didnt they only lose 1 game in the sl season? I'll take that!

agreed

when was the last time we ha any pace in the backs ?
2006 when we won the lot with lyon and maybe pryce?
2005 with lyon and albert,yes but we won nowt
for me our greatest stand off in super league (martyn) never had any pace and neither did talau.
its no use having pace to burn in the backs if the ball never gets there.thats our problem at the moment.

Both had pace, they may not have gone the length of the pitch, but they both had the acceleration needed to break defences by going through gaps. We miss that acceleration.

Wild Bill Talau was deceptively quick over a short distance and he ran great lines. Massively underrated player.

Agreed - also showed up when it mattered.

I would think the people who underrated Willie T, were very few. He did a job for us in the second row when he arrived, and settled into the centre spot with ease and was a constant gem.

Except one snowy day in 2008 in Cas when due to lots of injuries he was picked for the 2nd row and then suddenly came down with a mystery short term illness. We all remember what happened that day. I'd always liked him but that day he went a long way down in my estimations.

No more signings are likely for 2010 but i don't think they are desperately needed for next season 2011 on the other hand....

While Long is a loss (though his form was patchy at best) Kyle has the chance to rule to roost. Cayless was a passenger for all of last year so even if Fozzard only plays 20 games its a major improvement & it frees up Puletua to his favoured spot & Soliola for me more than fills the hole vacated by Gilmour. Imagine a left hand side of Puletua, Soliola, Meli - not many teams will handle that strength & power!!

I would like to see our SC on paper just what on earth our space situation is, over the last few years we have lost some big earners:

Sculthorpe, Long, Talau, Gilmour, Cayless, Lyon, Vinnie Anderson, Paul Anderson, Hooper, Bennett, Fozzard (the club must get a net gain on salary from his old contract), Cunningham (same as Fozzard)

We have brought in or improved contracts for:

Eastmond, Hargreaves, Pryce, Gidley, Flannery, Puletua, Soliola, Roby, Moore, Graham, Wilkin, Clough, Maurie

Wheeler, Ashurst, Dixon, Dean, Lomax, Armstrong, Emmitt, Frodsham will all have earned a bit more too.

With KC, Gidley and Fozzard probably retiring after 2010 and Dean in a make or break year at Saints we are going to need at least one prop possibly 2, and a centre in 2011. Not counting maybe having to replace Wellens (as soon as his defence slips), and unless they improve wanting to change Gardner & maybe Meli

Bearing in mind improvements for the graduates & further potential increases for Eastmond, Graham, Roby, Wheeler (if he turns it on in 2010) its not going to leave a massive amount for 2/3 top class recruits and we are going to have to hope that youngsters like Lomax, Frodsham, Ashurst, Dixon can make the full step up.

We need to recruit some pace. I look at the current Saints side and bar Eastmond there isn't one player that I see as 'exciting'. Very sad times as a Saints fan.

Wheeler?

At this stage, as much as I like Wheeler, he's more solid than eye catching. That's not a bad thing, he's a young kid that has plenty of attributes, he just isn't as explosive as Eastmond.

We just don't have any real flair and exciting players in our side. We have a very workmanlike side, that tackles everything, makes good yards with the ball, but no real flair in the backs to finish good defensive teams.

Just cos you're in for a season of disappointment there's no need to turn to the drink you know...