

And still room for Mika because feka will be a dispensation signing

Like me and my theory you can't quantify that claim. Presumably - like mine- it's just a hunch.

And the reason I thought you were against the signing rather than "not disputing it could go either way" was to do with your posts from the other day on the subject.

For example



didn't seem to position you in the 50/50 camp.

Anyway - time will tell I suppose.