Surely it is time for Gaskell to be given shout?

Lomax/Hohia partnership offers nothing. Oodles of poession v the Pies yet creativity near zero.

It doesn't matter. Is our fullback good enough? No. Are our outside backs any good? No. Are our forwards good enough? No.

We're a mid table side and it will take Brown 5 years to get the squad into the right shape to challenge for trophies again.

Inclined to agree a little bit.

I don't think we arr massively off in the backs if we get Turner. Limited but not awful. Hohia to 1 would add a different dimension.

I think we need a half back probably another 3-quarter in the off season.

Is it that long ago that you absolutely hammered Leeds at your ground...? Play like you did today and it would be highly likely we can get sweet revenge with a reverse tonking

We dominated the territory and possession, but had absolutely no guile or creativity from the halves to unlock a rock hard defence. Exactly the same as in the semi last year, or the league game against Warrington last season, or any number of other games the last couple of years in fact. There's very little wrong with our backline no matter what the knee-jerkers think, but we desperately, desperately, [idesperately[/i need a genuine #7 from somewhere. Gaskell isn't the answer yet but he couldn't do much worse than Hohaia at the moment - I'm sure he's a great player and all, but clearly not at #6 and clearly not in the current Saints setup. We have to do more and play better to win big games than any other team in the league does right now. Very depressing and a terrible waste of an otherwise overall very good playing squad.

I said it at the start of the year and I'll say it again. Royce Simmons has set us back years with his crazy signings and shocking methods.

The signing of hohaia on a four year deal to play stand off shocking. Signing Laffranchi in a lightweight pack to play prop was also a massive mistake. He's doing ok but he's not the prop we need. We could get away with laffranchci propping with a james graham but he's our main starting prop and he's not good enough against good teams in the front row.

We are in urgent need of a good halfback and also desperate for a prop and pace in the backs.

Brown got tough job on his hands.

Who agreed the signings? Rush is out of his depth at this level and I think he knows it, was completely wrong to expect him to take over as he did! it's still a long season to go.

I thought Lomax was awful for you. He blew so many overlaps by choosing the wrong pass or by going himself. He is very overated and is never a half back. Stick him at full back, with Wheeler/Hohia and Gaskell at half back and you would be much more threatening in attack imo.

The chairman delivered the players Simmons wanted.

Sure, Shenton, Meli and Wheeler are names which will reverberate for centuries in the memories of Saints fans ....... lol.

Has anyone got a list of half backs OOC at end of current season?

Can we pinch Finch off the pies?

Millward's commentary got me sad thinking about the team of 2004 - crikey we are years of that and that team took some years to build

Ben Jeffries - Bradford
Kyle Briggs - Bradford
Danny Orr - Castleford
Danny Nicklas - Hull FC
Matty Smith - Salford
Tim Smith - Wakefield
Lee Briers - Warrington
Gareth O'Brien - Warrington

That was a depressing performance. We could have attacked for two days without getting the three tries we needed in the second half.

As has been in evidence in all of our close games this year, we don't have any direction from the halves at all. We need a game-controlling half back (someone like Finch) so badly it's embarrassing to watch at times. Our kicking game is dreadful, our decision making is worse and our last tackle play defies description.

I was annoyed by Mike Rush suggesting that our defence was okay. It was poor. Our line speed was nowhere near Wigan's, even after 10 minutes of continuous possession. We were generally passive and looked very fragile on the fringes. The fact is that Wigan only scored 18 points because they had an off day with ball in hand. If Pat Richards had been on the wing instead of Gelling they would have scored at least 12 more.

I don't think it's by any means a genuine solution, but I'd have Gaskell back in the side from here on.

Nope!





Don't worry you sent Millward to us and he did a damned good job of un-ravelling us!



Neither team was at it's best today but you'll come good again on that I have no doubts at all

I'd seriously take briers on a one year deal. He's experinced, clever, good kicking and a saints lad.

He'd be great for likes of Gaskell and lomax to Learn off. Wigan did it with deacon and it paid off.

Our defence was very very poor. Wigan could have scored 4/5 more tries if they didn't keep losing the ball.

Every time they moved it wide we looked terrible.

I'd be happy with that.

Good shout, but would Briers go for it, he didn't like what saints did to him all those years ago.

He still lives in st Helen's, he's a saints lad. Of course he's come back if the money was right.

We should do what the pies did with deacon. Give him 1yr deal as a player and offer him a job on the coaching staff.

He's got one of the best rugby brains in the game, the likes of lomax and Gaskell will buzz off him learning them.

In case you didn't notice, Royce Simmons was sacked a few months back. The coaching decisions are now down to Rush.

He brought the fullback to play standoff and he brought the backrow to play prop.


Still think lance is the great stand off ?

Marty smith would at least give us a kicking game

Not the smartest player tho.

Briers for me

This season is done for me now. We're out the cup and we've got alot of catching up to do in the league. Leeds won it from 5th last year but I can't see us doing it simply because we don't have the class to do it IMO. Put us up against Wigan, Warrington and Leeds in a do or die game and I don't think I'd back us.

We rely so much on Roby creating things around the ruck and if he is nullified (which Wigan have done twice) then we offer very little elsewhere. Our half backs are awful. Lomax tries hard and at least commits defenders and brings runners into the game, but his kicking game isn't good enough and he doesn't have the range of passing or the brain to be a midfield general in my view. He'd be a very good full back and I've always seen him as Wello's eventual replacement. On the topic of Wellens, been a class servant for us and tries his b*llocks off but he's far too slow and pedestrian in attack. He had a decent game today but near the line the moves died with our 6, 7 and 1 combination. As for Hohaia, whilst he tries hard, he's simply shocking and has been pretty much all year. Doesn't take the line on, doesn't organise and dictate the game, has an average passing game, doesn't commit defenders, he has a terrible kicking game and doesn't really have the speed to trouble defences. He's not the answer to our half back problems, no way! This is the biggest problem with our team and unless we sort out our 1, 6 and 7 combination we've no chance of lifting silverware anytime soon even with the greatest coach in the world.

Two other problems for me are the lack of a dominant forward or two, someone who can test the defence and make the hard yards constantly - Perry was very poor today, he's so half hearted, he's stealing a living. We're short of someone creative in the pack too, someone who can offload the ball and create 2nd phase play where our nippy players like Roby, Wilkin and Lomax can take advantage of. The other problem is a fast Centre who can break a tackle. Wheeler is a good player but had a really poor game today. Shenton has again flattered to deceive and I'm starting to wonder what cutting edge he brings to the side out wide. I've seen little evidence of any real strike from him, whereas the likes of Meli, Wheeler, Gardner and Makinson have all shown they are capable of making breaks from time to time. We're being linked with Turner and maybe he'll be a better option on the right side for us.

You can't fault the effort and commitment, but we're just not good enough. Too many try hards and not enough quality, leaders and inspiration in the team to lift silverware I'm afraid.

Saintsfan: can you read english? The decisions that clown made re Hohaia and the decision not to sign another big prop are biting us on the big time. Since that idiot left were 6 from 8 I think.
Hohaia is an average squad player at best & certainly no half back. Joke of a quota spot and a complete waste of money, id be willing to pay his air fare home now.
Try answering the question, whats youre opinion on Hohaia? Are you still in the minority of one on here?