Quote el red="el red"You will stay in Super League after the Middle 8's but that will be papering over the cracks. You have had to win only 3 games to get to the Semi Final which just goes to show that the Cup run is as much about luck as ability. I believe Catalan also made the Semi in 2010 when they finished bottom, by coincidence they also played Warrington in their Semi and got flogged. You are no further on than 2010 other than you've spent shed loads on average players. You wasted the licensing period when money should have been spent improving facilities and the youth section of the club. Just think where you could be if you'd spent hundreds of thousands in these areas over the last 6 years instead of hovering around 8th spot in the table whilst spending up to cap every year.'"
Not wanting to bite being unable to withhold I'll go for it.
I'm not sure of your club allegiances or agenda for spouting tripe so I'll do this on a purely neutral perspective.
I'd say that dropping into the middle 8's will not paper over the cracks it'll highlight the fact we didn't deserve to be in the top 8. Struggling into the top 8 would have papered over the cracks and more than likely seen us getting stuffed week in week out in a competition that we had no chance of doing anything other than just making up the numbers.
Stating we only play 3 games to get into the semi is as inane as saying you only won 5 games to win the cup!!! I'd agree if we'd played 3 championship sides to get to the semi but we had the team sat 2nd in the championship, the current holders and a current top 8 SL side, so I think we've earned the semi. Will we win the semi? We've certainly got more chance than any team not in it.
Have we moved on since 2010? I agree we should have spent money on facilities, oh wait is that a new stand I see? This year we have more academy products playing, playing a better style of rugby but like a hell of a lot of clubs seem to be unable to play away from home (Wigan, Widnes, Catalan even Cas to some extent) and lets be honest are we on our own in not moving on since 2010.
Wakefield
Salford
Widnes
Hull
Catalans
and even Wire are showing signs of being on a downward trajectory over the last couple of years.
With the exception of Leeds, Saints and Castleford I'd say most fans (I'll include Wigan in this as well) are disillusioned with the state of their clubs and the direction they are heading.
I still think our coaching / mentality needs work, should Chester be sacked? probably not just yet all coaches need time. Is poaching up to the job of defence coach, that's maybe a review that's needed.