: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:00 pm  

JB Down Under wrote:

We haven't brought any average imports in this season!

you have 10 when you should have had 8, there is no need for it

yeh great idea, finish bottom, lose our franchise for being non competitve and see our fanbase fall as fans get ticked off at watching an uncompetitve team, don't give up your day job!

so somebody else has to finish bottom eh? somebody maybe playing by the rules or without all the benefits of being in the heartlands? their fans can get ticked off watching an uncompetitive team but thats ok for some unknown reason!

and anyway who said anything about finishing bottom and being uncompetitive, only an idiot would get close to thinking i have said get rid of all your imports

Stan is one exception I am happy we made. He is a crowd pleaser and brings alot more to the club than just his (still considerable) playing ability. Now if you'd have named Lovegrove you'd have had a fair point.

theres always an exception, but why not drop lovegrove? why not Aizue? why not both? why not Ben Fisher too? you do that and replace them with british players and your ahead of where the quota rules were

Probably as we have a number of english youngsters in teh squad that we will be testing this season. You can only carry so many "possibles" in a squad.

But you needed Lovegrove, Aizue, Fisher and Fitzhenry?

I am sure like all clubs we are scouting, real talent is very rare at amateur level by the time they reach 19+

Hall was there, why not look at RU, Leeds picked up Worrall from there, There are players like Danny Williams who has gone to Newcastle why not give him a shot?

Which we have been doing now we are in a position where A) we can afford it B) we can keep kids we do find and C) we can attract the top kids with the lure of a FT career

really? got any examples you would like to share?

Nor are they at most clubs, majority of clubs are carrying "average" overseas players, sad reflection in the failure of 12 years of SL money wouldn't you say?

at some clubs yeah, some clubs should be embarrassed with what they have put in youth development, but that doesnt excuse HKR,

We have been promoted, stayed up, improved our league position and ,hopefully, will make the playoffs. Not bad for a bunch of no hope old timers! I think I'll trust our coach on if his squad selection is counter productive to us having on field success, which lets be honest is what 99% of us are interested in.

well you can carry on trusting him, but that squad isnt going to win anything, and nor will it until you have a strong youth development not only to fill your first team squad but to provide depth aswell, something HKR are very much lacking

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:01 pm  

You're getting boring Smokey.

If only everything was as straight forward as you say, eh?

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:07 pm  

Hollywood Harrigan wrote:

And out of the 14 mentioned Leeds trained first team players 5 or 6 of them (not sure on Allan) are not Leeds born.

Allan is from York.

[Mild Rover]

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:12 pm  

JB Down Under wrote:

Have you any idea what HKR's junior developemnt programmes have been like over the last 2 years? No? Thought not! Get a clue matey before spouting drivel. We have a good programme, we are signing some decent kids up and we are starting to see kids being brought through to the first team squad. Come back in 2-3 years and if we are still in this position then I'll join you in condeming us. Until then leave alone what you don't understand!

Smokey won't be won over. All those years of NL penury are meaningless to him - we should have focussed more on producing the the odd Jon Wilkin for SL teams to poach, rather than worrying about getting there ourselves. Rovers' progress (promotion, survival and climbing to seventh are progress, even if he tries to quibble about 'success') is not a foundation on which a decent youth policy can now be built, apparently - he'll insist we have got it back to front.
Now he wants us to fill the team with youngsters and be rubbish for a couple of years (because that won't knock their confidence!). You'd almost think he wished us ill.

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:15 pm  

JB Down Under wrote:

Have you any idea what HKR's junior developemnt programmes have been like over the last 2 years? No? Thought not! Get a clue matey before spouting drivel. We have a good programme, we are signing some decent kids up and we are starting to see kids being brought through to the first team squad. Come back in 2-3 years and if we are still in this position then I'll join you in condeming us. Until then leave alone what you don't understand!

if that is the case, why do you need Lovegrove, Aizue, Gene, and Fisher, there are players as good if not better in the national leagues, surely these decent youngsters your bringing through have more potential than that?

in 3 years time you will have been in SL for 6 years, it doesnt take 6 years to start bringing through british talent,

but you keep on making excuses, ill keep watching teams filled with british talent contest finals,

here are some stats for you the last 2 SL grand finals, has included 10 different overseas players, your team this year has 10

this year your squad contains more Leeds academy products, and more Hull FC academy products than Hull KR academy products,

they can and should do more, but wont until they are forced, which is why the rules need to change, so clubs see the benefits of investing in youth, but also the downsides of not

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:19 pm  

Mild Rover wrote:

Smokey won't be won over. All those years of NL penury are meaningless to him - we should have focussed more on producing the the odd Jon Wilkin for SL teams to poach, rather than worrying about getting there ourselves. Rovers' progress (promotion, survival and climbing to seventh are progress, even if he tries to quibble about 'success') is not a foundation on which a decent youth policy can now be built, apparently - he'll insist we have got it back to front.
Now he wants us to fill the team with youngsters and be rubbish for a couple of years (because that won't knock their confidence!). You'd almost think he wished us ill.

when have i said you needed to fill your squad with youngsters and be rubbish? Beswick is no worse than Fisher, give Danny Williams a shot and get rid of Fitzhenry, then your down to the 8 you should have been

i said you should give more of them a chance, and if that means missing out on the play-offs or even finishing bottom (someone has to) then you will benefit from it in the long run

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:23 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

if that is the case, why do you need Lovegrove, Aizue, Gene, and Fisher, there are players as good if not better in the national leagues, surely these decent youngsters your bringing through have more potential than that?

in 3 years time you will have been in SL for 6 years, it doesnt take 6 years to start bringing through british talent,

but you keep on making excuses, ill keep watching teams filled with british talent contest finals,

here are some stats for you the last 2 SL grand finals, has included 10 different overseas players, your team this year has 10

this year your squad contains more Leeds academy products, and more Hull FC academy products than Hull KR academy products,

they can and should do more, but wont until they are forced, which is why the rules need to change, so clubs see the benefits of investing in youth, but also the downsides of not

What's bad about that? Surely giving these disgarded products of other clubs' academies is a good thing? Or is this you spinning it negative, as usual?

The only thing I'm struggling with is why you care so much about our club?

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:25 pm  

j_hunter_hkr wrote:

The only thing I'm struggling with is why you care so much about our club?

its not just about your club, i think Hull KR are simply the team he is discussing, he could likely have the same discussion about a number of teams in SL.

as to why he is having the argument, it effects us all in a round about way when we begin talking about our international game.

perhaps that is why, i dont know for sure though?

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:27 pm  

j_hunter_hkr wrote:

What's bad about that? Surely giving these disgarded products of other clubs' academies is a good thing? Or is this you spinning it negative, as usual?

The only thing I'm struggling with is why you care so much about our club?

of course its a negative, what kind of crazy fool wouldnt think that

Hull KR should have more ambition if they are to be an SL side than being a the home of players not good enough for Leeds, they should be bringing through players better than that themselves, it isnt up to Leeds to build you a squad with their cast offs.

how on earth do expect to challenge leeds with a team of 17 including 5 players not good enough to be there?

: Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:28 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

of course its a negative, what kind of crazy fool wouldnt think that

Hull KR should have more ambition if they are to be an SL side than being a the home of players not good enough for Leeds, they should be bringing through players better than that themselves, it isnt up to Leeds to build you a squad with their cast offs.

how on earth do expect to challenge leeds with a team of 17 including 5 players not good enough to be there?

in fairness to HKR, they arent the only team with ex Leeds academy in.

Hull FC have a fair number too.

Just as Huddersfield have a fair number of ex Wigan academy players not deemed good enough.