Does you like this Saints side? : Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:30 pm  

I don't know if it's just me being me, but I just can't seem to like this team. I can't seem to like Langtree Park either, the lack of atmosphere makes watching Saints a chore rather than the pleasure/religion it used to be at Knowsley Road.

In terms of quality this side is incredibly average. We've debated it on here and we don't need to go over it again. Anyone can see we're desperate for a half back and have a pack of babies. I don't need to moan again about how much of a waste of air Anthony Laffranchi is.

The whole club just seems so devoid of character and soul at the moment. The ground doesn't help as most games are played in near silence. But on the field there are no characters, no leaders, no one busting a good and making you proud. There is none of the personality we used to have in bucketloads or the never say die attitude we used to be famous for. When we scored with 6 or 7 minutes to go, to get within 2 scores, the belief wasn't there, people were still streaming out. At KR, you'd have had that belief, the place would have been buzzing. I can't remember the last time Saints made me proud, made me excited or made me want to support them. Has there ever been a Saints side with such little belief and enthusiasm?

Re: Does you like this Saints side? : Sat Mar 02, 2013 12:15 am  

Typical saddened and all that.....but tonight was dull. The last time I enjoyed a match at Langtree was probably, ironically, the Leeds game last season. Can't think of another memorable performance or atmosphere.

We seem to be a completely different team at Langtree park.

Re: Does you like this Saints side? : Sat Mar 02, 2013 12:41 am  

Albion wrote:

Typical saddened and all that.....but tonight was dull. The last time I enjoyed a match at Langtree was probably, ironically, the Leeds game last season. Can't think of another memorable performance or atmosphere.

We seem to be a completely different team at Langtree park.

It's not the stadium. It's the fact that in the last twenty years at Knowsley Road, we had at halfback people including Tommy Martyn, Bobby Goulding, Sean Long, Leon Pryce and Paul Sculthorpe. While we had at centre people like Jamie Lyon, Paul Newlove, Matt Gidley and Kevin Iro.

If we had just one halfback, or one centre, of the quality of those guys, then I promise you that Langtree Park would be hosting all the excitement and entertainment that Knowsley Road did.

Re: Does you like this Saints side? : Sat Mar 02, 2013 9:39 am  

We obviously lack quality in the backs, we have no half backs and we're short of bruisers up front who will run through brick walls for the side; in the mould of Fozzard and Graham. But the most important thing we lack is leadership. We don't have a captain in the whole squad. Wilkin is the only one who really talks and he isn't captain material IMO. We no longer have a Scully, Graham, Long or a Cunningham to drive us forward and inspire the rest of the team.

The wholeplace feels like it's lost its character and it does have that soulless feeling about it. I very rarely enjoy watching Saints these days and I think its pure loyalty that is keeping me going rather thn actual enjoyment.

Re: Does you like this Saints side? : Sat Mar 02, 2013 11:08 am  

It's just because we aren't winning as well as we have in the past. As soon as winning returns this superstitious nonsense will stop.

Re: Does you like this Saints side? : Sat Mar 02, 2013 11:24 am  

Things are going to get worse before they get better. I thought at the start of this season Nathan Brown has a complete rebuilding job on his hands in year one and possibly year two. We have lost some World Class players over the last few years and they havent been replaced with good enough quality to see us challenging for major honours. In many ways in 2011 we punched way above our weight mainly due to the fact that James Graham was a exceptional leader and had a never say die attitude. Could you see any of the current Saints playing roster laying into the side like Graham did when we lost at Wigan on Good Friday in 2011? Losing Jammer was the straw what broke the camals back and we look a very ordinary side without him. Our recruitment policy has been woeful over the last few years and the signings of Josh Perry and Anthony Laffranchi have been very poor indeed. Willie Manu and Jordan Turner havent exactly set the world alight with there performances this year eithier.

Nathan Brown has nothing short of a huge job on his hands and its going to take a hell of a lot of time. This isnt an overnight fix. The reality of it is we have no Half Backs and our forwards with the exception of Roby and Soliola just arent up too it. Recruitment is the key for future success because the likes of Percival, Greenwood, Walmsley, Jones, Lomax and Gaskell have all showed glimpses of the potential they have. We need experience, players who have been around the block who can accept a few challenges.

Re: Does you like this Saints side? : Sat Mar 02, 2013 11:39 am  

I have to agree. There is a complete lack of enthusiasm from the ground up. I attended one the clubs theme Christmas party nights. It was advertised as a Vegas casino extravaganza, if a blackjack and roulette table bought from toys r us and a fake flame machine in an otherwise bland drab room is an extravaganza in the eyes of the clubs management then no wonder our performances on the field are showing less character than an episode of Eldarado! Building a winning mentality like we had a few years ago at KR takes every member of staff involved with the club to buy into it and promote the club at every opportunity not stand behind the shop counter moaning about the place. The management seem to think of the stadium as our greatest success which bin part is true but without the heart of a club beating inside it, it is just steel and concrete, drab and boring! I think what I'm trying to say is that there is a lack if team spirit, our performances aren't too far off the difference between us, wigan Leeds and Warrington is that they seem to want to play for each other???

Re: Does you like this Saints side? : Sat Mar 02, 2013 1:38 pm  

I'm also not a fan of Langtree Park. The atmosphere is dead. It looks like a half finished stadium.

Re: Does you like this Saints side? : Sat Mar 02, 2013 1:50 pm  

Not keen on the team (not enough quality) or the stadium (no atmosphere).

Re: Does you like this Saints side? : Sat Mar 02, 2013 1:55 pm  

St pete wrote:

I'm also not a fan of Langtree Park. The atmosphere is dead. It looks like a half finished stadium.

You can also buy out of date chocolate there. I managed to get the whole of the chocolate counter cleared out last night in the Wide to West as I realised when I opened my bar and bits fell off it that the chocolate was stale - was looking peeky - and on reading the sell by date it was a week past. So I took it back, hoping for an exchange, but it turned out the whole lot of chocolate was out of date.

On top of that there were no prices on show - the red board had been ripped down (bits of it were still stuck up) and the screens weren't working. Hardly any pints had been pulled and the fast lane wasn't open.

Saints have serious match day management issues and it is a real shame. In fact, they appear to have gone backwards from last season.