Tigers v Wasps

[Snorbins]

Well that was pretty abysmal!
I cannot see the problem lying with the coaching staff, but with the players.
There is complacency in going down to pick up the ball and not getting it, maybe a few less tweets from the coffee shop and more squats are in order.
The front row needs some attention and is TY really captain material (a la in your face)?
Anyway there's always next week!

[POSTIGER]

Mr Hanson needs to up his game, the defence has been powder puff so far. A try conceded on average every 10 minutes isn't good enough.

[RagingBull]

We need to in my expert opinion
1) Drop Slater for Kicthener
2) Sign a Ball carrying Big 8 (higginbotham)
3) Sign a 15
4) Start Williams and Genge
5) learn that mistakes = Bad and keeping the Ball = Good.

See i don't see the trys as a result of bad defence today TBH.

[Pellsey]

The only positive I can see from that game (as a few have said) is JPP. He was truly immense. There were simply too many errors. Slater needs to learn to catch. Taity was dreadful again. OK, it is only the start of the season, but still..We cannot continue like this. We have to beat Newcastle by a margin next week and Barf the following without making stupid errors.

Mr Garner was a complete waste of space as usual. It is hard to believe that he gets paid to do that. I wasn't too impressed with Barnes last week and he is the best of them! There really needs to be improvement in refereeing in the Premiership. I am definitely not blaming him for the result, as the Tigers were bad. But I sometimes wonder if we could have won with a different game directed by a decent ref. Offside was once again a real issue for the backs as well as "not releasing".

[Pellsey]

We need to in my expert opinion
1) Drop Slater for Kicthener
2) Sign a Ball carrying Big 8 (higginbotham)
3) Sign a 15
4) Start Williams and Genge
5) learn that mistakes = Bad and keeping the Ball = Good.

See i don't see the trys as a result of bad defence today TBH.

Completely agree!

DROP TAIT, SIGN A 15!!! At the very least as a backup to TV. Tait is way past it, or at the very least far from form.

[g]

So 2 games played and 72 points shipped already. Think it's time that tigers hired a decent defence coach because I don't have a clue what the one we have is supposed to be doing. Not a lot it seems.

All the happy clappers will be saying it's early days and there's a long way to go but we have carried on from where we left off last season with one of the worst defensive records in the premiership. Nothing has changed for 3 seasons now but lets not say anything negative as to upset all those poor sensitive souls out there who won't admit there are issues and will all be saying it's all hunky dory. Quite frankly it's not all hunky dory and if the players and coaches are just happy to keep plodding along and spout out the same excuses every week then more fool you for falling for it.

[RagingBull]

So 2 games played and 72 points shipped already. Think it's time that tigers hired a decent defence coach because I don't have a clue what the one we have is supposed to be doing. Not a lot it seems.

All the happy clappers will be saying it's early days and there's a long way to go but we have carried on from where we left off last season with one of the worst defensive records in the premiership. Nothing has changed for 3 seasons now but lets not say anything negative as to upset all those poor sensitive souls out there who won't admit there are issues and will all be saying it's all hunky dory. Quite frankly it's not all hunky dory and if the players and coaches are just happy to keep plodding along and spout out the same excuses every week then more fool you for falling for it.

There not much a defence coach can teach if your attack loses the ball in a instant turnover which is what happened today and about 3/4 times last season that is pretty much done entirely on instincts.

And to say nothing has changed shows a slight lack of awareness on your part.
3 seasons ago we where losing but for very different reasons so it shows alot has changed but not necessary in the right way.

[Big Dai]

We need to in my expert opinion
1) Drop Slater for Kicthener
2) Sign a Ball carrying Big 8 (higginbotham)
3) Sign a 15
4) Start Williams and Genge
5) learn that mistakes = Bad and keeping the Ball = Good.

See i don't see the trys as a result of bad defence today TBH.

I thought our poor positions were 15, 6,7,8 and 12 13. The backrow were outgunned in open play and at the breakdown. 15 is not up to scratch and keeps kicking ball away and we need a second footballing / play making option in midfield. We have a lot of 6s one good seven and no number 8.

The other point would be learn to :censored: tackle! We've more holes defensively than the old girl's colander.

