And you would know that how?


Only because we had two coaches in one season. He is only in his second season. He was brought here to play at 6. He came here because he was told he was to play at 6. He is unlikely to come halfway around the world for four years other than to play at the position he has said himself he plays at best.


Is it? Didn't Brown himself say he wouldn't play him at 6? I am sure that is what he said after the widnes game. But hey, Brown says all sorts of stuff. Like Gaskell's kicking game is as good as Brough's. I don't think there is anything strange at all about a coach not automatically having free reign to do what he wants. Isn't that why some coaches are sacked?


Yes, he has played Wilkin at 7 rather than Lomax. Oh. Sorry. That would be to suggest that the reason for our improvement is someone other than Gaskell! Clearly that isn't trendy thinking just now. The problem was all Gaskell, clearly. It wasn't a matter of two inexperienced halfbacks or, in the case of Lomax, a square peg in a round hole plus an inexperienced halfback (who had hardly played for a season).

The solution required was to put an organiser and leader in a position where he could organise and lead. That is the adjustment that has brought dividends. We were lacking an organiser and leader midfield because clearly Lomax is neither.

Against Salford would be a good time to bring Gaskell in alongside Wilkin who would take the pressure off Gaskell and allow him to be the 6 that he is supposed to be, with Hohaia moving to hooker where he has had experience himself. With Wello at 13 that would be a nice mix and match of skills.

Sorry I missed out a key word in that post of mine.

Same as Meli in the same game, not the same as Ade in the previous game.

I just don't know what all the fuss is about regarding Gaskell. It is plain to see he is mediocre and would always be in the shadow of a fit Wheeler.

I think this would be the best solution as well, and realistically, we can probably survive against Salford even if Gaskell / Wilkin doesn't work

That's certainly a point of view that has been stated again and again .........

Gaskell may well look the best kicker in the world in training but if he doesnt actually do anything on game day (which Brown hadnt seen when he said it) then it's no bloody use is it no matter what he may have said!

If I remember correctly he said he wasn't sure Lance was a 6, however in the new system we play he may be best suited to it, given the progress we have made in the last few games I think Brown has earned the right to get time to see this. Though I do agree it would be a decent time to give Gaskell a chance, may be the last he gets if he goes hiding. Though with Percivals arrival on the scene he may get the nod at centre and Turner to 6.

At least we have options!

Educated guess, based on the idea that Brown's livelyhood relies on and his professional reputation is based on the results his side produce on the pitch. Unless you have some actual knowledge to the contrary, rather than just wild acusations of Mike Rush's evil schemes of Gaskell's oppression, then I don't see why we should think there's another reason.

Lance does not pick the team. Nathan Brown does.

Brown said, on the bbc, before he agreed a deal to come to saints, that he didn't know whether Lance was really a 6 - I don't really think that this comment should dictate his coaching selections for his entire contract. In his opening matches for Saints he did not pick lance at 6. I don't know whether he'll stick with him there now, but he's certainly allowed to change his mind if he finds he can make it work.

Did I say that Gaskell was the problem, or did I actually say that if it were my choice I'd play him? I said that just because Brown does things differently to how a bunch of amature critics on a message board want, it doesn't mean he's wrong - especially given the fact that the last two weeks have yeilded one strong, determined and defensively sound performance to beat a main contender for the league and another performance with a hat full of absolutely top drawer tries.

Yes. We had a lot of posts talking about who we'd get/how we'd do this - a lot of us talked about poaching Hanbury from Widnes for next season. One poster mentioned looking at players from the Championship like Liam Finn. There were also rumours that an established SL half back was unhappy and looking for a move. I'm glad Wilkin is making it work, perhaps a touch suprised he's done as well as he has, but I do think he'll continue to grow into the role as the season goes on.

Yes it would. As I said above, I'd be playing Gaskell, but I think that there's a good chance Brown will bring in Percival to the centre, which will mean either resting one of our two other centres, or moving Turner to 6.

As I said on another thread, I'd start Gaskell 6 and Hohaia 9 and take Speakman on the bench to have a look at him.

I often thought Gaskell's problem was the lack of a natural organizer inside him - hopefully with Wilkin at 7, he will be able to play that bit wider, and show us exactly what he's made of.

