I make Widnes favouites.....

[Harry Stottle]

........ to win promotion next season. Announced yesterday that they will be keeping most of the squad and remaining full time, TWP favouites to drop for me unless there is a big clear out and substantial cash injection to improve the playing roster.

PS I may be being a bit previous in suggesting TWP will win promotion, whoever replaces Widnes I think the same will apply.

[Man of Kent]

11 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

TWP favouites to drop for me unless there is a big clear out and substantial cash injection to improve the playing roster

You’ve done it now

[Lobbygobbler]

12 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

........ to win promotion next season. Announced yesterday that they will be keeping most of the squad and remaining full time, TWP favouites to drop for me unless there is a big clear out and substantial cash injection to improve the playing roster.

PS I may be being a bit previous in suggesting TWP will win promotion, whoever replaces Widnes I think the same will apply.

Whoever replaces Widnes will stay up. Much harder to go down under 1up/down. 

Wouldnt be suprised if Widnes get better crowds next year if they do well. Could rejuvinate them - Looking forward to playing Leigh

I would love it if Wakey or Shudds went down next

[Eleftherios]

6 minutes ago, Lobbygobbler said:

Whoever replaces Widnes will stay up. Much harder to go down under 1up/down. 

Wouldnt be suprised if Widnes get better crowds next year if they do well. Could rejuvinate them - Looking forward to playing Leigh

I would love it if Wakey or Shudds went down next

Must really stick in your throat that Trinity are playing well then. They will not go down next year. 

[Harry Stottle]

18 minutes ago, Lobbygobbler said:

Whoever replaces Widnes will stay up. Much harder to go down under 1up/down. 

Wouldnt be suprised if Widnes get better crowds next year if they do well. Could rejuvinate them - Looking forward to playing Leigh

I would love it if Wakey or Shudds went down next

I am waiting patiently for the third big club - they say everthing comes in three's - to follow Leeds and Warrington in the struggling zone, but no one will care excepting that club's fans if it should happen, because all the focus will be on the top of the division not the bottom, now they have got rid of that obstacle, it would be sweet!

[David Shepherd]

23 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

........ to win promotion next season. Announced yesterday that they will be keeping most of the squad and remaining full time, TWP favouites to drop for me unless there is a big clear out and substantial cash injection to improve the playing roster.

PS I may be being a bit previous in suggesting TWP will win promotion, whoever replaces Widnes I think the same will apply.

Good news that they're keeping the core of the squad.

They've been less than ordinary all year and shouldn't give the top 6 champ sides much bother.

[davet]

22 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

........ to win promotion next season. Announced yesterday that they will be keeping most of the squad and remaining full time,

A hell of a lot will happen between now and the start of next season so it may well be a bit premature to make that statement.

Yes the club "would like" to keep most of the current playing rosta, but how many of that will actually stay??

What Widnes need to do first is make a strong coaching appointment, as i personally can't see how they can keep Cummins in charge. And the longer that they leave this the more chance of players leaving will happen and also potential targets getting signed by other clubs.

[Harry Stottle]

1 minute ago, Eleftherios said:

Must really stick in your throat that Trinity are playing well then. They will not go down next year. 

I would not want Wakey to go down, if I am still to be a TV viewer next season, they are one of the few entertaining teams to watch.

[Oliver Clothesoff]

They’re keeping most of their squad? I’d be devastated as a Widnes fan if that’s the case. Barring a handful of their kids, I’d want shot of most of their squad. 

[davet]

11 minutes ago, Lobbygobbler said:

Much harder to go down under 1up/down.

Agreed.

On current basis it could be anyone of KR, Salford or whoever is promoted this year.

But as per my previous post it is way to early to make any sort of predictions.

[Harry Stottle]

2 minutes ago, davet said:

A hell of a lot will happen between now and the start of next season so it may well be a bit premature to make that statement.

Yes the club "would like" to keep most of the current playing rosta, but how many of that will actually stay??

What Widnes need to do first is make a strong coaching appointment, as i personally can't see how they can keep Cummins in charge. And the longer that they leave this the more chance of players leaving will happen and also potential targets getting signed by other clubs.

My statement was that I hope they keep most of their squad, get rid of the ancient and under performer's, and replace them with some leaders and organizers, keeping the core and the promising lads coming through they will be a force in the Championship.

[Spidey]

56 minutes ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

They’re keeping most of their squad? I’d be devastated as a Widnes fan if that’s the case. Barring a handful of their kids, I’d want shot of most of their squad. 

Quite, here’s the story:

http://www.widnesvikings.co.uk/news/article/55029/updated-widnes-vikings-statement

It doesn’t explicitly say that Widnes are keeping the same squad. Mix of retaining our home grown players, but also implies won’t stand in way of players who want to play in SL

[Rage]

1 hour ago, davet said:

A hell of a lot will happen between now and the start of next season so it may well be a bit premature to make that statement.

