Chapel House Motor Company Limited Advertising Banner
Page 4 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 76 to 100 of 111

Thread: 'Marmite' Saints XIII

  1. #76
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    1,105
    Rep Power
    0

    Default

    Remember Steve at Hornets. Won the pools did he not?

  2. #77
    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk Belgian Saint's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Europe
    Posts
    11,188
    Rep Power
    32

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tallaght Tiger View Post
    Steve Fenney, when he meets people who have never heard of him and that he played for us he says that Saints got shot of him because they did not want him keeping Menninga out of the side.
    One of the many characters from them times.

    I'm one of those that have never heard of him, though I was working in the Mid East at that time so only saw games when I went home.

  3. #78
    Moderator Div's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Sintellins
    Posts
    11,911
    Rep Power
    32

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tallaght Tiger View Post
    Steve Fenney, when he meets people who have never heard of him and that he played for us he says that Saints got shot of him because they did not want him keeping Menninga out of the side.
    One of the many characters from them times.
    Think Ste Fenney played for Pilks after. Blonde haired lad if I recall.

  4. #79
    Moderator Div's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Sintellins
    Posts
    11,911
    Rep Power
    32

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Cyprus View Post
    Remember Steve at Hornets. Won the pools did he not?
    Pretty sure he was one of the early lottery winners.

  5. #80
    Banned
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    547
    Rep Power
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Div View Post
    Think Ste Fenney played for Pilks after. Blonde haired lad if I recall.
    A milkman if I remember right

  6. #81
    Got A Season Ticket
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Christchurch, NZ
    Posts
    435
    Rep Power
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Big Bad Les View Post
    How about Stuart Evans? A brute of a man who hadn't a clue how to play RL. Apparently, though, he was pretty good at decking a posing boxer in the local chippy!
    Is it just coincidence that his Heritage number is 999.

  7. #82
    Learning All The Songs
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Posts
    1,388
    Rep Power
    17

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by mufcsaint View Post
    A milkman if I remember right
    I knew a milkman who said "all the women on his round were fat bi@@hes", I told one of his customers she said "how dairy"

  8. #83
    In The West Stand Ralph Fridge's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Around
    Posts
    5,517
    Rep Power
    17

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Div View Post
    Think Ste Fenney played for Pilks after. Blonde haired lad if I recall.
    Did he not play union in his younger days as well?

    Sure my dad has mentioned him. He played for LSH

  9. #84
    In The South Stand Tabasco's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Rivington Road, St Helens
    Posts
    2,903
    Rep Power
    22

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ralph Fridge View Post
    Did he not play union in his younger days as well?

    Sure my dad has mentioned him. He played for LSH
    He played for Ruskin, I remember him getting a couple of penalties in the Lancashire Cup to beat Wigan RU in the late 70s. He got a slight head knock during the game and in the bar afterwards just kept asking who’d won and who kicked the goals to win it.

  10. #85
    In The West Stand Ralph Fridge's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Around
    Posts
    5,517
    Rep Power
    17

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tabasco View Post
    He played for Ruskin, I remember him getting a couple of penalties in the Lancashire Cup to beat Wigan RU in the late 70s. He got a slight head knock during the game and in the bar afterwards just kept asking who’d won and who kicked the goals to win it.
    Ah right. Thanks Tobasco. Makes sense that as my dad was playing around mid to late 70s

  11. #86
    Got A Season Ticket Sainthood's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Posts
    105
    Rep Power
    0

    Default

    Think I'm on my own for this, but Matautia - so ill disciplined, penalty machine and knocked the ball on at least once every single game.

  12. #87
    In The West Stand Ralph Fridge's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Around
    Posts
    5,517
    Rep Power
    17

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sainthood View Post
    Think I'm on my own for this, but Matautia - so ill disciplined, penalty machine and knocked the ball on at least once every single game.
    I thought he was quality. Didnt play well every game but he was a right handful when he did. Remember him turning the game around for us at Wigan once on a dreadful pitch. Think we were 22-12 down with 10 left. He came on & wreaked havoc. Set Sculthorpe up for a try. Long kicked the goal to tie the game 22-22.

