Exeter team

[WhitecapTiger]

Totally agree JG

I watched OTY's post match report on LTTV. I know how difficult such events can be and it's easy to say things you don't mean and it's not Tom's strong point...BUT:

"We couldn't get hold of the ball for long periods of time and that was our own doing a little bit.
We let it slip easily.
We were slow to get to the breakdown at times.
They wore us out a little bit - they took advantage when we were very tired at times.
You know how good your pre-season was when you finally run out - we lost the physical war."

I'm not sure - I don't think I dreamed it and I'm not saying the interview has been 'amended' - but I seem to recall he also said "we gave up at the end". I can't find that quote now so can't stand by it.

Nevertheless, the quotes above are damning. They reek of capitulation and self-pity. They are defeatist.

Like every supporter, I have lots of time for the Youngs and for Tom in particular but - imho he is not a captain and should immediately return to the ranks. Cohen is not a Coach and should go - now. Let's be radical - use the £700k or whatever Toomua costs to buy a great coach or let the players sort it out themselves! (Yes - hysteria is setting in but I've supported Tigers for over 60 years and I've never felt 'pity' from other clubs before!)

The morning after the evening / night before....bear with me. Could it be that OTY gave that interview on purpose, intending the underlying message to be picked up without outright saying things directly (that could lead to discipline)? Maybe, just maybe, they (senior players) have been to BoD and stated a case for change, removal, sacking etc and been told to poke off, not entirely impossible/implausible, if that were the case then there's still blame in my book for lack of effort.

The players that tried hardest yesterday looked mainly like players that had come in recently, Denton, Spencer for example - they wouldn't necessarily have come in if they knew a toxic environment existed. There were exceptions, Dan Cole gave plenty, missed tackles here and there but that happens, he still tried in my book.

[Scuttle]

Yes absolutely. This was a worldwide search remember, so there was nobody better out there at the time!!!! Sorry....getting cynical in my old age. Must say in 2 years looking at this Forum I have never seen Strawclearer say anything so downbeat so things must be bad.

Also just a thought and I do not profess to know much about him but what about Nick Kennedy. He seems to me to have a touch of the Rob Baxter about him. Quiet but assured and authoratative. Others will know more of him so interesting to hear. There must be a few home grown quality coaches hiding in plain sight, without the need for "limited worldwide searches".

[ellis9]

Yes absolutely. This was a worldwide search remember, so there was nobody better out there at the time!!!! Sorry....getting cynical in my old age. Must say in 2 years looking at this Forum I have never seen Strawclearer say anything so downbeat so things must be bad.

Also just a thought and I do not profess to know much about him but what about Nick Kennedy. He seems to me to have a touch of the Rob Baxter about him. Quiet but assured and authoratative. Others will know more of him so interesting to hear. There must be a few home grown quality coaches hiding in plain sight, without the need for "limited worldwide searches".

There is. We had one but chose to let him go.

[trendylfj]

Sorry - I don't buy this "players not trying in order to get MC sacked" idea at all. I thought that they did try and implement MC's plan for the game and that the plan was :censored:. As for his after the game statement regarding pre-season - That just goes to show he is an idiot and not up for the job. Didn't he say before the game "we have achieved all of our pre-season targets"?????

HE HAS TO GO

[markharbtiger]

Sorry - I don't buy this "players not trying in order to get MC sacked" idea at all. I thought that they did try and implement MC's plan for the game and that the plan was sh*t. As for his after the game statement regarding pre-season - That just goes to show he is an idiot and not up for the job. Didn't he say before the game "we have achieved all of our pre-season targets"?????

HE HAS TO GO

Let’s not rush to judgement on the basis of one game (and I know people will point to last season in reaction to this). There are things that clearly need fixing and the measure of the man (and the team) is in that response. Far better perhaps to have a serious wake up call now than say mid-season.

[voice of the crumbie]

I would have agreed with you, markharbtiger, had I not seen the contents of MOC's post match interview on Radio Leicester admitting that he had sent out a team that had not had sufficient game time in pre-season.

To ensure that the team is ready is his primary responsibility. To not ensure this amounts to betrayal. Betrayal of his employers, betrayal of his fellow coaches, betrayal of the players sent out as lambs to the slaughter and betrayal of loyal fans who have followed the club through thick and thin over the years. To my mind there is only one course of action which would go some way to redeem him in my eyes - admit that he is out of his depth and resign. If he doesn't do this then the board must act.

[strawclearer]

I would have agreed with you, markharbtiger, had I not seen the contents of MOC's post match interview on Radio Leicester admitting that he had sent out a team that had not had sufficient game time in pre-season.

To ensure that the team is ready is his primary responsibility. To not ensure this amounts to betrayal. Betrayal of his employers, betrayal of his fellow coaches, betrayal of the players sent out as lambs to the slaughter and betrayal of loyal fans who have followed the club through thick and thin over the years. To my mind there is only one course of action which would go some way to redeem him in my eyes - admit that he is out of his depth and resign. If he doesn't do this then the board must act.

[Scuttle]

+1.I did wonder why so many of the starting 15 had so little time in pre-season matches (including MT from a familiarity point of view) but I just thought MOC must know better..........................




