Just one of many horrible performances to be fair. He's performed like that before, which presumably is why he is down the pecking order at Warrington.

And to think, we let Gaskell go to Salford. What a boost it would have been to our game last night just to have his kicking ability available to us. Brown is dumb.

Yes what a boost Gaskell would have been avoiding tackling duties, " did you go to Salford" he is and never will be the answer it was a fair swap him for Howarth they are both second rate who will look good occasionally. Howarth stood out at Leeds. Gaskells kicking ability he is like Dusty Hare give him space and time and they come off, put someone in situ to charge at him especially at stand off and he spends so much energy looking out for the challenge he loses all concentration. Lets move on from this guy he is going to Leeds or Wigan if you listen to his people its just how much he is holding out for. Good luck to him with that one.

He's been woeful. I thought it might have been that he needed time to bed in but he looks dreadful.

Has Tony Smith played a blinder by giving him to us ?



I'm being totally honest here, that was one of the worst performances I've ever seen from a saints scrumhalf! He's got very poor hands for a halfback. His passes are poor, its like a knockout when he takes the ball in and his kicking is average.

Send him back ASAP

He certainly isn,t a bad weather player is he. Thought he was Ashe at first had to check the name on the back of his shirt offered zero in attack, but how much of it due to having no structure, tactics, game plans etc.
Why wasn,t Percival playing is he injured he would have been more of a threat on that slippy pitch, we could have put Jonesy at second row instead of Howarth.

He's got terrible hands for a halfback, like I said, its one of the worst performances I've seen by a saints scrumhalf.

I think Jones is not progressing how he should be due to him constantly moved about. He's centre one week then in second row the next and IMO its effecting his progression.

Percival played in the under 19s game.

The pitch wasn't slippy though. Only our players were slipping.

Yeah I wished we'd have had Gaskell in the team putting in another horrible performance instead of him.

I don't think Gaskell could play that bad. Ive posted a few times on here that its the worst I've ever seen from a saints halfback and we've had some stinkers.

Don't think I've seen a scrumhalf with hands as bad as O'Brian. He spends most of the game getting up off the floor from being completey smashed!

Good goal kicker, awful player.

Yeah I did notice he did seem to get smashed a few times which is never good sign, his passing at times looked more like something you'd expect from a prop or something, inaccurate and slow.

The point I was making to SaintsFan though was more about this useless banging on about Gaskell. I dont know which Lee Gaskell she's been watching but the one who used to play for Saints has been terrible for 18 months and cant even get a run in the halves in the worst team in SL

Its a dead ball if he has to take it in, he just dies with the ball. He's a tough lad tho, he's had some hits on him.

I wonder if Tony Smith knew exactly what he was doing

Sometimes you do have to wonder lol .

I was actually pleased when the ball went to o Brien because he either dropped it or did something stupid with it

Being terrible for Saints since Simmons left may be nothing whatsoever to do with Gaskell though.

Meanwhile, Gaskell has scored a hat trick for Salford today at London, playing from fullback which these days of course is similar to a halfback position, in attack at any rate. And reliable sources tell me that he fair kicked us around when Saints played Salford last week.

Clearly a terrible player and one we don't need. Obviously.

He kicked us around that much Salford got battered by us. Fullback being [isimilar[/i (if you set your team up to play in that style) to halfback doesnt make it halfback it makes it fullback. He cant get in the Salford team in his preferred position so spin it however you like but that is a FACT.

I watched him on telly the other week playing fullback and he was non existent in attack and a turnstyle in defence, now that was probably because Salford were garbage but something tells me we haven't let the next Sam Tomkins go.

He's gone, he isnt coming back just like Simmons. Get over it.

It will be interesting to see where he turns up. We've had plenty of slackers and trouble makers in the past and been able to manage them. Yet with Moore and Gaskell we've lost that ability.

He's not been let go for Rugby reasons. He was let go for other reasons. My point is simple, he had us over a barrel. We needed halves and he was one of our last ones. Yet we ship him out because we can't manage him.

We should have kept him and played him regardless of attitude or regardless of who he has signed for next year. He has ability and we needed that.

