We do look a poorly coached team and we did last year.

Your forwards seemed to start well tonight, they were well on top and making some good meters early on. They then seemed to fade, not sure is this was fatigue or just laziness.

Laziness. They did much more work last year when we were carrying loads of youngsters. But then we had Jammer last year to kick their backsides.

It sounds cliche but he really did lead by example, miss seeing him play, was nice to see a forward turning games for a change.

Give it a rest you crying lunkhead before my eyes bleed. Whatever Hohaia is or isn't cannot be determined within a handful of games (where he has already played several positions). It's theatrical whiners like you who would have had Willie Talau run out of the team before he ever managed to show some form. Lyon too, probably.

Someone save us from Saints fans who make pie-eaters look like rational beings.

You can't actually fault anything I've posted though can you?



What Hohaia is could be determined by anyone who has watched him during his career. He's a willing player who's diminutive size makes him a worry amongst tired players or close to the line. He's been a utility player throughout his career, he's no halfback and was signed as one. I'm right on Hohaia, Jon Wells picked up on how poor his work at hooker is on the Sky coverage too, but I suppose he's a crying lunkhead too?

At least you think all is going well.

I'm not buying all this crap that we will be there at the business end of the season and look at Leeds last year. We look crap, utter crap!

You're playing the man, not the ball, Muggers.

I don't post much these days, but that performance got me out of my bath-chair. It was unacceptably bad. In fact, it was terrible. There's a very good chance we're looking at a run of 8 games without a win. While I could swallow 3 losses to Wigan, Wire and Leeds, the Saints squad is better on paper than Hull, Hull KR, Catalans and certainly Bradford. In fact, on paper, we're better than Huddersfield, but on the pitch they are light years ahead.

That was awful stuff. Amateur in places. Forwards who couldn't get past the PTB, half-backs who couldn't deliver a pass to a running threequarter, and threequarters who - on the rare occasions they got the ball - had all the penetration of an impotent panda. Awful. Awful.

Something needs to change, fast, or this will be our equivalent of the season the pies had to cheat to avoid relegation. I don't care if it's firing the coach or whipping some players, but something has to change. I'm all booked up to bring the family up for the game against Wigan, and after tonight, I'm a bit unsure as to whetehr I can bear to put myself through watching us get hammered by 40 points.

Exactly !remember what was being said about MacDermott and Leeds last season

Just seen this thread and I had a little chuckle to myself.

Cast your minds back to this time last year and my team Leeds were in a very similar position and look what happened. Its a blip and it'll turn around. You'll get nowhere if you kick the coach out now.

Really??

Controversial.

At one point I'm sure the caption on Sky said that Hohaia had made 52 tackles and he made several more after that. If Roby had made that many we would all be going on about him being a machine.

Hohaia did the same last week. It's not his defence that is a problem. In fact, the team's defence is good (bar against kicks, but that's been a problem at Saints for years). It's in attack that we are hopeless.

We were the same last season but with Robes and Jammer on board we could still pull off wins, although with a number of losses and draws in there too. I think we were about seventh in the table this time last year.

Top coach just needs time.All will come good.

Is that a serious post or you taking pi$$?

I'd like to see his missed tackle and penalty count too though. There was one passage of play in the second half where he let Ben Jefferies waltz through a non-existent gap next to him, then threw a forward pass to cost us possession then conceded two penalties in a row for high shots.

Fair enough but, I think the 2 high shots he got penalised for were harsh decisions. Silverwood seemed to give a few penalties for high shots which, in my view, were not.

After tonight it looks bleak, but even so I don't think a sacking is in order just yet.

Perry, Laffranchi, Puletua need to get a grip and lead from the front - Lomax/Wheeler, Gaskell, Hohahia, Wilkin need to work out how to create an attack and feed Meli and Shenton.

Certain players should be threatened with the sack if they don't pull their fingers out. If the coach can't sort them out over the next few weeks, he should answer for that.

Foster can't play against Leeds, Wolves and Pies. We'd be better with Clough or Dixon on the wing.

