Re: 30 -0 : Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:03 pm  

JonB95 wrote:

Hello? We won 30-0 against a team that put 62 on Warrington last week, not bad given that we were 'simply awful'....

We were absolutely shocking. The opposition contributed to that a lot I would expect, seeing London produce such a farcical performance probably didn't help, but you cannot deny the game had no intensity to it at all. No respect for possession, no quality with the ball and really poor kicking games. It was incredibly boring, I find it hard to believe you can argue that you enjoyed that tonight.

JonB95 wrote:

Btw, Wellens scored 2 more tries tonight. Comfortably over 20 for the season now. Shut up.

He was his usual 'solid' self tonight, but you can't give him much credit for his tries. His first was actually a waste of an overlap, he was forced into contact with the line as he couldn't get the ball out quickly enough to exploit the overlap. He stumbled into a couple of farcical half-hearted attempts to tackle him and ended up scoring. Against a quality/bothered opposition he would have been put on his back and would have wasted another tackle and a scoring opportunity. His second wasn't much better.

Re: 30 -0 : Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:04 pm  

It was quite possibly the most boring game of rugby league I have ever witnessed. Very little creativity, safety first tactics, extremely poor decision making. The only positive was our defence, which was resolute, especially with those repeat sets, although we were hardly tested.

We would struggle to score against a good defence.

Re: 30 -0 : Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:08 pm  

JonB95 wrote:

Have a little patience. Next season, my friend, is the year of the 'attack from deep and moving the ball with vigour'. For now, accept Saints as they are. Changing our tactics now would be disastrous and kill any chances we would have in the play-offs.

But we don't have any chance in the Play offs, surely you can see that? We've avoided an embarrassing season by going through the motions and grinding out wins through very negative, boring tactics. But as soon as we come up against any real quality we unfold very rapidly.

Brown has a major task on his hands. Sorting the culture and mentality of the side is probably his biggest problem. We are rudderless, have no leaders and no on-field general. But more than that we lack spirit and we don't have the never-say-die attitude we used to have.

Anyone expecting an open attacking style of play under Brown are mistaken. Huddersfield's entertainment value came from having Brough and some fantastic athletes in the outside backs and at fullback, he'll have none of that at his disposal at Saints.

Re: 30 -0 : Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:08 pm  

Tedious forward grinding with general ineffectiveness from the halves and backs is what we're stuck with for the rest of the season unfortunately and any changes this late would only make the situation worse as regards playoff chances are concerned. Frankly I just don't think Rush could coach any other style of rugby if his life depended on it. This season was basically doomed from the moment the players decided they wanted to throw their weight around and change the manager and we've done about as well in the grander scheme of things since as could have reasonably been expected at the time. But bugger me has it been soul-crushingly dull to have to watch... Personally I just can't wait for the season to end and for next season to start instead.

Re: 30 -0 : Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:10 pm  

hotpot100 wrote:

It was quite possibly the most boring game of rugby league I have ever witnessed. Very little creativity, safety first tactics, extremely poor decision making. The only positive was our defence, which was resolute, especially with those repeat sets, although we were hardly tested.

We would struggle to score against a good defence.

hotpot100! Ha ha, we saw you tonight. Walking round the stadium before the game my lad (4) asked who 'Hotpot' was. I told him it was your name, not a player's, like he has his own name on his shirt, plus his age. He then asked why your Mum called you hotpot and whether you were really 100 years old.

Re: 30 -0 : Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:17 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

hotpot100! Ha ha, we saw you tonight. Walking round the stadium before the game my lad (4) asked who 'Hotpot' was. I told him it was your name, not a player's, like he has his own name on his shirt, plus his age. He then asked why your Mum called you hotpot and whether you were really 100 years old.

Ha ha excellent! That comment is probably the highlight of the night. I'm definitely not 100, but did have a tough paper round!

Re: 30 -0 : Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:19 pm  

JonB95 wrote:

Have a little patience. Next season, my friend, is the year of the 'attack from deep and moving the ball with vigour'. For now, accept Saints as they are. Changing our tactics now would be disastrous and kill any chances we would have in the play-offs.

Except we have been the same all season. We've been ripped off. Bored to progressively greater depths with each game that has passed. That should not be the case with as much experience and achievement as is in that team.

Re: 30 -0 : Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:21 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

But we don't have any chance in the Play offs, surely you can see that? We've avoided an embarrassing season by going through the motions and grinding out wins through very negative, boring tactics. But as soon as we come up against any real quality we unfold very rapidly.

Brown has a major task on his hands. Sorting the culture and mentality of the side is probably his biggest problem. We are rudderless, have no leaders and no on-field general. But more than that we lack spirit and we don't have the never-say-die attitude we used to have.

Anyone expecting an open attacking style of play under Brown are mistaken. Huddersfield's entertainment value came from having Brough and some fantastic athletes in the outside backs and at fullback, he'll have none of that at his disposal at Saints.

I don't know. Tonight wasn't the best spectacle, but you don't half go over the top. London were not 'farcical', we just grinded them out. We are not going to find a better full back at the moment than Wellens. He's not the most exciting player to watch, but he's far more effective than you give him credit for. We would be in a much worse position now if it wasn't for him.

You claim us to be boring, blah blah. But we scored 6 tries. We won convincingly. That suggests to me that we have the quality to be a GREAT team. We just need a coach to give us a bit of style and flair, to get the better of the likes of Wigan, Warrington. And you don't think Meli, Gardner are fine athletes? And the potential in Makinson and Swift is unbelievable, if Nathan can get the best out of them.

Perhaps rugby league is not for you, because you don't seem to have a positive word for it, ever. Honestly, if I hated something so much, I simply don't give it the time of day.

And as long as we are in the top 8, we DO have a chance in the play-offs. We were no better last year and we got pretty close to winning the thing. Have a little faith...

Re: 30 -0 : Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:23 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

Except we have been the same all season. We've been ripped off. Bored to progressively greater depths with each game that has passed. That should not be the case with as much experience and achievement as is in that team.

As I said to Saddened, perhaps rugby league is not for you if you find it so boring. Or perhaps you would prefer the amateur game. I don't know the answer.

Re: 30 -0 : Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:39 pm  

JonB95 wrote:

As I said to Saddened, perhaps rugby league is not for you if you find it so boring. Or perhaps you would prefer the amateur game. I don't know the answer.

I didn't find Saints boring last season (although some did) but then I supported the development of our young players and so was always enthusiastic to see them give it their best, which they always seemed to do. This season we have just become more and more boring as the season has progressed to the point now where I opted out of attending or even watching the Warrington game, for instance, because I preferred to watch the Olympics. That was the first home game I had missed since 2007, including friendlies. I almost didn't go tonight because I wanted to watch the wheelchair basketball as it was a lot more exciting to watch than Saints (regardless of who they are playing or whether they win, lose or draw). That I went to the match was solely down to the fact that I have a season ticket and it was the last game of the season and I wanted my money's worth. Ha! No chance of that, but I went anyway.

I would much rather be supporting Wakey at present. They are a ton more entertaining to watch and are actually fighting for a place, which will make following them a rollercoaster ride at present (much the same as we had last season). We are so far from entertaining as to be on Mars and all the people around me tonight were asleep by halftime. Either that or so bored they were chanting anti-Wigan songs.