Quins game

[Oldstager]

Just a suggestion-- before Friday could some "talent scout" from Tigers go down to the nearest rec, and pick 15 to represent us!
I am disgusted with the whole set-up at Tigers. I have been a fan for over 40 years, and seen some brilliant players at the club. Nowadays we seem to recruit far too many injured players, who join the club, get top quality rehab and treatment, and salary, play one or two games then are injured again.
I think we need a wholesale clearout of management, and some new blood and new ideas, from an independent source(in no way connected to Tigers)
Our game plan is "old school", and other clubs have moved on,and adapted.
We are supposed to be one of the foremost clubs in Europe, yet why can't we recruit a few stars, and get rid of some of the dead wood?I think we are carrying,and paying,too many passengers.

[fentiger]

Just a suggestion-- before Friday could some "talent scout" from Tigers go down to the nearest rec, and pick 15 to represent us!
I am disgusted with the whole set-up at Tigers. I have been a fan for over 40 years, and seen some brilliant players at the club. Nowadays we seem to recruit far too many injured players, who join the club, get top quality rehab and treatment, and salary, play one or two games then are injured again.
I think we need a wholesale clearout of management, and some new blood and new ideas, from an independent source(in no way connected to Tigers)
Our game plan is "old school", and other clubs have moved on,and adapted.
We are supposed to be one of the foremost clubs in Europe, yet why can't we recruit a few stars, and get rid of some of the dead wood?I think we are carrying,and paying,too many passengers.

+1

[WiggoTiger]

Oldstager just wait for TB to moan at you about your post.
I agree with what you say, been almost as long as you supporting Tigers and this hurts more than losing in finals to better sides.

[jgriffin]

We have got some stars. However they are injured (Matera, Manu, Mulipola etc) or absent (Ayerza) or playing so-so (YBY) or playing well (Williams, Ghiraldini).
We haven't got who? Name your Stars! Then name the portion of the budget we'd need to spend on them or the current marquee player.
BTW if you say 'none of the above' you haven't clocked Ayerza's performance in the SH.

[tigerburnie]

Just a suggestion-- before Friday could some "talent scout" from Tigers go down to the nearest rec, and pick 15 to represent us!
I am disgusted with the whole set-up at Tigers. I have been a fan for over 40 years, and seen some brilliant players at the club. Nowadays we seem to recruit far too many injured players, who join the club, get top quality rehab and treatment, and salary, play one or two games then are injured again.
I think we need a wholesale clearout of management, and some new blood and new ideas, from an independent source(in no way connected to Tigers)
Our game plan is "old school", and other clubs have moved on,and adapted.
We are supposed to be one of the foremost clubs in Europe, yet why can't we recruit a few stars, and get rid of some of the dead wood?I think we are carrying,and paying,too many passengers.

What an ill informed and poorly researched piece of rubbish. Give me an idea, who are the saviours from an outside source who are coming in win every game for us? We have players putting their bodies on the line like Dan Cole, Louis Deacon, Tom Croft and Geoff Parling and you will no doubt be binning them as dead wood, injured playing for our club. Matt Tait, Ant Allen, they on your list for the bin too? Do you think any players would come to Tigers under that sort of regime?

[GS]

Oldstager, whilst I understand your feelings I have to say what you advocate is somewhat draconian. You would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The old Tigers spirit was something revered by other teams and it's something that has diminished of late, see some of jgriffin's posts but it contributed to the winning formula of the past. Yes we need to move with the times, the argument that we are still the most successful team in the professional era holds no water when looking at today especially when used in conjunction with statements like 'you can't expect to win everything'.

The days of a team's home ground being an impregnable fortress for years are gone. The days of visiting teams thinking it was a good game if they lost by less than 15 points are no more. The days of the Tigers team spirit may be fading but it can be saved by good man management, and by that I don't mean giving them a beasting in Monday morning training to teach them a lesson. That was a tactic used by the army during conscription to build a tight knit squad that would look out for and support each other in adversity. I feel the team is tight knit but upset one and you've upset them all. It doesn't mean they have the Tigers spirit.

