Hull FC vs St Helens Predictions: Sculthorpe keeping faith in struggling Saints

It's been a torrid time for St Helens lately, suffering five defeats on the bounce which has seen them drop all the way down to sixth in the Betfred Super League table.

They visit Hull FC's MKM Stadium on Saturday (15:00, live on Sky Sports) looking to turn things around and club legend Paul Sculthorpe is keeping the faith with his Hull FC vs St Helens prediction.

I think every Saints fan found that game on Friday a very hard watch.

I expressed concerns about our form in last week's column and accepted that Leigh is a tough place to go, but never did I expect a 46-4 hammering. That is not St Helens RFC.

It was an historical defeat - the first time Saints have lost five games in a row in the Super League era, and the worst run of defeats since 1986. If that doesn’t give this squad a kick up the backside then I don’t know what will.

A lot has been said about head coach Paul Wellens and his position at the club. Unfortunately for Wello, this is something that comes with the job and coaches are all too often an easy target when things aren’t going well.

But to suggest he has 'lost the changing room’ is just ridiculous. Wello is one of, if not the most respected person at the club. His players are 100% behind him. Yes, he’s played with many of them but he certainly has the ability to maintain that player/coach relationship and say what needs to be said. He is also a very smart coach, both technically and tactically.

How about some of the players are simply not good enough? How about the fact a lot of the players who were a major part of more than four titles in a row are aging and no longer at the same level? Many have missed as many games as they have played in, too (that’s not a dig, it's a fact and it comes with years of playing… trust me I know).

Wello isn't the one missing 70+ tackles, dropping simple balls and fluffing tries. Also, discipline has been a big issue.

Regarding the way the team play, they are given ‘shape’, which to be honest won’t be much different than how most teams set up. It’s then up to the players on the pitch to execute what's been instructed. This is something we are unable to do presently. There is a big issue at half-back, where most of the direction is given. These have a massive influence on everyone else on the team.

Paul’s job is to therefore decide who’s up to standard. Unfortunately, with the amount of injuries and lack of strength in depth, this is pretty much out of his hands. On the plus side, the introduction of youngsters like Noah Stephens, Harry Robertson and Johnny Vaughan has been good to see. However, the nature of professional sport is the importance of results - and at the moment we look a long way off getting them.

To add to the misery, it looks like Jack Welsby could be out for up to eight weeks with a torn hamstring and both Jonny Lomax, by far our best player this year, and Mark Percival are suspended for our visit to Hull on Saturday.

The current Hull FC vs St Helens Odds are as follows: Saints are 8/11 to come away with both points, while FC can be backed at 6/5 to add to Saints' woes - and the draw is a 18/1 shot.

It goes without saying, this is a must-win. Our opponents have had a tough season themselves, sitting 11th in the Betfred Super League table, but despite losing three of their last four games, you have to remember they did beat current champions Wigan and have seen a vast improvement in performances. They will, like Leigh did, see this as an opportunity to kick Saints while they are down.

On the plus side, it looks like Saints could be boosted by the return of a couple of long-term casualties who provide much-needed experience. It was also good to see both Tommy Makinson and Matt Whitley return last Friday and no doubt both will be better for it this week.

I’ve got to stick by the Saints and trust them to turn things around. I’ll go for a win by eight or more points.

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