mcmanus is their chief exec isn't he? Is he also the club's owner?



Problem with our club is that we have an inexperienced chief exec who has no authority to do anything anyway.



People point to the club going down the pan since cooke left. My take on it is that it was at that time that rule took over and this is the fundamental problem. plummer may not have been a great media person and he fooked up big style over cooke, however the club seemed to operate much better under his guidance

No I mean being stiffed as in both parties agree on the price, then after the paperwork is drawn up the sellers decide to ask for more.

Yeah, but to be fair, £20 and half a pack of bensons just doesn't buy you what it used to

IIRC, McManus owns enough shares in the club to do what he likes. The guy is one smart cookie. For years he worked in Hong Kong buying and selling shares and gave up an extremely well paid job to take over St. Helens. The club has benefitted tremendously from his experience of the financial markets, methods and systems - especially in clearing what were pretty frightening debts. He's openly admitted that Saints is a labour of love rather than a means to secure a good living. I think you have to be a supporter for such a decision to make sense.



He also knows how the mind of the fan works. When Millward was sacked, for the first and only time the supporters turned against the board. Millward was clever in his ability to manipulate the media and the fans. He was very successful in portraying himself as the supporters' choice - an honest and highly decorated coach wounded by the cynical men upstairs. But McManus pulled a masterstroke in stepping onto the supporters' coach to talk with great and, at times, shocking honesty throughout the journey. It turned perceptions around in an eyeblink and mortally wounded Millward's reputation.



If you talk to McManus it's truly refreshing to listen to someone in charge of a club who is not afraid to discuss what other chief execs and chairmen simply refuse to go into.



Without doubt he is the club's greatest asset and the day he leaves will be a grim one indeed.

It does help,when a club hire Mick Potter ,who coached NSW under 18's,

therefore Saints have employed a guy,who has had proven experience

at bringing youngsters through at the top level - ie the elite of NSW.



We entrust a coach to offer tutelage to our youth whose only experience,was coaching an amateur team in Featherstone, and the mighty York City Knights





Who would you employ to bring the youth through,Potter or Agar??

Nice to know your owner is so in touch with the rank and file.Good post,makes interesting reading

last time rule spoke to the fans they all ended up falling over dizzy from his spin

Was that when he went on the Stew's funbus and was the game at the KC against us?

That's the one. If it didn't put him off the Stone Roses for life I don't know what will.

I remember Stew and some of the others talking about it. It also reminds me about Shane Richardson, just after the McAlpine incident he came and stood with the fans at the Warrington away game and was very honest and open about things at the club. Instances like this are very much the exception though.

They are but there is absolutely no reason why they should be

Richo was seen to be "honest at Gateshead too" for what its worth!

Hetherington allowed him to be hung out to dry....especially the tear scene on local tv.