Honest Assessment- Problems are above MOC.

[BengalTiger]

Retaining good players seems a very difficult task for our club, maybe they should think, if a player is worth 50k a year more to a poor club like Newcastle he must be worth that and more! letting Goneva go was a crass mistake, as will letting Mulipola go.
The deal regarding Slater shows the BOD have forgotten the old truism, forwards win matches, the backs by how much!
A shambles of a season showing poor overall planning and no clear vision

[Tigerbeat]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Slater had injury issues. Goneva was not playing as well as in previous seasons before he left. Sometimes a change is the best thing for players and they have a fresh approach to the game.
Mistake or not, it happened and Tigers need to look forward.
Balancing the salary cap must be a logistical nightmare with salary increases, new players, new contracts and this may need players to be moved on to free up some of the cap in order to manage it.

[Tiger93]

Allegations on twitter last night/this morning that we were/are 500K over the cap.

I highly doubt it with our squad and the Marquees.

Someone's trying to kick us while we are down https://twitter.com/jbeardmore?lang=en

Simon Cohen has already commented denying it. https://twitter.com/RBurnett348/status/ ... 5076533251

[BengalTiger]

Newcastle manage to juggle under the salary cap and build a good squad.
The thing they have is clear vision about how they are going to play, also the clear message from Richards that he will not sign England squad players as they are too expensive and break up squad continuity, this is something for the RFU to address as if the development of English squad players is derimental to league position, not that we seem to be developing many currently, Genge being the exeption.

[RagingBull]

Allegations on twitter last night/this morning that we were/are 500K over the cap.

I highly doubt it with our squad and the Marquees.

Someone's trying to kick us while we are down https://twitter.com/jbeardmore?lang=en

Simon Cohen has already commented denying it. https://twitter.com/RBurnett348/status/ ... 5076533251

As I said on the transfers page.
Reckon the guy means we are 500K over the cap next season if we where to keep the squad and the new signings - Thompson, Denton, Spencer.

I think most are expecting a fair amount of leavers anyway.

Cohen is an agent he will know the ins and out of the cap so do struggle seeing us being over this season.

(Or Sale fan trying to to put more pressure on Tigers before a massive game for Sale).

[Tiger93]

yep, he's a Sale fan so don't expect any better tbh.

[BFG]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Slater had injury issues. Goneva was not playing as well as in previous seasons before he left. Sometimes a change is the best thing for players and they have a fresh approach to the game.
Mistake or not, it happened and Tigers need to look forward.
Balancing the salary cap must be a logistical nightmare with salary increases, new players, new contracts and this may need players to be moved on to free up some of the cap in order to manage it.

It's only a logistical nightmare because Leicester have been pressed into giving panic contracts in my opinion, and I've no idea why because they rarely perform and there are plenty of other players about.
Personally I'd be looking to get rid of an expensive lock, an expensive scrum half, and expensive fly half, an expensive centre, and an expensive winger.
That's quite possibly well over £2,000,000 saved on passengers and a sicknote.
Save it, until regular performers of the very highest quality become available.
In the meantime trust in loyal players like Harrison and Tait around stardust like Toomua, and youngsters like Hardwick and Evans, and Simmonds who could play anywhere in my opinion and is a potentially a great option at 13.

[JP14]

I'm going to slightly divert topic here but are Toomua and Ford actually any good friends/partners or is there flyhalf/inside centre partnership like a forced 17th century aristocratic marriage that was arranged by Ged Glynn??

[Tiglon]

I'm going to slightly divert topic here but are Toomua and Ford actually any good friends/partners or is there flyhalf/inside centre partnership like a forced 17th century aristocratic marriage that was arranged by Ged Glynn??

Fair question. Now our 4-8 doesn't look so much like a weak link lacking in "go forward", their partnership could be the making or breaking of next season, and potentially Ford's career.

[JP14]

I'm going to slightly divert topic here but are Toomua and Ford actually any good friends/partners or is there flyhalf/inside centre partnership like a forced 17th century aristocratic marriage that was arranged by Ged Glynn??

Fair question. Now our 4-8 doesn't look so much like a weak link lacking in "go forward", their partnership could be the making or breaking of next season, and potentially Ford's career.

Thank you and yes, agreed.

[Rugbyflanker]

Looks forced,they have both been at their best without the other! Its quite sad really,it really gets my goat up when folk pick a side just to parachute "names" in,if only games were won on reputation and on paper. The balance is all wrong,take Friday night for example Manu was defending at 12 at times to protect Ford from Matavessi while at times Toomua was at 13 probably protecting a blatantly obviously not ready Manu from pace.
It was a complete cluster at times! Now put a Tait in at 12,a solid defender and Toomua at ten and it doesn't temper Matt's natural attacking ability and the balance is far better. Ford is more of a hindrance at present,sorry but because we HAVE to play him,its holding us back.