I'd send him on secondment to an Australian club for two years. Whilst still being paid by Saints.
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[QUOTE=Tabasco;762856]I agree but I wouldn’t class Wellens as someone with extreme natural talent and flair and that is one reason why he did not cement a place as a starting half back. What he did have, however, was a strong work ethic allied with grit, determination and an ability to read the game well which allowed him to become an exceptional competitor and full back.[/QUOTE]
Add passion and guts and that's probably a perfect description of Wellens. I'll never forget 2014 GF. Him giving Tommy the nod before that cross kick for the final try, then Wellens thumping his badge after. I know we all have different opinions, but for me Wellens 2006 was probably the greatest season I have seen from a FB.
I should have made it clearer that I was putting Wellens in the 'doesn't possess the extreme natural talent & flair, but reached the pinnacle through bloody hard work and studying/learning' camp. In contrast to, say, Cunningham, to whom the game seemed to come easy. I've heard it theorised that those players (rugby/football/whatever) who found the game easy struggle, when managing/coaching, to understand and have empathy with those players who don't have that natural flair/talent and don't just 'get it'.
I could be completely wrong here but I think Longy may have ambitions to get into a national side's coaching set up as an assistant rather than a head coach job at club level.
I agree. There is a huge difference between being an assistant coach and a head coach, two totally different worlds. Things could work out perfectly for him but there’s an equal chance that he could be find himself a couple of months in, the teams struggling with injuries, he’s not got the players he wants, something is going on off the field and if that happens and he hasn’t been in a head coaching position before, he’s got a hell of a challenge on his hands. The fact that he’s Paul Wellens won’t mean anything, it certainly didn’t towards the back end of his career when he was being written off and in some cases ridiculed by some of the supporters. Best thing IMO would be for him to learn as much as he can here at Saints and when he’s ready, look elsewhere for head coaching jobs ideally away from the spotlight (if that exists in coaching) where he can learn how to deal with different situations as the main man. Ideally he does a brilliant job and one day comes back but if it doesn’t work out like that and he goes elsewhere, I think he’s given us enough passion and commitment for us to say fair enough and wish him well.
Just thinking out loud. How could this effect our season? He may not be our head coach but i imagine he’s made some contribution to what we’ve done well recently.
Now confirmed https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post...-at-st-helens/
He had a pretty big impact on our attacking structural shape, I'm hoping we don't start to lose that smart maverick style of play as we get towards the end of the season. I get the impression Holbrook is not too happy of Longy leaving straight away, it will be interesting what Marshall can bring to the party and what role will Wellens play with regards to game plans and tactics.
Welcome to Saints Richard.
Marshall looks the part from what's been discussed and the reviews I've read.
COYS
Yeah it's going to be interesting to see how the season goes now after this. If we improve and win some silverware it could be a blessing. If it's the opposite I can see this getting the blame. I think either way we need to be patient, if we loose a couple of games in this part of the season with changing personnel and resting players it's not the end of the world. We need to build some form in a few weeks, perform in the knock out games and finals. Likewise if we improve it doesn't count for much it's the big games that count
I will be surprised if we notice any difference on the pitch in the short term. Certainly not an immediate impact either for better or worse.
I think it’s more important how he fits in on a personal level in the short to medium term, and the club are pretty good at making sure they get the right ‘person’. The technical, coaching impact will be borne out over the next 18 months and beyond if all goes well
He was but KC put him in charge of defence because he didn’t want all this silly expansive stuff he wanted percentage rugby and playing down the middle.
Towards the end KC alienated Long + Lolesi and all you saw was KC on his own, as soon as KC left Long had us playing expansive rugby a couple of games before Holbrook arrived. Holbrook bought into it straight away and Long was given the responsibility of our attacking shape and that included the academy as well.
I'll admit I know nothing of this Marshall guy. Seems oddly timed, just before our Challenge Cup semi final. I hope he's not an elobarately planted 'Agent Marshall'.
As I'm clearly the most important fan of the club, sell him to me. Why is this a good appointment? What's he ever done? What are his strengths? Can he name a time when he's faced a difficult challenge and how did he overcome it?
Or is he just some random former player?