Why is it a ridiculous knee jerk? It's obviously not working and what benefit would seeing the season out have had?

You don't know what was going on behind the scenes. People who do on here have spoken in recent weeks about the players and the coach not agreeing on how things are done tactically. In that situation it's up to the coach to get everyone on board and playing his way. He clearly failed to do that. I thought the scenes on Sky from the Bradford game were telling. Saints went out onto the field early after a talk by Purtill, leaving Royce walking round in a circle in the changing rooms. Purtill was also apparently taking the team talks because of issues with Simmons and the players. It doesn't take much to read into it that he didn't have everyone's support within the club. In those kind of situations, it is always the coach that loses out, it's happened before and it'll happen again.

Had we kept Royce we WOULD have lost the next 3 games at least. Being in the bottom 2 or 3 after 10 games would not have been acceptable for Saints.

Depends on how you look at it. We would have lost the next 3 games under Simmons. So sacking them now gives at least a possibility that there will be a positive reaction from the players and an up turn in form. If not, we can just blame it on Simmons and the mess he's created.

I'm surprised that Eammon has made this decision; as I've posted elsewhere, I expected to see Royce see out his contract or go voluntarily if the situation got any worse.

If the chairman is prepared to take the financial hit of paying off two high profile staff members, then I think it's the right move. It's sad for Royce who I think has given his best, but I think a good clean sweep will help put the club on a positive footing again.

They'll be a positive reaction I'm sure, whether it'll be enough to get the win remains to be seen. It's when euphoria about the new coaching team dies down, and your perhaps still not performing to Saints " standards", then we'll see what this coaching team has about them. It's times like these that experienced heads are needed, any Wigan fan will tell you that.



That's the spirit. I'm sure by thinking like that you'll challenging for honors in no time.

As usual, you are talking utter garbage.

How can you describe it as being ridiculous and knee-jerk when we are playing some of the worst rugby in the 20 years I've been watching Saints?
His tactical knowledge/awareness is shocking and our team looks absolutely clueless.
Only an idiot would fail to see that a change simply had to happen and unfortunately he is just not up to the job.

And if we were the "old boys club" that you claim we are, a certain Mr.Long wouldn't be running up and down the Salford touchline nowadays.

Your post is as clueless as Royce's team selections.

You'll still lose the next 3 games

Spooge. I have to agree with Saddened for once. Bringing KC in will generate some good will allowing the team much needed time to recover form. Hold the same coach will build pressure on the players, now it's done, the current coaching team will not get hammered by the fans even if we get hammered by Leeds, Warrington and Wigan.

Royce has been sacked so now anything bad is obviously going to get lumped on him. If the result on Sunday goes bad, we can hardly say well that proves the sacking was a bad call.

This will give us 3 weeks to in a way reshape for the next part of the season after easter. To work on some plays and basically pick a team that can bring some wins.

I'll hold you to that!

I saw just as bad last season so what you say is to your usual levels of nothingness.


Such an intelligent response. I am entirely overwhelmed and therefore unable to reply.

Oh yeah? How so? Cunningham played with these guys. It is the hardest thing to manage the people who were once your peers.

And any goodwill he has upon his appointment will soon disappear like a snowflake in the breeze if we lose the next three games, which personally I wouldn't be surprised at regardless of who is in charge.

does no one in st helens understand your in transition ? your golden age of players have nearly all gone and your trying to build a young team. it isnt gonna be easy it doesnt mean your automatically gonna be top of the league. the way your talking its like your supposed to have a gods given right to be top, you have hard a bad start but you have hardly been getting battered

your young players need more time to settle with the pressure of your club. its a similar situation to leeds last year with the exp players they have and they was struggling but they stuck with the coach and knew in the end they could get through it and well they beat you in the final as normall, all whats happend is you have paniced because your not used to having a bad start and just will have to see what happens

This has absolutely amazed me... Either there is a lot of stuff behind the scenes we don't know about that has forced the board's hand, or we've just gone and sacked a coach (who was 3 unlucky injuries away from winning us the GF just 8 games ago, remember) for the [iterrible[/i crime of losing 4 hohum early season games (2 of them narrowly against top sides and perhaps a little unluckily) in a way that would make even Abramovich blush in it's panicy kneejerkiness. I hope to God it's the former as otherwise we might as well put the Saints' coach's job out to the result of a redvee poll every week....

Exactly - we're now, for whatever reason and for better or worse, relying on 3 inexperienced youngsters running the team in the halves and an understaffed front row. Bad results are going to happen, but if we have another trophiless season or 2 bedding the kids in then so be it. All these Johhny-Come-Lately fans who've known nothing but good times in a red vee and somehow magically expect us to win every week come whatever happens need a serious reality check. It simply is not possible to win every season anymore under the salary cap.

Not going to be Nathan Brown at any point this season www.giantsrl.com/news/article/12 ... han-brown- 'Nathan Brown will be the Head Coach at Huddersfield Giants until October 30th 2012. There is categorically no wish from either party to deviate in any form from the coaching succession plan put in place last year'

Not going to be Nathan Brown at any point this season www.giantsrl.com/news/article/12 ... han-brown- 'Nathan Brown will be the Head Coach at Huddersfield Giants until October 30th 2012. There is categorically no wish from either party to deviate in any form from the coaching succession plan put in place last year'

So you admit that we've been playing poorly since last year, yet you still describe the decision to replace Simmons as ridiculous?

I think this what they call an own goal; think before you type.