Oh, that plan works really well! Maybe if they had the strength and agility to make man and ball tackle it would work, but we dont, so it doesnt

All teams are coached that way in super league and NRL. They see it as the whole game is based on who wins the play the ball.

Take some responsibility yourself kc.your coaching is crap and boring and you have brought nothing different to this team.why on earth is long defence coach.he should be sorting the attack considering he was one of the best attackers we have had.mid season kc was bragging that last season he was in charge of attack and set moves.well guess what kc.it was boring last year as well. Rant over.have a nice everyone.

I think the job come a year early for KC. Ideally Brown would have done his final year and give KC another year to learn the trade.

I like to see coaches come thru the ranks if I'm honest. Maybe coach the 16s, move up to 19s, become assistant and then get the top job. Being an assistant is totally different than being first team coach.

I was of the view when his appointment was announced that it was too early to appoint Cunningham. However, I don't think another year under Brown is what he needed. What he needs is a couple of years under a couple more coaches with different styles. But even then he might have turned out to be a poor coach. A great player does not equate to a great or even moderately good coach.

Well that didn't take long.

This. From everything I see and hear KC does not come across as a particularly astute coach. The points made above are valid in that this is effectively his second stint at it and during both of them I have witnessed some of the most sterile, unimaginative 'rugby' I have seen since the Murphy days of the 80's.

He could do to learn some lessons in how to handle players and the media from someone like Brian McDermott. There are times in interviews where you can see he is fizzing but you never ever hear him criticise his players publicly.

Kieron seems to think it's clever to do so and you never see him demonstrate an element of humility, the lack of which we are always keen to criticise with another certain coach not too far away from us. I wonder whether he thinks he's untouchable on the basis of his playing exploits?

He picks the team. He coaches them. He's as accountable as the players. Except in his head.

Exactly, that's why I like a home grown coach to come thru the ranks. Pretty much how Wane has at wigan. He earned his position but KC was groomed and the first players he's coached as head coach is saints first grade.

I'm not bagging KC as its early in his coaching career but I'd have liked to build on the grand final win with a experienced coach.

I wasn't a fan of appointing KC but I understand why they did it i.e. who was going to come and coach us for two seasons? (Please don't say a coach like Anderson whose time has been and gone). He's been given the job and deserves to grow into it now. If we seriously struggle then there's a case for reviewing it but we haven't. It's no shame losing in France and it was certainly an improvement on last year's debacle. There's been more than enough magic on display to give evidence to the argument that consistency is our current problem and that's the same problem that every other team in the top six has at the moment. Any talk of change is destabilising. He's been given the chance, let him get on with and recognise that he is still learning and will make mistakes.

It's far too early to have a go at KC, he is only 14 games in and was in theory only scheduled to take over in 2016. He needs a full season under his belt where he will have to overcome bad decisions, wrong tactics, man management skills etc. We,ve had a pretty disruptive period with injuries in the backs which has forced him to play a forward down the middle game, Walsh and Burns have not got us in the right attacking mode at the moment, our biggest problem is our consistency in defence and lack of discipline, I,m sure if KC and his gang sort this out we should go OK for the latter part of the season.

IMO, one of the major problems is the inherent weakness of SL competition. There are probably no more than three or four clubs capable of winning the title. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that the players at these clubs KNOW IT.

Provided the top clubs don't suffer a catastrophic loss of form they will all reach the playoffs. Unfortunately, it's only at this stage that they really need to perform. At this point in the season no one wants to give anything away. So they are all playing within themselves to some lesser or greater degree.

We can argue about whether first or second spot is an absolute priority because of the draw - but the truth is it's not. All the top clubs know that providing injuries haven't robbed them of key players and the coaching staff has prepared the players thoroughly - winning from third or even fourth is eminently possible.

I'm not saying Saints or any other side is consciously going easy. But based on the performance at Catalans you couldn't say we are in GF mode, either.

There's a definite mid-season "lull" which takes place in SL. Instead of stretching every sinew to the limit players seem to be playing within themselves. It's a real problem not just for the competition, but fans as well.

I mean, when you think about it - what's the point of the regular season other than an extended period of "warm up" matches for the top teams?

It would be interesting to read the thread we had last year that discussed the appointment of KC.

Can we all just calm down a bit. We've got a rookie coach, new coaching setup, new captain etc. I'd have taken 3rd after 14 games. And of course, can we really judge/write off Cunningham already? Give him a chance to settle in ffs.

No team is consistent this year. Everytime we think a team looks unbeatable and are gonna run away with it, they end up losing a few on bounce. Only a few points separate the teams from second bottom to fourth.

Cunningham will have them sorted. It's just going to take time to put his own stamp on it.

We're all bagging the style, but if was only a few weeks ago that we were playing some very entertaining stuff, a lot of which was centred around Vea and Greenwood attacking the wider channels. They're missing, but surely Wilkin and LMS can fill these roles?

We did a lot to hinder ourselves against Catalans. We were often rushing up so quick that the line was breaking and individuals were getting stepped easily. We also seem unable to get our tails up in defence without giving away a penalty. We also gave Percival's side practically no ball, fair enough when Turner was having so much success, but once he's gone off?

