Strange how the Goons get their first win of the season against another lacklustre side, and all of a sudden they are world beaters, and can come out from under their rocks and pass their opinions on how Saints will struggle this season. We may struggle, but our side is still streets ahead of theirs, even with the new found superstars like Sam and Ainscough. We may struggle to top the table this year, but the goons will struggle to get into the top 6.

What I thought was laughable during the conversation was they believe our forwards are no where near the standard of the wigan forwards. I couldnt stop laughing! They genuinley believe that they are better and where flabagasted i didnt agree!

As a Leeds fan the only team that I am worried about is Saint Helens. In my view there is little to choose between the two teams and they have served up some cracking contests. The playoff game from a couple of seasons ago is one of the most physical encounters I have ever seen in SL and I think that Saints broke the record for most tackles made in a SL game. I believed at the time and still do now that only Leeds and Saints can play at that intensity.

I honestly think that the trophies could be split again this year, with the team that loses in the challenge cup game going on to win the GF.

I would always expect Saints or Leeds to beat any of the other SL teams when it really matters i.e. final eliminators. On that basis I cant see past the same two being at the top and therefore contesting the final again.

Saints are still a top side when everyone fit but I feel Leeds may be pulling away from us.

As long as we are in the play offs we will be there or there about.

I just hope potter has a huge rebuilding job on his hands with long, gidley, Cunningham all nearing the end of playing and with the likes of scully gone he don't have the same class squad as previous coaches.

He should be giving time to build the next super saints team that will win trophys for the next 10 years.

that is why i always say to play foster....etc. angainst not so competive teams such solford and celtic....etc, i know we only just beat celtic but i think it was a bit of luck nothing against celtic.

I can guarantee that there's one team we wont be struggling against and thats Wigan.

There even worse than I expected.

Replaced mediocrity with mediocrity and are blooding youngsters into a poor side.

The wins have kept them from getting tony smith and keeping the worlds greatest playoff coach.

He`ll be gone this year and replaced by another saviour.

As long as Saints put Cunningham, Long, Pryce and Graham on the field then we will beat most sides.

The only time I will start to listen to anyone telling us how we'll struggle is when Cunningham retires, that man is a genuine great, probably the only one running around anymore and is irreplaceable. Whilst he's around Saints will continue being fine.

Christ even the HKR fans were trying to tell me they'll replace us this season at the top. There is only Leeds on the same level as Saints and even that is fairly close.

What was the year when wigan had a team full of youths and beat us at knowsley Rd, they were back on the up then...was that 2003??

It's the same now, a truer reflection on wigan will be tomorrow night's game...

We started off fairly flat in 2006 IIRC and some people were still critical of us halfway through that season for being poor in atack because we weren't racking up length of the field tries every week. Strangely that side turned out to the best to ever grace the British game in the professional era.

In my opinion one of the main reasons we have been so succesful since the inception of super league has been our ability to both retain key members of our squad for very long periods and to succesfully replace them when needed.

The ability to retain key players like Newlove, Joynt, Martyn, Long, Scully, Wellens and KC and even Lee Gilmour, has undoubtably meant we have been fortunate to maintain a consistant core and this consistancy is as big a factor as any other in any successful team as Leeds will fans will surely testify to.

However it is important to remember that many of these players were replacements for equally as important key players before them and that others have already been replaced successfully.

The hard work and sensible, well considered thoughts and actions of people behind the scenes at Saints saw Sean Long succeed Bobby Goulding at scrum half and Paul Wellens ultimately succeed Steve Prescott at full back, Willie Talau succeed Newlove in one centre role and Kevin Iro replaced by Martin Gleeson, Jamie Lyon and then Matt Gidley as the other and has also seen Leon Pryce succesfully follow Jason Hooper as Tommy Martyn's replacement at stand off.

I've a strong belief that those same people at the club who have brought through and bought players like Roby, Graham, Lyon and Gidley over the past few years will succesfully see us through a period of a year or two that will see us lose KC and Long as they did in 2003 and 2004 when we lost Newlove, Martyn and then Joynt but managed to maintain the pursuit for silverwear.

The big difference this season being how much faith the coaching staff are willing to put in such a large number of academy products. Yes this will be partially due to the financial aspect but i'm sure equally as much due to having one eye on the future rule changes that come with the franchise system and also due to the quality and performance and potential of these players.

Bookmarked.

Make sure you roll it out when we hammer you the first time we play

That could come back on him!

Ahhhh Lent!

I seem to have said this before but here goes ..... Saints are in a transitional phase, one that will see a lot of quality players go, to be replaced by a younger crop, of that I am sure ... as for the coach I feel that Mick Potter is on a hiding to nothing, if we are a success this season he will have done it on the back of Ando's team.... if he fails then it will because we are in transit to a greater success either the way a 2 year contract doesnt leave a lot of room for error and to that end I suspect we will not be as successful as previous seasons. Hopefully I will be proved wrong and therefore will be worthy of the brickbats that will follow ....but