league express today

[havenchamps2005]

it says neil baynes has got a month to get himself fit  and wont be up for selection if he does not get fit his situation will be reviewed at whitehaven
it also says david seeds equires a hernia op and fats gets his bone graft on his arm tommorrow and will be back around may
dr also said after yesterdays game aaron smith will play in the academy game on saturday because he has had no pre season matches so he wont be playing against workington

[Mancunian Marra]

Baynes should be released if he cannot get himself fit. Losing Fats is a big blow again. Maybe we should use the money saved on Leafa and Baynes to re-sign Tandy. Yes he is an expensive player, but this year and next are our last chances to gain automatic promotion, so although i'm not saying bankrupt the club, we must show some ambition. Alternatively to provide a solution why not re-sign Cox from Workington. He seems to be back to his pre-accident best, and Rotherham knows him from his time at Broncos. By all accounts, Deans won't be back anytime soon, if at all. So realistically we are 3 Props and a Second Row down on last year. I know we've got the youngsters and Ford was very very good yesterday, but we need some experienced depth whom can push for a starting berth and keep the lads who are starting on their toes. As I said before we've potentially only got this season and next left to gain promotion.

Regarding Seeds, his leadership skills will be heavily missed, but in Jackson, Eilbeck, and the McAvoy brothers we've got enough to cover until Seeds is back.

On the subject of yesterday, Jacko was outstanding he's really come on leaps in the off season with his off-loads, could be one of the best props in NL1 this season. Also, think he should be giving more kicking duties, got a much better range on him than Rudd.

[rdc]

There's no way you can justify paying what Tandy wants just to sign him for another season.  Not only would it cost too much but it would undermine the team ethic by having one player on that amount of money.

[Mancunian Marra]

Two more chances for promotion, that's it.

Next season it will be do or die for a lot of clubs. If you think the market is silly this season, just wait till next season.

Haven must target this season for promotion, and therefore take some chances.

Would welcome any sugguestions you have RDC.

[rdc]

There really isn't much point in panic-buying - what if we are held up on the stadium front and can't go up this season for the second time?  20 - 30 grand wasted on a player who will soon be off again afterwards, that's what. 

The franchise system isn't the end of the world for us, if we put together a decent application and get the ground sorted out then the SL dream could still happen.  After all, our part of the world isn't represented by a SL team yet, even though we have a strong enough local player base to support a decent squad.

Either way, you have to accept we're just a small club really and even if we were in SL we'd probably be punching above our weight, so thinking that we must be in Super League at whatever cost is only going to end in disappointment.

[Mancunian Marra]

I would hardly call Ryan Tandy a panic-buy, he is a known quantity and genuine class at NL1 level. He is the sort of impact, consistent player we need to help get us to the grand final and beyond.

Regarding the stadium, we must all trust our BOD to get the Railway End sorted before June. If we wait until then on the squad front, we could be fighting an up-hill battle.

As for the francise system, Doncaster seem to have been almost guaranteed a place, along with a second team in France. Also Dublin and Edinburgh or Glasgow are on the RFL hitlist, together with South Wales. They will never give up on London, so that leaves Cumbria as the poor relations AGAIN.

Our one great hope is to get promoted and proove to the RFL that Cumbria is deserving of a Super League team.

Once the carrot of promotion is removed, attendances will plummet. Yes you have the die-hard fans, and I am one of them who will go to every game, but the casual fans who turn out for the big games at the business end of the season will drift off and if there is no new blood in younger fans attending the game, Havens gates will gradually fall away which has the knock-on effect of budgets for players etc etc.

So lets all get behind the team, give the BOD encouragement regarding the Stadium, push for new players who can added to the squad, not just signing someone for the sake of it, get promoted and stick two fingers up at the RFL and people like Mo at Wigan who think Cumbria is insignificant.

