I thought buying a five year season ticket , merchandise and refreshments did go some
way to contributing to the club rather than just subsidising a home for ex-pros and hangers on.

I was under the impression that it was seen as valued that 11-12K people felt the same
way for the ongoing viability of the club.

Not quite in the same league as buying a £20,000,000 stadium though is it.

Yes lets give Eamon his four million back and let him be like ourselves spending what we can which possibly averages 500 pounds a season or better still lets mirror the previous board some of whom actually used to pay themselves expenses for the privilge for looking after our club. This is a business decision the clubs business not the fans

You have a history with him? Do tell...

It is one of those decisions that it is easy to criticise, because on the face of it he has no commercial experience or even exposure. Quite what he'll be able to bring the to table in that role other than the commitment to the club McManus mentions is thoroughly up for debate. But I don't feel I know enough about the role and Rush's capabilities to comment that much.

If only others took your enlightened approach.

Can he be any worse than the pie and ten pints Nigel wood as a CEO??

He needs to sort out the club with regards to funds, player recruitment and most of all getting some bloddy atmosphere back to a souless ground!!!

If he can do all of that, then he's the man for the job long term!!

Well not personally.

Ok Eamonn we all accept that in a measuring contest you have a bigger wang than everybody else.

However for a £20M stadium I thought you would have at least had it clad.

In your role as site admin on one of the forums then I take it?

I'll bet it was that 'Saintsfan', she is always having digs at him.

Am I McManus now then?

A point worth making is that a lot of posters beef with the club in the last 5 years is that they have been so focused on getting the stadium sorted that the team has been neglected.

Previous appointments were made with a view to securing the stadium. This appointment would seem to say that the club is now focused on the pitch and not the books.

Given how many sports clubs are more interested in making money than winning trophies *cough* Lancashire CCC *cough* it is a good sign that the top man is an expert in Rugby not Finance.

Does Rush like cladding?

I haven't forgotten that at all. But he's first and foremost a businessman (top 50 banker in his prime) and he will want to protect his assets. Surrounding himself with buddies is the way forward in that regard.


I'm getting very weary of hearing the 'we must be grateful to McManus for bailing us out' line. It is out of date. If he wants the fans to be forever grateful then he'll soon learn a lesson in humankind because there is only so much gratitude to go around. Once the gratitude well runs dry, less admirable feelings can take their place.

But I am sure that McManus will not want fans to be endlessly grateful to him for doing exactly what he wanted to do for himself. I am sure he knows human nature much better than that.

Rush you mean? I'll have you know I was very polite to him on Friday when he came over and said hello to me and my friend (just after I had, rather embarrasingly, tried to teach my friend the tune to the song on the Red Vee Cafe walls).

Apparently there has been more damage to the roof following last night's little breeze and so I'm wondering whether the cladding will ever be done (since that is supposed to increase the risk of the roof spinning off into the stratosphere).

underwhelming appointment, one could be mistaken in thinking Rush has some dirt on the big man himself

Mike Rush is a good guy. Not many people know about the work he does for local amateur rugby.


I think he gets unfair stick on here.

Probably why Gaskell left.

I for one arnt saying he's not a good guy, i dont think anyone is, but that doesnt make him an ideal CEO.

Time will tell on this one

Wer fixing roof yesterday after I drove all the way from Warrington to get me 7 year old the new kit , I wernt pleased to find the shop shut , newt on the site ether about it

I was recently at an event where Mike Rush and a number of other people from the RL top table were present. Rush had a certain aura about him and he impressed me.

I didn't experience any 'aura' around Rush when he said hello in the Red Vee Cafe. He's got a bit of a belly on him though.

Really what does that have to do with anything? He's not taking to the pitch, so his middle age spread is immaterial

So is his 'aura'. Why pick up on only my comment?

I think there is a bit of double standards here. Surprise surprise!!!

People have started calling for an improvement in recruitment, saying that we have not been the same since a Rugby man was in control of getting new players. A rugby man is appointed and suddenly everyone is worrying about the finance side of things.

CEO is not the same role as head coach. So regardless of our thoughts on his time as head coach, this has no reflection on him as a CEO.

I do think he is a St. Helens man and he wants to do what is best for St. Helens. I don't think we should fall into the trap of thinking that people are trying to undermine St. Helens on purpose. There is no long conspiracy.

Part of this is down to peoples lack of reasonable expectations, linked in to strange recruitment in the halfbacks.

Hopefully he can go well and put us back where we need to be.