Sir Andrew Farrell

[DaiJones]

Name me someone in another sport in Britain who has been as consistently excellent as our skipper for eleven years and if you do think of one, tell me if he has played in as physically demanding a sport as rugby league and has the sheer all round ability to master virtually every facet of his game. Faz is simply a legend and like so many other great league stars it is simply scandalous that he fails to get the recognition he warrants nationwide.I played against him several times as a schoolboy and he was basically the finished article at 14 despite playing in a poor school side, he started out as a big bulky wide running second row in the first team when he wasn't needed as a playmaker, but since the break up of our team of all talents in the mid Nineties I have lost count of the number of times he has won us a game when it appeared we were going to lose through sheer ability, versatility and force of personality. I can't believe anyone else is even being considered for Man of Steel, let alone GB skipper.

Whilst I've got a few minutes spare, have to say we were superb on Saturday and I thoroughly enjoyed the game. Luke Robinson was outstanding which perturbs me, Dallas appears to be injured as he failed to run one in when clear for about the third time in recent weeks and didn't we defend well? Particularly Dallas and Orr. Enjoyed the contre temps between Orr and Faz under the posts for sheer comedy value as well.

Equally, whilst watching the highlights on Grandstand yesterday have to say for fear of sounding boring isn't it time we got shut of Ray French for the good of rugby league? We've had 25 years or so of harking back to the past, "Ooooh has he got the pace" in a high pitched Saints accent and the attempts to disguise his bias during a derby, it is surely time we gave someone the mike who actually makes rugby league sound like a real sport rather than greyhound racing. There was a great moment yesterday when he was describing Faz scoring in a doleful, resigned way when he suddenly realised he should be impartial and exploded into frenzied Jonathan Pearce style hysteria about ten seconds after the ball had been touched down. Jonathan Davies is of course, a god and rumour has it, at the age of 41, is about to threaten Brian Jacks' thought to be unbeatable record on BBC's Superstars...

[Fraggle]

DaiJones posted:
Equally, whilst watching the highlights on Grandstand yesterday have to say for fear of sounding boring isn't it time we got shut of Ray French for the good of rugby league? We've had 25 years or so of harking back to the past, "Ooooh has he got the pace" in a high pitched Saints accent and the attempts to disguise his bias during a derby, it is surely time we gave someone the mike who actually makes rugby league sound like a real sport rather than greyhound racing. There was a great moment yesterday when he was describing Faz scoring in a doleful, resigned way when he suddenly realised he should be impartial and exploded into frenzied Jonathan Pearce style hysteria about ten seconds after the ball had been touched down. Jonathan Davies is of course, a god and rumour has it, at the age of 41, is about to threaten Brian Jacks' thought to be unbeatable record on BBC's Superstars...

Ray French has got to go. For all the criticism of Stevo and his biased, hysterical ramblings (I've not seen the video but I bet he was calling for a drop-goal when Skints were 6-0 up!), I'd much rather listen to 6 hours of him instead of 10 minutes of Ray French. He keeps telling us the game has changed since he played, but the days of the Northern Union are so long ago nobody has any interest in what he has to say. Even though it's 30 years or more since Stevo's era, French is very much from the past and he has become totally irrelevant in the modern game. I don't know what his ramblings are like in the paper which isn't Rugby Leaguer and League Express, but I'm firmly of the belief he needs pensioning off along with Larry Grayson/Harry Graition/whatever he's called. We get little enough coverage on "normal" telly without idiots like these getting in the way of us attracting neutrals to the sport.

[silver surfer]

but I'm firmly of the belief he needs pensioning off along with Larry Grayson/Harry Graition/whatever he's called

I think we can include Keith Macklin in with that illustrious company Although thankfully he usually only does League one.

[ian.birchall]

SilverSurfer, I'm surprised that you want to get rid of Keith Macklin, he must be the same generation as you.

[ian.birchall]

DaiJones posted[quote]:
I played against him (Andy Farrell) several times as a schoolboy
Now I know why you've moved away from Wigan

[DaiJones]

Exactly Ian. I still literally have the scars! It's much safer playing social Union down here in the capital where I only have to make one tackle a season (I think it's coming up two weeks on Saturday)

Whilst we're wielding the hatchet at the RL media I have to aim a couple of blows in the direction of GMR's Jack Dearden. He's a nice man, but I've never rated him since sitting in the press box at Central Park hearing him constantly refer to Inga the Winger (as he was that season) as Tu'agla Kumlamara

[ian.birchall]

DaiJones, but as I have just again sat through the video of the Sky match coverage followed by The Superleague Show followed by the highlights on BBC2 yesterday I have to say that the enthusiasm in Jonathan Davies's voice at Kris Radlinskis tackle on Higham was the highlight of all the coverage, he really did enjoy that tackle didn't he.

[DaiJones]

Jiffy is a man apart, such a shame he never wore the cherry and white or whatever colour we were when we had that ridiculous warrior face on our shirts...

[kt4ever_1]

There is only one commentator (cant spell) out there who isnt biased and knows what they are on about, and that my friends, is the one and only phil clarke!

[MrsLam]

I've been on this computer all day so forgive the blondeness but...you are extracting the urine about Clarke arent you?