Rugby: St Helens sack Hanley
Saturday, 11 March 2000 16:13St Helens have sacked their outspoken team coach, Ellery Hanley just five months after he led the club to the Super League title. The last straw seems to have come when Hanley, who has never been far from controversy in his 18 months as team boss, refused to attend the official Super League launch, claiming he was too busy preparing for the club's opening match.
None of the board's directors have commented on the move, which will undoubtedly prompt a backlash from fans. But the club's solicitor, John Bullough, said in a statement: "The contract between St Helens and Ellery Hanley has been terminated forthwith by the board of the club because of fundamental breaches of the contract by Mr Hanley".
That two-year contract had eight months to run. It was thought to have been re-written last July after Hanley's first brush with the club's borad. He was suspended from duty, on full pay, after he accused the Saints board of dinosaur-like thinking, and branded them disgraceful and ignorant over their failure to back up his interest in transfer targets.
But, Saints fans demonstrated their support for the former Wigan and Great Britain captain by staging a 90-minute sit-in after their side beat Hull 74-18 in his absence and Hanley was reinstated after a public climb-down. Russ Fairclough, spokesman for the Independent Saints Supporters' Association,today warned that the board now faces an outcry from disgruntled fans.
The news, is reported to have caught the Saints players, currently on a free weekend after their Challenge Cup exit, by surprise. Captain Joynt, declined to comment beyond saying it is the first he has hear of it.
Hanley's strained relationship with club officials was made worse by the Saints' disappointing start to the new season. They were defeated 44-6 by Australian champions Melbourne Storm in January's World Club Challenge, were knocked out of the Cup by Leeds at the second hurdle and went down 32-10 at home to Bradford in their opening Super League fixture last Friday.
