Just read Saints v Wolves U 19's match report on Saints website. Hope Nathan's read it too.
Just read Saints v Wolves U 19's match report on Saints website. Hope Nathan's read it too.
We may have been boring in 2011 but we had little choice given that we played the whole season with a pair of under 21s as our halfbacks and had a massive injury crisis for most of the season. I thought Simmons' approach was sensible: he maintained KISS when we had to rely on so many young players. So boring maybe, but inept ...?
In 2011 our final league position was third. We won 17, drew 3 and lost 7. So far this season we have won 19, drawn none and lost 7. Our points difference in 2011 was 267. We had the third best attack at 782 points for and the third best defence at 515 points against. Wire blew the points for out of the water that year. This year we will finish either first or second and our points difference will be around 234 which is where we are at the moment. Our points for at 780 mean we are the third best attack and our points against at 546 makes us the fifth best defence (behind Hull FC believe it or not). We may turn it all around in our final game but somehow I doubt it! Either way, the results from 2011 don't suggest a team playing inept rugby, just rugby suited to the limited resources available and an ever changing playing roster.
Inept?
Absolutely. Royce was a very poor choice as coach, just like his predecessor. If we are going to change coach (which I don't believe we are) then hopefully we get someone who is passionate about his role and understands the club.
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Usual garbage beIng written on here. The root cause of our alleged issues is the comp itself. All we have to do is finish in the top two to have the best chance in the play offs..... We've done that so judge after we win the grand final!
There are many valid points here, but in truth is its a mixture of everything that makes a team good. Passion, skill organisation, desire etc all help and we all equally moan about these when they appear to be missing on game day. But the ' human ' factor is the main reason teams gel or not. It might affect only half the team or just one player on any given day, but it's the ' human ' factor that makes sport and life interesting. What is the ' human ' factor? If we knew we would bottle and sell it. If the best team on paper won everything every game would we really truly turn up and watch? I certainly would not. What makes things exciting is the ' human ' or ' unknown' factors that make sport. But fans, including me try and label the reason we lost, and try to blame someone.
My first post... So be kind
Humans are more concerned with having than being.
This hits the nail on the head for me. Its the lack of mental toughness, the soft centre that we seem to have acquired that makes us give up when the going gets tough. When teams get into our face our forwards don't like it at all and we are going backwards because our team doesn't seem to like the physicality one little bit. My gut feeling is that the problem lies with the way the team is prepared. Our pack is big, and on occasion its been really effective but the inconsistency seems to point at players doing the business when they feel like it. Players get automatically picked regardless of how badly they perform so it doesn't matter if they play well or play appallingly, because they still get picked. We have had some really big hidings this season, not just defeats but real hammerings. The lack of determination and grit does the club a disservice.
We just lack any sort of consistency... I can honestly say, hand on heart I have no clue what team is going to turn up.
Let's compare...
- Wellens... Mr dependable, mr St. Helens - nowhere on Thursday
- roby... Allegedly the best no.9 in the comp... Which comp?
- Mose... Look how he played against wigan compared to most of the season
- makinson.. Normally a sure safe bet against any high ball... Dropped a sitter
I could go on... Considering we've pretty much played with the same 17 for a good few games how can we be sooooo hit and miss? There must be something going on (or not going on) with regards to the coaching staff, it's been mentioned Simmons got sacked for less so what makes brown any different? Kieron Cunningham has played under every successful and unsuccessful coach since super league began... I can't accept he has willingly let this team turn into what we saw on Thursday... As I say, it's not so much the losing, it's the fashion in which we do it
The only way we get real passion is from a former player, I remember watching joynt on super league supermen saying when Royce got sacked he offered himself to McManus by way of a voice message from a missed phone all, McManus he never even phoned him back, for me it should be Cunningham as head honcho, with Someone with some experience as his no.2
I honestly think we're missing some leadership on the field and I do think brown needs to be more ruthless. Over the lump if a player played with as little spirit as some of ours have done on occasions this year they would be dropped and if there wasn't a senior player replaced with a young lad. Heart , passion and effort should be givens for anyone pulling on the redvee regardless of playing ability.
From what I hear he has plenty influence as you'd expect from an assistant coach and club legend. If that's positive or negative is another matter and is probably subjective.
I would say that anyone who suggests he isn't interested should go to a fans forum when he next does one, he is a Saint through and through and cares about the club.