All the above may be a load of old tosh and no doubt some will say so. When a strong Sarries side put 50 on a weakened Tigers side a couple of years ago we didn't give up but kept going and managed 25 points in return. Yesterday we played badly but managed a try out of nowhere at the death. The try wasn't important but the lack of direction and fire in the belly for most of the game was.

[TigerCam]

Based on current form, unfortunately the Tigers will get another stuffing, unable to defend against the pace and offload that Quins produce. Friday night in front of the TV will be 'testing'. Note to self: make sure the beer fridge is full going to need it me thinks?

[TiddingtonTiger]

I think anyone who takes an objective look at the top sides in the league at the moment could correctly conclude that they are playing a far better and more dimensional game than Tigers. Bath mix pin point kicking with expansive and brutal back play. Saracens have an amazing front 8 all more than comfortable on the ball with game who link effortlessly with the backs. Same can be said of Stains and Wasps are getting there too.

Injuries can most certainly be proffered as a key contributor to our current precarious position. We have had dire fortune.

I do however take this only so far. There does appear to be a malaise under the current coaching set up. I get the impression that RC's plans to right the wrongs of last season was to get in a bunch of brutish sized forwards and backs and just try to batter people off the park. This is fine if you have Goneva and Tuilagi finding gaps but there are flaws to this. Teams will work out how to cope (they have and are) , we have no plan b (unlike others) and finally when injuries strike you are reliant on lesser experienced and skilled players carrying out this most basic of plans and they are found wanting.

I also think the polarising nature of RC is now leaving him pitifully exposed. Varndell, Twelvetrees, Ford and Waldrom have all been allowed or forced to leave. They are now all key players delivering quality week in week out. They are ball playing players and it is clear they needed to leave our one dimensional set up to thrive.

RC is not going to be sacked. Giving him the extended contract after struggling to beat 14 man Stains at Twickers was a terribly honest but naive thing to do. The board are never going to admit their mistake and dismiss him now. Expensive.

It is probably right to allow RC time to get everyone back. Nonetheless it is a fair to say that it is a really rough time being a Tigers fan right now. There is only so much bluster on the post match interviews that we can all collectively take. They need to chuck the supporters a bone or two.

Would like to think that would happen with a performance or two to warm the cockles. I can't see it though. So in the absence of that perhaps someone at board level would publicly state that the current level of performance is not good enough and if things do not start to change then the coaching staff will have their positions reconsidered.

[tigerburnie]

I think anyone who takes an objective look at the top sides in the league at the moment could correctly conclude that they are playing a far better and more dimensional game than Tigers. Bath mix pin point kicking with expansive and brutal back play. Saracens have an amazing front 8 all more than comfortable on the ball with game who link effortlessly with the backs. Same can be said of Stains and Wasps are getting there too.

Injuries can most certainly be proffered as a key contributor to our current precarious position. We have had dire fortune.

I do however take this only so far. There does appear to be a malaise under the current coaching set up. I get the impression that RC's plans to right the wrongs of last season was to get in a bunch of brutish sized forwards and backs and just try to batter people off the park. This is fine if you have Goneva and Tuilagi finding gaps but there are flaws to this. Teams will work out how to cope (they have and are) , we have no plan b (unlike others) and finally when injuries strike you are reliant on lesser experienced and skilled players carrying out this most basic of plans and they are found wanting.

I also think the polarising nature of RC is now leaving him pitifully exposed. Varndell, Twelvetrees, Ford and Waldrom have all been allowed or forced to leave. They are now all key players delivering quality week in week out. They are ball playing players and it is clear they needed to leave our one dimensional set up to thrive.

RC is not going to be sacked. Giving him the extended contract after struggling to beat 14 man Stains at Twickers was a terribly honest but naive thing to do. The board are never going to admit their mistake and dismiss him now. Expensive.

It is probably right to allow RC time to get everyone back. Nonetheless it is a fair to say that it is a really rough time being a Tigers fan right now. There is only so much bluster on the post match interviews that we can all collectively take. They need to chuck the supporters a bone or two.

Would like to think that would happen with a performance or two to warm the cockles. I can't see it though. So in the absence of that perhaps someone at board level would publicly state that the current level of performance is not good enough and if things do not start to change then the coaching staff will have their positions reconsidered.

