Well said.
McManus has made mistakes - only a fool would deny that - but I also think some people on here are talking nonsense and making out things that simply aren't true.
The fact is, every season we've spent up to near the cap. We've never gone for the "cheap option". Bringing players through the youth system is part of the game. When McManus was talking about focusing on youth development instead of automatically bringing in established players, he was doing so against the backdrop of one of the strongest & most promising groups of young players to have come through the youth ranks in years. Players like Roby, Eastmond, Lomax, Foster, Wheeler, Gaskell, Dixon, Makinson, Emmitt, etc. There'd been significant investment in bringing that group together at Saints.
The general feeling amongst fans at the time was that this was the right route for the club. I mean, why invest in a strong youth programme if you're then just going to bring in older journeymen from other clubs, whilst the young players leave and potentially carve themselves top careers for our rivals?
As it turns out, most of these players haven't turned out to be the answer, for whatever reason (either moving on - Eastmond - or not developing to their earlier potential)
Yet the club hasn't stopped recruiting during all this. In the last four years, we've brought in:
Soliola
LMS
Perry
Laffranchi
Hohaia
Turner
Manu
Flanagan
Some have been good buys, others haven't lived up to the reputations and past performances that led us to sign them (through no fault of McManus). But all are on a decent wage. Hardly 'going for the cheap option'.
As I've said before, we've had rank bad luck with some signings, whilst other plans have had to be completely rethought (eg the "future England halfback combination" of Lomax & Gaskell).
We are now at a stage where we need to rebuild. We need to find a way to jettison the underperforming players and use their salaries on better recruits (although, who's to say these wouldn't also be flops, contrary to past performances...)
WOW a balanced honest post
This is the first time Saints have hit a real crisis in playing staff since at least 1998 (when we stank in McRae's last season) and I think we should wait to see how the club responds before becoming hysterical. If players like Perry, Frank, Hohaia & Wellens are still at the club next season, then I'll join in the calls for wholesale change at the top. Similarly, if the Walsh signing doesn't come off (or we don't sign another experienced half) and replace Perry & Frank with proven front row enforcers, then I will again agree with those demanding McManus goes.
But let's give those in charge at the club a chance to put right mistakes that we only see with the benefit of hindsight.
Of those Roby, Lomax, Wilkin and Soliola are meaningful absences. The rest are none events. Would Wigan or Leeds lose to Widnes if they had four out?