If he can't get in the side with J-Lo moved to full back and Lance moved to hooker then it really does not look good for the lad at saints

Reading what brown keeps saying about no wanting to move lance then it doesn't look like Gaskell will be returning the way saints play he might stick Flanagan at nine but have lance playing dummy half

I'm not on here much these days and I think the only thing that keeps me coming back is threads like this degenerating into SaintsFan spouting random nonsense about her little pet love and hate players despite all evidence to the contrary as usual, and everyone else falling for it and fruitlessly trying to argue some sense into her - top entertainment value every time

Arguing with SainsFan is pretty pointless but some people enjoy it

Have to say that pretty well sums it up.

You continue to meet my expectations almost every time you post. You really are childish.

I don't jump on bandwagons; never have done. I don't think Gaskell has been treated fairly and when I suspect a lack of fair play, especially towards young people, then I get on my soap box about it. =#0000FF[i(Steady on)[/i

And school sports days have no losers. It would be splendid if all young people were successful, but that's not what happens in the real world. Gaskell has had his opportunities, and not done anything to impress. He will probably get another chance due to injuries, but he really is deinonychus in the last chance saloon before heading off to championship obscurity. That's life, I'm afraid.

They do in my world! I was always one of them!!

It's not a question of Gaskell being successful; it's a question - for me at any rate - of him not being given a fair chance to show whether he can be. He has been asked to play alongside an equally inexperienced and we can all now see an inappropriately played player without the benefits afforded to other young guys brought into the first team (especially at such an exposed position as halfback) of playing alongside someone with experience. Lomax was afforded that opportunity. I don't see why Gaskell shouldn't be. If he is given the chance to play beside Wilkin over the next few weeks and still he doesn't shine then fair enough, maybe he hasn't got it and so he should be let go. But I don't believe he has been given a fair chance to show us what he has and it could be to the detriment of the team long term if he is denied the chance.

Never a truer word said!!!!!!!!!

Brown might be looking at the lesser of the 2 evils. Im my opinion on this season alone Lance looks a better no 6 option than Gaskell at the moment.
If Gaskell gets his chance he needs to come up with a much improved performance than what he has offered so far this season regardless of the domination of the pack, for me he just isn,t good enough to transform us into a top team.

Takes one to know one!

but he has been given chances, and we dont know what he's like in training, but as he's not being picked its a safe assumption he's not been performing there either

i'd like to see him given some time with wilkin too.

Gaskell should be given the chance to play along side Wilkin and if he doesn't perform then it time to bin him off it would be nice to see how he goes along side someone with a lot my experience then what he as be playing with lomax was just as bad as Gaskell at the start of the season some might say worse but look at him now been more to full back and he been our best player ever since

Not with proper support he hasn't. He should be allowed to work alongside Wilkin who is experienced, who clearly is a good talker on the pitch and works at encouraging the young blokes, and who has some experience in the halves even though he doesn't consider himself to BE a half. At any other time Saints would do just that when blending in a halfback. They did it with Eastmond. They did it with Smith. They did it with Wheeler. Gaskell hasn't had that opportunity.

Exactly.

My own tuppen'orth: I just don't think Gaskell is good enough to be the long term solution to Saints' #6 problem. Simple really. I got burned at the stake on the numpty forum for the heresy of daring to suggest such a thing when he was in most peoples' opinion the solution to all our ills 2 years ago, but it seems more and more are starting to see sense. He's shown flashes of potential and he has a good kicking game and a bit of size and pace, but his vision and decision making is consistently poor and showing no signs of getting any better, and he's not filled out enough to be a raw linebreaking physical threat instead of a creative one. And his defence sucks... He no longer has the "Unknown" factor that made him partially successful when he first came on the scene and has been mostly very disappointing (in his admittedly limited outings) since opposition defences have had notice of him. The fact that Hohaia probably is the better #6 option right now is all that needs to be said... He still has a future as a SL player no doubt about it given how starved the league is of talent, but that future is probably not at Saints and almost certainly not at #6 or #7.

If Wheeler could stay fit for more than 5 minutes in a row we wouldn't even be having this discussion and he'd be at Salford or Huddersfield right now... The major problem and the main reason we're all still clinging onto hopes for Gaskell is that if he doesn't make it then we need to find 2 new halves for next season with bugger all of the required quality available...