A look forward to 2016

The start of the 2016 season is not far away and its an important season both on and off the field for Salford Red Devils.
As fans of this great club we have seen a few false dawns come along over the years but it seems Tim Sheens, Ian Watson and Marwan Koukash have got their heads together  and created a squad with a mix of youth, experience, quality and graft which will hopefully break Salfords top 8 voodo.

Graft over craft

As a fan all we ask the players who are lucky enough pull on the red shirt to do is give 100%. To look in the mirror the morning after a game and think they had nothing more to give.  The squad of 2016 i feel will not disappoint in this area.
Certain flair players and big time charlies have departed and been replaced with players with work ethics and a hunger to succeed.
In certain games in the last few seasons we have been out "enthused" and out "fought" or even "out thought"  which resulted in narrow season shaping losses.
With the promise of a super fit team both physical and mentally after a tough pre season the class of 2016 should have enough "juice in the tank" to come out on top against teams who will be competing for a top 8 spot.

All you need is Lui

Rangi Chase left the club and fans like myself wondered who would be the next Merlyn in Salfords Castle and after watching  Robert Lui at Rochdale he has one hand on the cape.
Its still very early in the season but he oozed class every time he touched the ball at Rochdale, his decision making and kicking game was measured and the important thing was it didn't look forced .

Im not a fan of Australian Rugby so I had no prior notice of how good this guy was (apart from a couple of you tube videos ) but providing he stays fit in our Super fit team he could be the Andrew Dunnerman of 2016.

Growing on and off the field

Attracting new fans is always a tough battle off the field for the club, based in a football dominant area surrounded by two of the most successful football clubs its so important Salford are seen to be successful to try and attract new fans.
Trying to branch out the Red Devil "brand" to people of Manchester and surrounding areas will succeed if we as a club are seen to  win more than we lose over a sustained period of time.
The club are in local schools and amateur clubs promoting the club as well which is so important, doing the ground work will pay off in the long run as long as the success comes.

I really hope this season, 2016 is the year the blue touch paper is lit and Salford start to achieve a top 8 finish with a decent cup run on a regular basis and grow into a club that it should be both on and off the field.

Salford Red Devils rollercoaster

The start of the season is always a nervous time for me, I spend my time looking at the fixtures list trying to predict how many points Salford will get this season.

This seasons attempt for a  top 8 will be full of ups and downs, there will be games we expect to win but fail to do so as well as snatching victory from the jaws of defeat at others but as a Salford fan I wouldn't want it any other way.

Id hate to follow a team that just turns up and wins where is the fun in that?, supporting a team though thick and thin and experiencing a whole range of emotions during the journey is what keeps people coming back.

Time to strap yourself into the Salford rollercoaster next stop...success?