This isn't a soccer club, even when DOR's have been discarded, little information comes from the board. You don't get the director on the telly saying the gaffer has their support, which we all know means he will be gone in the next few weeks. Leicester is a club based on loyalty to those who have served us well, be it a player who got injured, some clubs discard the player quoting salary costs, we mend them, or a coach trying to get the side going. We lost MOC and had two rookie coaches doing the job last year, we have appointed a defence coach who had no pre-season with the squad, we recruited quite heavily and that all adds to the slow start. Add on injuries of a larger than normal proportion and the team suffers and so do the fans. Now irrespective of who's at fault, or why it happens, it has, we deal with it. Does anyone on a forum really think they have the knowledge or the answers to put it right? Is there anyone on here who can play better then the players in our squad? Is there anyone on here who has previous coaching experience at this level who can put this right?
I used to see debate on here in the past, people putting forward constructive dialogue, ideas to take the side forward, yet again this year all we get is sack the coaches and the players aren't good enough. Gone are the days when we had proper rugby debates with knowledgeable fans, you could count the numbers on both hands these days, little wonder so many give up posting on here.

[jgriffin]

Minor correction - TV was a Meyer discard, 12T was supposedly part of RC's plans when the man who didn't like him (MOC) left - RC did not run the team and especially not the backs - Ford would have been sent packing by most DORs (can you see McCall kowtowing to a Ford demand to leapfrog Hodgson, Diamond in the case of Cipriani, COS with Evans? I think not). Only Waldrom was clearly an RC dislike, from his English granny days.

[G.K]

Tigers are so poor at the moment that I can't see this being turned around in 6 days, so it's a question of damage limitation and/or hoping Quins don't get off the bus.

[Butchers Hook]

At the top of the page is a picture of 5 crucial players. Not 1 of them has played for weeks/at all. That is all.

[Smudge]

Burnie wrote:-

Leicester is a club based on loyalty to those who have served us well, be it a player who got injured, some clubs discard the player quoting salary costs, we mend them, or a coach trying to get the side going.

What absolute rubbish. Try telling that to Lewis Moody.
Do you think that the way he was treated was even remotely fair?
Do you think that the lesson of what happened to this great Tigers stalwart who
often did put everything on the line for the club he loved, was lost on the playing staff?

Read his book fhs.

[tigerburnie]

Burnie wrote:-

Leicester is a club based on loyalty to those who have served us well, be it a player who got injured, some clubs discard the player quoting salary costs, we mend them, or a coach trying to get the side going.

What absolute rubbish. Try telling that to Lewis Moody.
Do you think that the way he was treated was even remotely fair?
Do you think that the lesson of what happened to this great Tigers stalwart who
often did put everything on the line for the club he loved, was lost on the playing staff?

Read his book fhs.

Smudge, he was not discarded by the club when injured, the club offered him a contract that he apparently didn't want to take and Barf offered him a better contract. I didn't like the fact he left anymore than I was happy about Deano leaving in a similar manner. Thing is this not the game we played, it is professional and as in all walks of life, sometimes unpleasant decisions have to be made. Who knows one day you might get your wish and our current DOR might be replaced, nothing lasts for ever and no one is bigger than the club. We can all be clever with the benefit of hindsight and when you look at the amount of game time Lewis got on his contract with Barf, you could be unkind and say it was a good bit of business. I was a huge fan of his and would like to see the "one player from one club" ethos we knew, but it is a different game these days, it's nothing personal as the line from the Godfather movie goes.

[Noddy555]

Given our injuries, my team on Friday would be :

Backs: Bell,Scully,Goneva,Bai,Benjamin,Williams,Mele.

Forwards: Ayerza,Briggs,Mullipola,Kitchener,Thorn,Salvi,Croft & Gibson.

Replacements:Ghiraldini,Pasquali,Balmain,De Chaves,Barbieri,Youngs,Harrison,Smith.

I would have Kitchener as Captain and Jaimie Gibson playing at number 8.

If others like Allenetc are fit then they would automatically be in the first XV.