Okay, probably had a million and one posts about this guy on here...probably asking the same thing. Can you explain the hatred alot of your fans have for the guy? Did he insult Saints after leaving or something? I was watching a DVD of the 1997 Challenge Cup final and it shows the earlier rounds and Briers looked one hell of a prospect for you guys....why did it all turn so sour? Or is it simply that he now turns out for the (and I quote from a Saints fan's fair mouth) "dirty smack head scum, w£n&y warrington b******s!)?

I've always felt sorry for ickle Wee Briers and I must admit to being happy to see him win something. As much of an arris as he can be he's always been 100% committed to his league and he didn't want to leave the S. I remember he used to be quite niggly against us (Didn't he once poke someone in the eye at a scrum?) and he always did his best to beat us (Not that it ever got him anywhere).

Yea well I guess he felt he had a point to prove. Why was he shown the door, at the time you had Goulding...but from what I remember he was getting himself into bother quite often so, would it not have made sense to have kept him as understudy...Saints where obviously thinking of replacing Bobbie around 1997/98 weren't they? Mind you didn't you sign Long in '97? Wasn't he a centre at first for you?

I think we already had Martyn and a young Bobbie Goulding. We shifted Briers out to Warrington for some dosh and used it a few months later to sign Longy when Goulding imploded.

I've always liked briers and was made up to see him win something.[/list

What was the final straw with Bobbie?

I dunno I can't remember that far back. Didn't he fall out with just about everyone at the club? Racism? My memory is terrible.

I think it was something to do with allegations of racism towards one of our players wasn't it? Hunt?

Hunte was one of my first Rugby Heroes, he was awesome around 96/97. Shame to hear that really, coz that team always looked and played like a tight bunch.

I think Hunte threatened to leave Saints because of Goulding. Goulding was verily disposed of but Hunte left anyway. It sounds like it was a situation ignored for too long. But there tended to be situations with Goulding, even though he was a brilliant kicker of bombs (Oh to have a brilliant kicker of bombs today ... oh to have a brilliant kicker today ... oh to have a kicker today ... oh ...)

Yea I remember my Dad saying Bobbie liked a bit of aggro...and had a bit too much power at the club.

Oh, he liked aggro alright! It was probably a case of his obvious talent was hard to lose and at that time racism wasn't deal with harshly enough. However, Hunte also had talent and so it is a great shame that the situation was not resolved properly earlier on. Things must have been bad for a player to threaten to leave ... and then leave!

Yea especially as you were the best team around at that time. Still it didn't work out too bad in the long term from a Saints point of view. Hunte was a class act, underrated IMO. Anyway, back to Briers...why the hatred?!?

I'm a bit foggy on Briers tbh. I know he threw his CC medal away after he was dropped in favour of Goulding for a final. I think that sums him up really and it may well be that fans don't respect him much because he does stuff like find himself with injuries during a match when it looks like his side is going to lose. So maybe whereas at the time we wondered why Briers went, over time we have noticed his behaviour and been rather glad he did! Longy may be a controversial character - and I'm looking forward to reading his book! - but he's been a way better acquisition than Briers. IMO, obviously.

Correct.

I wasn't aware many of us on here hated him. A figure of fun as the "Come and have a look at what you could have won" perennial loser with Wire but even that pleasure has been taken away from us now.

If memory serves me Goulding called Anthony Sullivan some not very nice names on a Cardiff car park after trying to intervene in a disagreement he was having with a few Wigan fans.

As for Briers...I think he hates us more that Sts fans hate him. He was a Saints die-hard as a lad, and I don't think he ever got over the fact that Saints cashed him on him after they was given an offer they couldn't refuse

How much did Saints get for Briers?

I thought that he had told Saints he wanted out.

Bit arrogant from him if true, what was he 18/19?

I don't think he did. In fact I saw him being driven into Wilderspool on the day of his signing. I was walking home from Priestley College to the bus stop in town and they drove him in when I stopped on the corner after the car wash to catch my breath. He looked miserable, like he was going to cry.

Ain't that just how he normally looks?!? He still lives in St Helens though doesn't he? Can't hate the place that much then. Maybe he'll be part of the deal that takes Graham to the HJ!!!

Not in my lifetime .... and it needed someone to have "kicked" the CC up and down a hotel corridor, then to stand back and allow his team mates to pay for the damage, without owning up, coupled with the race card, to prize one or two players from KR. Allegedly .

'hatred'?? i know of nobody that hates l.b! personally ui've always thought he was very harshly treated and given that he has had a fine career down the road at a top level proves to me that he was the real deal that many saints fans thought he was. i'm made up for him that he's finally won summat worthy of his skill and commitment

This is rubbish.

Saints did not turf him out. He wanted first team rugby, which he deserved, and Wire offered a very high fee (65K?) for a lad that was so inexperienced, which we accepted. He was perfectly happy to move on.

As for him hating Saints, well he comes along to watch us often enough and still talks of us fondly, so I just can't buy that.

Personally, I was pleased to see him get the winners medal he has so richly deserved.