That was the big discussion point in our car on the way home today. I expected a tough one today and so it proved, gone are the days of nice easy away wins in SL. You already know my views on our current squad and our coach, so IMO with injuries already crippling us a massive 5 games into the season, it looks like 2010 will be a whimpering showing from us. The realistic ones amongst us knew this was coming and it's no surprise with Long having left that we are going to work hard to make the top 6 this season and already top 2 or even 4 look mighty long shots given how strong the likes of Huddersfield, Warrington, Hull and Wigan look currently. Leeds are too strong to finish outside of the top 2, so potentially 6th for us this season?



But our abiltity to bounce back next season is whats interesting me now. New ground, new coach

and several new players wouldn't be unrealistic given how many we've got coming off contract. But is it possible to go from where we are now to competiting for the trophies in 2011? The choice of coach will obviously be important, but I certainly hope the club are already working hard on signings for next season. The news from Aus that we put an offer in for Jamie Lyon is encouraging, but the loss of Cunningham will take some overcoming. We need to find two centres, two wingers and a prop for next season, with Lomax potentially moving to fullback. That's a massive job for McManus and co.

I don't think we need two as we have got wheeler and maybe foster .

I'd say we're being competitive in 2010 myself.

You think so? You think there is genuine hope that we could win a trophy this season?

Is that what being competitive means, though?



Personally, I don't think we'll win a thing this season (although I hasten to add that I would love to be proven wrong). I don't think we will make it anywhere near a final. However, I'd like to think we would be competitive and not just roll over and die in matches.

heard a rumour that Potter has the faith of the board and will be offered a new contract, if true, then is can only be good news to the rest of SL

By competitive, I meant 'competiting for the trophies' not avoiding a thrashing against mid table sides to be honest.

We are one of those mid table sides now. It's painful, but we need to accept it. We are presently lying fifth in the table. I'd say that was mid table, wouldn't you?

i won't sat my initial answer which was "let's get through this year first" so i'll play along, as for your comments this year, i don't think huddersfield/wigan/warrington/hull are any better than us on a consistant basis, and when we've been ravaged by injuries like we have so far this season, it's always going to be a struggle



wheeler is shaping up as an excellent centre, would expect to see him starting there next season, same as with lomax on the wing, i'd be very suprised if both Meli and Gardner where let go at the end of the year, the more likely being gardner being kept on for another 2 years, and the hope that someone else will come through the academy. i think wellens will remain at full back for next year at least. a prop is a definate and again as in the off season where we should be spending money, by then I would expect Clough to be a full time prop too. i think it is important that Pryce is kept on another year. I'd expect Soliola to remain centre next season with Foster given some game time, in the hope we can bring him on. ashurst and dixon will be knocking on the door by next year too, and we'll know if emmitt and frodsham will make it at saints, same with dean..



what does bode well is if we can bring these youngsters on, in the not too distant future the team would look like



Wellens (31 years old this time next year), lomax (20) wheeler (21) soliola (24) gardner (27) pryce (29) eastmond (21) graham (25), moore (23) ashurst (21) puletua (31) wilkin (27) which probably isn't a million miles away from the team that starts next year.. you'd also have roby (25), hargreaves (25), dixon (21) clough (23) and possibly another signing, and we still don't know if meli/fozzard/fa'as/flanno will be kept on..



to me that looks a good young squad, and i don't think i'm building up the youngsters in that team overly, all have shown enough promise to be first team players (rather than throwing in names like foster who is still very much an unknown as to whether he makes it or not). potter's job was to bring on the youngsters, if we look at the players who played in anderson's last game, by next year we will be a lot younger, as we expected potter to do.



wellens, gardner, talau (32 in 200icon_cool.gif, gidley (31), meli, pryce, long (32), hargreaves, cunningham (31) graham, gilmour (30), flanno (2icon_cool.gif wilkin... roby, faas (2icon_cool.gif fozzard clough..



if you compare the two (solely on ages i admit) the 2008 team had 5 players 30 or over, next year it will more likely be just 2. next seasons would have 11 players 25 or under, compared to just 6 that was in andersons GF team..

I think its going to really tought this season. I really hope the young players gain some valuable experience from this season and become strong next season. I have the feeling they are holding out on signing players till the new stadium is built. I think we'll make the play offs and i would be made up if we made the semi's!!!

i say this all too often, look at cas when they first came up, they finished bottom, but they blooded a whole load of youngsters, and now (alright not necessarily challenging for first) i would argue they're a mid-table club now.. also about six seasons ago, burrow and mcguire where played at half back at leeds when they were young, and they struggled for a few years, before becoming one of the best half-back pairings in the league

A really good post that makes sense.

