Think that’s a pretty fair assessment and one that many fans will no doubt share.
I’d say with the general apathy that was within not only the passing fanbase but the hardcore fanbase at the end of last season, the way this season had once again finished will only increase that again.

As you say the club can ill afford another mediocre or transitional season as another season like this will likely drive fans away. The club will no doubt ask fans to be patient but in all honesty it’s a commodity the club have almost used up and not sure how many fans could stomach another rallying call asking for patience.

What really irks me about yesterday is the fact that we were hammered in the last home game of the previous season and yet again the last home game the players & club once again serve up another pitiful and embarrassing display to send the fans in to the off season on.

I’m not sure what to think moving forward as currently with the signings announced there doesn’t appear to be a great deal of hope on the horizon.

Up until last season we continually paid max cap and used the legal loop holes to pay over the cap so I think it’s unlikely Pearson is taking a profit from the club. Wouldn’t that also show in the end of year financial statement.

Think the reality is we’ve poorly managed the cap and it’s been exasperated by Covid. We are having to deal with it now and I’d realistically say 2025 is the first year we might be in a position to compete

Also re Pearson selling up, fans tell him to and we’ll have no club as not one person wants to buy it.

Doesn't Pearson own a few businesses, certainly has the Tribal pub, any others?

Marina one shut and Kingswood shutting down?

Think this is more likely. We handed out long contracts after the cup winning seasons and were too sentimental. We've hardly had any player turnover compared to most teams since 2018. 2020 was probably out largest influx of new players.

Just looked at the Tribal accounts - not pretty. Also Hudgell no longer a director, registered office is MKM now.

Though Hoy looked pretty good at 6 and this is behind a dominated pack, hopefully get 7 next to him next year.

Said the same. Scored a good try and set up 2 others. Hopefully a good pre season under his belt and playing behind a more dominant pack(

) will see him be even better next year.

A perfect storm really, coming up against Huddersfield who have players like Lolly Jake & Pryce who can turn it on against poor teams like us, and their pack without Hill & Yates, and the luxury of leaving McQueen on the bench soon set the platform to dominate our small pack and once more our failings were exploited with ease, as has been the case all season.

The ridiculous short kick offs which rarely work, kept putting us under further unnecessary pressure, I could understand this tactic if we were blessed with speed in our outside backs, should we retrieve the ball, but we’re not, it’s a dumb play and it took far to long to realise.

Young Harvey made mistakes, but he was coming inside more looking for work, his moment came, and he never took it, although Pryce is quick, I thought he missed his chance.

Stavely looked good in his short spell and his figure reminded me of Keiron Cunningham, hope he can be half as good.

Tex looked comfortable in the halves and a threat with the ball, sadly as the game unfolded his influence disappeared, as we were monstered down the middle.

A culmination of lazy defenders, and poor attitude once more emerged, we got what we deserved, and the forty odd Huddersfield supporters who came, “and well done to them” were treated to an assassination of forward and back’s domination.

Great to see Jamie and Tag get the reception they deserved at the beginning and the end, with Tags try and goal a cameo which delighted the remaining crowd.

We will miss Clifford and Swift of this there is no doubt, I would throw Griffin in that mix as well, although Cliff didn’t have one of his best games yesterday, he’s been great overall.

Where to start, really! Can only echo what everyone else has already said above.

Dreary, dispiriting, depressing! All of our faults and mistakes which have been made over the past five years, made manifest for all to see once again over thirty dreadful minutes.

After the mid season improvement (games 10 - 22 roughly), where it looked like some semblance of backbone and fighting spirit was emerging, all of the bad traits have returned with a vengeance since that drop-goal went over at Wigan.
In a manner which has become all too depressingly familiar to us since 2018, the moment the game seemed to ease from our reach (those two quick tries to take the score to 14 - 2icon_cool.gif was the signal to down tools and throw the towel in. It was like watching a photostat replay of so many games we have had to witness in August/September over recent years. An endlessly recurring, seemingly never ending nightmare.

Like everyone else, I don't hold out too much hope that our fortunes will change rapidly. There is an awful lot of spring-cleaning required (right through the club, from top to bottom) in order to even make us competitive, let alone challenging for honours. Given my age, I'm hoping I live long enough to see us back up there!!!

I'd still say Hudds have had a worst season than us, when I look at their squad it looks like a top 6 squad, ours doesn't.

I understand that most supporters are dispirited and the rhetoric of a poor team adversely affecting the clubs finances. However, no club is up there forever (see Leeds and Rover's, each at the opposite end of the cycle). Isn't it our job as supporters to back our club and team in order to ensure that the return to on field success is achievable and sustainable?

It's individual choice but personally, after becoming a supporter as recently as 1970, I'm black and white in any kind of weather!!

You are right, in that all clubs in all sports, need supporters to stick with them, through good times and bad. No club survives without fans, they are their paying audience effectively, just as any business in any sector cannot survive without support from a paying public (see the collapse of various retail outfits in recent years).

As far as our fanbase goes, I think there is a fairly hard-headed realism about where we are at right now. It goes without saying that the club has made a number of wrong decisions, in numerous areas, over the past five years, and we are now reaping the consequences of said decisions.

Reading any of the posts from various supporters on this board, it is obvious that we are all aware that the club has dug a hole for itself, and that to get out of it is going to take a lot of hard work to rectify errors and mistakes made since 2017. Even the self-confessed optimists acknowledge that it will take a good deal more than simply making a couple of changes to the first-team squad to make us a competitive top-six side again!

