Saints fans aren't usually ones for allowing the scrum half to not take on the line. I expect him to be booed off after two games if he doesn't. It would be a bit hypocrticial if he were not.

This signing has big warning signs all over it. If it turns out to be a shocking signing, the club can't say they weren't warned. On the kicking game, if you read the press about him in Australia, it seems the only kicking he can do is the short kicking game, specifically lofted kicks to the corner and grubbers. Andrew Johns amongst others has been very critical of his positional kicking. I read one comment somewhere saying that crickets all across Australia were delighted by the news he was leaving, as they tended to bear the brunt of his passing game.

They need to get this right.

YOU PEOPLE MAKE ME LAUGH...

we have to sign a 7 - because its obvious we need one (and we do) but the club identify an option and lo and behold he isn't good enough. Quite who would be I don't really know - I'm sure that if we had signed a Thurston / Cronk half back pairing it wouldn't be good enough because Thurston is too old and Cronk isn't fast enough!

I struggle to see who is good enough. would somebody please enlighten me.

Gaskell isn't good enough for the #7 job, we don't have anyone else on the books up to it either, and there simply isn't anyone else around we could realistically be signing any better instead. He may or may not be brilliant and may or may not work out for us, but he's the best possible available option we have and so his signing will do fine for me.

I look forward to all the posts next year by all the usual suspect numpties bemoaning Saints' continued decline and lack of ambition because he's not as good as Longy or Goulding were in their prime and wouldn't have made a '96, '00 or '06 team and so isn't good enough for us now, or isn't a 17 year old kid from Thatto Heath. Idiots.

That's what I'm clinging onto really.

Where have I said he isn't good enough? I've not seen enough of him to comment on that and I've not. All I've put is that the volume and specifics of the criticism of his ability and performances are a concern. You can't sign any player just because you need one, and lets face it, if we've persuaded him to give up his Panthers deal and outbid Hull, he certainly won't be cheap.

Goulding wasn't exactly prolific in taking on the line; more of a passing, kicking & organising No7. And yet he never seemed to struggle winning the fans over...

I agree entirely. It would be far better to make a den by putting a sheet over the kitchen table and sit there pretending everything is great.

I'm under there now.

You mean you expect us to be worse next year, because if we improve significantly no one will have anything to moan about.

If Walsh does the kicking and organising, and Lance and Lomax do the running, I think we'll go alright.

I still think Laffranchi could do a good job at second row for us, but he's done nowhere near to deserve his extra year.

Kevin Sinfield has made a career out of his kicking and organising game.
You dont look at him to scythe through midfield, instead Leeds use the likes of Burrow, Mcguire and their fast three quarters to do that work.

lets give Walsh the opportunity to come over here, settle in, then start moving the team around the pitch.

As for his halfback partner then we can look to Wheeler, Swift or Hohoia.

I get the impression that Browns first choice is Wheeler.
Hohoia is i think seen as an interchange hooker.
Swift has so far not been played in the halves, which suggests Brown doesnt see him as a halfback, even though he is one by trade. Then again maybe its been more a case of him being reluctant to put youngsters in key pivotal positions.

Wheeler

Well it cant be Lance as he has only played at stand off 3 times this season. you would have thought that if Brown thought Lance was a standoff he would be stood at number 6 week in week out.

Can't afford to take a chance on a quota spot.

If we are going to the NRL need to have a little more confidence. Looks like we are settling for a Flannery
out of desperation.

Too many negative write ups from knowledgeable pros. He is Penrith's Hohaia
they must be very relieved.

If a HB doesn't mix up his game then it is easier to defend against.
Watching Walsh his one trick is the bomb. He has plateaued.

Would rather take a punt on a up and coming SH home or overseas. Miller Brierley whoever.
They would be hungrier and cheaper with more of a rounded game.

This actually made me laugh out loud. You're getting much funier than you used to be.

Rob Burrow was a runner but never mixedup his game, same run and duck every time. Yet it killed Saints every game.

Now THAT is humour.... We could win every game by 80 points next year and the usual suspects would still be complaining that it doesn't count as there's not enough young local lads and too many foreigners in the team, or that somebody's pet hate player was a liability and shouldn't be playing despite the fact that 20 previous coaches had all been more than happy with them, or that we weren't signing enough new world class players and so weren't ambitious enough as a club etc. etc. etc.

A reality check, please eh?

Have you seen Lance do any running in the 2 years hes been here?

There are people who are always going to be doom and gloom and there are people who just cant see how bad a mess we are in. You sir are the latter, you need to wake up and smell the coffee because we are far closer to Saddened's prophesied relegation fodder than we are to some people's high as a kite 'we can still make the top 4' tripe at the moment.

Hopefully some smart recruitment and a clear out of the crap will fix things up for next year. For me Walsh or someone similar is a start

I remember he chased back once and looked quite quick....... other than that no.

Absolute bloody nonsense. We need a half (preferably 2), a prop (preferably 2) and [isome[/i luck with injuries/better conditioning. That's it. Not great at the moment but hardly the major crisis that all you kneejerk numpties are oh-so predictably sobbing about yet again... "Relegation fodder"? FFS....

Your forgetting we also need to replace at least 1 wing (assuming we rightly let Gardner and Meli sail off into the sunset) and we need to do something about the dead weight that is Hohaia (hoovering up loads of cap space yet delivering nothing).

So

1 winger
2 halves
2 props
Ditch the utility garbage

With the current circumstances with the NRL and Union this is no easy or I suspect quick task.

Oh and I didnt say we were relegation fodder but closer to it than the top , maybe an exaggeration but we've been beaten and beaten fairly by Widnes who are not a good side , London who are also poor and HKR (twice so no fluke) who Wigan pumped for 80. Who are we better than?

exactly, with Robes and J-Lo back we are a decent prop and a halfback away from challenging again. that does speak volumes for the quality of the league ...

No, but with an organiser along side him, I think he could.

No chance. He would look better than he does, as would most of our team but he just isnt a halfback and will always be substandard there. We ideally need a 6 with good distribution to help create a link with the backs, Lomax will do some of that from 1 but if we want to be challenging at the top again we need a genuine 6 (Wheeler if fit would be fine) so we dont end up being predictable. Top teams will soon learn to close down Lomax if we have no other go to player.