Your obviously still in the mix for 2010, the only difference with previous years is instead of being a slight step ahead, your now bunched in with a number of other teams who on their day are capable of beating one and other.



As for 2011 it'll depend on who you bring in, but with the salary cap as strict as it plus the quota decreasing, buying in from overseas is not an easy, cheap or longterm method for success.



I would say that Saints priority number 1 is and should be the new stadium, sadly for you if the team suffers in the mean time it'll be a small price to pay for securing the future of your club.

What a stupid question - whats wrong with this year? Lets get some players back and see what happens first before we write off 2010.



Can we be competitive this year - let's see when we play a game with 1,2,3,4,12,13 in the squad.



Can we win any trophies this year? - Don't Know - but that doesnt mean we write off a full season after 5 games.

We're the best team in SL with a full strength sqaud.



If we have better luck in the second half of the season, we will win the big one!!

Um, I don't think so. Not anymore. Maybe in a season or two's time, youth development depending.

Thats your opinion and i'm well entitled to mine.



I love our club. Absolutely love it! Injuries permited, we'll win it this year and you can quote me on that.

I love our club too. It's just that we aren't the team we were and we're not yet the team we could be.



Indeed, that is my opinion. But I still love my club. And [imy club[/i is the best in the Superleague.

I'm a little worried that fans are getting their hopes up insofar as recruitment is concerned when we move to the new ground. It's pretty obvious that McManus has had to dip into the player pot in order to make the necessary funding. That's ok as far as I'm concerned because a choice between a great team or a new ground is no choice at all. But if we're thinking the tap will be turned full on the moment we make the switch we'd better think again.



Money will be tight for a few years yet. So we'd best make sure we get good value for it.

As money been tight because we're moving into a new stadium ? I truely believe it's because we're focusing on youth development.



We have never had young talent in our squad like we have today imo. Maybe 1 or 2 comming thru each season but not 5 or 6 like we have now. That in turn costs more money. I have been told by somebody at the club that we will be looking outside the UK for couple of signings for next season.



I personally believe we're becomming the new Leeds. A side built on a brilliant academy system in which they all came thru at the same time. Our squad will only need tweaking as we go.

i agree our first 17 would beat leeds wigan and wire

If money HASN'T been tight and we are paying the maximum permitted under the cap then we aren't getting value for money. At least not in comparison to earlier teams that too were subject to the cap. If, as we believe, these wunderkinder mature into the real thing we aren't in a position to pay them according to their utility because we are already at the ceiling.







Clearly we are. But, then, so is pretty much every other team in SL. We do not have a monopoly on hot prospects. And if the competition choose to supplement theirs with proven talent (British or otherwise) we must follow suit or be left behind.



No. It is clear to me that we are dipping into the player pot to finance the stadium. And that's cool because there can be no higher priority.







The Eric Hughes academy was arguably as good or better than what we have now. Some of those players went on to achieve great things whilst several others sank without trace (Danny Arnold, Joey Hayes etc.)



And that's the point - hot prospects do not always pay what they promise, which means it is essential that an insurance policy is taken out in the transfer market.







Given the premium placed on good British talent it is hardly surprising that the club is looking overseas where the going rate is more modest. Contracts are at an end and we have to recruit. But WHO are we going to recruit? The new Jamie Lyon or the new Francis Meli?







A flourishing junior development program ALONE did not win Leeds three consecutive SL titles. When the right players became available they were prepared to pay top dollar to secure them - Peacock, Ellis, Lautiti, Webb etc.

Thought we were at Widnes for 2011 season?

The new stadium will be built during next saeason but realistically, I can't see us going there until 2012 season.



IMO next season will be similar to this seaon especially if we keep Potter combined with the emphasis of resources = money on the new ground instead of new players. Only when we move in and revenue increases significantly will be able to afford/compete with the likes of the dire etc.

Good post

If anything i'd have though Saints fans, players and the coaching staff would have taken quite abit of hope out of yesterdays result then being down about it. How may players did you have missing? Going off the team sheet I count around 6 and then you lost a couple more to injury so to come as close as that to a result at a tough place like Hull KR must give real hope imo that not only can you be competative with a vastly weakened squad but that you can beat pretty much every team home or away with a full strengh squad.



Injuries at this stage of the season are a problem because it becomes tough to get consistancy but one thing having a few players out will do is keep those guys fresh for further down the track and lift the side mentally on the weeks they come back in. I look at the Saints side I think alot of fans would pick when everyones fit and think 'that looks as good as anything in the league'(and I include Leeds in that).



I'd be suprised if Saints aren't in the top 4 and a final come the end of the season.