Wellens Q&A: Saints talk has to be turned into action

He also explained what he wants to see in the next three tough games against three local rivals.

MC: Was that a tougher review than even the bad defeats by Hull KR and Warrington?

PW: It was a tough review. We feel like we've let ourselves down and I say we, the players and myself, need to prepare better so we don't have performances that lack an energy and are quite frankly flat, particularly off the back of the having some time off to refresh.

We have spoken about a number of different things - that being one of them - and we hope off the back of those conversations we can be much better this week.

MC: After a performance like that, as coach, can you read the players the riot act without making matters worse, anxiety and confidence wise?

PW: I think you have to get the balance, but at the same time it's making sure the players have an understanding of what the environment and the culture is like.

I know I have got a group of honest players who will reflect on their performances and will give honest feedback.

But what we need to make sure those conversations become more than talk and become actions – they have to become things that you do.

So we hope we see evidence of that this week.

MC: You are judged on maybe three elements of being head coach – devising tactics, communicating those to the players and then man managing the players when they don’t deliver. These are all things against which you are judged?

PW: There's a lot to be dealing with, and there are two ways of looking at it. If we go out there and the tactics aren't quite right and we don’t win a game - then I accept full responsibility.

Myself and the playing group have had conversation this week about whether they believe in what we're doing.

If they believe we can do something a little bit different, then let's have those conversations because what we need to do is all get on the same page and know that when we take the field we are all wanting the same thing and doing it the same way.

That's when this club has been at its best.

MC: I know you've never used the nine players being out as an excuse, but how does it affect the dynamic when so many members of your leadership group aren't actually playing and what input do they still have?

PW: We encourage them to have as much input as possible, but you can imagine from their perspective when they're not actually out there doing it, it is a bit more difficult to feel like you've got a voice.

We're missing a lot of frontline players which who would improve us as a team.

However, like I said, that is no by no means an excuse for the performances that we showed in the last couple of weeks.

And I think if you look at both games both against Salford and Castleford if we had handled situations better in both of those games we would have gone on and won them.

That's nothing to do with the personnel that is not there.

MC: Dropping players, especially big name ones, can sometimes feel like a nuclear option because that might send them even further down a spiral – but you urgently need to fix some of the big things that went wrong?

PW: We need to fix some of the things that went wrong. Absolutely. But we also need to be pragmatic.

We've also got a number of players getting medical checks, so we're not quite sure where we're at there as yet, so it's important that think clearly about the route that we go down.

Good players don't become bad players overnight. Sometimes people have a have a bad run of form and that can happen.

I am considering making changes and in some ways I will be forced into change but I'm going to pick a team basically that I feel is the best team to win a game on Friday.

MC: Taking into account the last two losses and the three really tough games you've got coming up, what do you want from this period of games, first and foremost. What do you need to see to give yourself a base to kick on for the second-half the season?

PW: I want a team that is true to its identity, and that's what we've had a lot of success in recent years by being true to that.

We've tried to evolve the few things in recent times and I think you have to evolve the few things, particularly missing personnel. When you don't have an Alex Walmsley ball carrier for example it is not as easy to get on the front foot so we have tried different ways of doing things.

But in doing that we have neglected our identity a little bit. So going back to that is important and that something that has helped us be successful in the past.

And by the past I mean not just the competitions we have won but if you go back to Good Friday for example, we played with our identity.

What we have lacked this year is a consistency there. So what I want to see in the in the next six weeks is get back to consistency and do what we do best.

MC: You mentioned Good Friday but sometimes one bad loss can wipe that out and it is suddenly forgotten. That's the nature sport, isn't it – but that is what has happened this year with a number of off-colour displays now?

PW: That is the nature sport and I understand and probably if you look at Matty Peet in the same way we're both coaching at clubs where there is the highest of standards and highest of expectations and the magnifying glass goes straight on you if you lose a couple of games.

That’s the nature of the beast when you do coach clubs that we do. I understand and knew the day I took the job that the buck stops with me and I know that I'm responsible for the for the team's results and I'm happy to carry the can for that.

I just want the playing group to go out and play and play to our identity and take opportunities when they present themselves because we've got good players and they haven't become bad players in two weeks and enjoy working hard for each other.

And I think if you if you get that and we get that that is when we are invariably at our best.