Widnes game.Safety/MPG/Relegation? : Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:27 pm  

Where do you start? What will be our 17? Can we dig deep for one more game? We look a beat up tired team but have the extra few days rest. Sheens quoted as only 16 fit players as it stands.Factor in the other 3 games are televised and all played before our game on Sunday we seem to have an advantage there? It's unbelievable all 4 games aren't at same time but that's RL for you? Reading the Widnes forum their fans are fuming over the team carousing in Toronto after relegation confirmed and they may end up sending a very young side over for our game? What will Leeds put out v Toronto. Salford play a very desperate French side and London could well put a big score on Fax? Not out of question for all 3 Championship sides to win but it's the Leeds game that really matters for us. All three outcomes of Safety MPG or straight Relegation are on the table but both teams 19s on Thursday will tell us a bit more?Then watch the other 3 games and see where we stand come Saturday evening. Nervous times that really should have been avoided

Re: Widnes game.Safety/MPG/Relegation? : Mon Sep 24, 2018 7:28 pm  

The fact that you are playing Widnes makes it very difficult to predict. If you were against a Toronto or Salford or Toulouse you know its going to a be a no holds barred scrap and may the best team win. But against an already relegated Widnes, who knows. They might turn up simply not caring anymore and you might win by 50. On the other hand they might be desperate to end their SL spell on a good note, and with no pressure to win they might put in their performance of the year. I'm just glad we arent involved and I can watch with my feet up as an interested neutral(ish).

Knowing that defeat could see you relegated automatically, would you settle for a home MPG if it was offered now?

Re: Widnes game.Safety/MPG/Relegation? : Mon Sep 24, 2018 7:45 pm  

Mr. Zucchini Head wrote:

The fact that you are playing Widnes makes it very difficult to predict. If you were against a Toronto or Salford or Toulouse you know its going to a be a no holds barred scrap and may the best team win. But against an already relegated Widnes, who knows. They might turn up simply not caring anymore and you might win by 50. On the other hand they might be desperate to end their SL spell on a good note, and with no pressure to win they might put in their performance of the year. I'm just glad we arent involved and I can watch with my feet up as an interested neutral(ish).

Knowing that defeat could see you relegated automatically, would you settle for a home MPG if it was offered now?

To be honest, just like 2016, we're facing our MPG a week early although this time its not so clear cut.

[Mild Rover]

Re: Widnes game.Safety/MPG/Relegation? : Mon Sep 24, 2018 8:28 pm  

Mr. Zucchini Head wrote:

The fact that you are playing Widnes makes it very difficult to predict. If you were against a Toronto or Salford or Toulouse you know its going to a be a no holds barred scrap and may the best team win. But against an already relegated Widnes, who knows. They might turn up simply not caring anymore and you might win by 50. On the other hand they might be desperate to end their SL spell on a good note, and with no pressure to win they might put in their performance of the year. I'm just glad we arent involved and I can watch with my feet up as an interested neutral(ish).

Knowing that defeat could see you relegated automatically, would you settle for a home MPG if it was offered now?

No, I don’t think the odds quite justify it - but I see where you’re coming from. I’m not sure i’d even take it if you guaranteed home advantage. Actually, the way we’re feeling now, as fans, swinging between despondency and frayed nerves, it might not even be an advantage if that were transmitted to the pitch.

It’ll be a relief when it’s over. These last few years of banging on about how 5 wins isn’t necessarily enough to avoid the MPG and that a team could be 6th on 8 points, and now we’re staring down those very barrels. Sickening.

2016, while you could see it coming with increasing inevitability as the season wore on, I think there was a sense of angry determination when it happened, and that helped us bounce back.

This time it feels undeserved - we haven’t stumbled along making one mistake after another, but I fear it’ll be more weary resignation if we go down. Conversely, if we stay up, I think we might be reinvigorated.

Anyhow - next year might be poop, but at very least it’ll be different poop!