If KC just stops half of our penalties that we give away we'll do better?

Catalans had so much time in our half due to penalties conceded that there going to score.

Wilkin as our Leader is a problem who gives most of the penalties away?

KC is doing ok give him some slack FFS.

The frustrating thing was the lack of discipline, and lack of brains. Childs was obviously in one of his penalise everything moods, so we should just have taken the foot off the gas in defence rather than rushing up quickly and giving him the opportunity to penalise us. We should and could have still won with a bit more composure and clear thinking.

There were certainly signs in the first half of the attack clicking a bit. McDonnell's try was well worked, and shows what we can do with a 1,6 and 7 working in harmony.

As an aside, I think it was the 2nd week in a row where we haven't been awarded a penalty for the opposition defence being offside.

It's worth making the point also that because a lot of teams this season are playing "bump and offload" (in many cases without even attempting to maximise the yardage gained) with the backs too taking greater risks - instead of playing the more traditional, call it conservative if you will, style of play of three/.four drives - pass and or kick, the number of missed tackles will naturally begin to climb.

This isn't an excuse - but I do think we need to keep this fact in mind whenever we start talking about number of tackles "missed". I certainly don't think all missed tackles can be judged equally.

Saints were beaten around the ruck most of the game.There were times when cats were getting quick play the ball off held calls and other times saints could not even provide a marker. It was a very poor showing from saints stemming from a very weak defence and indiscipline.

I think a lot of what has been said above is massively unfair.

We are third (3 points off the mighty Leeds who everyone is saying are untouchable) and have played most of the season with a lot of injuries. We are only now starting to see a settled squad (Walsh aside who is gone again).

We have played a forward's slug fest recently because we simply had to as that was/is our strength. The outside backs bar makinson have struggled.

I think we still need time yet before a full assessment can be made of Cunningham, Long and Lolesi.

The only criticism I think the coaches and players can fairly receive is the discipline which has been disgraceful.

I would not agree with bashing players in open. But apart from that we are 2 games off the top spot.

It seems we have caught the bug going around the rest of the leagues fans.

We all want a close competition, but then start panicing frantically when we get it as a run of results causes huge swings up and down the league.

The shame is, that if we were under the old system then fans would be spouting nonsense about it not mattering till the business end of the year.

The one thing you can say about the new system is that it has got people interested in the week to week results, even if that causes over reactions in both directions.

For me it's no time to panic yet.

Looking at the losses, Leeds and Wigan were predictable.
Catalan in France are a tough prospect and when did a good Saints side not lose to Hull KR??

The Hull FC at home loss was disappointing, but chin up it's not all bad at the moment.

I don't see how it's that much different. We've nibbled away at the edges of this problem - but unless Saints, Wigan & Leeds (at the very least) suffer a catastrophic number of injuries all three know they will be there at the end of the season.

We can fiddle about with the structure of the competition all we like - until we address the root cause of the problem (the top teams' clear leverage in money and resources) not much is likely to change.

Whilst I agree that the usual suspects are very likely to be there or thereabouts as per usual, each game does matter more now. Leeds, for example, can't afford to finish the season 5th as they have done in the past. The less points you gain now leaves you a harder time come the Super 8 (Is it still called that?) stage when you don't have the luxury of playing cellar dwellers to gain easier points come the back end of the year, and the further back you are then, the less likely it is that you'll be getting that top 4 spot.

It's an improvement. Although I can't say I was all that bothered about Leeds winning it from fifth. Since SL has made practically no effort whatsoever to enhance the title of "League Winners" should anyone be all that concerned?

Personally I wish we'd go down the NRL route (which it lifted directly from US sports) and really make a big fuss over winning the league competition. It's something to be proud of - not a twisted joke which the "hub cap" has assumed.

Either way - the problem is insignificant next to the gulf in advantages which the top teams not just enjoy but protect fiercely. This is why I'm so against guys like Koukash who don't want to do any of the hard work setting up the complex structures and staffing for a productive junior grade and would rather cheat the system by buying whatever talent he likes.

I mean, in SL it's always one step forward, one in reverse. We make small concessions on the structure of the league yielding making it (marginally) more competitive - and then we toss it all away with "Marquee Allowances".

It's not necessarily "money" which is the problem, but the inevitable imbalances of such which always function as a destabilising influence on the sport.

Sometimes I wonder whether it might be better to transfer all gate receipts to SL for equal re-distribution. There'd be a ton of complications that would need to be worked out (such as running costs, investor rights, existing arrangements with landlords, tenants etc.) But nothing's impossible. And it would undoubtedly be a more equitable situation than the current fiasco.

The NRL doesn't big up being top of the table at all. Nobody cares as soon as the Finals Start. What is more important is getting to the Finals in the first place - probably because the league as a whole is more competitive, particularly round the middle of the table.

Can't help but think of we grab that late try rather than Catalans everyone is congratulating the side on a good win in tough conditions. The views on here are so polarised by the scoreboard.

We're not far off. Injuries played a part again with an on fire Turner leaving the field (Jordan haters notably ignoring his performance) and Walsh a passenger.

Still think we'll win the GF.