Half back situation : Sat May 12, 2012 3:15 pm  

Surely it is time for Gaskell to be given shout?

Lomax/Hohia partnership offers nothing. Oodles of poession v the Pies yet creativity near zero.

Re: Half back situation : Sat May 12, 2012 3:19 pm  

It doesn't matter. Is our fullback good enough? No. Are our outside backs any good? No. Are our forwards good enough? No.

We're a mid table side and it will take Brown 5 years to get the squad into the right shape to challenge for trophies again.

Re: Half back situation : Sat May 12, 2012 3:23 pm  

Inclined to agree a little bit.

I don't think we arr massively off in the backs if we get Turner. Limited but not awful. Hohia to 1 would add a different dimension.

I think we need a half back probably another 3-quarter in the off season.

Re: Half back situation : Sat May 12, 2012 3:23 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

It doesn't matter. Is our fullback good enough? No. Are our outside backs any good? No. Are our forwards good enough? No.

We're a mid table side and it will take Brown 5 years to get the squad into the right shape to challenge for trophies again.

Is it that long ago that you absolutely hammered Leeds at your ground...? Play like you did today and it would be highly likely we can get sweet revenge with a reverse tonking

Re: Half back situation : Sat May 12, 2012 3:32 pm  

We dominated the territory and possession, but had absolutely no guile or creativity from the halves to unlock a rock hard defence. Exactly the same as in the semi last year, or the league game against Warrington last season, or any number of other games the last couple of years in fact. There's very little wrong with our backline no matter what the knee-jerkers think, but we desperately, desperately, desperately need a genuine #7 from somewhere. Gaskell isn't the answer yet but he couldn't do much worse than Hohaia at the moment - I'm sure he's a great player and all, but clearly not at #6 and clearly not in the current Saints setup. We have to do more and play better to win big games than any other team in the league does right now. Very depressing and a terrible waste of an otherwise overall very good playing squad.

Re: Half back situation : Sat May 12, 2012 3:46 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

It doesn't matter. Is our fullback good enough? No. Are our outside backs any good? No. Are our forwards good enough? No.

We're a mid table side and it will take Brown 5 years to get the squad into the right shape to challenge for trophies again.

I said it at the start of the year and I'll say it again. Royce Simmons has set us back years with his crazy signings and shocking methods.

The signing of hohaia on a four year deal to play stand off shocking. Signing Laffranchi in a lightweight pack to play prop was also a massive mistake. He's doing ok but he's not the prop we need. We could get away with laffranchci propping with a james graham but he's our main starting prop and he's not good enough against good teams in the front row.

We are in urgent need of a good halfback and also desperate for a prop and pace in the backs.

Brown got tough job on his hands.

Re: Half back situation : Sat May 12, 2012 3:50 pm  

St pete wrote:

I said it at the start of the year and I'll say it again. Royce Simmons has set us back years with his crazy signings and shocking methods.

The signing of hohaia on a four year deal to play stand off shocking. Signing Laffranchi in a lightweight pack to play prop was also a massive mistake. He's doing ok but he's not the prop we need. We could get away with laffranchci propping with a james graham but he's our main starting prop and he's not good enough against good teams in the front row.

We are in urgent need of a good halfback and also desperate for a prop and pace in the backs.

Brown got tough job on his hands.

Who agreed the signings? Rush is out of his depth at this level and I think he knows it, was completely wrong to expect him to take over as he did! it's still a long season to go.

Re: Half back situation : Sat May 12, 2012 3:51 pm  

I thought Lomax was awful for you. He blew so many overlaps by choosing the wrong pass or by going himself. He is very overated and is never a half back. Stick him at full back, with Wheeler/Hohia and Gaskell at half back and you would be much more threatening in attack imo.

Re: Half back situation : Sat May 12, 2012 3:52 pm  

jaybs wrote:

Who agreed the signings? Rush is out of his depth at this level and I think he knows it, was completely wrong to expect him to take over as he did! it's still a long season to go.

The chairman delivered the players Simmons wanted.

Re: Half back situation : Sat May 12, 2012 4:03 pm  

Northampton_Saint wrote:

There's very little wrong with our backline no matter what the knee-jerkers think ...

Sure, Shenton, Meli and Wheeler are names which will reverberate for centuries in the memories of Saints fans ....... lol.