Leicester keep faith with just Blake and Murphy!

[RagingBull]

The coaching setup will stay like it is till the end of season were a head coach will be brought in.

Merc suggest that Mauger is high on the list which if offered a head coach role I expect could well take it.

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leice ... story.html

[tigerburnie]

Well that makes for interesting reading and I have to say I like the look of the plan going forwards. I think Geordie will be more than good enough to do the job, indeed I would venture to say that the club should see if we actually need any one else at the end of the season, depending on how we go.

[Noddy555]

Where a head coach will be brought in? Does this mean curtains for Cockers?

[RagingBull]

Where a head coach will be brought in? Does this mean curtains for Cockers?

Why?

Cockers is DOR, it will be like when MOC was here

Then
DOR - Cockers
HC - MOC
BC - Burke
FC - Blaze

Possible next season
DOR - Cockers
HC - ?
BC - Murphy
DC - Blake
FC - Blaze

Cockers job is affected by a new HC coming in.

[ourla]

Where a head coach will be brought in? Does this mean curtains for Cockers?

Nope, they are talking a Matt O'Connor replacement. From the article:

"The person Tigers bring in to fill O’Connor’s role is likely to have a large say in the way Tigers play, working very closely with Cockerill and having a big influence on the way the team goes about its business."

Also from Cockerill himself:

“As for looking for a long-term appointment, we are looking for a head coach.

“We need to move on with our attack and we need new ideas. We need to freshen up what we are doing and it is my job to find that person.

“I am a hooker who knows lots about the game – but not attack. We don’t need to reinvent what we are doing and we need to keep what is good about Leicester, and what we have been doing culturally and historically.

“But we need fresh ideas and we will get outside influence in to do that."

The critics could actually read it that they were right and that Cockerill and the club are confessing that they are behind the times. And that promoting from within isn't the way to go.

But it most certainly isn't the end of Cockerill.

Makes it interesting for the rest of the season. It almost says that we shouldn't be good enough, anything we achieve is a bonus. Which given our positon on the Prem and Euro cup you;d probably say wasn't far wrong. Maybe we will lift the LV again. Which I know is small beer.

It does seem to be an admission that the club as fallen

[sam16111986]

All clubs have to bring in external ideas every now and then. Cockers and Howard came back with fresh ideas from France. Looks like they want a similar thing with Mauger, understands the club but has different ideas having worked in NZ.

[MurphysLaw]

I suppose you can see this as, a belated, acceptance that the coaching structure since MOC left has been light, and in need of fresh ideas. Also, an implicit admission that we'll muddle through to the end of the season.
Better late than never; but it is obviously sensible to not rush into an appointment, and wait to get the right man for the job. In the meantime, a great opportunity for Geordan, and Phil Blake.

Perhaps there are justifiable grounds for some criticism of the Board here, but for a club which is often criticised for being too inward-looking, there seems to have been some honest appraisals of where we are going. The external review of the training practices is perhaps another example of this.

[tigerburnie]

I don't see that the club has fallen, we are still in with a chance of everything, slim in Europe, but that isn't a new thing. The end of the season is quite rightfully the time to look and making contact with potential candidates early, just in case is prudent business.

[ads]

Maybe they have spoken to Mauger and he has said he'll come next season but wants to keep it on the down low!

Geordie being in charge of the attack excites me. We will now win the prem, you heard it here first!!

[RagingBull]

Maybe a certain SH coach has to finish his contract first and as most club rugby doesn't finish till the summer it makes sense to announce it then anyway.

[Doghashadhisday]

Like TB I dont see this as an indication that the club has fallen. O'Conner left so that would have been our long term plan out of the window. The club hoped that Burke would step up having worked under MOC and continue the plan. This has not worked and the club have/are taking action. This suggests that the Board and the Director of Rugby are doing their job. Hopefully those who hate Richard and call for a sacking after every defeat will see that he has the interests of the club at heart and wants to retain our values and build on them. Some on here would have us throw away everything for new ideas.

As far as I am concerned we need to go back to building our traditional strengths of power in the forwards and a sound defence and steamroller others with wave after wave of relentless rugby. I dont want us to be like Saints, Sarries, Quins, Bath or anyone else that is the flavour of the month for a season or two. We are the Leicester Tigers! People forget we have a young team, our current captain is knocked by some but he is only 24 and is still learning even though he is a Lion and England International. Give the lads and the club a chance. I have seen the likes of young Johnson guided by Matt Poole, a young Ben Kay guided by Johnson, a young Corry guided by the likes of Deano and Wells. I for one am prepared to wait to see how the current crop of youngsters develop and if if means we have to have a painful season or two so be it.

Sorry for the long post.

[mike]

Its a great shame that Cockerill did not have his conversion to the 'fresh ideas' theory several years ago . It has been patently obvious that the Club has been in a downward spiral for some time . The youngsters who did so well last weekend were given their opportunities out of desperation , not as the result of succession planning and Cockerill bears complete responsibility for this . Now that Peter Tom has got things moving I suspect that there will be quite a few changes at the end of the Season , not just in the way outlined .

[Doghashadhisday]

Its a great shame that Cockerill did not have his conversion to the 'fresh ideas' theory several years ago . It has been patently obvious that the Club has been in a downward spiral for some time . The youngsters who did so well last weekend were given their opportunities out of desperation , not as the result of succession planning and Cockerill bears complete responsibility for this . Now that Peter Tom has got things moving I suspect that there will be quite a few changes at the end of the Season , not just in the way outlined .

It's easy to blame Cockers and give credit to others for change. What downward spiral for some time? With MoC here we were top try scores have reached 2 finals and were within a few minutes of reaching a third one. Factor in the fact that the head coach left to go to Leinster and 5 British and Irish Lions missing as well as the club captain for lengthy periods which could account for plans not working. But then again your obvious hatred for Cockerill entitles you to your opinion.

[kornboy130]

Mike, don't you also say that in the seasons we win things?

In fact I'd wager you've said it every season since the Paddy Howard near-treble winning season (and perhaps even during - though I can't remember I must admit).

[jgriffin]

Mike, don't you also say that in the seasons we win things?

In fact I'd wager you've said it every season since the Paddy Howard near-treble winning season (and perhaps even during - though I can't remember I must admit).

Yes, but it's like me with Lancaster, you say it every game, it's right quite often!

When I came back to watching Tigers (after stopping when I no longer went with my eldest, following divorce) in 2005/6 we were just going into a slight trough, or so I thought. To be honest, we have a roller-coaster ride every season though and I can remember horrid matches when MOC was around including some of the worst ever (away to Cardiff in the EDF probably my worst ever regardless), so in a sense it is very difficult to discern a pattern except for the surge at the tail-end of every season.