Hope Fraysinous is okay

Firstly, hopefully nothing serious with Fraysinous.

In terms of calming down, in what regard? I’m not naive enough to think the players won’t be able to raise it when it really matters but watching how passive Saints look currently, in comparison to those last few seasons is night and day. The general demeanour of Wellens (and Smith or Fraysinous for that matter) looks one of tension and a bit of panic at times. When the big games come round, I think the players will find that extra effort and intensity and they’ll still be the team to beat but last night is the first time personally I’ve thought the way you’re playing is more than just a hangover from the WCC.

Oh absolutely mate we are nowhere near the levels of previous years and we can’t attribute that to the Australia trip, or injuries or (self inflicted) suspensions. Something isn’t quite right yet and we aren’t ourselves.

I don’t think anyone at Saints would be happy with where we are at currently but I don’t think many are panicking either. We’ve got the odd lunatic on social media and forums etc but that aside I think most fans are confident we will be there or thereabouts when it matters.

The “calm down” remark was aimed purely at taking anything from the fact Matty Smith was sat alongside Wellens. That’s completely irrelevant. I’m not sure any assistant coach in the league, especially a stand in one, is supposed to “unnerve” anyone to be fair.

Really enjoyed the game last night, not the best standard but a cracking watch for the neutral in terms of drama and a good game for people new to the game.

Leeds worry me I'll be honest, they have a great spirit about them and they'll be very difficult to beat in the play-offs. On Saints, they just look a frustrated, ageing side. They did well to win and it might kickstart their season, but they're so un-Saints like still. In past years when they had sides pinned in their own 10, the opposition would struggle to get out their own 20, this season that intensity in defence has gone and teams march them down the field.

It helps that Knowles is finally getting pulled for his reckless behaviour so they’ve no one to shoot out of the line and put people under pressure.

Fair do’s. I’ve still got you as favourites for everything bar the hubcap but it’s certainly going to need to be done a different way, i.e raising your game when it matters, rather than just steamrolling everyone.

The comment about Matty Smith applies to Fraysinous or Wellens himself. You’d see Woolf up in the stand and he had an aura about him, built up through the wins, how the side played. and how he carried himself. You see Wellens or whoever else now and that isn’t there anymore. He seems a top guy Wellens bit you just wonder if he has that edge to him that the top coaches have. We’ll see in time I guess.

Leeds are a crazy side. The issue they’ll have with doing something in the play offs is making them in the first place. Those injuries last night looked bad news and the inconsistency means they’re playing catch up in the table. Going forward they need to recruit so much better. There is a basis of really good English players but guys like Sezer, Fusitua, Tetevano etc have been a disaster.

I think St Helens will struggle to win anything this year,as a force they are shot to pieces,some players missing games due to being grubs,some players not at the same standard as the past ( Ritson etc) some players waiting for their bus passes.
Last year they were lucky to get to the final.
They have a new coach (could be another KFC ) who seems to be out of his depth (nice bloke though)

They will struggle but it isnt impossible to turn things around,need to sort their discipline out though .
Very interesting in a couple of weeks time.

So YG,
Are you not struggling ?
Are your (some )players not coming to the end (careers ) ?
Is your discipline that needs to be sorted affecting the team ?
Are some players not as good as in the past ?
Have you some players that are not grub like (Knowles for one )
Your coach (nice bloke)hasnt the skills of say Woolf (not yet anyway)
Which one of these are not true ?
That said once sorted you could become a force again,the table doesnt lie.

I assume you’ve aimed this at me as I “laughed” at your previous post.

Firstly I’ll explain why I did that.

You say we will struggle to win anything this year - we’ve already won the World Club Challenge.
You say as a force we are shot to pieces - yet every bookie and the majority of pundits in the land still has us as favourites to win it.
We were apparently lucky to get to last years final - I assume this is because the semi final was a close contest. I apologise for not winning it in a more comfortable fashion.

So that’s why your post was funny.

Now moving on to your next post:

Are you not struggling ? - I’ve mentioned previously we aren’t at the standards of previous years currently.

Are your (some )players not coming to the end (careers ) ? - Yes. This will be the case at almost every club almost every year. It’s called biology.

Is your discipline that needs to be sorted affecting the team ?
Yes. Very much so.

Are some players not as good as in the past ? Yes. See answer 2.

Have you some players that are not grub like (Knowles for one ) Yes - See answer 3.

Your coach (nice bloke)hasnt the skills of say Woolf (not yet anyway) - We don’t know yet. He’s been in charge for less than half a season which has been far from the ordinary but does have the World Club Challenge under his belt. Not bad for someone who’s just a nice bloke.

That said once sorted you could become a force again,the table doesnt lie. - Spot on. The table doesn’t lie. The same table that will show you that should we win our game in hand (Huddersfield at home so it’s likely) we will be 2 points behind you in 2nd place. Would we then be a “force” again?

It seems that you are prematurely writing us off which is truly bizarre as you’d think people would’ve learned by now. No Saints fan is naive to think we aren’t quite at the races yet but nobody is really panicking yet bar the odd clown.

You seem to be setting yourself and licking your lips at the fact we are “shot to pieces” and no longer a force. Genuinely you’re just setting yourself up for a fall. I seem to recall last season you telling us Wigan would win the double too and look how that turned out. Why any fans of any club boldly write off their rivals like you are doing I will never know. Especially when said rival is still the team to beat in the eyes of most people with half a brain.

I think Jason knows Saints are still a team to be taken extremely seriously. Things don’t last forever and I think the week to week intensity you’ve played at for years may well have gone but as we’ve seen with Leeds teams of the past, Wigan teams of the past etc, that doesn’t really matter ‘if’ you can raise it when it matters. That group of Saints players know the levels they can reach and I’d be surprised if they don’t hit them when needed. It’s then up to the other teams to see if they can beat that.

Thanks for the reply Stu,
I did think you wouldnt win anything last year as I thought Wigan would (50% right )
I do think Saints are struggling and will win nothing with the problems they have (which you all agree)
Sorted the could win the lot as could Wigan etc.
I did say Wigan could win the double last year (50% right)
I never said Farrell was shot (I know you said Fans)
I also said it will be fun in a couple of weeks time,cant wait.
Like the way you said some luck with injuries that applies to us aswell.

Course I think that NiickyKiss,but I think Wigan will have something to say re this season.