Recruitment - where does the buck stop? : Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:11 pm  

For the last 2 years our recruitment has been very questionable and i'd like to know, as a fan and a season ticket holder (who's pennies are used towards funding scouting and player signings) who is held responsible for our recent decisions? I get the odd signing doesnt work out, but we seem to be making a habit of it!

Bailey - Lasted 1 year
Cox - Lasted 1 year
Sandow - Lasted 1 year and head coach "not surprised" and seemingly not arsed except for the timing.
Asotasi - Pants
Lineham - signed and dropped for most of the year
Wheeler - re-signed a contract despite missing most of the season, played 4 matches and then crocked again
England - Left mid contract
Monaghan - left with a year to go


Not to mention the players who have left under a cloud, Brett H, Paul Wood, Micky Higham.

We are now about to sign a 32 year old half back as a solution to our "marquee" signing walking out on us.

Does anyone have any insight in to what has happened in the last few years? Is it Smith's seemingly invincible status that's led to errors/complacency?

Re: Recruitment - where does the buck stop? : Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:50 pm  

Very valid question and definately worth discussion, but you do realise if you question Tony Smith on here you'll be told you know nothing by a few posters on this board..

Re: Recruitment - where does the buck stop? : Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:56 pm  

BTW Philth you missed Dodds !

Believe it or not ,i can remember being at school & in maths one of the regular tasks was to find common denominators. I know your puzzle is a lot more complicated than what was on the school blackboard ,but somehow it seemed easier to solve.

Re: Recruitment - where does the buck stop? : Wed Nov 30, 2016 8:03 pm  

I'll bite but just so I don't upset the sensitive souls on here can you firstly clarify how many years back two years goes? Secondly for comparison purposes whose recruitment over the two years period is considered to have been better than multi-finalists, table-topping Warrington's?

Re: Recruitment - where does the buck stop? : Wed Nov 30, 2016 8:20 pm  

I let Dodds off because you cant compensate for double leg fractures. If it was his knee bust again trust me, he'd be on the list

Paul - I guess looking at other clubs adds context to the situation and i must admit i'm not au fait with every other clubs signings and departures over the past few seasons. Though I know if i make mistakes in business, i wouldn't take solace in the fact that other people are making mistakes too, i'd want to focus on my own performance and get things right, firstly by performing a bit of root cause analysis.

Re: Recruitment - where does the buck stop? : Wed Nov 30, 2016 8:23 pm  

Philth wrote:

For the last 2 years our recruitment has been very questionable and i'd like to know, as a fan and a season ticket holder (who's pennies are used towards funding scouting and player signings) who is held responsible for our recent decisions? I get the odd signing doesnt work out, but we seem to be making a habit of it!

Bailey - Lasted 1 year
Cox - Lasted 1 year
Sandow - Lasted 1 year and head coach "not surprised" and seemingly not arsed except for the timing.
Asotasi - Pants
Lineham - signed and dropped for most of the year
Wheeler - re-signed a contract despite missing most of the season, played 4 matches and then crocked again
England - Left mid contract
Monaghan - left with a year to go


Not to mention the players who have left under a cloud, Brett H, Paul Wood, Micky Higham.

We are now about to sign a 32 year old half back as a solution to our "marquee" signing walking out on us.

Does anyone have any insight in to what has happened in the last few years? Is it Smith's seemingly invincible status that's led to errors/complacency?

Unless you know the cap value of some of these, it would be difficult to say if they were all poor.

Cox & Bailey did a job for us last year, and by all accounts were paid peanuts. I've no idea what Baileys influence was like off the field, but I wouldn't have them down as poor signings as they weren't on that much. They were signed to be our 5/6th choice props.
Asotasi - agreed, our worst signing in a decade at least.
Lineham - Remains a work in progress.
Wheeler - Was paid peanuts
England - was signed as a back up prop. Don't really see the issue.
Monas - A great signing for us. He probably agreed to a smaller salary for a longer contract.

With the exception of Asotasi & Monas, the others were signed to do a job outside of the matchday 17, we can't have out and out quality in these positions, so TS has I think tried to be a bit creative.

He has also signed Chris Hill, Daryl Clark, Joe Westerman, Jack Hughes, Mike Cooper amongst others.

Re: Recruitment - where does the buck stop? : Wed Nov 30, 2016 10:54 pm  

Gidley
Lineham
Russell
Re-signing Penny
Ashton Sims
Daryl Clark
Jack Hughes
Joe Westerman
Brad Dwyer
Dominic Crosby
Andre Savelio
Mike Cooper

Sandow initially was a fantastic signing.

Benjamin Jullien and Matty Blythe can be decent squad players.

Re: Recruitment - where does the buck stop? : Wed Nov 30, 2016 11:01 pm  

Alffi_7 wrote:

Unless you know the cap value of some of these, it would be difficult to say if they were all poor.

Cox & Bailey did a job for us last year, and by all accounts were paid peanuts. I've no idea what Baileys influence was like off the field, but I wouldn't have them down as poor signings as they weren't on that much. They were signed to be our 5/6th choice props.
Asotasi - agreed, our worst signing in a decade at least.
Lineham - Remains a work in progress.
Wheeler - Was paid peanuts
England - was signed as a back up prop. Don't really see the issue.
Monas - A great signing for us. He probably agreed to a smaller salary for a longer contract.

With the exception of Asotasi & Monas, the others were signed to do a job outside of the matchday 17, we can't have out and out quality in these positions, so TS has I think tried to be a bit creative.

He has also signed Chris Hill, Daryl Clark, Joe Westerman, Jack Hughes, Mike Cooper amongst others.

+1, although I do have serious doubts about Lineham.

Re: Recruitment - where does the buck stop? : Thu Dec 01, 2016 12:28 am  

The answer to where the buck stops is obvious. Tony Smith. We can compare hubristically all we like to other sides recruitment, and pat ourselves on the back for signing a few good ones but it doesn't change the fact that with 7 years in charge still the GF eludes us. In that same time Leeds have 3, Wigan have 3 and Saints have 1.

Maybe that's because they plan their recruitment and succession better for the key positions, or can attract better players, or both.

Re: Recruitment - where does the buck stop? : Thu Dec 01, 2016 9:09 am  

I think the last 7 years we've been streaks ahead of Saints, as good as Wigan and not too far behind Leeds.
GF wins should not be the bench mark of how good a team is.
As much as I want to see a GF win because it's a running joke on us, I wouldn't swap any of the CC successes for it.