from an external perspective; Potter won't be able to judged for a couple of years as he is coaching a team under transition.

He is reforming a team who will be minus their most experienced key players, which is a challenge on two fronts; he has to get the semi-senior pros to step up to replace the vacated players and integrate the young players, probably the easier of the two tasks.

Plus I am led to believe that a few of the senior pros are not "too supportive"

I started the season with the thoughts that it was a transitional period for the team and the coach. How can you expect a coach to perform a quality team rebuild, given only a two year contract. With all the players currently injured/resting or out of sorts with the club, the season, for mine, is progressing far better than I had hoped. I understand the desire to play and thats why so many are out on loan, but it is difficult to see where the replacement forwards are being "schooled" or even who they are. Key players will leave at the end of the season and to all that go I would wish every success were and when they play, but am mindfull of those words..... "You win nothing with kids"

External or not I'm glad I'm not the only one who can see the bigger picture with regards to Potter and his Saints.

I strongly suspect one of the major reasons Mick was brought in was because of his ability to 'build' a team as he did successfully with Les Cats. We have to look beyond what happened last week, what is happening this season (even if we end up winning no silverwear) and realise that the club's management and as part of that Mick Potter, have looked at the new rules being brought in and the format and systems of the franchise era, and have formed a long term plan. This plan, like the stadium project, won't be completed overnight.

In a strange way I won't be upset if we don't win anything this season, if it means people lower their expectation level a bit, ease off with the uber-confidence some seem to have that is often seen as arrogance by others, and realise that we can't reign supreme all of the time but that by supporting our team week in week out in numbers, showing dedication and determination and a will to win we can enforce those same principles on the players.

Name names and tell us all you know then.

Just like some weren't happy with Hanley/Millward/Anderson but oh how the trophies rolled in.

I.M.O






the jury was out when we announced him as our next coach and its still out as far as i'm concerned

I'm a fan of Potter.

We don't have a left centre, Cayless has been out all year, Longy is picking up knocks and has been awful at times and we have blooded lots of kids. Yet we're top of the league and in the semi of the cup.

Not sure what more we can ask the bloke to do.

I get the impression some people won't warm to him because he isn't grinning and cracking jokes in interviews, but I'd rather have a good coach than a good clown.

He'll do for me.

doing a good job - if at the start of the season you had offered me the current position: top of the league, in the cup semi (after destroying Leeds), only 4 defeats and brought in 5 or 6 young lads; I would have been delighted.

Admittedly, we havent played well every week - and some of the performances have been as bad as I can remember, but on the whole its going well.

We have to remember that we are a club in transition on and off the field, and Potter probably has had the hardest coaching task at Saints since Eric Hughes. He has 3 years to completely rebuild the team, and the signs so far are good.

If Roguey is right (which I doubt), and some fo the senior players are not happy - i'm not too bothered, the young lads are the ones that need to be kept happy not the likes of Sean Long.

Christ dont buy into his little dreamword where he actually has inside info.
He's just a p1ss poor troll.

He is probably right. It is hardly unusual for certain players to build a rapport with a coach, the coach leaves and they don't have have the same relationship. Just as ones who didn't get on as well with the previous coach, now do.

Unfortunately for Rogues, his attempts at sensationalism are rather poor.

Wouldnt disagree,it's the fact he likes us all to think he's some sort of insider that makes my @rse wink.

The guy's doing a great job. No major issues. A couple of minor ones. Top of the league.

I mean, what more can you ask for?

Nutella does it for me.

He's your archetypal; I have the knowledge, but am never specific so it is nothing more than pure speculation type.

Can't knock him so far. As has been pointed out, we're top of the league and in the last four of the cup, and have seen the emergence of a handful of exciting young players. We've also managed all of this one prop light. Pretty impressive I'd say.

We have been shocking in one or two games where our handling and discipline have let us down, but this was not unheard of under Anderson, and most certainly not under Millward.

No moans so far, kept the winning mentality going. Still first in teh league, scored more than anyone, conceeded less than anyone ( I think, might be wrong never checked for a while ), in teh CC semi final, created a world record away game winning streak. Hit the 50 a few times without being spectacular and WOW.

I think its all goign well so far, the guy has entered our club at a time were the household big gun names are starting to fall apart and move on. Not the easiest of times to take control of the club, some fols would say "transition"...

7 out of 10 for me so far, been bored a bit to much for my likeing.

Matty smith should never have been dropped that year. We was on something like 11 match unbeaten run then long walked straight back in the team.

Long always does get straight back in team and will again no matter how well eastmond does.

It would be great to see longy back in saints kit before he leaves but I'd rather Kyle turn it on and keep longy out.

agreed

Didn't the same thing happen years ago with Briers and Goulding, which ultimately led to Briers going to Wire?

Long got selected in front of Smith because he was, and still is, several classes above him. It was a no brainer.

Kyle has his chance now, let's see what he does with it.

at the time though, it was a no brainer decision. Goulding was the best scrum half in the game having almost single handedly won us the league in '96 - there was no way that we would release him to keep Briers.

Nobody knew that a few weeks after Briers leaving that Goulding would go into meltdown and end up getting sacked. Still we ended up with Long, so we didnt exactly lose out.

The Long / Eastmond situation is completely different to the Goulding / Briers.

Fair point but when we was on such unbeaten run it was obvious at that time smith was doing pretty good.

What's to say smith wouldn't be our 7 today if he hadn't been dropped for longy.

IMO smith took his chance and was still dropped.

That sends out a message to kids that if you take your chance you will play.

If eastmond plays well then he should stay there.

That's all well and good, but can we please play some decent rugby in the process? It's been really difficult to watch Saints sometimes this season and while I appreciate - and am really glad - that our young guys are being actively integrated into the team, fundamentally we have the same set of players we did last season and yet with the exception of the two Leeds matches and away at Wakey, we really haven't played much like the team of last year. I'm not talking about ultra high standards or anything; just enjoyable to watch rugby league. I don't quite understand why we have to play poorly (and sometimes terribly) while we are integrating young players?

As for my own thoughts on Potter ... the jury is still very much out for me.

I think Mick Potter is doing a decent job considering this is his first season and the team is in partial transition, still top of the league and in the challenge cup.
Most of the games have been boring this season but you can't cast blame on Mick Potters style of coaching. The game has slowed down in the ruck areas and we probably have had some of the worst referee performance ever this year in superleague.
If Mick Potters gets Eastmond, Moore, Wheeler, Lomax, Foster etc up another level then I think the future is bright.........A Potters Dynasty.

Im not gonna compain tbh, he`s doing alright, yes the style has changed a bit, but I think first in the league and still in the cup will do for me