He's gone now for good so no point wishing for him to come back. But if we had 3 or 4 halves all chopping to get a spot then you can play hardball. If we have one junior half left and he thinks he's the big I am, you don't ship him out and leave yourself with nothing for the year, except cobbling together halves from 2nd rowers, FB's, centre's and desperate loans from other teams.

Once again a player out manovering the club. Wilkin and Gaskell would have been much better than, the rest of the dross halfback pairing we've had and can still cobble together. It does not mean he would need to be in the team next year, but you use what you have.

Ironic, really, when you think we once tolerated the likes of Longy, who is a long way from being an angel or easy to manage!


Exactly, exactly, EXACTLY!

That is what I was saying. Whoever made the call to get rid was stupid beyond words.

I do wonder about how the show isrun as it does not seem to make any difference whoever the coach is.

Does anybody on here know what exactly he did wrong to be consigned to Salford?
It seems like a lot of people on here do as there is a lot of talk about him being a "problem", "bad attitude" etc but how did this manifest itself? Was it simply asking for a pay rise and not liking what he was offered?

Obviously Loz and No1 Saint do not think we are missing anything with not having him with us and I do accept that he isn't coming back, but I for one, think he would have been an improvement on what we have had all season at HB.

Even at FB where Salford played him today, this would have given us an extra option in attack with Lomax moving up to HB.
I was never happy when he left whatever the reason.

Agent O'Brien congratulations on assisting in the destruction of the mighty Saints season. You are free to return to the homeland.

Your not far wrong, he's been a disaster. I just hope we don't try and keep him.

It's a shame being honest. I've watched him for a number of years and he's been good. I just hope he's not reached his level and won't improve. I thought this move would have been good for all parties.

To be honest he's looked good all the times I've seen him apart from his time at saints. Maybe its us.

I would only thank Warrington and O'Brien for assisting our team. And if you look at it objectively he looked a far better player on the night against Salford than Lee Gaskell did. The fundamental difference is one lad says he still has a lot to learn whilst the other is of the mindset I will show Saints just what they are missing. Yes on the night against us he really did. Wello sidestepped him and left him for dead try scored, Gaskell arms flapping about in the aftermath I don't think he made a tackle all the game. Kicking if you give him time he is quite good, put a spotter on him and then you see a difference, talk about one eye on the man. I maintain he is the only player of whom I have heard senior players break ranks and talk about his inability to stick to any sort of structure and lack of preparation. Let him get his big money deal I will just be shocked if Leeds or Wigan will sign a turnstile. Let us hope our scrum half for next season works and Wheeler can finally get fit. Yes I know the last comment is hardly credible but we all know that lad is the real deal.

The thing is, he was terrible last night, but he was not that bad in recent weeks. So is it a case of us pulling him down to our level...

I'm not suggesting he was a permanent signing, but a lot were considering keeping him till season end.

I would not get rid over one game, and lets face it he is still our only half. Not our best half, but our only half.

Apart from him we have 3 fullbacks, 1 hooker and 1 2nd rower and a sicknote. None of which can really play halfback.


This is where Brown shoots himself in the foot. We all accept he has issues with player power, the old guard and injuries until recently. But when we got O'Brien. Why did we drop Wilkin from 7.

Wilkin was steady away at 7. Not spectacular. But rather than slot O'Brien at 6 we moved a whole selection of people about.

It's a bit like shuffling deckchairs on the titanic. But you can have a better view on the way down.

Lomax at 1 works.
Makinson and Meli on the wing work
Percival and Turner at centre works
Wilkin at 7
O'brien at 6
TP
Roby
Clough
Manu
Laffranchi
LMS

Walmsley
Greenwood
Thompson
Hand or Lance or Jones.

Gives us a hell of a lot more bulk. It ain't going to win SL, but it makes more sense than what we put out last night.

O'Brian has been poor in all his games so far. His hands are dreadful for a halfback. He drops the ball and his passes are poor. I think it might be a bit of us being so poor as well but that doesn't excuse dropping the ball and throwing poor passes.

It was a good idea to bring him but its not worked out.