[iGood luck to our ex-player Andy Coley in this years Grand Final.

For saying we're not involved this years final our star scrum-half player Matty Smith set to play a big part for St Helens so I know who I'm shouting for this coming Saturday night.

[/i

Good answer.



I'm not at all nervous about the Grand Final because we've been there and lost the last three so a win would come as a shock! But I am nervous for Matty. If the rumour is true and Kyle is not going to be played (and I really don't want him to be because he'll just limp off again and cause major disruption again) then that means Matty is our no.7. He suddenly has an awful lot of expectation dumped on his shoulders. It is an incredible ask for him to rise to the challenge given that he has been playing all season with you guys and only three weeks with us, and that his halfback partner is going to be new to him (Lomax) or just a makeshift halfback (Wilkin or Moore).

I suppose the game will really show what Matty Smith is all about. I'm hoping he will have the game of his life: for our sakes but also for his own as I always thought he had potential and was one of the Saints fans unhappy to see him leave.

Hmm. Unless Potter doesn't allow the pressure to be piled on. That is, apply a gameplan that plays to Smith's strengths. For me, I can see Saints really trying to dominate the ruck. In this, your main ball players will be Cunningham and Roby. Hopefully this will cart Saints down field with Smith showing up on play 5 or 6 and using his short/medium length kicking game to full effect. Repeat sets and possibly the occasional try. Either way, this will starve Wigan of possession.
Boring rugby I know, but considering the strengths you have remaining, perhaps the only way to play.

Have you lost your minds? Fair enough he moved on to a bigger club but the way he went about it and when he was mocking our fans at the JJB was a disgrace, I hope some form of comedy piano falls on his head between now and Saturday evening.

Get a grip solly its just a game. And Andy is only human. Get over it

Solly, Do you mean the first season when the abuse he got from us beforehand was horrendous? No wonder he had a go back. Even so, I doubt whether the genuine fans bore as much malice as was projected, or Andy similarly in his own defence.

This season, he was roundly jeered for walking onto the pitch to present a trophy, he wasn't even playing!
Let's all move on, acknowledge Andy for what he's achieved and let's all look forward to our new players creating a fantastic atmosphere at the Willows next season.

On a positive note, when I logged back on, I did expect to see a torrent of abuse. Nice to know that we DO have a number of magnanamous fans.

Great post Rooted Red.

Andy Coley was on the whole a good player for this club.

Fact is that the likes of Coley and Myler got better contracts at bigger clubs by playing well in Salford shirts.

Get a grip? I said fair enough he's moved on to a bigger club the fact still remains the man is a knob.

Solly your doing a great job of making yourself look like a knob.

Solly, why are you so angry? You will only attract anger. Learn to forgive mate!

Na not really, tbh I couldn't give a flying fuck what people think of me I'm entitled to my opinion on the bloke like I said he moved on to Wigan to win things which is fair enough the manor in which it he did it though I will not forgive him.

Come On Saints, my feelings on the matter.

Finally common sense on this board ( apart from Solly) as has been said Andy is a nice bloke who gave his all for our club for many seasons, turning down better offers, to stay with us until we were relegated for a second time. It never ceases to amaze me how people only remember him for his final season in a Salford shirt.

Good luck on Saturday Andy and the rest of the Wigan team. If you finish top of the league at the end of the season you deserve to be champions as far as I'm concerned.

I'm with Solly the guy couldn't give a flying f*ck about our plight in his last season and likewise I couldn't give one about his.
Remember when we needed to beat HKR to stand any chance of survival he was laughing when he got himself sent off the man couldn't care less for the club I love.

Wish him luck no sorry never.

surpose it was worth moving in the end for coley.

Ill be supporting matty smith saturday as any experience gained with benefit him and salford in the future

I couldn't care less about Coley - I'll be supporting our current player, Matty Smith, in the Grand Final.

I'm not one of those people who go mental every time he touches the ball and give him abuse every time we play Wigan but I won't give my support to him either - he's a distant memory now.

He left Salford for a better club although it pains me to say it and it has come off for him big time.
The way he left was wrong but its now three years ago, and we have moved on.

Um, does Matty still kick goals ever?

He was a great goalkicker when he was with us last. We might need him to kick goals for us again as rumour has it our little star Jamie Foster may have an injured leg.

He's kicked a couple of times this season I think but he's generally been behind a few players in the pecking order. We started out with Ratchford and then Holdsworth took over, with Tyrer finishing out the season kicking after DH was injured.

We won't have to worry next year though, what with us signing Kevin Sinfield....

perhaps we could let Sinfield play for Saints on friday as well to solve their kicking problems

Oh, that's a shame. He was a belting kicker when he was with us. Maybe he can get back up to speed in a week!

Oh no! [iPurleeeeese! [/i

I don't want to hear or see that man's name anywhere near Saints and the Grand Final!

I'll be backing the team that boasts ex-Reds Coley and Goulding, as well as future Reds Paleaaesina and Bailey.

Would love to see Matty and Gardner go well, but can't support Scousers?!

Title of this Topic is all wrong !
The theme for me will be ' Congratulations to Darryll Goulding & Matty Smith '
Last season Goulding it seemed was surplus to requirements at Wigan, wasn't getting a look in . Salford took him on loan and he was a revelation for us , Wigan took him back simply because they were having an injury crisis , but we had given Darryll what he needed:- a good run of games and the chance to rebuild his confidence. He never looked back and is now a linchpin of the Wigan Wing attack and his crucial try at Headingley is a big reason why the Warriors are at Old Trafford on Saturday. I'm convinced that had Wigan not had their injury problems last season we would still have Goulding at our club.
Similarly with Smith he'd been hawked around with Tryer on a Saints player-for-hire basis for the last three seasons , but got a good run of games at 7 for us and formed a good playing relationship with Holdsworth, good enough to secure a full time deal for us and remind other clubs, including his hometown club of his talents. Again because of an injury crisis he bizarrely found himself back at his hometown club almost ' Roy of the Rovers' playing a crucial part in saints Bid for a first win at Old trafford in four Visits.
That for me is the story of this SL grand Final not AC, the story of two revitalised young players given a shot in the arm by the Reds who will now have a major part to play in what is now the biggest club game in Northen Hemisphere RL.
So may the best team win ..

You mean a bigger club with more money!



Some find it hard to forget that had Coley been fully commited to Salford in 2007 it may have helped us avoid relegation. The problem was Coley was such an immense presence for us and when he was tapped up he lost interest and it was very noticable.

It's all history now let's move on!