Re: Widnes game.Safety/MPG/Relegation? : Mon Sep 24, 2018 8:45 pm  

Wait, didn't the club decide for more 'quantity' over 'quality' in terms of squad depth but can only muster up 16 fit players. Suspicious if you ask me

[Mild Rover]

Re: Widnes game.Safety/MPG/Relegation? : Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:07 pm  

EastHullUTR wrote:

Wait, didn't the club decide for more 'quantity' over 'quality' in terms of squad depth but can only muster up 16 fit players. Suspicious if you ask me

In what way suspicious?

That depth is only reason we’ve got a flickering one.

Re: Widnes game.Safety/MPG/Relegation? : Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:09 pm  

Mild Rover wrote:

No, I don’t think the odds quite justify it - but I see where you’re coming from. I’m not sure i’d even take it if you guaranteed home advantage. Actually, the way we’re feeling now, as fans, swinging between despondency and frayed nerves, it might not even be an advantage if that were transmitted to the pitch.

It’ll be a relief when it’s over. These last few years of banging on about how 5 wins isn’t necessarily enough to avoid the MPG and that a team could be 6th on 8 points, and now we’re staring down those very barrels. Sickening.

2016, while you could see it coming with increasing inevitability as the season wore on, I think there was a sense of angry determination when it happened, and that helped us bounce back.

This time it feels undeserved - we haven’t stumbled along making one mistake after another, but I fear it’ll be more weary resignation if we go down. Conversely, if we stay up, I think we might be reinvigorated.

Anyhow - next year might be poop, but at very least it’ll be different poop!

I won't pretend that I don't enjoy seeing you struggle, but it would be a real injustice if you do go down. As you say, you haven't really done alot wrong this year. This system is exciting, but I wouldnt wish being in it on my worst enemy.

Fwiw if I was to predict what will happen I think you will end up at home against London in the MPG (I think you will beat Widnes but Toronto will turn Leeds over), but you will have too much for them and will survive.

[Mild Rover]

Re: Widnes game.Safety/MPG/Relegation? : Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:32 pm  

Mr. Zucchini Head wrote:

I won't pretend that I don't enjoy seeing you struggle, but it would be a real injustice if you do go down. As you say, you haven't really done alot wrong this year. This system is exciting, but I wouldnt wish being in it on my worst enemy.

Fwiw if I was to predict what will happen I think you will end up at home against London in the MPG (I think you will beat Widnes but Toronto will turn Leeds over), but you will have too much for them and will survive.

When the antipathy turns to pity, that’s when we know we’re in real trouble.

That seems one of the more plausible scenarios.

My predictions for the first three games are:

Salford to beat Toulouse - we’d then be guaranteed MPG at worst.
Toronto Wolfpack to win by just enough against Leeds to put them tantalisingly out of our reach on points difference. That’s the prediction i’m least confident of, but certainly the most important result apart from our own. It’d mean 3rd was probably beyond us, if i’m right.
London to win reasonably comfortably against Halifax, by enough to move ahead of us on points difference before our game.

Our result would then just determine whether we or London hosted the MPG, with the winner determined cortisone and luck.

Re: Widnes game.Safety/MPG/Relegation? : Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:45 pm  

Can’t understand why everyone thinks they Toronto will beat Leeds Leeds aren’t totally safe it’s there last home game they’ll have a full team out and Toronto are average Salford will win Toulouse have lost all there away games think the London Fax game will be closer than people think as for us we’ll either win by 50 or get beat who knows which Rovers team will turn up

Re: Widnes game.Safety/MPG/Relegation? : Mon Sep 24, 2018 10:00 pm  

the reason we are in this precarious position is the same old problem we have had for years .. poor defence it has never really been addressed and tarnishes the good attacking play we sometimes show,there seems to be no middle ground,, we score enough points to win more than we lose but goaline defence is particularly bad, we are capable of winning any game ,but on the otherhand......hence who knows where we will be playing next year