I held off posting last night as every sentence I could come up with featured words ending in 'king' and 'ite'. Last night was simply woeful, as in worst I've ever seen in 35 years woeful. Another lifeless, throwaway performance from a group of players who clearly want their coach sacked and have absolutely no pride in themselves, their teammates or the club. The similarities with the situation at Everton are there for all to see. Unhappy fans, unhappy players, a deluded coach making a complete mockery of himself in interviews and results showing the mess the club is in. How McManus has managed to reach Saturday evening without sacking everyone at the club is beyond me. If there is any intention to make the club a success, Cunningham has to be gone by Monday. If he's allowed to once again insult the club's fans and talk rubbish in interviews after his players delivered another limp performance the club really is in trouble.

But what annoys me the most is something different. It's not Alex Walmsley's body language or efforts in games, it's not the prospect of the worst player in SL getting a contract extension with us, it's the fans. The move from Knowsley Road to the Library killed the very soul of the club and this manifests itself most in the support, or lack of it. I've never known a sporting venue to be so devoid of spirit and passion. If we'd put in a string of performances like we have this season, there would have been sit-ins, riots, mass season ticket burnings and proper sack the board chants. All that happened last night was a few half hearted boos when KC came on the big screen. It seriously wouldn't surprise me if McManus had absolutely no idea of how unhappy everyone is with the club as the fans are so silent. McManus is going to be able to get away with it, people just won't make enough noise to force the change. It wouldn't surprise me if we're in Bradford's position in 2 years time and no one associated with the club could feel hard done to.

The problem is, given that McManus & Rush had the misguided confidence and trust not only to give KC the job in the first place but to also give him an extension before he was proven, then can you trust their judgment in picking a better replacement for him?
If and when he goes, Long and the rest of them should go with him.

In terms of the team, we have a mixture of players who are just and never will be good enough and reasonable players who are playing poorly coupled with poor tactics and boring rugby.
As you say a bit like Everton (I'm an armchair fan of them). On paper they have some good players but on grass they have lost any mojo they might have had.

Back to Saints, I'm not sure a new coach can fix it with the existing squad or if they are just demoralized and disinterested under KC and just need new leadership. I think the truth is its the former and 6 or 7 players have to go at the end of the season such as Owens, Wilkin, Turner, Richards, Vea, Burns & Peyroux. My mind is not made up about Thompson and Tasi but they need to improve or go or indeed some of the kids such as Spedding (I've not seen much of the others) but Ashworth and Knowles should not be tainted by KC's "tutelage" yet.

So, I've got 4 undecided plus about 6 kids plus others which would be good enough under a good coach e.g. Lomax, Makinson, Percival, Swift, Walsh, Roby, Walmsley, Armor, Greenwood, Fages, Savelio, LMS, Dawson, (probably as he has much improved) and also McDonnell as a back up only.
Can't fault LMS for effort but he is seriously lacking a rugby brain or indeed any sort of brain, even though I like him a lot !!

Looking at Wakefield's team before Chester arrived, they didn't look like they had a win in them. It happens an awful lot in sport where players lift their game for a new coach. The opportunity of a fresh slate coupled with the introduction of fresh ideas, motivation and belief can lift a stagnant team to new heights.

Walmsley as an example hasn't turned into an average player overnight.

That said, I don't believe McManus will sack him. He's a business man who doesn't seem to let emotion effect his decisions to much. He could have quite easily sacked Brown in his first season when many (including myself) was crying out for it. He stuck with it and was proved right.

I slept on it for 24 hours and then decided to pack it in watching this so called saints team this season, it was KC's further official comment on the official website saying "the fans are entitled to have an opinion" I took that has having a sign of being dismissive not giving fans any face value and thus will carry on regardless. So in my opinion they are not worth watching a viewpoint seen by many others.

For McManus he probably knew there was a risk element in giving KC the job and went with it, the fans have shown some tolerance in his first season. But we have the worst scenario where KC can't think realistically and objectively, we have player unrest, the club profile is damaged for future players, attendances most definitely will drop next season, it must be coming to the point where McManus is seeing the damage will not be a quick fix and the future is more embarrassment to a once proud club that had real values.

Samoan was sitting just behind us and I can assure you he was as far from happy. At one point he had his head in his hands and when the chanting started he looked furious.

The writing has been on the wall for a while now, it is simple Cunningham is clueless when it comes to coaching, I had some hope when Long was appointed but what does he do.

Agree fully the ground is soulless, a friend who has stopped going at all this season stood in the same place all his life, popular side at Knowsley Road, though he was from Windle he said many of those supporters came from the Fingerpost area and they drove the atmosphere, remember the days the players would come over to that side, when he first went to the new ground he could not find one supporter he stood with, he tried the stands and was sick of people pushing back and throw all the game for more drinks, so he gave up and just walks down to the Seven Stars when Saints are on Sky, a lot cheaper.

Does anyone care? no, that is the way it comes over, there is no leadership in the management structure, and the coaching team seem so flat.

I wonder if anyone from the club ever reads social media, again do they even care, press conferences after matches and stupid, yes stupid comments from KC say so much about him.

I believe that the club needs to hire a director of football. Someone to come in and take control of the football operations at the club.

Off the field Saints have excelled at building a new stadium (Eamon) creating a world class youth system (First Rush now Traynor) however the hiring of Coaches and Players have been poor for 10 years now. We need a fresh perspective on both of these fronts.

Hang on ... weren't you praising the club's turnaround in attacking play not five weeks ago?

all of the people I go to games with have decided they won't be renewing if things don't change quickly. the scary thing is how many fans will be thinking the same. Eamon may be in for a shock if he's relying on our 'loyalty'.

Hence the rumours of signings today. Whether true or not, it's clear the club are trying their best to deflect the attention away from KC and into a positive light with the club linked to multiple players.

Its a bit late now, damage is already done.

It's not though. There are still a lot of fans who actually believe KC that the results recently are down to bad luck and cheating from the referees. A couple of signings would see an awful lot of people roped in. You can see them on here posting team lineups, claiming we're looking great for next season.

It'll be interesting to see how todays rumours pan out. It'd be even more interesting to find out who sourced the signing, although I doubt we ever will. Is it KC's last roll of the dice or something one of the other cronies have suggested?

I think its more with McManus and Rush finding themselves in a predicament of there own making, it was always going to be a high risk throwing KC into the coaching deep end without any forward alternative strategy. Instead they put the club at further risk by giving him an extended contract without any real quality signings to take the pressure off him.
Don't think they can be critical of him this season (in public anyway) with the scheduled Hall of Fame making things a bit awkward, the "old boy network" of Scully, Long, Wellens might have been a good idea at the time to provide the winning mentality and experience but it seems to have had the opposition effect and everything is a mess. I,m not sure what Scully brings to the table, Long one of our worst defending players was put in charge of defence, Wellens is performance coach but he waves is arms up and down the touchline.
We have a very messy club image at the moment and its not going to take one season to rectify it.

Well IF that is True your last comment! highlighted, I do feel SAD!

No sympathy for coaches also who moan when they loose, respect Powell so highly as a coach, but his whining is a little too much.