Re: Willie Manu : Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:08 am  

SaintsFan wrote:

You win. You argued me into a circle. That is what you wanted, and you won. Well done you.

I don't want Manu because he is an ageing import. I said that at the start and I'll say that to finish.

Your Rugby knowledge really is limited isn't it? Just to clarify you wouldn't have signed Manu because we have Dixon in the academy ? That is just idiotic! Dixon may have had potential 4 years ago but he is now 22 and showing nothing different than he did then nor has he ever had the potential to be a Manu type player that we need for next season. After seeing us lose 5 GF's in a row I couldn't care less if we have 17 imports it's winning that counts. If Wigan want to do that full english team congratulate them on it but our youth system isn't as good as theres is yet so we would slip further down the table in trying.

Re: Willie Manu : Tue Jun 12, 2012 12:44 pm  

I have no problems with the signing of Manu now that it's been announced that it's for two years and not three. He's a hugely talented player and I hope he can maintain the form he is showing now over the duration of his contract with us.

It would be a great shame if we do have to sacrifice Dixon though. He is being brought along just fine and looking at the age of our forwards and the changes we will have to make to the pack over the next 2/3 years we should have made his retention a priority. He's done nothing but impress me in the time he's played first grade, he may not be an international class player in the future but he's certainly someone talented enough to keep around long-term. He will be an asset to whichever team he plays for in future. Hopefully that will still be at Saints but almost definitely not from what I hear.

With all that said, rather than 'blame' the signing of Manu for Dixon leaving I would much rather question the decision to recently give Jon Wilkin a FOUR-YEAR contract, which was an absurd thing to do given his inconsistent form.

Re: Willie Manu : Tue Jun 12, 2012 6:07 pm  

I think manu is a top quality signing. He's got something we've not hot in our pack, he can attack! He's a tackle breaker with good off load game.

I'm very happy with him and sia in the second row.

We just need a proper prop now.

Re: Willie Manu : Tue Jun 12, 2012 6:53 pm  

I think he could well be the best signing of the season. I'm not convinced that we really needed another back rower, but when a top player comes along, particularly one who isnt taking a quota spot, you have to seriously consider them.

Re: Willie Manu : Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:22 pm  

TheVee wrote:

If Wigan want to do that full english team congratulate them on it but our youth system isn't as good as theres is yet so we would slip further down the table in trying.

Except last season we got to a CC semi, third in the table and to another GF with a largely youth based team. So really your claim that playing the young players would see us further down the table has no credence.

Re: Willie Manu : Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:29 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

Except last season we got to a CC semi, third in the table and to another GF with a largely youth based team. So really your claim that playing the young players would see us further down the table has no credence.

And we started this season with all that youth and was rubbish.

Re: Willie Manu : Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:45 pm  

St pete wrote:

And we started this season with all that youth and was rubbish.

I disagree. The young players comprised Foster, Gaskell, Lomax, Wheeler and Dixon. Wheeler and Dixon got off to a fabulous start; Wheeler was our best player on more than one occasion. Lomax was doing just fine. Foster and Gaskell were both looking shakey in three matches. They both needed a bit of time out because it was a second season for them after a GF appearance and so expectations of them were much higher than last year.

So far as I can remember, we had virtually a full team of senior players playing for most of the matches at the start of the season.

Re: Willie Manu : Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:48 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

I disagree.

Stop the press

Re: Willie Manu : Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:05 pm  

Saint Simon wrote:

Stop the press

Ditto.

Re: Willie Manu : Tue Jun 12, 2012 10:43 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

Except last season we got to a CC semi, third in the table and to another GF with a largely youth based team. So really your claim that playing the young players would see us further down the table has no credence.

So you were happy to get knocked out in a semi final and fluke our way to another defeat at Old Trafford by an average team just because we had young english players ? That's ridiculous.

You keep banging on about young english players and in an ideal world we would have an all english champion team but in reality our youth system isn't producing star players so we have to buy quality players like Manu in to help us win silver. We have too many average players coming through our academy like Dixon, Gaskell, Ashurst and Foster and the quicker fans realise that we need to buy in because these kids are not good enough then the quicker they may start to accept buying oversea's players in is a must.