Watto

I don't know if it's rubbish but I heard O'Brien is going back to Warrington and we're getting Declan Patton.

Sorry disagree. We need a general in the halves and I can't see GOB doing that job. Somebody has to take charge of the backs and without Dobson everything seems disjointed.

Carney, as at Warrington, has shown glimpses but that's my disappointment with him, he's not taken over the general's role. Pity really he has the knowledge and skill.

When does Dobson's contract run out?

Gareth never really managed to do it at Warrington, and was sent out on loan to various clubs. The feeling amongst the Warrington fans was that he wasn't quite sharp enough to be a Super League half-back. Salford's decision to move him to full-back was a masterstroke because it allowed him to operate as an extra pivot rather than the main one. Whether the additional experience he now has would make him a better half-back remains to be seen, but I have my doubts. Michael Dobson will be a huge loss to the squad, and to replace him with someone who hasn't played half-back for a long time would, I think, be a massive risk.

Quote from Watto

'I'd rather be where we are than where Warrington & Leigh are'.

How true; we have to pay a price for 4th and semi with a small squad. 1st week off this season.

Reality check but we're safe!

I think everyone would like to be in the position Cas are in, however we should be focusing on the positives of our own season. The top 4 finish and the semi final were a great reward for the hard work the team put in and shows how far we have come since the million pound game. Hopefully the club see it as a stepping stone to push further next year.  

I am sorry to disagree.I don't have a downer on Koucash as you put it.He told a meeting at the start of the season that basically he would not be putting money in we would only be spending what we get from sky and other money generated,thats he's choice.Other teams are recruiting for next season and they don't no where they will be playing.And by the way their his a number of youngsters from the Salford conurbation gone to Wigan Wire and Leigh in the last three months,but none to us.Like you have pointed out to the forum on many occasions we have achieved are goal for this season let's hope we are in the same position this time next year. If we are not we cannot use the argument we had a small squad.

Salford has always had a strange relationship with the amateur game. Thirty-odd years ago, the influx of decent youngsters came towards Salford via Warrington. The Wire academy set-up was so bad that Wire supporting youngsters preferred to trial with Salford. The irony here is that with the appointment of a particularly poor academy coach meant a lot of those youngsters faded out of the game completely. Salford used to rely on some of the older heads at the club to basically do the scouting for them on the fly, without having anyone dedicated or paid to do the job. It seems that little has changed on that front over the years. The fact that we have abandoned the academy and we have yet to build a good reputation for stability means that most youngsters heads are turned in the direction of other clubs. One of the reasons Wigan, Saints, and Leeds have been so good at picking up youngsters is that they always employed proper scouts. Once a club gets a good reputation at bringing youngsters through it becomes a self-perpetuating feature. Hence why Wigan, Saints, and now Wire get the cream of the crop from the amateur game.

I think the trouble with Salford, and it always has been, is the desire for quick fixes instead of putting into place long term goals that will help greatly to what they want to achieve. Not having an Academy at this stage could possibly set us back ten years in development with regards to fostering good relations with local teams, and enticing youngsters to want to play for us.