SAINTS' chairman Tom Ellard has vehemently rejected media claims there is a crisis of confidence at the club.

He was answering suggestions in national newspapers that all has not been well with Saints' management structure since the resignation of chairman Eric Ashton in January

A lifelong supporter and board member for16 years, Mr. Ellard's denial came after a week in which Saints dropped their former skipper Bobbie Goulding for the first time, and when the team suffered their fourth defeat in eight Super League games.

This followed in the wake of the board's apparent U-turn with the appointment of Eric Hughes as football operations manager after being sacked from the coaching position in 1996.

The shock move - in which Hughes will report only to the board - has met with a mixed response from supporters, some of whom feel it was necessary while others contend it was not and badly timed.

Inevitably there have been repercussions at Saints, not least among the present coaching staff whose futures appear shrouded in uncertainty, while the position of chief executive David Howes is also a matter of considerable speculation.

In a bid to separate fact from fiction and shed much-needed light on the current situation I spoke with Mr Ellard, and he dismissed suggestions of a conspiracy, intrigue or hidden agenda, and pointed out that the decision to bring back Mr. Hughes was in compliance with the 'Framing of the Future' document. The chairman also stated that he had been inundated with messages of support for the return of Eric Hughes, and the feeling at Knowsley Road was one of optimism after Saints turned the corner with a much-improved performance against Leeds.

Speaking of the thorny issue of who will coach Saints next season Tom said he knew nothing of reports linking Malcolm Reilly and Stuart Raper with the post, and said that Mr. McRae's position would be reviewed at a later date when Super League results would enter into the equation.

Asked to reconcile the funding of what is the creation of a senior management post with the recent reduction in player bonuses, the chairman replied that the two were unrelated in that the latter was in line with salary-capping requirements

"Steps have been taken to finance the appointment of Mr. Hughes and the Saints' yearly budget will remain unaffected," went on Mr. Ellard, "and overall we have the necessary means to implement what I believe is a progressive step for the club."

Turning to inquiries regarding major sponsorship Tom agreed that, as yet, they had not come to fruition and the board were exploring every avenue to improve the situation, but there was no fairy godmother on the immediate horizon.

"There are no Dave Whelans or Richard Bransons knocking on the Knowsley Road door, and if there were I would be prepared to stand aside if what they had to offer was for the betterment of Saints and its shareholders," added Mr. Ellard

When I contacted Eric Hughes he said that he wanted to reassure supporters that there was nothing sinister about his impending return to Saints, the post of football operations manager was an exciting new challenge after many years in coaching, and there was nothing more to it than that.

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