Re: St Helens biggest ever flop !!! : Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:44 am  

Many are simply mentioning our worst players, and the list is endless (especially in the millward days) a flop is someone you expect big things from.

Trindall had all the potential to be class, but he was not right in the head so hardly played.

Adamson was a decent enough player, but got caught up in the 'who signed him' argument between Hanley and Hughes. He was excellent in the a team.

Damian smith, Barry ward (although he was a cult figure) are certainly two who you expected bigger things from

Re: St Helens biggest ever flop !!! : Wed Feb 15, 2012 11:15 am  

Div wrote:

The same person who thought Tim Jonkers was poor thinks Barry Ward was a legend. That really does say everything you need to know.

Sorry Div I didn't realise that everyone had to agree with you and must share the same opinion. Someone who can't accept an opinion on the other hand says all they need to know about that person IMO, IMO stands for In My Opinion, but I guess that doesn't figure with you, anyway you have an opinion and so do I. Build a bridge and get over it flower. And good shout with Radney Bowker forgot about that little gem.

Re: St Helens biggest ever flop !!! : Wed Feb 15, 2012 11:41 am  

bewareshadows wrote:

Didn't we once sign the wrong player. I'm sure I read somewhere that Hanley wanted a particular player, ( think it was scullys book) we sent over a scout or director on a jolly to austrailia and he came back with his brother instead all signed up.

Hanley blew his top at the board and that was the beginning of the bust up.

Going back a fair few years before that, we sent scouts to watch a young winger at Preston Grasshoppers, a right flyer.

Reports came back that he'd had a decent all round game, and rumours were that wi*an were also dead keen on him. We signed him up straight away, full of delight about getting one over on the Pies, unaware that for the match we'd seen, Dave Tanner had replaced the injured Mark Preston.

Preston went on to have a great few years at wi*an, scoring shedloads of tries. Dave Tanner forged an unspectacular career at Saints as a mediocre utility player.

(the story's probably BS, or at least heavily exaggerated but, given the Laurel & Hardy management of the club at the time, certainly believeable)

Re: St Helens biggest ever flop !!! : Wed Feb 15, 2012 11:43 am  

Oh, and Jonathan Griffiths, despite a handful of good games, never fulfilled anything like the promise that his talent and paypacket warranted.

And yet, based on expectation levels versus reality, Michael O'Connor wins the 'biggest flop' award by a mile.

Re: St Helens biggest ever flop !!! : Wed Feb 15, 2012 4:43 pm  

wakey_saint wrote:

Surely Phil Adamson has got to be up there? Board of directors at the time went to Penrith to sign Matt Adamson and came back with his brother who was totally useless!!

You don't actually buy that story, do you? It seems totally made up after the fact to me. When we signed Phil Adamson both he and Matt were well established NRL/ARL players. Everyone knew Matt was the better player, but Phil should nonetheless have been a good signing. For whatever reason it didn't work out and his career went into freefall.

Re: St Helens biggest ever flop !!! : Wed Feb 15, 2012 5:01 pm  

Webbo wrote:

Oh, and Jonathan Griffiths, despite a handful of good games, never fulfilled anything like the promise that his talent and paypacket warranted.

which could be said for all of the welsh players we signed in the 80s and 90s. A couple have been mentioned on here such as Stuart Evans but I would also include Clive griffiths who we paid £25k for and was pretty useless.

Re: St Helens biggest ever flop !!! : Wed Feb 15, 2012 5:18 pm  

Webbo wrote:

Going back a fair few years before that, we sent scouts to watch a young winger at Preston Grasshoppers, a right flyer.

Reports came back that he'd had a decent all round game, and rumours were that wi*an were also dead keen on him. We signed him up straight away, full of delight about getting one over on the Pies, unaware that for the match we'd seen, Dave Tanner had replaced the injured Mark Preston.

Preston went on to have a great few years at wi*an, scoring shedloads of tries. Dave Tanner forged an unspectacular career at Saints as a mediocre utility player.

(the story's probably BS, or at least heavily exaggerated but, given the Laurel & Hardy management of the club at the time, certainly believeable)

Totally made up story!
Seeing as Tanner didn't even play at the same club as Mark Preston.
Wigan signed him from Grasshoppers as you say, but we signed Tanner from Fylde RU.
Makes me laugh that people actually believe these stories about us signing the wrong players by mistake.

Re: St Helens biggest ever flop !!! : Wed Feb 15, 2012 6:28 pm  

Dux wrote:

You don't actually buy that story, do you? It seems totally made up after the fact to me. When we signed Phil Adamson both he and Matt were well established NRL/ARL players. Everyone knew Matt was the better player, but Phil should nonetheless have been a good signing. For whatever reason it didn't work out and his career went into freefall.

Well I think Scully bought that line as he put it in his autobiography.

Re: St Helens biggest ever flop !!! : Wed Feb 15, 2012 6:55 pm  

SomersetSaint wrote:

which could be said for all of the welsh players we signed in the 80s and 90s. A couple have been mentioned on here such as Stuart Evans but I would also include Clive griffiths who we paid £25k for and was pretty useless.

whoah there cowboy, i'll raise you Mr Scott Gibbs

Re: St Helens biggest ever flop !!! : Wed Feb 15, 2012 7:45 pm  

bewareshadows wrote:

Well I think Scully bought that line as he put it in his autobiography.

I'd be astonished if it was true.