Justin Holbrook - an assessment of his first year at Saints

Credit, when pushed, is distributed across the board – his coaching assistants, the performance staff and the players. However, nobody can get away from the fact that those individuals take their lead and direction from the man at the top – and that shines through with even basic things like fitness and core skills like passing.

It was not through a false modesty; anyone can see the impact on the team’s performances, in terms of the W column, the style of play and the improvement in individuals.

Rather Holbrook, for all the upbeat, positive, glass half full, happy exterior that he exudes is clearly a winner. Since his arrival a notice has appeared in the corridor at the training ground that declares: “We play this game to win trophies.”

So for all the fact that Saints are top of the pile, leading on all the key stats and are bookies favourites to win both pots, they have never been the sort of club that orders open top bus parades before placing anything worth polishing on the sideboard.

But as the chairman remarked after 2014, when Saints won the league leaders shield and Grand Final despite having a rocky campaign punctuated by high profile early defeats, it is not just about how you finish, but how you start.

After showing a marked improvement from day one of Holbrook’s tenure – a 45-0 Magic win over Hull FC – Saints clawed themselves up from flirting with the middle eights to a strong finish in the top four. And but for a late penalty and a golden point drop goal would have been at Old Trafford.

And although that sense of a team coming into the season with unfinished business, a la 2005-06, may have been added to the mix – it is the more substantial work and preparation that Holbrook has done with his players in a first off season at the club that is delivering.

So, what is the difference?

Well, there are some obvious ones – and when your first visible move as coach is to entice a superstar like Ben Barba to join that is a good start. Immediately we see an ambition and a buy-in to the old Saints philosophy that the fans wanted to see stars, and not the ones that come with a bang on the head.

That was important – not simply because of what Barba has subsequently done in the red vee, but also in building a bridge back to the fans.

Let’s face it, there was at time what seemed to be a complete separation between the club, in all its parts, and the fans.

The atmosphere at Saints – not just at the game but in and around the town – had at times turned rancid, with that ire directed across the board to McManus, CEO Mike Rush, coach Keiron Cunningham, skipper Jon Wilkin, the ‘old boys club’ – and any number of players deemed sub-standard and ‘not Saints quality’.

Home games in particular were shrouded with a pall of gloom which must have weighed heavily on the players and added to a cycle of depression. It seemed many fans continued to attend out of duty, rather than any hope that they would be entertained.

There have been splits between club and fans before – in 2005 fans stormed the main stand to protest against the sacking of Ian Millward. Back then all it took was Daniel Anderson to clock up a few wins, most notably against Wigan, and those supporters were back on board – Saints as one.

The job Holbrook has had on has been more difficult – but it has worked, so much so that it seems wrong and unhelpful to rake up the bad times that preceded it.

The appointment of Holbrook was a masterstoke by McManus and Rush, and has healed the divisions between the club and its supporter base, and if you ever wish to depress yourself – go look back at some website comments from 18 months ago to show what a feat that is.

The first thing is Saints are winning – and that always helps. And not just winning, doing so in style – and in the games that matter, giving confidence that they are genuine title material this time around.

The very fact that Saints this year won their first Good Friday since 2009 underlines that

Secondly, the entertainers are back! They are playing a style of rugby that excites fans – and it helps that they now have the pace in Barba, Regan Grace and Tommy Makinson to finish it off. Nothing gets fans out of the seats more than a quick man, running it in.

But it is about more than that, Saints look like a team that has spent the off season passing the ball.

Three, Holbrook has overseen improvement in individuals; Dom Peyroux is a different player to the one that operated during his first year. He was one of a number of players who supporters were questioning how long they had to run – Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Jon Wilkin being others – but whose contract renewals are now welcomed or hoped for.

Four, Wilkin has been a great servant for the team – but was often the lighting conductor for criticism due to his willingness to put his hand up and deputise in the halves.

After a playing career that was increasingly being defined by trying to be the square peg squeezing into that round hole, Holbrook has got him doing the job he is very good.

He is playing less minutes – but they are quality minutes and when dovetailed with Welsh World Cup Morgan Knowles it is a bonus all round.

Five, the week before Holbrook took over, a rudderless Saints led by a tired group were dumped out of the cup and we carried a readers letter calling for a rooting out of the old boy culture.

However, some of those old boys – Paul Wellens in particular – have clearly gone up a notch under Holbrook. The highly decorated former Great Britain full back is not simply a hard grafter who has been there and done it, with has an excellent understanding of the game.

But he commands the respect of his peers within rugby league because of the way he conducts himself, passes on his knowledge to younger ones (and even some older ones) and is still willing to patiently learn his trade.

Having him as part of that first team coaching set up is a huge asset. So being a great past player does not qualify anyone to be a good coach, but nor should it disqualify them.

Holbrook has done a fantastic job in getting that backroom team to deliver.

Six, Holbrook has some of the traits of early Ian Millward, particularly his openness to fresh ideas.

There are no blinkers on this coach, as seen by his fact finding trip to America in the winter to observe the workings of basketball and American Football sides.

And that trip opened his eyes to point seven, Holbrook gets the idea that Saints are part of this community. A rugby team needs to be comfortable and supportive in its town. It is very noticeable that the players – following on from the work previously done at the club – are out and about a lot more.

A lot of that groundwork is done by others at the club, but it helps massively if the head coach is not just tolerant and supportive but an advocate.

The town has been knocked about since the late 70s – Saints are its main brand, it can have an effect on giving the town a leg up, not simply through performances on the field – and Holbrook gets that.

And last, but not least, we have Barba. It is not just what he has been doing on the pitch, it is the whole package.

The pocket dynamo is genuine box office who will be talked about for a generation long after he has gone. It shows ambition – here is a player that encapsulated wanting to win and entertain. Two important boxes ticked.

But significantly, fans are saying Holbrook’s departure would be a bigger loss should he decide to move on in years to come.

The very fact that the fans are singing the coach’s name for the first time since Daniel Anderson is an audible sign of that on matchday.

Someone has even started a petition to keep him here for good….now that just shows how he’s been taken to the fans’ hearts in 12 months.