So.

Anyone still think it was right to keep Smith until the end of the season seeing what Holbrook has done with Saints?

What an unholy mess we've put ourselves in.

Keep on happy-clappin' folks...

When Saints sacked Cunningham, they put themselves in a position where due to the lack of established credible names they had to take a punt on a lower grade coach from Australia.

We are in the same position now which is what you probably refer to as an unholy mess.

Holbrook has done well and transformed Saints in the second half of the season but its easy to say this in hindsight - early season when Smith's critics were calling for him to be sacked, who honestly was saying we should appoint Holbrook? How many had actually heard of him before Saints appointed him? It was mostly people calling for Michael Monaghan or Brett Hodgson or Geoff Toovey.

Warrington may end up with an appointment that matches or surpasses Holbrook's achievements, we won't know till next season.

We were fooked by early May.
Even Tony Smith's mum could see the writing was on the wall.
We did nowt.

On Holbrook.
He's took a side that was in freefall, to within 30 seconds of the GF. I only hope our new incumbent can do better

It was merely new ideas that invigorated them along with barba coming into form.

Will his plan for the future play out can and will saints get the players he wants ? Too early to say if their choice on coach is the right one but it's quite clear the timing was right.

The question should be had we made a change would be be in the middle8s or super8s ? Even if it was a case of monagahan n briers stepping in probably be in super8s

His post match interview was sign of class guy. Smith would have still be reeling off the excuses by now.

I do too because he would get a lot of stick from our fans if they went out like Saints did tonight. People would be saying is this any better than Smith if we have a coach that can't get us to the next level?

As for Castleford and Daryl Powell....Mark Percival missing kicks is the sole reason we haven't got multiple threads asking is Powell the biggest bottler coach of all time.

Last season we won LLS and made both finals and many on here deemed it an unsuccessful season. Saints get to a semi and Holbrook is the Messiah?

Was going to say that aswell,anyway that game was a credit to the sport,really enjoyed that, just a shame someone had to lose.

I think the belief was that with the talent of players at his disposal Smith should have done better, Saints will regard a semi as good in the context of what they have.

No it clearly wasnt.
but lets not blow Smoke up Holbrook's backside just yet.

the thing that kept Smith in a job was that he believed (and was factually right) that we were just a couple of wins away from getting into the top 8. I guess he had also persuaded the owners/board that this was a reality. When in fact we were truly awful.

Saints were in the same position when they sacked Cunningham.Their owner clearly didnt hold the same view that just another win or two would get them across the line and then after that hope for the best....

they saw a lame horse and shot it. We saw a lame horse and let it try and walk it off.

have Saints turned into the world beaters of past years under Holbrook? No they are just average instead of rubbish they finished 6th with just two losses less than us.

They then somehow climbed from 6th to 4th in the super 8's due largely to the dead rubber nature of some of the games. had it been knock out rugby their season would have been long over.

they won their first game of the super 8's against out of sight Cas. They then lost to all the big clubs Hull Leeds and Wigan they then scrapped a win over Wakey and then beat the two clubs with nothing to play for Hudds and salford.

Had saints got to the final it would have owed more to an astoundingly bad league structure than anything Holbrook has done. I didnt see all the game tonight but it seems to me If James Roby is in the team saints stand half a chance even if Big bird from Sesame st was coaching them.

they were really quite clueless in attack on numerous occasions and even in golden point plodded it up quite poorly.

He has some work to do......

A touch harsh, sc.
Had Cas lost tonight because Percival had his kicking boots on, instead of his wife's stilettos, I wouldn't call Powell a bottler. Let's not forget,Cas are new to this last 4 malarkey at the end of the season, SAINTS ARE BATTLE HARDENED.
That counts for a lot.
When they beat Wakey in the last seconds, a few weeks back, I said I wouldn't put it past them going all the way to the GF. Bar a brain fart from a Saints defender, and crap kicking, they'd be there.

Powell has turned his coaching career around in a couple of years. A bottler? No.He'll get better from tonight's experiences.

Would. I have him at the HJ, though????

No. I think the bloke's as big a bumhole, as his fellow Yarkshiremon, James Lowes

Or the 3rd outcome.