Why did you not play like that for Royce?

This aint some massive conspiracy theory, we lost a game of Rugby to a better team.



Gutted about the amount of fans who abandoned the new corner with 10-15 mins left though. There was only a handful of us left for the last 10 mins.

Because he never picked the same team week in week out and his use of subs was dire to say the least,it disrupted the team and now their shackles are off and they can be more creative.

Harsh. I was slagged off since my comments on Cullen being gash pre 2006*. When there was a general love in. I've hardy breathed a word since TS turned it around. Something isnt right at Wire we are scarcely recognisable from last season. Maybe it's just the ageing team that peaked last season.



*Actually you can trace it back to 2004 where I said we would win nothing under him conceding an average of 22.5+ points per game. Anyway I prob know nowt. But if you were happy with that, neither do you.

Hmmmm......

I think the players just got frustrated under Royce. He tried to change the way Saints play, continuing Potter's shift in emphasis away from the 'Saints way' of playing. For the second half of his first year in charge the players gave it their all, but from reading the comments made by players there were a lot of things in his coaching that just confused them. His rotation policies that disrupted the team, his back on the bench policy, which was just stupid with 10 interchanges and his attacking moves. Jon Wilkin said recently they didn't know what they were doing on the field and felt clueless as to what he actually wanted them to do.



I don't think Rush and Cunningham have done anything miraculous, they've just gone back to the senior players, the likes of Flannery, Gardner and shifting Hohaia to the halves. Then they've adopted the tactics we used early in Super League and under Millward in focusing the attack through the middle around the ruck. The pack is charging in, getting to ground and Roby is up and active from dummy half again. They are also clearly given far more freedom to offload and play off the cuff when it suits, something both Potter and Simmons were against, preferring 'safe' rugby.

Carry on like this and it will be back to the days of 1986 crowds wise at FT. Having said that at least we had a pack then that stood up and were counted for.

The problem with a lot of our forwards seems to be confidence. For me, if you're not confident, or if you're not pulling things off, you should always go back to the basics and simply drive it as hard as you can up the middle. If you burst the tackle and your entire body is free, maybe look for a clear offload, if not, just take the tackle and play the ball. Too often there seems to be little thought into what they are doing: Paul Wood done the daftest offload tonight about 20m from our line, they scored straight from it. Against Wigan last week, he done a similar thing, offloaded as his arm was inches from the ground, thankfully the ref called it back for the high shot but it's clear, he's doing things without conscience and without indication. Whether Smith's put him straight about it, I don't know, but Paul clearly needs to go back to the basics to build his confidence and form up. Carvell is similar, seems to be looking for an offload at every opportunity, tonight the support play wasn't brilliant, but that's no excuse to turn around and throw it blindly.



For me, Morley was decent tonight, he ran hard and, although he isn't as effective as he once was, he was, alongside Hill, fairly decent, although his defence was suspect.

Didn't Morley go off injured around the half hour mark and not return? Something to do with his elbow?

Couldn't tell you, I watched through my hands after the third minute.

Agreed but I think the forward problem is decision making. At 10 min in 12-0 down it was a case of hard yards yet we spunk the ball up. I think we all know, but hate to say, Morley has already played his best game for us in previous seasons. A pale imitation of the legend we was.

Which one of your Australian's was it that said to Thaler, "You're bent" after he went to the video ref after Wellens' strop at not being given the try when Roby or Laffranchi were ruled to have knocked on. 50 minutes 50 seconds or thereabouts on the clock at the time.