Personally with the squad we have I personally think we should be looking to win one of the major trophies on offer next season. New coach, new ideas could make all the difference. We have been there or thereabouts since 2006 (last winning Super League Side) and maybe just a tweak here and there could be whats needed.

Stop trying to speak for us all and give us your own personal opinion!

Personally, I agree with the OP.

For the wire to win all three.hay I can dream, it is Christmas after all

I bumped into two of our first team players from the backline and they were both looking very lean, now if Perry has lost any weight, we'll stand a chance.

Personally, I have never seen the point in leaning out in pre-season under the current playoff system, unless they are excessive like Perry was last year of course. But that's just my personal opinion.

I think we'll make the last 4 of each competition, minimum.

To achieve more than one-dimensionally plodding tediously and pointlessly through the season to inevitable defeat in the knockout games. I reckon a final appearance at least looks a good bet.

Let's be realistic, we've got a new coach which IMO can only be a good thing as we've not been coached for the last two seasons. Brown will bring new ideas which with freshen the players up a little but as with any coach and new team, it sometimes just doesn't work.

The signing of willie Manu will give us extra in attack, we've no had a attacking forward since Freddie left us, IMO Manu will make us stronger.

I'm not sure on the other two new signings. Turner seems like a he will be a work in progress and obviously Walmsley has never played at this level.

I expect at top three finish in the super league and the semi final of the CC if we have a good draw.

The starting 17 is as good as anyone's on paper but I do think we lach depth. We seem to struggle against the likes of Warrington and Wigan upfront as Perry isn't good enough and Laffranchi isn't your out and prop and can sometimes be bullied.

The backs could be a problem, we know we got big problems in the halves but I also have a worry with our centres. Jones is still a young lad, I expect him to find it much harder this year and Turner is a unknown really, he looks very good some weeks and very poor the next.

Is be happy with a good cup run, top three and good play off run. I'll be happy if we play good entertaining structured rugby and play competitive.

Can only see a slight improvement on last season, we still have the lack of creativity in half backs, hopefully our new coach can fix this sooner than later. Success is always based on your pivotal players in 1, 6,7,9 and 13 the only pivot up to standard at the moment is Roby, I'm hoping Manu will become a pivotable 13 and the new coach can get one of the half backs to supply the creativity that was in short supply last season.
We might see Meli playing a few games at centre as an attacking threat, just got this gut feeling that Turner will turn out better performances than he did at Hull. Walmsley id obviously work in progress, once up to speed we have the return of an impact prop from the bench.
I also expect that the teams around us might not be as good as last season, reckon cup success will be possible if we can sort out our half back combination as our attacking threat was very predictable last year. Top 3 finish with a final appearance, Challenge Cup success perhaps.

I'd like a good cup run and an appearance and hopefully a win at wembley, we've not been for a while

Manu is not a 'pivot' any more than the last bloke to wear the 13 shirt was (sadly).Hopefully he will create havoc with his strong running and offloading ability out wide though.

My hope for the season would be to make at least 1 final. Picking up a trophy with the halfbacks we have would be a real achievement.

Wilkin is the nearest thing we have to a traditional 13 and the player you'd play there to do that job every time, but the fact is that the game has changed and the 13 shirt is now little more than a spot to play an extra prop in for most teams - I suspect we will be little different in that regard next year.

Low.



Virtually same pack.

Don't be daft. Our pack is fantastic - as good as any in the league in pure personnel terms easy. It's not their fault they were made to play one-up plodding rugby by a series of clueless coaches the last few years... Not many packs will get the better of us next year. All our potential problems are in the backs where we're relying on a lot of young players coming good all at once and could struggle badly if they don't - in the pack though we're sorted.

On its day our pack is good but I fancy wolves and Wigan to get the better of our pack if both play at full potential.

We are defo 100% a good prop short, possibly 2 short but it will more than hold its own most weeks.

The halves good be the problem again but Brown will give us better game plans and certainly more structure.

IMO for us to be a real force next year, we need top quality prop, halfback and centre.

Can't see you being a million miles away from a very good season tbh. You were very good against us (Leeds) last time and also for a game and a half against wire in the playoffs. Not sure of Brown's credentials when it comes to playoff rugby but I reckon you'll be good during the regular season and probably the CC and if he can get you to up it a notch in the playoffs, who knows?

Really? The Pies have lost Lima and Morley is nearly 40. Nothing to fear from either of their packs.

Remind me again of the age of the Saints pack!!!

I hope you didn't spend too much on me yesterday.

Gaz Hock totally destroyed us twice last year

I seem to remember the pies, leeds, warrington, cats and most suprisingly the hull packs getting the better of us last year.

:1mhh9lsp

OK, so you're not the brighest... No problem, we can work with that. Here's my original post again with the salient point subtly highlighted for your delectation:

"Northampton_Saint wrote:[i:1mhh9lspDon't be daft. Our pack is fantastic - as good as any in the league in pure personnel terms easy. :1mhh9lsp=#FF0000:1mhh9lsp[i[u:1mhh9lspIt's not their fault they were made to play one-up plodding rugby [size=150:1mhh9lspby a series of clueless coaches[/size:1mhh9lsp the last few years...[/u:1mhh9lsp[/i:1mhh9lsp:1mhh9lsp"

Is that better now or would you like me to provide you with diagrams?

Or maybe it's just that the Saints pack that you think is fantastic just isn't as good as you believe.

I do agree with the young player part though, it was something I warned about after witnessing it with Wigan around 2003/2004 / 2005.

Interesting you bring up the young player aspect as i think Wigans big weakness in this coming year will be a lack of experienced players.Only Hock O'loughlin and Richards have significant experience.
I'm surprised you havent brought that up in relation to Wigans team next season. Especially considering you will be going into the campaign with an untried half back pairing which may take some time to gell.
During the transitional period Saints have ensured they have maintained a significant level of experience, and this has helped us stay as an elite club. Wigan appear to be making the same mistakes as happened at the turn of the century, with regard to squad composition.

With regard to Saints pack it statistically outplayed over the season, every other pack.
Saints problem was not in making yards it was in doing something once we had made the yards.
Due to inexperienced coaches they went with a basic game plan which was still good enough to hand last years trophy winning teams Warrington and Leeds defeats, but ultimately wasnt enough in the really big games.
Saints weakness is a lack of pace and quality in the threequarters which means we are limited to scoring close range trys vombined with a misfiring half back pairing, which i think was more down to coaching than the respective players abilities. A lot in the 2013 season will depend on how our halves work under the brown coaching setup and if Jordan Turner can give us more strike power out wide than the rather powder puff Shenton, who was a flop at Saints.

Excellent post Chair.