DARK clouds are circling over The HJ once again – and even moderates are beginning to reassess our on-off love affair with Lord Tony Smith.

Minus two notable elements, this is broadly the Grand Final losing Wire side. With an added England half-back.

Is it the message or is it the messenger? Basic body language would determine that it seemingly doesn’t take much for heads to drop among the boys in primrose and blue these days.

One keen observer in the Away Day Crew is convinced the spirit wasn’t there in the warm-up on Monday.

As one of the guilty parties at the Guardian behind the infamous ‘Kick Ando Into Touch’ front page of yesteryear (though there is still debate about whose idea it was to put his head on a rugby ball), I’ve seen Warrington Wolves changings of the guard up close, and as a paying spectator.

Some ill-chosen words at a public meeting put paid to the second coming of Alex Murphy, the weight of expectation probably did for Paul Cullen, but could it be some local difficulties which presage the departure of TS?

Because it comes to something when the loss of homegrown early season prospect Harvey Livett to a hamstring injury appears to have upset the apple cart so significantly.

And the question of why our most effective half-back pairing, Kurt Gidley and Declan Patton, isn’t given an extended run, whatever pledges have been made to Kevin Brown, remains a major factor.

What of the Forgotten Man – Kevin Penny? If he isn’t worth a roll of the dice now he’s fit, given our lack of incision, you have to wonder whether the old chestnut about Smith’s readiness to dismiss the efforts of local lads doesn’t carry some weight.

(This theory clearly isn’t assisted when ex-Rylands and Wire half back Gareth O’Brien orchestrates a home drubbing by Salford.) Ultimately amid all the megabytes of bile spewing forth on the matter, it’s the opinion of only one man which counts. And with due deference to Prof Broomhead and Karl Fitzpatrick, it’s the man from Paddington who signs the cheques.

Simon Moran has been incredibly loyal in the past but Kieron Cunningham wasn’t given as much rope to hang himself with at St Helens.

He’s arguably our most successful manager ever – and despite what a rogue social media post claimed Smith’s unlikely to quit. So where now?