Wilkin: Rowley's Saints dismissal doesn't surprise me - 'Fans voted with their feet'
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- Paul Rowley was dismissed as St Helens head coach after just 9 months and 23 games — the shortest coaching tenure in club history and the shortest in English rugby league for over 50 years.
- The sacking came one day before Saints lost 38-16 at Wigan Warriors in a Super League derby, with Rowley having already named his squad for the contest.
- Jon Wilkin, who played for Saints from 2003-2018, said the dismissal "did not surprise" him, pointing to home attendance falling from a 13,000 average in 2024 to 11,000 in 2025.
- Wilkin noted only 1,700 fans filled a 5,500-capacity stand at Wigan, saying "fans voted with their feet" amid "discord and vitriol" toward Rowley's appointment.
- Sam Tomkins called the timing "horrendous" — sacked the day before a huge game with St Helens sitting sixth and Super League playoff hopes in the balance.
- Wilkin said it was "the most un-St Helens thing I've ever said" to need a coaching change mid-season just to motivate players, with the club now at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time in their history.
- Tomkins suggested Saints' record under Rowley reflected not the number of losses but "the manner in which they've lost at times," backing the club's call for a performance reset.
Why it matters: St Helens won four consecutive Super League titles but now sit sixth and risk missing the playoffs for the first time ever — making the mid-season sacking a desperate gamble on a quick performance bounce, with the club's collapsing attendance (13,000 to 11,000 home average, 1,700 in a 5,500 stand) signaling a deeper crisis in fan trust that extends well beyond the coaching box.