.

[WhitecapTiger]

Let’s not rush to judgement on the basis of one game (and I know people will point to last season in reaction to this). There are things that clearly need fixing and the measure of the man (and the team) is in that response. Far better perhaps to have a serious wake up call now than say mid-season.

Yesterday should have been an all guns blazing reaction to the failure to reach the playoffs last season, a reaction to meekly surrendering matches to Saints and Falcons at home, both of those should have been won, Saints easily and Falcons comfortably. Tigers bottled both.

They were the serious wake up call.

The failure to prepare adequately for the first game of the season, either by players, coaches or both, is concrete evidence that they are not up to the job.

They were a disgrace yesterday and some of them didn't look or sound the slightest bit concerned by the standard they set.

I reckon we're stuck with MOC on financial grounds, reap what you sow, buy a rotten bulb you get a dead plant.

He won't resign, he'll think he can fix it (after match comments as proof), it doesn't need fixing it needs rebuilding and that should have happened in pre-season....but didn't. We are weak, too predictable and right now we are beyond a laughing stock - we are being pitied.... I can take losing all day long, take the banter, take abuse but I can't take our own feeding us with :censored: lines about 'fixing it' anymore.

This lot are not steadying the ship, they are steering it right towards an iceberg - actually at the bit that sticks out of the water with absolutely no knowledge, or apparent care, of what lies beneath.

[JP14]

The “senior players” need to take it into their own hands now, play how they want to play, do a France of 2011 or an England of ‘07.

For me, the first problem was starting Toomua, not trained with us enough this season, disjointed our defence by bursting out and isolating Manu, who was frustrated therefore launching himself everywhere. It might have been so different if Eastmond had started and Olowofela had come on around the 50th minute as should have the whole front row. I really feel for Cole too with MOC stupidly playing him till the 70th odd minute. Polota-Nau added a dimension in attack when he came on but he was continuing his poor lineout form for the Wallabies with us.

A minor commiseration would be that yesterday’s pile of rubbish is because the players are doing a Bath and trying to get rid of the head coach. However I highly doubt it.

If players are doing this to get MOC sacked, then they're going the wrong way about it. If they want him sacked, then they need to approach the board and tell them. They don't need to put the fans or themselves through such awful performances. Go to the board now and tell them and they can sack him straight away. If they try doing it through bad performances then it could be Christmas before he is sacked and by then it'll be too late.

I agree with you Ellis, it shouldn’t have to come to this, but could the players be facing termination of contracts if they go to the board and demand something that it’s necessarily in their repertoire so playing poorly is an easier way out for them, I think?

[LE18]

I did not see the game yesterday, but recorded it, but after reading all these terribly performance reports, it reminds me of last year, I cant work out if I should even bother watching it. I'm enjoying watching the Test Match and the Vuelta de Espana, so still debating if I should increase my dismay of my beloved Tigers by watching the recording?

If the feeling is, like last season, that MOC must go, what can writing on here achieve, very little in my eyes, BOD don't read this, Perhaps Cohen does, but he's defending his backside!

The BOD must look at this situation very seriously, we don't have much contact with them, but those attending the meeting on Tuesday, they have a massive opportunity, if they dare, to speak out LOUDLY and FORCIBLY what the feelings of Forum supporters are!

Another method to possible make the BOD sit up and take note of the supporters would be for a Mass Boycott of the next home game, a mass loss of support would surely make them sit up and take note along the lines of some of the comments posted here?

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not proposing any Boycott, I want to watch my Team, I want to see effort etc from the Team, but I don't think MOC can inspire anyone. I cant think of any other methods to get a message over to the BOD, is there a more constructive one?

In the mean time, back to watching 2 of my favourite sports, pity about my main one, and even more worrying to learn that other clubs are "pitying" us, or are they just taking the P......?

By the way, I have always admired Nick Kennedy as a player, and a person, from his previous interviews etc. the comparison made with Baxter is, IMO, very good!

[sam16111986]

Please not Nick Kennedy. The man loves the sound of his own voice. Had to mute him when he used to turn up on BT occasionally. Accomplished little at LI and was dispatched quickly.

[JP14]

Don’t mind Kennedy but I would prefer somebody like Lancaster or a coach from a Pro14 (which would really help us in Europe)

[Ian Cant]

Matt O’Connor has had two pre seasons to get things sorted: last season we couldn’t even “ get fired up “ for the Saints’ games which was a massive pointer to something wrong with the whole club. Never mind Newcastle on Saturday, there is the A team game v Saints tomorrow at “ home” ( Loughborough), lose badly like we did last season and surely the BoD have to take action.
Went to the shop today - no medium shirts but luckily bought a large!
Looking at a Newcastle now- hm- next week could see another defeat looking at the way they are playing! They look fit and have several game plans! Wonder who is in charge!

[JP14]

We can't just go back to the past, we need someone completely fresh to the Tigers scene. Yeah okay we tried that with Mauger but he was conflicting with Cockerill and wasn't prepared to change his Super Rugby tactics horrendously ill-fitting in a Premiership environment.