The performance WAS bad. For two weeks I've been texting friends saying we've reverted to the days of Eric Hughes. But bad as things are we need to retain some perspective. I know I'm as guilty as anyone so this is somewhat ironic. I guess it's part of - eventually - growing up.

Hohaia doesn't deserve anything like the stick he's getting. The guy has barely had time to settle in and we know from experience it sometimes takes anywhere up to 12 months for that to happen (which it did with Talau). Wheeler, Gaskell and Foster are similarly taking more than their fair share. Wheeler is older, but injuries have set his career back by at least sixteen months. Gaskell hasn't physically matured and Foster looks mentally shot.

If we are to point the finger of blame at players we should look no further than the experienced pros who have badly let the side down. Wilkin has really, really let us down. He is the obvious replacement as leader and go-to guy in times of strife and so far he's been completely anonymous. Puletua looks physically gone. Wellens - every attacking move ends with him etc. etc.

Of course, Royce deserves some stick. But if he's culpable then McManus must be also. After all, he's presided over player selection these past few years with some absolutely awful decisions (Meli, Gardner - even Wellens).

Which you haven't.



You're certainly "right" in the Charlie Sheen sense of being right i.e. endlessly repeating your "rightness" until someone crazy enough agrees with you or says the same purely to shut you up.

I thought Laffranchi had a half decent game tonight. Granted, his best work came running out wide like a second rower, which he is.

I take it you happy with this seasons performances?

Do you think it was correct to sign a fullback on as a replacement for a scrum half and the fullback ain't played in the halves for about 10 years?

Do you think it was correct to replace one of the best props in the world with a backrow who'd had next to no experince at prop?

Do you think it's a good idea to play 16 v 17 most weeks?

Do you think we looked well coached?

Do you think only playing one practice game was a good idea when trying a new combination of two fullbacks in the halves?

Do you think it's good that we rotate are wingers most weeks?

Do you agree that when most teams was slugging out in a long tough preseason that Royce had us resting at home?

Do you think it's great that we have lost more games at LP than we've won?

I'll ask again. Who do you know that is:

(a) Immediately available.

(b) Will definitely do a better job?

And I mean [uknow[/u, not speculate.

Because if, as I suspect, then answer is 'no-one' or 'I don't know' then it proves that there's a reason why Eamonn hasn't and will not react as per 99.9% of the people on here who post emotional nonsensical tripe. Everything I read on here is panic, sheer panic.

Seasons are won and lost in September/October, not March.

Don't waste my time.



I don't know what terms Royce offered Hohaia. There are rumours of this and that. But no evidence. Am I happy we signed an experienced - not to mention relatively young - player with proven big-match performance who can play in several positions? Yes.



Best props in the world are by definition nigh-on impossible to replace. As for signing Laffranchi - a) I have no idea who was *truly* available, b) we've signed experienced back-row forwards in the past who've made outstanding props (Fairleigh) c) Laffranchi is widely regarded in the NRL as a very good player and d) it's too early to judge him.



Based on performances so far this tactic is problematic. However, the *reasoning* behind playing 16 vs 17 is to spare the players for the playoffs. It is therefore a good idea to wait until the playoffs to judge whether it is effective.



We're losing so no. But I see coaching as less of an issue than the complete lack of a single effective scrum half and no leader on the pitch.



Irrelevant. We don't have a scrum half so we could play a dozen friendlies and it would make no difference.



I consider wingers the least important players in the modern game.



This is a statement of fact. It's like saying "do you agree the sun rises in the morning?"



Now you're being ridiculous. Pick the dummy up, son.

Surprised Hohaia is coming in for some stick, I thought he was one of your most dangerous players going forward. I was genuinely surprised how lacking in confidence St Helen's appeared to be. On the plus side I thought your defence looked pretty solid and held out for some long periods of pressure. A better decision by Foster in the 2nd half and you might well have ground out a result.

Some tough fixture coming up now for Saints which must be a concern. I am sure you'll find some form soon enough though and will still comfortably reach the top 8.