League: Anderson emerges triumphant from St Helens crisis

There is a superb character in Quentin Tarantino's cult movie Pulp Fiction known simply as The Wolf.

Played brilliantly by Harvey Keitel, The Wolf is the go-to guy in a time of crisis, an expert at going in and cleaning up someone else's mess.

The crash and bash of a rugby league field might be a big jump from Hollywood's silver screens, but there is certainly a touch of The Wolf in Daniel Anderson.

For long-suffering Warriors' fans, the club's remarkable turnaround with Anderson at the helm was a miracle. Equally surprising was his sudden departure in messy and unfortunate circumstances, when results turned sour amid rumours of dressing-room dissent.

After a year's hiatus from club football, Anderson is back. Headhunted by Super League club St Helens, he is three months into a 2 1/2- year contract with one of Britain's most celebrated clubs.

Unlike at the Warriors, where he arrived as a virtual unknown at a club that had made under-achievement an art form, with the St Helens posting came the weight of big expectation.

Such pressure is something any ambitious coach embraces, and Anderson wasted little time accepting a high-profile position and attractive financial package. What would have been of concern, however, was the potentially tricky environment he was walking into.

St Helens had just sacked their long-time coach Ian Millward over three charges of gross misconduct halfway through a winning season. Millward, courtesy of two Super League titles, two Challenge Cups and a World Club Challenge title, was a popular figure with the club's fanatical fan base, and his dismissal was controversial.

Anderson wasn't exactly walking into hostile territory, but neither was it going to be easy. Far from daunted, he has won hearts and minds through an impeccable result sheet. St Helens are unbeaten since he was appointed, including crushing wins over bitter rivals Wigan, Leeds and Bradford - and they lead the table.

"It's a pleasure to be coaching in this environment," Anderson said this week.

"It's a privilege as well as being exciting. The fans are extremely tribal, very parochial, very supportive, and it's one of the huge highlights so far of my coaching career."

The lowlight is undoubtedly the way it all ended at the Warriors, but that topic is strictly off-limits, as are any questions about Anderson the coach or Anderson the man. Perhaps the wounds are still healing, but, for now, all he is willing to talk about is the game of league.

Dave Lyon, editor of the St Helens fanzine Redvee, and a man very much with his finger on the pulse of the club, is able to fill in some of the missing pieces.

"It was always going to be hard following Ian Millward," Lyon said. "A lot of fans were very supportive of Millward, so for Anderson to come in it was a big shock and a big change.

"Daniel's got a very different style. Millward is loud and brash, and people thought because Anderson was so quiet and showed no emotion, he didn't care.

"The first couple of games we won he didn't come over and salute the fans, so a few took offence, but I think that was just a change in the culture. But after we beat Wigan 75-0 the fans really, really took to him."

The St Helens fans can rest assured Anderson feels exactly the same way about them. He loves the electric atmosphere and soccer-style chants that reverberate around the grounds in the British game. And he is under no illusions just how important the club is to its fans.

"I am definitely an observer of the history of the game of rugby league and the traditions of rugby league. They do celebrate and cherish their history in these clubs more than the NRL, and I think that's a great thing."

While that is certainly true, few Warriors fans will ever forget that it was Anderson who took their club into the NRL play-offs for the first-time, as well as winning the minor premiership in a season that they were beaten grand finalists.

Just like The Wolf in Pulp Fiction, it was a memorable cameo.