    He was good in the WCC against Brisbane as well

  13. #88
    Banned
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Posts
    4,739
    Rep Power
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ralph Fridge View Post
    I thought he was quality. Didnt play well every game but he was a right handful when he did. Remember him turning the game around for us at Wigan once on a dreadful pitch. Think we were 22-12 down with 10 left. He came on & wreaked havoc. Set Sculthorpe up for a try. Long kicked the goal to tie the game 22-22.

    He was good in the WCC against Brisbane as well
    I loved that spell he had of playing stand off if we managed to get a scrum in the oppo' 25, also his complete disregard for gobshites on the other team (although more than once he clattered his own team mates).

  14. #89
    Banned
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Refugee from the fascist state of RLFans
    Posts
    5,853
    Rep Power
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Angry Dave View Post
    I loved that spell he had of playing stand off if we managed to get a scrum in the oppo' 25, also his complete disregard for gobshites on the other team (although more than once he clattered his own team mates).
    I remember him diving at the opposition player to get himself a quick PTB, and one time dove at the knees of Chris Chester (?) at the piedome. Got in trouble for that, I think.

  15. #90
    Got A Season Ticket Dom McCormack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Age
    50
    Posts
    487
    Rep Power
    19

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Reacher View Post
    Disagree regarding Atcheson but agree re Peyroux that'a why I said pre Holbrook. Ropati, as you sa, is a strange one. I seem to remember him getting a few negative comments from the crowd around me at KR at the time.
    Couldn't STAND Atcheson, Ropati came and took ages to bed in, from recollection I'm sure he was injured when we signed him. Turned into an absolute pearl of a player... almost legend I'd say at the time. Definitely someone who helped us push the full timers all the way.
    Have a quick look at 'The Last Days Of Knowsley Road' here http://saintsbook.wordpress.com/

  16. #91
    In The South Stand Noel Cleal's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    3,471
    Rep Power
    21

    Default

    1. Paul Wellens
    No one ever disliked Wello but his legacy is very different between fans. Some rank him as all time legend on par with Scully and Lyon. A minority see him as a solid club man that always tried his best looked good in a great team. The majority are somewhere in the middle.

    2. Matty Dawson
    Probably more haters than fans but Matty was always given a hard time for not being a Saints product (a common theme in this list). Some looked at him as a squad player that always tried his best others though of him as a mediocre player that blocked the way for a better junior to get in the team.

    3. Jordan Turner
    A talented player with person issues. Jordan was signed on the back of a good performance against us (this never ends well).

    4. Gary Wheeler
    A talented youth player plagued by injuries. Many people seemed to hold Gary's injuries against him, others were hoping one day he would mature and turn into a club great. This never happened, however the fans that called him Gary Biscuit would have also shipped Lomax out and he did eventually come good.

    5. Francis Meli
    A great player that was plagues by a small number of important games where he made silly choices.

    6. Danny Richardson
    A few candidates here, Lee Gaskell was a similar player, but the divide seems bigger for Danny. We will have to see if Danny can prove the club wrong and people who just don't rate him are correct. It is too early to tell.

    7. Kyle Eastmond
    I am surprised he has not featured more. The Heir to Sean Longs throne was always going to split opinion. In the end his injuries spoiled any chances of proving his doubter wrong. Let be honest some people just didn't like Kyle on principle.
    (Honorable mention to Matty Smith and Lee Briers)

    8. Vila Matautia
    Another strange one. It is easy to argue that Vila's use as a bench impact player resulted in his reputation as a short minutes, "lazy" player. Got signed by playing well against us, see Jordan Turner.
    (Honorable mention Tony Puletua/Mose Masoe, who have similar reputations.)

    9. Scott Moore
    I am alway happy to admit I am wrong. I didn't know why, 15 or so years ago, we were playing this Roby kid and not Moore. Viewed as many as the future of the club he was farmed out to teams such and Cas and Huddersfield and became an international. However personal issues were his down fall more than ability. He would also always take a dummy.
    (Honorable mention to Stuart Howarth)

    10. LMS
    Very popular and hated at different points of his career. He always looked good in the good teams and poor in the bad ones.