[havenchamps2005]

i wouldnt sign tandy
if anything id look into trying to bring the young bradford lad on loan who was wanted by dewsbury i think his name is anthony tonks he rejected  a loan move to dewsbury maybe we could tempt him up and he wouldnt be the only one travelling from yorkshire aaron smith would be travelling with him its worth a shot

my selection for next week would be

1 broadbent
2 calvert
3 scott mcavoy
4 rob jackson
5 lebbon
6 rudd
7 duffy
8 trindall
9 sice
10 marc jackson
11 miller
12 wright
13 lester

14 mattinson
15 hill
16 teare
17 ford

[Mancunian Marra]

Has this Tonks played any first team games. We've got enough u-21s already on the books, as i've said before it's experience we're after, not potential.

[havenchamps2005]

played a few super league games last year tipped to be the next stuart fielden they rate him and sam burgess as the next fieldens and peacocks

[Mancunian Marra]

Over to DR & BOD then!

[havenchamps2005]

id love to see tonks pulling the haven jersey on

[haven07]

Baynes should be released if he cannot get himself fit. Losing Fats is a big blow again. Maybe we should use the money saved on Leafa and Baynes to re-sign Tandy. Yes he is an expensive player, but this year and next are our last chances to gain automatic promotion, so although i'm not saying bankrupt the club, we must show some ambition. Alternatively to provide a solution why not re-sign Cox from Workington. He seems to be back to his pre-accident best, and Rotherham knows him from his time at Broncos. By all accounts, Deans won't be back anytime soon, if at all. So realistically we are 3 Props and a Second Row down on last year. I know we've got the youngsters and Ford was very very good yesterday, but we need some experienced depth whom can push for a starting berth and keep the lads who are starting on their toes. As I said before we've potentially only got this season and next left to gain promotion.

Regarding Seeds, his leadership skills will be heavily missed, but in Jackson, Eilbeck, and the McAvoy brothers we've got enough to cover until Seeds is back.

On the subject of yesterday, Jacko was outstanding he's really come on leaps in the off season with his off-loads, could be one of the best props in NL1 this season. Also, think he should be giving more kicking duties, got a much better range on him than Rudd.

[haven07]

we also have academy lads as back up for David seeds.young dan smith played in centre last week at barrow scoring a try and making some good tackles.

[rdc]

As for the francise system, Doncaster seem to have been almost guaranteed a place, along with a second team in France. Also Dublin and Edinburgh or Glasgow are on the RFL hitlist, together with South Wales. They will never give up on London, so that leaves Cumbria as the poor relations AGAIN.

Doncaster's application will depend on them getting decent crowds (which they aren't at the moment) and having a squad that can compete at the top of NL1 over the next two seasons, so I don't think by any means they're guaranteed a place. 

A second team in France has not been guaranteed at all, in fact I think it's really unlikely we'll see one in 2009 - basically it's too soon yet and the RFL will want to see how Les Catalans fare (not too good so far).   

As for Dublin, Edinburgh or Glasgow being on the RFL "hitlist" - don't be so ridiculous. 

Celtic Crusaders (South Wales) will need to establish themselves in the National Leagues before they get accepted - again, 2009 is too soon..

Our one great hope is to get promoted and proove to the RFL that Cumbria is deserving of a Super League team.

What, by flopping like Leigh did? (Leigh's hopes of a franchise don't look too strong, do they?)

Once the carrot of promotion is removed, attendances will plummet. Yes you have the die-hard fans, and I am one of them who will go to every game, but the casual fans who turn out for the big games at the business end of the season will drift off and if there is no new blood in younger fans attending the game, Havens gates will gradually fall away which has the knock-on effect of budgets for players etc etc.

This is true, and why I'm not in favour of it either.  But it looks like the RFL have made up their minds unfortunately.

[mr hopefull]

on the subject of baines,,,,,even though we could do without loosing a forward,,,,,c'mon this guy has had more chances than enough to prove his fittness,,,,wether we sign anyone else or not, we may aswell save the money that he's getting off us..be honest a couple of times he's shown what he can do,but other than that,, i'm afraid it would ADIOS if i were in charege down there