SAINTS hope to make a decision on their new coach within the next two weeks - although that would not necessarily mean the successful candidate will take the reins this season.

Chairman Eamonn McManus said the club were looking at “all viable, high quality options” both in England and Australia as a replacement for Keiron Cunningham and has been impressed with the quality of the applicants.

CEO Mike Rush has spent a week in Australia speaking with candidates and the club have also checked out those on the market over here.

McManus said: “We have been very impressed by the calibre of some of the candidates so far.

“We have just got to decide who is our priority person for the days ahead.

“We are looking for a particular strength at this point in time for the club.”

Compared to the golden years between 1996 and 2008, Saints have endured a barren spell with just one year of silverware since Daniel Anderson departed.

On top of that there has been a genuine dissatisfaction on the terraces over the style of football Saints have adopted for most of those years - even that that appears to be the norm across the board bar the odd exception.

The new boss will be aware that entertaining rugby, as much as winning, is a standard requirement in what will be a crucial few years in pulling the club back together and pointing it forward.

McManus said: “We are looking for someone who is talented; a coach who will bring the basics of man management, discipline and attacking ideas to the club.

“We are looking at all viable, high-quality options.

“We will hopefully make a decision within the next couple of weeks, but as to who it is and when they come will depend on their own particular situation.

“We are taking our time over this one and analysing it pretty carefully.”

Since Anderson's departure at the end of 2008 the club under head coaches Mick Potter, Royce Simmons and Keiron Cunningham failed to win any silverware, with the Super League and League Leaders Shield double in 2014 under Nathan Brown being the only success in eight seasons.

Despite that, the Saints job is still highly coveted by ambitious coaches on both sides of the rugby league world.

McManus said that was clear in the level of interest in the post.

“St Helens is still considered one of the top clubs in the world, even in Australia and there has been no shortage of top quality applicants,” he said.

Saints currently have a three-man interim coaching team of Derek Traynor, Sean Long and Jamahl Lolesi in charge who will stay in charge until the end of the season if needs be.

However, no recruitment decisions will be made until the new head coach comes in.

McManus continued: “Even if he is a season end appointment, we will know who that person is and they will be involved in the process.”

The chairman has not written off this season, despite the poor start and has faith in the players and interim coaching team to deliver.

He said: “We saw a lot of a bounce over Easter, but Friday at Widnes deflated everyone because we expected that continue.

“But this year there is not a game we could not have won, even though we have not been playing anywhere near our potential.

“This is the first week in which the coaches have been able to impress themselves upon the side apart from the odd tweak at Easter.”