Star Signing

[ChrisNottm]

Didnt it just break your heart during the weekend quarter finals when the commentary repeatedly kept informing us where one of the star players would be going to after the World Cup and not once was the destination Leicester Tigers.

When are we going to sign a real star who takes your breath away just because of who he is - not another workman like squad player.

I understand that with the debacle of the WC, Autumn Internationals and 6 nations we have to have a nucleus who wont be going anywhere but to generate enthusiasm, interest and just to get people excited you need someone to make you want to go to the game, who's very presence excites you and who in a single moment can make your whole mood change.

When was the last time we had a star that made your mouth water - look how Lotte Tuquiri sparked the club last year and he was a fringe player towards the end of his career.

Can you see Man United spurning the real image players.

More worryingly - maybe the starts n longer want to come to us???

[kingol22]

We have plenty of star players.
Youngs - can change a game in an instance with his sniping runs, scarlets last year, australia away etc.
Castro - best tight head in the world
Croft - one of the best in britain if not the world, as he showed on the lions.
Alex tuilagi - top try scorer last year and capable of amazing tackles.
Flood - Englands best fly half
Cole - one of the best tight heads in the world
Manu - amazing angles paired with awesome strength makes him one of the best attacking threats around.

Is that not enough?

[Isambard]

and Geordan Murphy, who has always been a shining star and a wonderful player..

[Darc Tiger]

We have a wealth of high class players at the club. The majority unavailable, though not any more.

And due to the salary cap, it is very hard to find space to sign a really high class player or two. Instead, we have signed a number of young players who could develop into high class players. And what about Salvi? Not to mention a few real gems coming through the club.

[PM76]

We have plenty of star players.
Youngs - can change a game in an instance with his sniping runs, scarlets last year, australia away etc.
Castro - best tight head in the world
Croft - one of the best in britain if not the world, as he showed on the lions.
Alex tuilagi - top try scorer last year and capable of amazing tackles.
Flood - Englands best fly half
Cole - one of the best tight heads in the world
Manu - amazing angles paired with awesome strength makes him one of the best attacking threats around.

Is that not enough?

I completely agree Kingol, we have stars allready. We needed to strengthen at 7 and we signed a player who is very close to world class and would have hordes of caps if he had not been behind two of the world's best opensides in Smith and then Pocock. Many stars simply do not want to come to the premiership due to the money and many are going to France or Japan. Maybe this will change next year, Bath seemed determined to sign Carter or a world star but I would not be suprised if they fail. If we were loosing a big name I could see your point Chris Nottm but the squad is star filled enough.

[mike]

Chris has a point , but the time has long gone when we could attract a Stransky or a Kronfeld . We last won the top Club competition , the heineken Cup , in 2002 and if we fail to progress beyond the 1/4 s this time we shall lose our seeding as a Top tier Club . As for our present stars - well I would certainly include Castro , Croft and Manu in that category - but a number , like Ben Youngs are slipping down from the pedestal .Looking at the present squad it is hard to see the potential there for further claims to real star quality.

[tigerburnie]

I would not use football and in particular man united as something to aspire too.What's their debt running at at the moment,nearly as bad as a small country.Also ,as has been pointed out,we are at the top of the salary ceiling,something else that football chose not to have.

[parkerd68]

Also, when they have international matches in football, they suspend the domestic leagues in the top 2 tiers.

[kingol22]

.Looking at the present squad it is hard to see the potential there for further claims to real star quality.

We look good for stars of the future as well IMO. We have 12trees, who has potential to make the tigers and england 12 shirt his own, Ford, massive potential just needs to work on a few things, Parling, is likely to become a world class second row if he avoids injury, Morris, fast looking like one of the smartest signings we have made.
Tigers do create star players and that is the reason we lie 11th in the league at the moment because we have a great number at the WC.

[TigerAlex]

Didnt it just break your heart during the weekend quarter finals when the commentary repeatedly kept informing us where one of the star players would be going to after the World Cup and not once was the destination Leicester Tigers.

When are we going to sign a real star who takes your breath away just because of who he is - not another workman like squad player.

I understand that with the debacle of the WC, Autumn Internationals and 6 nations we have to have a nucleus who wont be going anywhere but to generate enthusiasm, interest and just to get people excited you need someone to make you want to go to the game, who's very presence excites you and who in a single moment can make your whole mood change.

When was the last time we had a star that made your mouth water - look how Lotte Tuquiri sparked the club last year and he was a fringe player towards the end of his career.

Can you see Man United spurning the real image players.

More worryingly - maybe the starts n longer want to come to us???

I do hope you aren't someone who complains about Cockerill not giving younger players enough of a chance.

[tonyw]

If you were at the match, you would have seen potential stars in Harrison and Morris. 12T won't make it unless he gets fair treatment here or moves to anotherpremier club.

Totally agree with that and would like to see 12trs and Manu as a centre pairing but i fear Cockers car valeter Matt will get the nod.

[PM76]

If you were at the match, you would have seen potential stars in Harrison and Morris.

Morris could well be the new GM, he looked very good and defence and took some superb high balls. Harrison ,behind Young and Youngs, may not get much of a chance but he can only impress when he gets the chance, at least he appears to be ahead of Grindal in the pecking order now. Tom Youngs could well be a new star a bit more work at the set piece and he could well be playing for England. He should certainly be number one for Tigers before the end of the season, Chuter can't go on forever and although his performance was improved yesterday he was still not his old self.

[mike]

You are quite right about Harrison and particularly 12trees . I have to confess that I was thinking of 'nearly stars' a little way higher in the Tigers pecking order . Last season I was asking for Cockerill to give a centre pairing of 12trees and Manu an extended run as I truly believe that they have a real future together - he didn't then , and I doubt that he will now barring injuries . It will be interesting to see if Cockerill retreats to his 'bunker' mentality when everyone is back or takes on board the lessons of the past 6 weeks - harrison must have overtaken grindall now , Youngs is surely a better 2 than Chuter , Hamilton no longer deserves an automatic place . I don't judge Cockerill and O'Connor on the past 6 weeks , even though they have made some selection errors - I judge them on the past 6 months of last Season and the rest of this one .

[me2]

Kronfeld was well past his best when he signed for us & was retired from International rugby for a year by then too.

Tigers HAVE signed "stars". Castro is one of the world's best props.
Flood should have been England's first choice FH at the RWC but Johnno refused to look past the dying star of Wilkinson.

Many of our other "stars" are internally developed rather than being bought in. Croft, Alex T, Manu T, Geordan, Cole, Youngs etc.

Tigers CANNOT sign "big name" players without first having to get rid of one or more of our current stars as the club simply doesn't have the cash to be able to throw around on one headline-grabber as other clubs may do. Headline-grabbing players cost hundreds of thousands of £££ per season & Tigers simply don't have the money (salary cap or no salary cap).

At the end of the day it comes down to choices. Would you rather have one single Dan Carter style signing at the expense of (say) Manu & Youngs? In terms of salaries I'd expect that Carter would cost at least as much as those two COMBINED!

I'd far rather go for the young, rising stars who will be around the club for YEARS rather than the Southern Hemisphere show pony looking for a one/two year holiday to top up their pension before returning home without a second thought for the club when the money dries up or the next RWC appears on the horizon.