    11. Tim Jonker/ John Stankevitch
    Again this is down to expectations. As squad fodder these boys did well. However there would often make mistakes and a lot of fans thought they just didn't belong in the shirts.

    12. Chris Flannery
    Again this is down to what we expected. If you expected a SOO quality player then Flannery was a massive disappointment. If you wanted a solid worker he was a great player that never made a mistake.

    13. Jon Wilkin
    Another player disliked for who he is/was. Never really lived up to his potential and his desire to be on TV was for many people this was the cause of his under achievement.
    I could agree with you but then we would both be wrong.

  17. #92
    Banned
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Posts
    4,739
    Rep Power
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Noel Cleal View Post
    1. Paul Wellens
    No one ever disliked Wello but his legacy is very different between fans. Some rank him as all time legend on par with Scully and Lyon. A minority see him as a solid club man that always tried his best looked good in a great team. The majority are somewhere in the middle.

    2. Matty Dawson
    Probably more haters than fans but Matty was always given a hard time for not being a Saints product (a common theme in this list). Some looked at him as a squad player that always tried his best others though of him as a mediocre player that blocked the way for a better junior to get in the team.

    3. Jordan Turner
    A talented player with person issues. Jordan was signed on the back of a good performance against us (this never ends well).

    4. Gary Wheeler
    A talented youth player plagued by injuries. Many people seemed to hold Gary's injuries against him, others were hoping one day he would mature and turn into a club great. This never happened, however the fans that called him Gary Biscuit would have also shipped Lomax out and he did eventually come good.

    5. Francis Meli
    A great player that was plagues by a small number of important games where he made silly choices.

    6. Danny Richardson
    A few candidates here, Lee Gaskell was a similar player, but the divide seems bigger for Danny. We will have to see if Danny can prove the club wrong and people who just don't rate him are correct. It is too early to tell.

    7. Kyle Eastmond
    I am surprised he has not featured more. The Heir to Sean Longs throne was always going to split opinion. In the end his injuries spoiled any chances of proving his doubter wrong. Let be honest some people just didn't like Kyle on principle.
    (Honorable mention to Matty Smith and Lee Briers)

    8. Vila Matautia
    Another strange one. It is easy to argue that Vila's use as a bench impact player resulted in his reputation as a short minutes, "lazy" player. Got signed by playing well against us, see Jordan Turner.
    (Honorable mention Tony Puletua/Mose Masoe, who have similar reputations.)

    9. Scott Moore
    I am alway happy to admit I am wrong. I didn't know why, 15 or so years ago, we were playing this Roby kid and not Moore. Viewed as many as the future of the club he was farmed out to teams such and Cas and Huddersfield and became an international. However personal issues were his down fall more than ability. He would also always take a dummy.
    (Honorable mention to Stuart Howarth)

    10. LMS
    Very popular and hated at different points of his career. He always looked good in the good teams and poor in the bad ones.

    11. Tim Jonker/ John Stankevitch
    Again this is down to expectations. As squad fodder these boys did well. However there would often make mistakes and a lot of fans thought they just didn't belong in the shirts.

    12. Chris Flannery
    Again this is down to what we expected. If you expected a SOO quality player then Flannery was a massive disappointment. If you wanted a solid worker he was a great player that never made a mistake.

    13. Jon Wilkin
    Another player disliked for who he is/was. Never really lived up to his potential and his desire to be on TV was for many people this was the cause of his under achievement.
    I'll stop you at the first line. Absolute shite. Wello was a top player and now a good coach who's very well respected within the game.