[Spicer]

Against Glouster we were :censored: for 50 minutes and good for 30. Today we were poor for 80 minutes.
For the second week running we shipped 4 trys. I know it was lightly raining but we kicked every ball and hardly ran it, when we did run it we were so static. People have had a go at the ref which I think is unfair, granted he made mistakes during the match but he was not awful and did not cost us the match. We did that ourselves, all the yellows were the right call. Not many of our players have started the season well at all. We need to start dropping players.

[drc_007]

We need to in my expert opinion
1) Drop Slater for Kicthener
2) Sign a Ball carrying Big 8 (higginbotham)
3) Sign a 15
4) Start Williams and Genge
5) learn that mistakes = Bad and keeping the Ball = Good.

See i don't see the trys as a result of bad defence today TBH.

I thought our poor positions were 15, 6,7,8 and 12 13. The backrow were outgunned in open play and at the breakdown. 15 is not up to scratch and keeps kicking ball away and we need a second footballing / play making option in midfield. We have a lot of 6s one good seven and no number 8.

The other point would be learn to :censored: tackle! We've more holes defensively than the old girl's colander.

I thought Ayerza was off the pace, these days he spends too much time moaning to the ref and ambling between scrums. Wasps threw players into the breakdown and Tigers only matched them for 20 mins in the second-half, too many players hanging back and not working hard enough.

[strawclearer]

I think the player ratings might single out Slater and Tait - and maybe Betham and Ayerza this time - but, more worryingly for me, there seemed to be a lack of.....something. Passion? Commitment? Determination? Tackles and the sort of 'hits' that come from sheer hard work, blood and guts!

[Andy W]

I don't think that I can remember, in 30 years, when Tigers have shipped more "soft" points, *in back to back games*.

Obviously the Glaws game was not a disaster as Tigers came away with the win, but historically one would expect the side to tighten up somewhat, in the week following coughing up soft points. Strange.

I suspect that Mr Betham will be told that most of us had it explained at 7 years old why one should "fall on the ball", in those situations. Add that to some of the powderpuff/optional tackling inn certain positions, and again, one wonders.

To me it looks as though the season starting has caught some of the players by surprise. I suspect that Tigers would make a better fist of that match later in the season. They have started quite a few recent seasons looking a bit "under-cooked" it has to be said.

Against the better teams it is increasingly difficult to carry players who are short on form and or fitness. Ayerza, Tait, even Slater maybe fall into that category. Is there a "curse of the captaincy" going on, as now Tom Youngs has lost effectiveness around the pitch too?!

I do feel for Matt Tait as he had a really difficult first half and is an obvious target for aggrieved fans. However I do think it is reasonable to ask whether he would get into any of top 4 sides in England or top 10 sides in Europe, especially now with half a yard of pace gone (to unfortunate injuries). So, I totally get the idea that Tigers need a ball-carrying 8 and a world-class 15.

Overall, the season has started guys, and more precision, power (/passion?) and clear thinking is required.

I don't think many fans will be that surprised to lose today, and Wasps will no doubt finish top 3. Problem is, there needs to be room for Tigers in the top 4, and preferably in the top 2!

[G.K]

Performances like this make you wonder what they actually practice during the week.

Their excuses?

[RagingBull]

Falcons team for me
1) Genge
2) Youngs
3) Cole
4) Barrow
5) Kitchener
6) Williams
7) O'Connor
8) McCaffrey
9) Youngs
10) Burns
11) Betham/JPP
12) Smith
13) Manu/Betham (Depending on manu's actual fitness)
14) Thompstone
15) JPP/Tait

16) Thacker/McGuigan
17) Ayerza
18) Balmain/Logo
19) Fitzgerald
20) Hamilton/Evans (Would be tempted to go with Evans to attack the breakdown
21) Harrison
22) Williams
23) Worth

[drc_007]

Falcons team for me
1) Genge
2) Youngs
3) Cole
4) Barrow
5) Kitchener
6) Williams
7) O'Connor
8) McCaffrey
9) Youngs
10) Burns
11) Betham/JPP
12) Smith
13) Manu/Betham (Depending on manu's actual fitness)
14) Thompstone
15) JPP/Tait

16) Thacker/McGuigan
17) Ayerza
18) Balmain/Logo
19) Fitzgerald
20) Hamilton/Evans (Would be tempted to go with Evans to attack the breakdown
21) Harrison
22) Williams
23) Worth

Might include Barrow if fit, seems to be prepared to do grunt work.