Yes the club "would like" to keep most of the current playing rosta, but how many of that will actually stay??

What Widnes need to do first is make a strong coaching appointment, as i personally can't see how they can keep Cummins in charge. And the longer that they leave this the more chance of players leaving will happen and also potential targets getting signed by other clubs.

"What Widnes need to do first is make a strong coaching appointment"

Brian McDermott?

[chuffer]

I'm hoping most of the seniors will leave, I think a few were due to be retiring etc anyway. As it happens, my little brother went to view a house of one of the players who is putting it up for sale as he's not sure what's going on next season with his contract, but I thought that this player was going "back home" anyway next year.

I disagree with "There is also a core group of senior players who show real pride, dedication and commitment in representing this club, and we also aim to retain this talent". I am struggling to think of anyone I would want to keep other than maybe Mellor and White

However, I do agree that "we want to retain the talented home-grown players that we have spent years nurturing and developing, who we believe can be the spine of this club for years to come". 

[Tommygilf]

Hasn't Anthony Gelling signed for Widnes next season?

[chuffer]

lol

[Lewis]

A lot of dust to settle before 2019 season kicks off. I’m not sure Widnes fans will be too confident about next year just yet. Things haven’t been right at the club for a couple of years and it will take a big effort to turn it around. 

Its a shame that Leigh missed out on the 4. They made great strides as a club in the previous 3 years. I’m interested to see the funding allocation for the championship confirmed for next year because if it’s evenly distributed, I wonder if Derek Beaumont will give it another go? He won’t need to put as much of his own cash in under 1 up 1 down (unless Toronto or HKR are in it).

[Oliver Clothesoff]

22 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Hasn't Anthony Gelling signed for Widnes next season?

Reeks of a move to Toronto. 

[Bob8]

2 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

........ to win promotion next season. Announced yesterday that they will be keeping most of the squad and remaining full time, TWP favouites to drop for me unless there is a big clear out and substantial cash injection to improve the playing roster.

PS I may be being a bit previous in suggesting TWP will win promotion, whoever replaces Widnes I think the same will apply.

It will be interesting to see how TWP do.  

Recruitment so far can work on the basis of throwing enough money.  Now, they have to tempt some of a much smaller pool of top class players to live in two places, Toronto and Manchester.  It is a bigger challenge.

[Tommygilf]

14 minutes ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

Reeks of a move to Toronto. 

I agree there's potential there.

[The Future is League]

2 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

........ to win promotion next season. Announced yesterday that they will be keeping most of the squad and remaining full time, TWP favouites to drop for me unless there is a big clear out and substantial cash injection to improve the playing roster.

PS I may be being a bit previous in suggesting TWP will win promotion, whoever replaces Widnes I think the same will apply.

I would suggest that possibly they might lose 2 or 3 of their better young players to Super League clubs. The same might happen to London as well if they don't get promoted.

[The Phantom Horseman]

Widnes beat Halifax 26-12, lost very narrowly to London and were competitive against Toronto, and will be getting a massive chunk of money via the parachute payment. People assume they will not find it easy in the Championship because Widnes seem to get more stuff wrong than right lately, and they could prove correct in that and they might be another Leigh, but getting maybe 900k-£1m in central funding when some of your main rivals for a top 5 place are on less than 250k central funding is a massive advantage whichever way you look at it, and an unfair one in my opinion.

[Southerner80]

3 hours ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

They’re keeping most of their squad? I’d be devastated as a Widnes fan if that’s the case. Barring a handful of their kids, I’d want shot of most of their squad. 

I wonder if they had got Hastings instead of Finn for the 8s would they be sitting on 3 wins now? 

I feel they will be right up there in the Championship as long as they get in half backs and make sure Gelling comes. 

The team isn't that bad, just can't close out games. 

Some kids to replace older retiring players however the bulk of the squad is okay. Just needs a good young OZ coach to work their magic with em. 

[Oliver Clothesoff]

13 minutes ago, Southerner80 said:

I wonder if they had got Hastings instead of Finn for the 8s would they be sitting on 3 wins now? 

I feel they will be right up there in the Championship as long as they get in half backs and make sure Gelling comes. 

The team isn't that bad, just can't close out games. 

Some kids to replace older retiring players however the bulk of the squad is okay. Just needs a good young OZ coach to work their magic with em. 

They probably will be right up there due to their circumstances financially. 

That said, their squad, or should I say their senior players, are laughably poor and I’d want all/most out the door. 

There’s a handful of decent kids there but they need to be supplemented with decent senior pros. 

An Australian coach isn’t always necessary. There’s English coaches out there with a good record. James Ford is one I can think of. 

[Spidey]

2 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

Hasn't Anthony Gelling signed for Widnes next season?

By all accounts it’s an either division contract so if he does move on Widnes would be entitled to a transfer fee