Supporters have their part to play, no doubt, but patience is wearing thin amongst the fanbase as a whole, after a succession of years in which we were told all will be better this time next year ( said Del-Boy!!!). Most people who post on this board are most likely a part of the club's hardcore fanbase, probably over many years even decades in cases, and are the people who will stick by the club come what may.

So, yes, supporters do have their part to play, it just most of us are only too aware of the mess we have got ourselves into, largely of our own making, including yourself no doubt?

There's no doubt that the club has got itself into this state through mismanagement. Supporters should be a critical friend, airing concerns but maintaining support throughout difficult times. As you say, most on here are stalwarts and it is the likes of us that need to build a platform for success with a "we'll support you evermore attitude". It's always darkest before the dawn!

For me it comes down to the level of entertainment and its been a long time since ive felt consistently entertained. Handing over approx. £300 to get about £100 back (season always ends a month or two early and boring loop games) has got very dull. The atmosphere in the stands is poor, you go to sit in a half empty ground just to moan for 2 hours and there are simply better things to do with my time. Even the pre match music and entertainment is groundhog day, yesterdays game could have been in 2018 its a complete timewarp.

Its one more pass for me, we've had the clearout, Smith will have his team, if things arent on the up after that then it never will be.

Hmm interesting, so Pearson will soon have no other income at all?

Never went to either venue but in fairness to all involved the Fruit Market one opended right at the end of 2019 and we all kmow what happened next. Plus whats happened to the economy could not have been predicted in 2018/2019 when they dreamt this up.

I’m sure mistakes have been made, but I think the underlying factors were largely beyond the control of those managing the club.

Hull seem to have been hit harder than other clubs by the economic impact of COVID… as I understand it they were tracking okay before that, financially. Compounded by being in a stadium that once provided a huge boost but that now feels too big and therefore expensive… which isn’t really anybody’s fault and about which there’s not much that can be done.

From Pearson’s perspective, based on what he said last year, it’s arguably success just not to have gone under.

It’s not like Saints (for example) are brilliantly managed. McManus just has a lot of money.

Forwards win games, backs decide by how many. Over the longer term though, it is mostly about money.

I know their are ways of manipulating the salary cap but it is still a salary capped sport and while I agree that a clubs finances play a major part in their chance of success, there are obviously lots of other factors. We need some innovation and play to our strengths, recognise our weaknesses and plan accordingly. For instance;

1. We play in the best stadium in the league but just complain that it is too big and expensive when we should be working with partners to utilise the resource effectively. Get our backsides of them seats and start giving it some Threepenny Stands!

2. We have one of the largest fan bases in the league but don't work hard enough at recognising the value of it, nurturing and building it (ref point 1). Build a strong supporters group that feels valued and included.

3. We have one of the most respected coaches in the game, he must be backed. If finances don't allow big name signings, work to attract players that want to work under him for self improvement (eg Clifford, Walker and Minchella, Abdul et al when he was across the river).

4. If Mr Pearson no longer has the stomach or the pockets for the job (although I think he has), investigate ways of providing him some assistance.

5. Our tradition and heritage is second to none. While I'm a firm believer in looking forwards and outwards it must be used as a platform and a driver of club culture.

Some very good points

As a Saints I have to dissagree McManus may be wealthy but Saints make a lot of money from the coperate side and we are well managed imo

Quote ="thesaint71"As a Saints I have to dissagree McManus may be wealthy but Saints make a lot of money from the coperate side and we are well managed imo'" https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/su ... atering%20£2.5million. To be clear, I don’t think Saints are [ibadly[/i managed - far from it. I just think the secret sauce is money rather than an amazing culture or super academy. Again, to be clear, that’s not to say there isn’t a good culture or that your academy isn’t productive but rather that their importance is generally overstated, imo, and I don’t believe they are the [ukey[/u things that distinguish St Helens you from SL’s perennial also rans.

Quote ="thesaint71"As a Saints I have to dissagree McManus may be wealthy but Saints make a lot of money from the coperate side and we are well managed imo'" https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/su ... atering%20£2.5million. To be clear, I don’t think Saints are [ibadly[/i managed - far from it. I just think the secret sauce is money rather than an amazing culture or super academy. Again, to be clear, that’s not to say there isn’t a good culture or that your academy isn’t productive but rather that their importance is generally overstated, imo, and I don’t believe they are the [ukey[/u things that distinguish St Helens you from SL’s perennial also rans.

Are you Daniel Tomlinson in disguise?

Even Hull fans don't need this kind of whitewash.

Regarding the Huddersfield game it was easy to see it coming.

Huddersfield lacked nothing in enthusiasm and aggression against Rovers they just came up against a better team on the day but not by much.

Hull were spent after the Wigan game and had nothing left to offer.

The reason why Rovers are 5th and Hull are 10th is superior fitness.

Of course our culture is what sets us apart look at w@nkys squad for example on paper it's as good as Saints Wigans or Catalans but their culture is poor

That’s not how I see it.

For balance, I don’t think it is a coincidence that Rovers last period of trophy-winning success followed on from them breaking transfer records. I’m sure the culture was good and that [ihelped[/i, along with having a core of players who’d come through the ranks. Fairytaling (new verb for the day) it doesn’t add anything extra for me… possibly because I’m emotionally stunted, admittedly.



I saw Shaun Edwards interviewed by James Haskell and Mike Tindall a little while ago. They asked him about his time at Wigan and set him up with a standard ‘special culture’ question, but fair play to him - he acknowledged they had all the best players and more money, drawing parallels with Manchester City’s current dominance of the EPL. Shaun Edwards gets it. I strongly suspect the hierarchy at Saints get it too… and what is an easier narrative for the media and fans to digest.