  18. #93
    In The South Stand Tabasco's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Rivington Road, St Helens
    Posts
    2,903
    Rep Power
    22

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Noel Cleal View Post
    1. Paul Wellens
    No one ever disliked Wello but his legacy is very different between fans. Some rank him as all time legend on par with Scully and Lyon. A minority see him as a solid club man that always tried his best looked good in a great team. The majority are somewhere in the middle.
    Strangely enough, I stood near to someone in the Paddock at Knowsley Road who thought that Wellens was useless and forever highlighted any errors. He also argued that Wellens should have run with the ball whenever he passed and vice versa (he also didn’t like Tommy Martyn and similarly complained about passing/running/kicking on the last tackle). One particular gripe was whenever the opposition had a scrum in their own half and Wellens lined up opposite the first receiver, causing him to moan that there would be no last line of defence if he missed the tackle.

  19. #94
    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk Belgian Saint's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Europe
    Posts
    11,188
    Rep Power
    32

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Angry Dave View Post
    I'll stop you at the first line. Absolute shite. Wello was a top player and now a good coach who's very well respected within the game.
    No idea about his coaching but the best FB I have sen at Saints.

  20. #95
    Banned
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Posts
    4,739
    Rep Power
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Belgian Saint View Post
    No idea about his coaching but the best FB I have sen at Saints.
    Me too, by some distance.

  21. #96
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    1,105
    Rep Power
    0

    Default

    Totally agree about Wello. The only people I've heard say he wasn't at a required level are our Wigoon friends comparing and contrasting him to Rads, but we are the same in the other direction. Two great players though.

  22. #97
    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk Buddy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Queensland, Australia
    Posts
    11,407
    Rep Power
    33

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by eddiewaringsflatcap View Post
    1. Adam Quinlan
    2. Francis Meli
    3. Jordan Turner
    4. Paul Loughlin
    5. Les Quirk
    6. Mark Bailey
    7. Shane Cooper
    8. Tony Burke
    9. Paul Groves
    10. Jonathan Neill
    11. Roy Haggerty
    12. Jon Harrison
    13. Jon Wilkin

    Pointless mentioning players like Davidson, Owens etc as they palpably players who were so poor that they were disliked by more or less everyone. These players belong in one of those off-season 'worst Saints XIII...'
    Sir Les is a good shout. Was a complete fanny at times seemingly getting hurt in every tackle but came up with some amazing trys

    Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

  23. #98
    Banned
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Wilts
    Posts
    5,346
    Rep Power
    0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Angry Dave View Post
    I'll stop you at the first line. Absolute shite. Wello was a top player and now a good coach who's very well respected within the game.
    I'd also pull up the Gary Wheeler call. How many good games did he ever have? Lived on a 'potential' tag for a while before proving he had little 'potential' in his subsequent move to other clubs. The Phil Waring of his time.

  24. #99
    In The South Stand
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    3,649
    Rep Power
    22

    Default

    I’m surprised that Mose Masoe hasn’t been mentioned here yet. Hot and cold with him, sometimes he looked incredible and other times he’d look like he’d ate the menu at Chipmunk pre-match and could barely move.
    St Helens Rugby League Football Club

  25. #100
    Banned
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Refugee from the fascist state of RLFans
    Posts
    5,853
    Rep Power
    0

    Default

    Some great suggestions, chaps.

    Going off my original criteria (including only players in the SuperLeague era!), my final selection would be:


    1) Paul Atcheson
    Not helped by the manner in which Steve Prescott left, and although a decent, steady player, his lack of dynamism meant he split opinion. His successor was a bit useful.

    2) Francis Meli
    A devastating runner and finisher on his day, his propensity for defensive brainfarts (especially defending a kick to the corner) drove fans nuts. A marmite player who could switch from hero to villain in the same game

    3) Michael Shenton
    After the procession of riches we'd seen at centre during the SL era, it was always going to be difficult to keep the run going, but this guy looked to have the ingredients. But only rarely hit the Castleford heights here, not helped by being played on the 'wrong' side. Went back to Cas and blossomed again.

    4) Jordan Turner
    Tore us open when he was at Hull, but didn't light up in the red vee. Bulked-up and moved position a lot, and criticised for his defence ('Jordan Turnstyle'). Some still think he wasn't anywhere near as bad as others do.

