Agreed!
Gutted about yesterday and the best team won but we still have enough quality imo to win the league!
P.s Our discipline is pants at the moment and needs sorting asap.

Did Saints not play the same type of game yesterday as they did two weeks ago?



I never said it was.



I know.

Why did we not learn from 2 weeks ago?

The king summed us both up in his post match interview. You couldnt put tracing paper between the two of us

Massive gulf?

There's nothing between them, Leeds are still favourites for the GF.

Sorry but IMHO thats a load of tosh.



Our discipline was weaker which allowed them to settle earlier but on balance over the full 80 the result was decided by a couple of excellent tackles.

No arguement the better team on the day won but there isnt a lot in it. We need about a 5% overall improvment and a match fit Buderus.

I'd agree with that. Saints were also the better side for at least half of last season (the middle part).

Yesterday was the best I've seen Saints defend against Leeds in 2-3 years. It's also the least organised I've seen Leeds in attack for a long time. However, thanks to Leeds spirit there was still only one score in it.

Come the business end of the season I'm sure Leeds will be much better than yesterday (especially if Buderus can stay fit and become fully integrated into the team). I'm not sure that Saints can play much better than yesterday (that's not a dig...I thought they played very well).

I'm gutted to lose (I want a trip to the new Wembley) but we'll pick ourselves up, enjoy an extra few weeks off and focus on [uThe[/u big prize. We've shown the last two years that we were better than Saints when it really mattered and I don't think the last couple weeks has any relevance to that...its about peaking in October and being in the latter stages of the challenge cup is a distraction in that regard.

In June last year Leeds were galaxies ahead of St Helens. Things can change very quickly, let alone over the course of the season.

Still, our own "fans" will no doubt be writing off players left and right.

While others will turn their fire on the coach.

I'll happily do both and I'll include the CEO where it's merited as well.

Quite right. No area of the club should be exempt from criticism but knee jerk reactions make my blood boil.

At last a thread with well thought out posts.

I am sick of reading people consoling themselves and trying to take something away from Saints with the Mickey Mouse Cup argument. The Challenge Cup should be in RL blood. I do not for a moment, whatever the fans try to say, believe that the players go on to the field in any game lacking the desire to win. Anyone with an ounce of competitiveness in them will understand this (and all professional sports people have bags more of that than the rest of us). And as a Leeds supporter I think I speak for more than would care to admit here by saying it's うんち* to be out of the cup.

Saints won the last two games by being the better team. Simple as. Not by default. However there is not that much between the teams and form goes up and down. I for one certainly wouldn't want to put money on any of the other encounters, that are to come between the two sides.

Being a bit out of it here and relying on crap video streams to watch the games all I can say is that as a fan of the game I would rather watch Leeds and Saints play each other week in, week out than suffer games like the Catalans Bradford game which was only notable for how ridiculously Bradford threw it away.

* I'll put it in Japanese if I have to then.

If you need a reminder of how quickly things change [url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_league/article4792009.eceremember how far ahead Saints were in September[/url

Trouble is it meant feck all in the end

Yesterday Leeds lost at home in the 'virtual' Challenge Cup final. They've already failed in their other 'target game' so far this season. That's not really good enough. The CEO has failed to provide a squad containing an element of competition within it despite having cap space unused and quota spaces available. That's not really good enough.

When the coach makes statements about winning the penalty count (a hostage to fortune if ever there was one) and Leeds can't even win that battle let alone the war. It was a pretty stupid thing to say.

If you base it on that one cup game, Saints are better than us in pretty much every department.

Although I'm disappointed we're out of the cup I'm not all that worried.

We've made the mistake before of starting off like a house on fire and slowly burning out as the season wears on. But, as JP says, it's how you finish that's the important thing.

If we're playing way below ourselves at the moment we have bags of potential to improve, hitting form as the season draws to a close.

Will be interesting to see if McClennan can manage it.

I'll happily offer constructive criticism and observation on any aspects of the club, be it CEO, coach or players. I'll do so impartially and without bias based upon a personal "like" or "dislike" of a character.

I'll leave those less balanced to "turn their fire" on anybody connected with the club.

Good just another typical fan, like the rest of us mere mortals then.

Do you blame him for eastwood not being here??
Is it his fault our other star signing is just returning from injury??
Who should he sign that's good enough and available??
Given his reign at our club do you not trust him??
Is it his fault we were beaten by the better team on the day??

Oh no, head and shoulders above you mere mortals and looking at our fan base I am offended you would compare me with a "typical" fan..

Unlike some, I haven't written off player A, said player B should be replaced or player C isn't good enough.

I haven't demanded the coach be sacked or criticised the board for not spending enough money.

This is what you don't appear to understand. It's his job to recruit not mine or yours or anyone elses. I don't need to build on the successes or know the state of the player market..... he does.

Sure I can pull names out of thin air but that would be simply ridiculous.

So what is your point? What is it that he hasn't done that he ought to have, specifically?

I apologise.

Now feel free to provide examples of those that have in terms not as eloquent as your own.

I know what you mean mate but given how he's run our club since he's been here do you honestly think he's done a bad job???
He has run the club's policy of recruitment/retention greatly imo and no matter what anyone think's he won't just throw money around without the correct tick's in the boxe's and i don't think that's a bad thing at all.
Don't forget we were well in the sh#t when he and caddick took over.

Where have I ever said he has done a bad job.



1997 was twelve years ago now. Does that mean he has never made a mistake in those years and is incapable of erring ever?

Accepted.

Those that have what?

You seem to have plenty of disdane for him re-recruitment this year.
I never said he was perfect but i think your current opinion of his effort's are OTT.
Afterall what's to say he's not trying to recruit???
We know last year he was in for pritchard and soliola but that was scuppered by the panther's and injury respectively!!