what do you think they have been doing? if you want good examples of not planning look at Warrington OR Leeds they really will be up the creek over the next 2-3 years when all their 30 yr olds drop off.



Gardner will be replaced by Makison - and before you or anybody else screams the "we need pace" mantra - I would suggest we sign Penny if that is teh criteria. Meli is STILL one of our strike options and his scoring rate is way up there - true we havent effectively replaced Talau but then Wigin are trying to convince themselves that Joel is the great white hope in centres, and when Carmont goes they will have 0 centres. Flannery is a solid hardworking 2nd rower who we miss dreadfully when he isnt in the middle of the park.



Wellens is still probably the best British full back in the british game - true he is getting to the end of his career but when he is on - there is no one better.



Over the last 5 years we have lost - Joynt, Lyon, Long, Sculthorpe, Cunningham - any team would struggle to replace one of these (all of whom are hall of fame players) yet we have done this job quietly and efficiently. I cannot believe the dummy spitting going on because we aren't winning everything like in 2006 - that team was unique we are rebuilding get over it.

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Who was the last player Saints sold? PROBABLY Gary Connolly in the late 80's (can't exactly remember). Big Mac has [unever [/usold a player and anyway if you listen to St Pete we dont have any players the wolfs would want. You at the all stars are going to make some difficult decisions over the next 2 years like replace piggy, your entire front row and full back - good lucK

Good posts Steve.





I think Saints have managed our transition very well. Granted, we probably need another mature prop (as opposed to a young up and coming, who will hopefully get a chance next season as well). But other than that we don't need anyone else for next season.

we need to put our transition in context. Wigan nearly got relagated, the bulls are struggling to get in the 8, leeds struggling for top 6 and we're 4th after being decimated by injuries in key positions and the eastmond afair leaving us without our first choice halfback pairing yet this season!

Gleeson,and Brechek(spell?)

Ok.

Bollox we're spending the full cap.

We've space for another couple of players, I don't doubt that.

I remeber before they announced Gidley being convinced it was too late and thinking they we're going to move Hooper into the centres to save money. We often announce a signing quite late on, I think Perry was the same.

perry announced 15th of june last year, but as you say its far from too late for a significant signing, LMS was only announced on the 3rd of september last year

I think everyone knew that lms was coming a good few month before 3rd September. Same with Gilmour and fozzard, we knew they was coming but wasn't made official until September.



My point is, we was being linked with players but at the moment we are not.

We could be spending up to the cap!



This does not mean we are spending £1.7 or .6 million, what ever that is at the moment. The cap is about 50% of revenue as I recall as well as the £1.6 max. Well revenue from the fans is definatley down this year, whether that means revenue from sponsors and sky and marchandise is enough to make £3 of revenue I don't know.



Personally I just think we are a bunch of panic monkey's who cannot cope with the cycle of sport. The nature of SL makes it a cup competition not a league competition, so even in years where we have done relatively well during the season, ie finishing top, we have still come away without the title as it boils down to one off games in the playoffs.



Our last trophy was 3 seasons ago now. Yet in each of the last 2 seasons we have finished above the cup winners. 2009 by some way 2010 by points difference. This year we are behind by some 3 matches on Wigan and Warrington, in a season where our biggest earners have bearly been on the pitch. Pryce, Eastmond, Perry, all been out of the team for lengthy periods and could easily be pulling down £300 - £400 k between them.



Effectively we did invest in our halfbacks and we did plan ahead, but I've yet to know a season where the primary half back pairing have been unavailable to the team for 90% of the season (if not more, I've not done the figures). Perry was our big forward signing for this year and basically has added very little mostly due to injury.



I think Pete has a point over the centre position but that's about as far as I would take it. I think Saints where hoping to replace talau from within, the young lads where given oppertunities but no one had the quality to step up. The centre position was trialed with verious 2nd rowers, then last season we invest in an international centre and he goes and gets knackered 2 games in for the whole season and by the time he returns , he's suddenly a 2nd rower.

You say that saints wanted to replace talau from the youth team but it didn't work out. That's the risk with going with to much youth. If wheeler, makinson, lomax, Gaskell, foster ect don't make it, then where do we replace them from?



It's great we are bringing young kids thru the system and it would be great if we didn't need to sign players and all players was replaced with youth but it's not that easy. For every 10 or so young lads I bet only 1 or 2 make it.