Top 4 for me, we finished 8th this year and played awfully for most of the season so should be looking at improving more than 2 places. Leigh, Featherstone then us followed by Bradford and Halifax.
Anything less than top six would in my opinion, be a failure for a team of your standing, but, before a ball was kicked, I was expecting you to be in that position, this season.
You've under performed this term (although, not as badly as have we) so missing out on a play-off place again, would be disastrous.
There'll be some decent teams in the middle tier come 2022, with the likes of Leythers, 'Fax, and Fev / Toulouse, meaning there'll be some really tough games for you, but being in the top half dozen is within your capabilities.
Spelly.
Said it a few times now. Top 3 should be the expectation. Top 1 the aim.
There is now way that this club, even despite the events of the last couple of years, should be making up numbers in ANY season. Finishing 5th or 6th for example is simply making up numbers when it comes to the Championship - the teams in those slots are just slightly less bang average than the rest of the teams below.
5th or 6th is also not 'competitive' in my opinion - we are WIDNES, not Batley or teams like those who will never be at the top table. Us and Bradford are still the big clubs in this division and we need to act like it, or we will become like the rest who are sadly just in the process of a long slow demise.
Settling is for upper mid table is NOT an option. Simon Finnigan should be removed if we aren't right towards the top few in this league. Show some ambition.
I agree that we should start the season with the aim of winning every game. Realistically. that will not happen, but a play-off position is a must, with a team capable of winning promotion.
Widnes does not have a right to be top of the Division and it is a bit arrogant to write off other clubs with a long RL tradition. When was the last time that we actually won anything and, excluding the 70s to the 90s, at what time were we considered a big club. I believe that it will be a competitive league next year, with a number of clubs feeling that they have a chance of reaching the play-offs - Toulouse/Featherstone, Leigh, Halifax, Batley, Bradford, Whitehaven, London, York, Newcastle and also Barrow seem to be developing a decent team.
It can only be good for the game to see the likes of Barrow and Whitehaven having some success and maybe Workington coming into the Championship next year from the L1 play-offs; Newcastle growing; and maybe even London looking to establish themselves as a competitive part-time Championship club.
The RFL/SL are probably doing their best to get rid of the L1 clubs and 6 Championship clubs, so that there are less snouts in the Sky money trough, instead of using the central funding to promote the game below SL. That may well be the biggest challenge next year.
I'll give an opinion on that when I see our 2022 squad.
Our squad and the lack of forwards this year just wasn't good enough from the off.
We cannot just expect to be in the play off positions just because of our history and support. We need firstly to assemble a squad capable of getting into the Top 6 than it is up to the coach and players to do the business.
If this year has proved anything it is that you cannot rely on loan signings because that leaves you at the mercy of other people and events out of your control.
Simon Finnegan should be judged on things under his control and he should stand or fall based on his performance under those constraints.
If as expected one of Toulouse or Fev go up , the team left behind alongside Leigh will be seen as the two leading candidates next season . The clubs job is to recruit a squad that can upset that theory . I want us to be highly competitive with those two sides and to be making the play offs with ease and not scrape into the top 6 at 6th , so my wish / hope is 3rd . It remains to be seen if we can recruit that squad.
The Vicar
For me he was the cheap alternative when given the job and I still think the same. I don’t accept “they are not his players” all that is down to the coach to do just that “coach” . we may have had a decent end of the season five wins from six but that means we won three others from sixteen and some very badly. Still always next season is a phase a lot of our supporters are saying with too much hope in their voices.
Correct they are his players.
What, he takes them home and keeps them in a box ?
Whilst they are the club’s players to be accurate, a good question is - would he have bought the players that Sheens went on to buy if Sheens had left, say, two months earlier. He inherited about three or four players who played very few, if any, minutes in the season just gone.
I always get like this in between seasons but I reckon we will do ok next year and finish reasonably comfortably in the top 6.
I think 4th would be realistic and reasonable. I don't think we'd finish top 2 with Wayne Bennett, never mind Simon. I don't think we're as good as the best teams but I think we should be thereabouts with the best of the rest.
I just do not know how anyone can predict where we will finish next year based on the current signings. We have just a dozen or so players signed up. Before anyone can predict a top 6 finish we need to sign 3 more good quality props. For a top 3 finish the props plus a squad of at least 30 players.
I think they used to call it optimism Geoff 😁
I just do not know how anyone can predict where we will finish next year based on the current signings. We have just a dozen or so players signed up. Before anyone can predict a top 6 finish we need to sign 3 more good quality props. For a top 3 finish the props plus a squad of at least 30 players.
We also need a creative scrum half able to manage games otherwise forget a top six finish.
This year I said I hoped we could sneak a playoff place and though we never achieved that, I can reasonably see why based upon our shortage of forwards. Christ, we turned out for one game without a full 17 and then one of them had a cork in his backside! I also understand that restricted attendances in the first half of the season reduced cash available to strengthen mid-season.
But next season we have a coach who has now bonded with his core players and chance to recruit some new blood for the next campaign. As such I think that top 4 is a good target, though in reality is 4th just vanity and s 6th just as valuable? 4th ok, but I’ll take 6th and a good playoff run just the same and a last 16 Challenge Cup run.
we are WIDNES, not Batley or teams like those who will never be at the top table.
That would be the Batley that trounced us, home and away, this season.
It's not 1989, anymore.
Paulie xx
we are WIDNES, not Batley or teams like those who will never be at the top table.
That would be the Batley that trounced us, home and away, this season. It’s not 1989, anymore. Paulie xx
Absolutely Paulie
Northstar, you absolutely correct to are WIDNES but we aren’t very good at the moment.
I’m basing my opinion on us finishing outside the playoff spots for the second division which, itself, does have a very high standard of performance. Currently we are a million miles from the top table.
The only way to improve and to be able to measure how the plans to improve are going is to understand where we are now, not in 1928 or 1975 or 1989 or whatever.
As things stand atm we are collecting a group of fairly local youngish players, most of whom have been through good quality local academy systems, mostly St Helens. This would seem to be in keeping with Tim Sheens logic of looking at late achievers. These may not have the SL 'star' tag but they should be aware of the disciplines needed to perform creditably at Championship level and indeed some have already been noticed and recognised as potential stars.
There may well be players who have chosen not to follow the SL route but chosen a steady job/business supplemented by part time RL. From figures bandied about atm not all SL players are on mega bucks!
What any successful Championship team needs is a consistent standard, not brilliant one week in four. That requires a squad of players which allows the coach to rest players with knocks etc without lowering the team's standard or effectiveness, but maintaining a steady winning progress.
Iirc it was Ned Kelly who said that the bench players should be, if anything, stronger than the 'walk on' side. That puts a fear into the opponent's mind.
We have seen this year that a one team deep squad won't crack it and is vulnerable irrespective of the opposition. Hopefully next year will see an overall stronger squad that gives Simon the resources that any coach needs.