Whoever the new coach is their number 1 priority has to be sorting out the defence. It's not been good enough since Agar left and when agar was here it wasn't that good.

Yes I agree with this we are simply too easy to break through conceding 24 points and above in all but one game simply means we have no chance of winning as our attack is not good enough to score the significant amount of points required to get above the points conceded

Our defence is awful, it's the same issue over and over and over every week and to a certain degree it's the same players that are committing the mistakes.

I too am beginning to wonder if we are actually coaching a coherent system that the players understand, if we are then are we holding the culprits accountable (nice way of putting it) for their continuous repeated errors.

I said weeks ago that there was no interplay between our forwards when we carry the ball, as a result we're getting dominated in the collision, turned on our backs and getting slow play the ball. We're doing it tough on every play coming out if yardage so we get poor field position and are back defending our own line very quickly: repeat ad infinitum!

A few minutes into a game we are knackered from defending so when we get the ball back we come up with unforced errors and give the ball back to the opposition and the vicious cycle of events continues for 80 minutes.

Our defence has not been good for a few seasons now even under Agar we depended on outscoring the opposition many a time the thing I don't and cant get is the culprits who keep on playing poor keep playing. For heavens sake we have a big enough squad drop those that are not pulling their weight and play someone who at least will make a fist of it and put the effort in I just hope our new coach will do that at least

I didn't go but it seems that we had lots of opportunities to score more but lost the ball near the line or made some other error. That's happened in the last 2 games, can you coach for that?

We only got to the line once and that was when we scored other than that I don't think we hoot past their 20mtr line. To many lost ball in our own 40 I'm afraid. Teams like Sts don't need any help getting up the field but that's what we gifted them

On a positive, we are not as bad as last year, and no worse than Hull on Thursday (wasn't at the game so going from the score only), and have been as good as many other teams against Widnes and Warrington.

This might go back to what BS was saying, that there was too much attention paid to minor cost-cutting, which must affect attitude. You can tell players all week that they should be capable of competing against clubs like Warrington and Wigan and the rest, and then you turn off the heating and create the environment of a Sunday morning team and you lose that minor edge that might be enough to make someone break a tackle or chase a lost cause. Man-management can be about the small stuff, not just about geeing people up.

Must admit I was dreading Saints getting past the 56 Widnes scored against Leeds. Less ammo for Eddie.

At the risk of upsetting quel surprise, the club could put the heating back on and off set the cost by taking the light bulbs out of the toilets, just a thought.

He didn't apply.

Don't know who the 6 candidates are, but if they are the ones mentioned on here, then if he has applied then Noble would be a reasonable choice, plenty of experience in a variety of situations and he has said in the past that his first priority is defence. He knows that he will be working within certain constraints (and if he doesn't then he shouldn't be applying) and he should be able to do some wheeling and dealing with his contacts etc, but in the main its his experience that is the main factor.

Do not know how you can expect a new coach to make any difference, still the same players. Not knocking B Smith (he brought nineteen new players into the squad) but he just seems to be a coach who requires funds to succeed. Where he has been a coach before and have had success, they have had to pay for it, a few years down the line, eg Hull & Bradford. Whoever decided that Flynn & Miller were suitable for Super League have made a big error in judgement. A good half back combination can wear any team down, making it easier to make gaps etc. With this squad we have definitely got quantity over quality. Even David Topliss would have struggled to make this team click!!

I think Noble has been too comfortable in the "commentators chair" for too long and IMO, he's yesterdays coach.
Apart from that he would likely be an expensive option.

We need a tough no nonsense bloke with plenty of knowledge of Championship players, as I believe this is where much of our recruitment will come from in future

Like you, I've no idea who's applied but, a number of the possibilities, I don't think would suit our current state

Maybe some valuable lessons will have been learned regarding tweaking the little things,wether that be the heating or any other situation that arose.. It looks like it may of contributed to the frosties between the two of them..and they both dug their heels in!.
The new coach (whoever that is) will certainly be aware of what's gone on, and it might be addressed as to where..if any improvments can be made.
I agree slugger .we are not as bad as last year,and I hope the new coach is well versed in modern coaching methods and get us up for it!!

It doesn't seem that long ago that he was coaching Salford (perhaps it is, my memory ain't what it was) and then I think he was involved in coaching at London after that (part-time?), so he is fairly recent in coaching.
With regard to championship players, I take your point but I feel that is perhaps from next season and our priority is now, let the future take care of itself (for the time being). We require someone with experience to come in and do a job now with what we have.
My personal dream team would perhaps be JK in a firefighting role for the immediate, with a younger coach coming on board a little while down the line and JK becoming Football Director/CEO and holding the hand of the new incumbent whilst he finds his feet. My choice of 'the younger coach' would be Glen Morrison, who would also have the experience of championship players that you desire. However, I can't see it happening, don't think JK would apply, but perhaps he could be asked!