It's the final straw really, and we've now hit that stage. We need a strong defensive coach as a top priority - and a clear out of remaining deadwood that still lives inside of the club.

Wrong. Saints fans would be amazed - nay stunned - if we won anything this year. We've had a seriously disrupted season and almost without exception we are astounded that we are third. The only thing that really concerns Saints fans is that we haven't beaten either Wigan or Warrington this season. Other than that and the use of a back on the bench, I haven't heard any complaints about Simmons. Some fans are keeping an open mind still but others, like me, think he's doing a very good job. By this stage of Potter's tenure the fans were already divided. We were fortunate in that we still had a few of the players left who had been in our 2006 side, particularly Cunningham who was our talisman. How Potter would have coped with all that Simmons has had to deal with I don't know, but I don't think we would have been in the top eight with Potter in charge.

Give it time and the majority will be for his head.

dont talk bleedin daft 3rd in the table with all the injuries weve had all season ..just watching the team play you can tell simmons coaching is better than painless potter. there's not one move in the bulls team and thats all down to your pathetic coach.

+1 give the man a break!

We did, it's just that Potter preferred to use two second rowers in the halves (Wilkin and Moore). We had Lomax, Wheeler, Ellis and Gaskell all available at varying times during the absence of Eastmond and Pryce but Potter chose not to bed them in. Potter's use of our players was bizarre at times. During one match we had Roby playing on the wing. We had an under 20s side available but Potter didn't use them, bar Foster. He preferred to play one of our standout players on the wing instead.

And although we did have major injuries last season they were nothing compared to the injuries we have had this season. At their worst, we had 11 first choice players out injured and went to Huddersfield with seven u20s players in the side, including three 19 year olds, one on debut. We were never in that position during Potter's tenure.

There's a bit of a difference, going into a game against Huddersfield, to the play-offs of 2010.

Lomax made his breakthrough under Potter, along with Foster.

Matty Smith was used with Lomax and did pretty well until the final - the youngsters are better this year so the injuries have not had such a big impact.

Only my opinion, but Saints did very well to get to the final last year.

Saints fans are well behind Royce I can assure you. Given the fact we have had an horrendous injury run and no home ground this season we have done remarkably well to be where we are. We have not given up hope this season but if we end up empty handed so be it. We have seen enough to give us encouragement for next season with all the young kids having been given plenty of first grade experience to build on and some quality players coming in from the NRL and hopefully the rest of the team fit.

Mick Potter never had any rapport with the Saints fans, his brand of rugby was extremely bland mirroring his personality. He was clearly sacked but came up with some cock and bull story about being ' homesick' for Australia to save face made even more laughabke by him crossing over to Bradford. He appeared to do a good job at Catalan but since he has been very disappointing.

For now maybe. It wont last though.

Ok. Let's put this into perspective. Seven academy players were promoted to the first team in time for Potter to arrive. Of those seven only one ended up with a regular spot by the time Potter left: Jamie Foster. They all had their debuts under Potter (Foster in his second year here). But having debuts, playing bit parts now and again, is vastly different from what has happened under Simmons (who, incidentally, has introduced a further seven u20s players to first team action).

And had Potter chosen to utilise either Jamie Ellis (who has gone on to do wonders with Leigh and has been signed by Hull) or Lee Gaskell (who has done remarkably well this season), he would have had a full one third of the season in which to do it because that is how long we went last year without recognised halves. Even if he had played one with Wilkin then that would have been good as both Ellis and Gaskell have kicking games. But he didn't. He preferred to cause chaos in the team by shunting them all around just to accommodate one injury. He did it for the Grand Final, playing Lomax at centre to start with when he'd never played there before and had just come back from injury. Meanwhile Meli had played centre before but he stuck him on the wing. He was crazy stupid where personnel were concerned and from what I've read on here, he hasn't changed.

Well I respect your opinion noting your tip for the 2010 championship.

Much as it grieves me to agree with a Saints fan, but I am increasingly coming to that conclusion