I always looked upon him as a top drawer coach to be honest !! what makes you so anti Hanley Standee?? not a dig mate

I'm guessing his record since taking over a top Saints team isnt great. There has to be a question mark about why the only team that gave him a chance were Donny.

I disagree he'd be hilarious! Offiah to be his assistant. No one would remember the games they'd just wait for the press confrences.

Last year we saw our forwards start to show signs of fatigue early in games simply because the injury situation meant they had to be overplayed. By round 6 effectively they were knackered. Tickle in particular had to play too many minutes because of his kicking duties. This year Agar rightly highlights this and says the extra depth will now allow us to rotate the forwards and keep them fresher in games, ie not have to play 80 mins. We've even got kicking options. So what do we do? Play Tickle and Fitz for the full 80! Having to have Houghton on the bench to spell Berrigan doesn't help our options but this is Agars team and his strategy. If you play forwards like Fitz and Tickle for 80 mins week in week out they will lose their effectiveness and start to make mistakes. That's often when other players are having to do too much during their spells to cover and end up missing tackles etc. There was an excuse last year for poor bench management this year their ain't.

This is the crux of the matter.

Same demise of attitude at this point in the last 2 seasons regardless of injuries.

Even Fitz, O'Meley and Long showed signs of the illness on Saturday. Is it the inflexibility of our one and only game plan that starts to stifle and frustrate players about now? Or rumours of spats between the coaches (also happened about this time last year with Agar and Sharp)? Or indignation amongst the players regarding team selection choices? Or simply a case of underestimation of the opposition by the senior players?

All of the above?

Whatever, the rot seems to set in about this time into the season every season. Cue the start of sightings of players in drinking establishments which also coincides with this onset of apathy.

Players only get slagged off for boozing when their losing.

The club have brought in some big name signings and the PR machine has done a fantastic job over the last 9 months to achieve great commercial results, riding a wave of relentless positive communication. After the first few games, the reality is that we have, even with just one injury, an inadequate and makeshift 3/4 line and a good pack whose most effective players are being flogged unnecessarily. Plus with only 8 games gone, we have failed to turn up with the right attitude in 3, which is completely unacceptable. We have some very good players in our squad but as last season, Agar is failing to do the primary role of a coach in getting each and every one of them to perform to their potential and making the whole greater than the sum of the parts. If we go out of the cup, it's countdown to next February again IMO. And this time round, in a very good position injurywise, there's nowhere for Agar to hide.

Fully agree.

We were told in the off season that Agar was relying on his new recruits to motivate and inspire the rest. But instead they too seem to be dropping their heads. Just what is it that (I am afraid I have to point the finger at Agar) he does to affect morale so badly about now?

The major concern is that Agar has not learnt from past mistakes, his interchanges at Crusaders and Salford were "interesting" to say the least, he hasn't implemented a plan B, I think he thought we were giong to be able to win every game up the middle.

You're frighteningly right.

Hence the lack of forethought in allowing Raynor to leave at the end of the close - after giving him the 5 shirt - instead of the beginning allowing us to recruit for our miserable 3/4 line. Clearly Agar did not put too much importance on the quality experience of our wingers.

To be fair to Agar that was not his decision. It was made at a higher level and he had no say in it.

and also to be fair to it hindsight will show it to be the correct decision i'm sure. The true facts of the raynor situation are likely to not come out though.

and you know that how??

Fair enough, but lets face it the facts of the court case have been public for long enough, and Hull would have been more aware than most of the extent of the charges against him.

If I were the coach with Raynor being an integral part of my three quarters I'd have been insisting on a decision at the end of last season not the beginning of this. Thereby giving myself time to assemble a strong enough centre and wing combination for this level - for this season not next.

Lyne and Tuffour are clearly not going to be able to contribute as mainstay wingers this year, which means reliance on Briscoe (despite Agar seeing him as a centre) and Calderwood. Briscoe has been found out defensively on the wing imo and Calderwood is having an injury mare. Surprise surprise, once again there isn't a strong enough plan B.

Not saying the Raynor decision was wrong, but the timing of it was. And if my job depended on it, I'd have made sure of my options early enough. Boils down to poor planning, in my book.

The club expected the court case to be over last Autumn. If it had have been there would not have been a problem. If Raynor was found not guilty or found guilty but didn't get sent down the club would probably have kept him on. If he had been sent down the club would have cancelled his contract.

The fact that the case was held over till April created a big problem. If Raynor was sent down in April the club would lose him half way through the season and would have no money or time to replace him.

Therefore the decision was taken to pay him off last year and free up his space on the salary cap. The timing was not the club's fault as it was outside their control.