I do agree with you but I just dont see Laffrachi's value. I'd rather see Hand, Greenwood and Walker given game time , even Forster. As for the cap if we are spending it all we are getting ripped off.

McManus obviously happy to maintain mediocrity

As I e said for a long time "doing it on the cheap"

We play Laffranchi at prop - people say he isn't a prop.

We play Laffranchi at Second row with no props - people say he's a bad second row.

With 2 big props you will see a much better player. Of that I have no doubt.

I'd love to know where the blind optimism for him comes from.

I was under the impression we were full up to the cap.

So he's not trying now because we don't have two big props on the field?

By my information, we are comfortably under the cap and have been for 3 years. So much so that we could sign a couple of players and fit them in this season.

Even you aren't so stupid as to believe we can play without proper props and not makeweights. we have only one true prop in the club, and he's as much use as a chocolate fireguard. As I said, with =#FF0000[size=1502 BIG PROPS[/size he would look a lot better player in the second row.

Why aren't we in for soward then?

He's a halfback and looking for a loan spell until the end of the season. We could de-register Perry and sorted.

I know a couple of people, but none belong to the witches coven at the head of the club. You talk sense, so it probably hasn't occurred to them.

With soward on board and playing well it could really put us in with a shout this year. He's a top class player.

I might be imagining this but didn't the RFL say they wouldn't allow this after the willie mason incident? and wouldn't it be illegal to do that to perry with out he's permission? employment laws and all that...

I'm not 100% sure but I think you can de-register players but then you can re-register them again this year.

I don't see how it would effect the employment laws as he'd still be getting paid by saints.

I think i read on another article similar to this situation that you would be denying a player the chance to play by deregistering him, I am probably wrong. But who knows maybe perry would be happy to sit out the rest of the year and still get full pay.

You can de-register a player but you can't then re-register him in the same season without special permission from the rfl. De-registering an overseas player frees up a quota spot but does not create any space under the salary cap.

A club can deregister a player but cannot reregister them in the same season.

If that's the case, bye bye Josh. Of course, it will be Warrington or Leeds that sign Soward.

This stinks. I try and be positive. I try and beleive the lads in power know what they're doing, but for McManus to make a staement about like he did and then turn around an resign Laffranchi is a complete contradiction.

Laffranchi is essentially an expensive, less effective version of Paul Clough. He occasionally gets a decent offload, occasionally makes a big hit and scores the odd try with that switch close to the line that only he does with roby, but in the meantime gives us absolutely no go forward and no level of general aggression.

Very disappointing if true, we've got lots of younger home grown lads who are much, much better

But you should surely know by now that McManus makes pretty meaningless statements!

Soward coming available is McManus worst nightmare. We are desperate for a top class halfback and one comes available and McManus knows the fans will demand we get him but he won't want to spend the cash.

If its true that perry has agreed a release, I bet McManus will be taking him into staying now, he has the quota excuse then

He's a spin doctor, he tells us what we want to hear. I don't believe much he says these days.

Can I echo these comments. I am growing more and more disillusioned with Saints by the day. What's the betting they announce new deals for Gardner and LMS in quick succession now.

I'm more positive about Laffranchi than most. However I'm also open to reason. We had a debate about him earlier in the year and I said at the time as a 2nd rower I would keep him over Flanagan. But basically we have no idea as to what position he has been signed.

It was put to me that on the money that he's getting we could get the same elsewhere for cheaper.

I don't think this year has been his best year, but he was not too shabby last year for a man playing above his weight, he could handle most packs bar the Wigan and Warrington Pack. This year it seems to have caught up with him and other packs have got on top of him.

He seemed to switch to the back rower in his last game, but then picked up an injury. I think it was the Leeds game and he was pretty effective as a sub for Manu's side.

If I was going to hold any of the off contract players it would have been TP. but I don't think we can afford to do that now with Laffranchi also signed up as that would limit our options. We still need 2 big yard dog props. You have to assume one will be overseas.

I'm not about to run about saying woe is Saints, but neither will I be running about throwing my hat in the air. It's a bit of an erm signing till we see what else is coming (or not).