You can't 'pick out the words' as it's the piece as a whole that is disgraceful. As regards his 'acknowledgment' of Wire's achievement, whenever anyone makes a statement like '[iI'd like to congraulate X on winning, however....[/i' it's clearly negating the congratulations and pointing to something other than the excellence of the opponent that caused the result.

He also says saints were full of errors and we have lessons to learn if we wish to win a grand final.

there are no values anymore in rugby league it has become bitter between fans and clubs

As I have said here and on redvee the timing was wrong. He should have saved it for 2 weeks and then wrote it in a manner about points to improve the game.

Publishing it last night is too close to the final to gain any traction.

But if in 2 weeks he suggested that for next season

1. officials should remove their twitter accounts to protect themselves from threats.

2. The rfl should not make officials to do any public events with clubs in the week leading up to a game, to prevent any perception of unconscious bias to fans.

They would seem more like reasonable suggestions.
Saying it this week just sounds like a moan.

Spin and nonsense.

You cannot bleat about the "perception" of impartiality and then go on to bleat about examples of where he perceives there to be unfairness to Saints. He is saying Hicks was biased but hoping he can get away with it by hiding behind the cloak of "perception".

Anyone who reads that article knows what he is saying, that the ref was biased and it's not fair, boo hoo. Live, it didn't look a try at all. Looking at the way the game was reffed, I suspect the ref may have been under pressure to keep it flowing and make it a spectacle, because it's a marquee fixture on live free-to-air TV, but that is the same for both sides. When that try didn't go to the screen, there were 76 minutes left and it was nil-nil. Bad form from McManus.

Oh so you're saying Mcmanus had Hicks' best interests at heart? Jesus H. No timing adjustment would make that article anything other than the bitter, mean spirited garbage that it is. Oh and Saints fans the investigation into the trouble in Catalans is ongoing so the RFL haven't done nothing. You're club needs to shut up now as you're really doing yourself no favours at all and it'll end badly for you.

Pressure is on, you can almost hear the bums starting to squeak from over the lump.

I disagree, I don't see the benefit of most people being on social media.
But people whose job roles require not just being impartial but seeing to be impartial have even less reason to be on.

But the club being noisy or quiet will have no issue at all. As you say whether we speak to officials or not it makes no difference to the outcome.

I think we've already accepted Wigan are now favourites to win the final. Our team does not have the mentality to match others in big knock out games.

Even against Halifax we were shaky

Switch our clubs to a Liverpool and Man City scenario last game of the season, Man City invite the ref over for a social media issue a week before the deciding game. The premier league would be all over it .....NO, NO, NO. Only allowed after the game and the result has played out.

I really cant recall any saints fan complaining about Hicks's appointment before the game. If this meeting with that idiotic fan was such an issue how come NOBODY mentioned until you LOST! You need to stop it now, you're embarrassing yourselves and your club.

Saints are still quite rightly strong favourite to win the GF.
I think that you may just be using reverse physiology to try and take some pressure/expectation of the club.

Unless you have a disastrous injury run you will still win the GF comfortably.

If you are so sure of a Wigan win then give me Wigan's current odds for Saints to win the GF.

A bad day at the office last week with plenty of time to correct any issues.
Don't get me wrong I'd love Wigan to win it but quite rightly their current odds at Patrick Power reflects their chances of winning the GF.

It wasn't the week before, it was 2 when it was reported.

HOWEVER (I know how much they like that word in St Helens)

He may have sat down with the club and the fan weeks before that?
Anyone know when it actually happened?

Wigan form is not that bad and they have a culture of pulling it off in finals. A bit like leeds back in the day.

So far in the last 2 years most teams have shown that they can challenge saints in a final or semi final.

Its a different mentality and last night's game shows that Saints are not as cutting edge for wet weather rugby.

I’m pretty sure it DIDN’T happen the week before the final. I think the meeting happened before Hicks or Warrington knew he’d be the referee.

It was only the press release about it that came later didn’t it?

No one mentioned any of this in the run up to the game. Not the media, not Saints fans, not McManus.

I’m almost to the point I wish it was a conspiracy just to make it even more fun