I think the "accomplished goal kicker" must have been penned by the most desperate spin doctor of all time! Hardly exciting but he'll now get my support. I've no choice in the matter.
I think the "accomplished goal kicker" must have been penned by the most desperate spin doctor of all time! Hardly exciting but he'll now get my support. I've no choice in the matter.
whilst not the most inspiring signing he'll turn up more than walsh did so we are probably better off
Not a problem for me it is the style of play that has been the problem.
Learned comment from The Don
Maybe he wasn't on our radar because he'd already signed?
FWIW, I don't think this is a bad signing. I think he's a decent half back, with a good kicking game (not goal kicking) who can control a game. Him and Fages will create a good partnership I believe. Like the Williams / Smith partnership, Williams is the runner and Smith was the organiser / passer etc.
I'm probably part of a minority but I believe it's a good signing.
He's won 2 Super Leagues, A challenge Cup & a League Leaders. Plus an individual honour of Lance Todd.
And look at the replies to Wigan's tweet on twitter about the announcement, Wigan fans rate him and hate the fact he's come back to us.
Not Arrogant. Just Better
To be fair to Saints they never said they were after the likes of Carney, it was all rumours from others.
Can't believe you're all falling for this. Simply a smokescreen. Benji Marshall has been spotted outside the Bull & Dog, he's on his way to LP later on.
Cunningham needs to come up with an explanation why he came up with a lying fabrication in his August media post. Ian Lenagan confirmed that the clubs were discussing early this year the contract with Matty Smith. Hope Matty can do a job for us but the club is showing a distant lack of ambition and drive to get that top player that the club urgently needs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/37105827
A mere 55 days ago...... Makes him look like a complete clown
Stephen, to be fair to KC here and to look at it from a balanced point of view. KC had absolutely no choice but to flat track deny it in its entirety and rightly so..
Imagine if 'Luke Walsh' for example had agreed to sign for Wi**n with a few months to go and ourselves & Shaun Wane both confirmed it.
In the case of Matty Smith it would turn the Wi**n Joe public against him after one dropped ball and wouldn't be good for the two sides nor the lad himself. It was the lesser of two evils to flat track deny it and be called out for doing so now the season is over.
The only thing that disappoints me is i honestly feel if Wilkin was given the true half back role without the burden of making 50 tackles of a second rower he could have played 7 and done just as good job as Matty Smith. The money spent on Smith could have helped strengthen us in other areas.
I hope Cunningham knows what he's doing. I think a starting 13 consisting of Wilkin, Smith and Fages will be a recipe for disaster.
screaming in the family corner, scaring the kiddies
I think this is a good signing under the current circumstances. No other top half back would be available and he is a proven SL player that will give you stability week in week out. Rugby League has a extremely small pot of players to choose from so who else would we have gone for? Todd Carney, id rather give a St Helens lad another chance than some past Aussie that wont put the effort it. Saints should never have let him so in the first place.
Why would Cunningham or the club come out and say they are expecting him to sign, want to sign or is 100% signing when the season is still ongoing and he was playing for Wigan?
We never fail to let the fans down. I will get a widens season ticket and watch Brown
Is it 3 years or 4 ?
Wigan's press release states 4 years.
3 years and 1 in the players favour is effectively 4.
Looks like it was 4 years all along.
The club haven't even the courage to tell fans straight.
The Spindoctors are at it again.
I'm not defending KC as he can do that himself, but as has been said above he was in a no win situation. Maybe he could have picked his words better, but he would have taken flack whatever he said. Plus we don't know when the deal was done and what was agreed between the two clubs regarding 'officially' announcing anything without disrupting Saints or Wigans run in.
Humans are more concerned with having than being.
Or to bat it off and say "matty is a great player and if he became available we'd be in the queue of clubs interested, but he's not for sale so, next question please?"
He's not the worst signing we could make heowever....
The denial has upset me.
The badge kissing upsets me.
The lack of ambition certainly upsets me!
However. I'm a Saint through and through. No man is bigger than the club.
Ex Terra Lucem.
COYS
Can't stop the spirits when they need you.
This life is more than just a read through.
The Matty Smith signing and the lead up to it totally sums the club up. Its another B minus / C plus signing that is indicative of the steady lowering of the clubs ambitions.
Smith is not in the top tier of super league players because he is slow, inconsistent with his kicking and his so called organising is much the same as Johnny Lomax's drop off pases during his spell at 7. A depressing signing and a signal of more of the same style of dreadful grind from last year. If that is so called 'stability' then there wont be much of it when the forwards are on the back foot because opposition know Smith has as much running game as a subbuteo player, no flair nor ability to create.
Then there is the complete lack of honesty from the club. Does anyone take anything they say seriously anymore...? We once had Chairman bullshit telling all and sundry that the club has a policy not to sign players over 30 to multi year contracts, but if they are bargain basement then this seemingly does not apply.
We had the chairmans lackey as head coach denying the signing with customary high handedness when even Johnny Wellies probably knew Smith had signed. A total disconnect with the fans who once again are mugged off and seen as being buyable by a few tins of cheap lager and a few #beinthatnumber hashtags.
Then there is the BS about the academy being the envy of everyone against the complete unwilligness to put much confidence in its products. Either way, it appears it aint producing quality number sevens does it, especially as some genius has laid a 4 year contract in the tabl.
The whole club stinks of a conceited outfit that is self satisfied and lives in its dream world. The problem for the head coach is that whilst he may wish to be something he isnt and create some fanatasy land of joe cool, his insincerity is instantly recognisable by the fans and probably players as well. All that notwithstanding his glorious ability to contradict himself. Struggling to think of a more arrogant head coach at Saints. Its like having Richard Nixon in charge at the club, no charm or warmth whatsoever.
Last edited by eddiewaringsflatcap; 11th October 2016 at 15:55.
Jun 2015 - "Theo is a super kid, a great player and he has a very big future. He is a very talented kid and I am sure there will be a lot of interest in Theo - but maybe the Saints thing is a bit of smokescreen for somewhere else because I am very comfortable in the halves."
He was probably trying to divert attention away from Smith joining because 90% are against it
Says it all when they can only come up with things that will be irrelevant - as surely Percival will be the goal kicker
Neil Holding on Matty Smith
https://audioboom.com/boos/5151385-s...on-matty-smith
It is sad how bad people are reacting to the signing of Matty Smith. He was MOM in last year final game against NZ and has had a decent season. Who else is there to sign if not Smith? Who are people thinking could be in the halves without Walsh, Jordan Turner, Travis Burns?
Agreed.
WELCOME HOME, MATTY!!!!
Yes your comments sum it all up. Unfortunately the few few superior half backs knocking about are tied up or on top contracts in Australia. Regarding some of the injury prone players mentioned it would be far too big a risk. Personally I still think we need another half back having been exposed by injuries again this year.
we must still have a fortune left on the cap
Do you not think it would be better give one of the kids from u19s ago like Patton or Williams were when their clubs were short in the halves? This would aid their development better than throwing a centre in there or a 2nd row?
I think we have to stop trying to take older established halves from Australia as the gap in money is too big.