    5) Chris Smith
    Niggley bugger who could rile the opposition up effortlessly. Not a bad player by any means, and played his part in Hanley's winning season, but many fans just didn't take to him

    6) Karl Hammond
    Formed a great partnership with Goulding in the 96 season and had a great rugby brain, but never won round all his doubters and by the following season, Martyn had taken the '6' jersey and Hammond was playing LF. Went to London for a new challenge then onto Widnes but drifted out of the game

    7) Danny Richardson
    I may be proved wrong, but I think he'll develop into a top quality player. Most naturally gifted SH I've seen here since Long. But generates spitting hatred amongst some sections of the fanbase who are delighted he's moved on.

    8) Luke Douglas
    A real workhorse, who hardly missed a tackle and drove in endlessly for the hard yards. Yet derided by so many who expected and demanded a rampaging wall-buster.

    9) Micky Higham
    Toughest position to pick for, given the talent we've had since SL began. I barely heard any criticism of this guy, but others apparently did so he gets the place on the basis of recommendation!

    10) Barry Ward
    A cult hero to some; a fat, useless pudding to others. Was a hard runner with deceptive speed for a chubby guy, and no slouch in defence either. But listening to some, he was worse that Josh Perry.

    11) Tony Puletua
    Masses of ability and on his day could tear the opposition a new one, but often gave the impression he'd been listening to some Pink Floyd and passing round a bong before taking the field, such was his laid-back character

    12) Chris Flannery
    Never hit the heights many had expected when we signed him, but was a very good, solid player. With a big square head. Some fans recognised what he brought, others couldn't stand him.

    13) Jon Wilkin
    A hugely promising early career characterised by strong running, ball-handling ability and tough defence saw him earmarked as Sculthorpe's heir apparent. Yet he never kicked on to the next level. Not helped by being switched around the backrow and halves, he became the epitome of 'marmite' by the later years of his career. This exacerbated by his post-GF comments in 2014, and perceived chumminess with Cunningham, who was singing his praises every week despite Wilkin usually stinking the place out. Has provoked some hearty debate on this very site and amongst fans generally, and still very much splits opinion.


    Honourable mentions:

    LMS
    A proper marmite figure for the first several years here, accused of only pulling his finger out when playing for a new contract. But his performances over the past few years have pulled pretty much everyone around and his effervescent personality makes him hugely opular

    Kyle Amor
    Never known a player whose form fluctuated so much between seasons, before his 'normal' became disappointing during Cunningham's time in charge. Another who has turned it round, his form for the past season and half being good.

    Jamie Foster
    Another promising youngster who some took an instant dislike to (not really for rugby reasons...) when he burst onto the scene with some hugely promising displays and skill - and a superb kicker. Sadly, his confidence got destroyed and his form plummeted.

    Ryan Morgan
    Never as bad as so many made out - and, like Douglas, a bit of a victim of being hyped-up by Cunningham. Didn't really sparkle, but there was always that nagging feeling there was a top quality player in there somewhere

    Lance Hohaia
    Heralded as a superstar, was bought to play a position he'd hardly played, next to a youngster breaking into the team. A recipe for disaster, which is pretty much what his time at Saints was judged to be by many. But he was never has awful as some like to say, and showed flashes of brilliance when in the right set-up with the right players around him. Yet will mostly be remembered for getting assaulted by Genkul Benneh Floower.

    Mark Flanagan
    Another workhorse, but after the signing was bigged-up most fans expected more, while others respected his workrate. Ironically nicknamed 'Flash' for his steady-Eddie style, he nevertheless won a GF medal playing scrum half.

    Mose Masoe
    A man-mountain who could scatter the opposition like skittles. But arrived unfit after a bust ankle (?) and struggled to be anything but a bit-part player here. Used badly by both Brown & Cunningham, who deployed precious little tactical cunning in how he was used. And castigated as 'lazy b*stard' by a large section of the fanbase.

    Jason Hooper
    It was always going be difficult to replace the retiring Tommy Martyn, and Hooper couldn't be a more different No6. A practitioner of the dark arts, some fans really appreciated him, whilst others never took to him. Did a lot of the unglamorous work and probably more appreciated with hindsight.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •