I think it proves that ST's have relied far too much on Graham and Roby for their go forward and that work-rate and class hasn't been matched amongst the other players.
I still think when Roby comes back and they get Lomax and Gaskell firing they'll be a threat but they need to get the pack sharing and giving the work=rate and impact they miss with Grahams departure.
They may even replicate our 06 season and go through a bit of a transition it also highlights imo that Foster ,Meli and the likes of Dixon aren't as good as maybe some of the locals think they are.

Hopefully Roby will be back, will make for a much better game.

True. And this could be a very telling 3 weeks. If they were to lose all 3 of those, then their route back to the top 4 or 5 could look very hard indeed.

If they win a couple of them, they're well in touch and it's "Crisis? What crisis?" time.

I still don't think any of those 3 sides are quite firing on all cylinders yet, so I while they won't be favourites for any of them, I wouldn't write Saints off in any of those games either, so winning a couple of them isn't beyond the bounds of possibility.

I can't see them losing all 3. But if they do, yes, they are heading up a certain creek without a certain instrument.

Graham gone, Roby injured. Given Wilkin's outspokenness on many issues, one would have thought he was a leader around which a struggling pack would rally. But no.

Simmons's sacking will already be in the Wilkins Big Book of Excuses, ready to be used when the need arises.

Does Wilkin play rugby? I thought he just issued press releases and wore fancy suits.

Premature decision so early. We were no better than they are in July last year! To do this in March is a bit daft.

That said, Royce was "dead man walking" with it being knowledge he was gone at the end of this year so maybe he would have been unable to turn them around the way McDermott did us.

Saints are in massive transition, having lost Long, Cunningham and Graham. They still have some cracking youngsters in pivotal positions (Gaskell and Lomax) that might take a bit of time to mature. Mind, I also think they have some distinctly average youngsters like Wheeler and Foster.

TBF on Wilkin and his moans, He is from Hull and lives in St Helens. I can't think of a more depressing life

You can't say that about Foster, he's a superstar. He's had his haircut on telly and everyfink

He's a good looking boy and he'll sell some programmes if he's on the cover.

Is that how you get in the Saints side? Must be why they got rid of Graham. What prepubescent girl wants to masturbate over a translucent ginger scouser.

You seen run-of-the-mill scouse 'talent'?

Translucent ginger scouse ones? There are plenty of them round that way.

Out of the 3 players you have mentioned only Lance Hohaia was signed on his watch, Perry was signed prior to the arrival of Simmons and Meli has been there a few years. Perry looks a shadow of is former self, Hohaia is a good utility player and Meli last season looked like a new player in the centres, however this season he as been found out a bit. Replacing the ginger one was always going to be a big ask, as there ain't many props about like him.

I personally think Simmons is damn unlucky to lose his job so soon into the season. I think the chairman and the rest of the board at Saints have not had their fingers on the pulse regarding player recruitment and have been too pre occupied with the Langtree Park project.

I wish they did this after our game against them. New coach syndrome always kicks in and players give that bit more to stake their claim in the team. I still expect us to win, but not as easily as it was looking, though obviously any game against Saints is never easy.

I feel the coach has carried the can for his chairmans mistakes. As already stated they've had too much focus on the new ground, resulting in them missing the boat completley when it came to replacing FGB.
A shiny new grounds worth nothing if the team is playing 5hite in front of no fans.

Lose the two best players and the team loses most of it's ability, just like Leeds at the end of 2010/beginning of 2011. If our chairman Gary was as loose with money as Eamonn then our coach would have gone too, and a lot of fans would have been happy.

These two two men teams dominated the league for years, that's super league quality in action

obviously player power has got rid of royce, but i still think that nathan brown will be in the hot seat come 2013

Why has player power got rid of Simmons, would he not cough up for his round?

The fact that he was definitely leaving at the end of the year would impact his own willingness to keep taking sh*t from fans as well. Why bother if he's going to take stick for a side being obviously weaker on the field if he's not going to be around for the long haul?

Are you implying that Leeds are a two man team and those two men are JP and McGuire?!?

If anyone is the man at Leeds it's gotta be Sir Kev hasn't it (though personally I'd say our greatest strength is actually our team ethic...which may well be largely thanks to Sir Kev's leadership)

Saints have lost Cunngham, Long, Eastmond, Pryce and Graham plus the injury to Roby coupled with some loss of form and the all important confidence. So as happened to us last year they have hit a bad run of results which has put a lot of pressure on the replacements and youngsters. However they have lost in most cases by only a few points so not all the fault of the coach.

We have to be wary of a backlash particularly if Roby is back and there will be no lack of effort and motivation with Rush and Cunngham keen to make a pitch for the job. Leeds are in great form and will be aware of the risks so we should still look forward to another win.

Saints are still a good side - there recuitment is not that bad given what is available - Perry was a poor signing but Shenton, LMS, Flannagan, Lance and Lanfranchi haven't been disasters. They have potentially the best young half back pair in SL, Makinson and Wheeler have much to offer and in Roby possibly the best player in SL. Foster is a liability and he has cost them in both the Hull KR game and against Bradford.

They will be there or there abouts come the end of the season - Simmons, credentials weren't brilliant to begin with - and the idea that Kieron still walks on water has done for him.

Saints will play better on Sunday and we need to be at our best to prevail.

Saints have plenty of time to come good and I'm sure they will.

Could you imagine this board if we had had their start to the season!!!

Am I imagining things or have certain posters been banging on about Saints recruitment and youth policy for the last few years whilst lamenting ours? didn't someone even proclaim they would buy a saints season ticket because they beat us to puletua?

I might be going slightly mad.

They miss James Graham like a Hole in the Head. Stevo, what a Div.

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