Stuart Barnes in today ‘s Times

[Ian Cant]

I am not a huge fan of Stuart Barnes but his article today probably hints at why Tigers are struggling.
Eg “ The mantra that Tigers will always challenge for major honours is not a challenge but a millstone. If Murphy is to succeed he needs to spell out a few pointers. First of all he should tell the board that the title and even the
top four is not a priority. The long term needs of the squad have to be placed in front of short term daydreaming. For the long term to succeed there has to be a short term realism.”
He goes on to point out how O’Connor signed marquee backs without addressing the concerns of the diminishing pack!
In other words Murphy needs to be able to implement long term plans to enable Tigers to get back near to the elite.
Finally, he suggests that if Murphy ( or any other coach) is judged on short term results the club is destined to fail. “ Those failures belong more to the boardroom than on those rugged fields.”

Fair comment in my humble opinion.

[chewbacca]

I think Barnes is right. Complacency got us. Expectation replaced hunger. Culture determined by the very top of an organisation and hence the failure must be attributed to the highest levels of management rather than coaches and players alone. I don't expect any significant success in the short to medium term. Look how long it's taken Exeter to steal our crown.

[Smudger67S]

He also suggested the Tigers board have not reacted prematurely, quite the opposite and they let MOC stay three months too long.

[MCC1964]

And the fans have to take responsibility and get realistic too. Look at the outrage on these forums if we loose just a couple of games. The biggest killer for this team in recent years has been change - there’s just been too much of it. How long has it taken Exeter,Wasps, Sarries to get to the point they have now? Years. And look how much change they have season to season. Little. We as well as the board have to be prepared for a number of season when hey, yeah we might miss out on the play-offs and shock, horror may even miss out on The Champions Cup. Whoever the long term man in charge is he needs time to build and develop, but that comes at a price short term success. Otherwise the merry go round just continues.

I suspect that anyone we want to come in though will just be too aware of the demands of the supporters and the board and will not be bothered about the long term and thus developing and bringing on new talent, but will try to buy in success. But for now we have to get behind the team and Geordan. Expect and allow them to make mistakes, but give them a good crack at trying to head in the right direction.

For as many people point their fingers at the board there are far many in the ranks of supporters that have to look at themselves as well.

[BFG]

I wouldn't take a huge amount of notice of Barnes as he is a bit out of touch in my opinion.
The top should always be the target otherwise what type of culture is being bred, this is the problem for me as a culture of blame has grown and few now take responsibility to the point that the status quo just continues.
Something has to kick start a regeneration of some sort, you can't simply sit back and accept that you must get worse before you get better, that is a very dangerous ploy as you might continue to get worse again and again, it happens!
The biggest factor in my opinion is that a few others in the competition play every game like it could be their last and they have that mentality now engrained into their spines and they identify and infect what they bring in, that is how Leicester used to be.
Leicester could do with getting several of these sorts into the club to lead the way forward in my opinion, but it'll cost.
Here and elsewhere amongst average performers the competition is packed with career players to whom safeguarding next years pay packet is more important than playing every game like it could be their last.

[fleabane]

The problem BFG is that Tigers have always aimed for the top four, and that became the millstone. I remember YBY saying a couple of seasons ago that the team didn’t want to become the first not to make the top four. What he did NOT say was that they wanted to win the Premiership!

Barnes is correct. OK, it would be nice to win the Premiership this season, but totally unrealistic. The past should be laid to rest, the club has fallen so far. It should not expect to be emulated any more, but to emulate others, whether they be Exeter, Sarries or any other club.

Whether it can reach its former heights depends not only on the understaffed coaches, but on the present players, future signings and a board that currently lacks awareness of its own frailties, and whether or not all these entities can become a coherent whole.

[Coops]

He also suggested the Tigers board have not reacted prematurely, quite the opposite and they let MOC stay three months too long.

Shouldn't have come in the first place. His name wasn't on the list, you're not coming in!

[Traveller]

I sort of buy in to this view, but only sort of. Most Tigers supporters are willing to accept we have no divine right to be in the top 4 or win the premiership. Exeter is an admirable club and team, Saracens an exceptional team, Wasps have found a financial algorithm which keep them afloat (for now,) while the team plays some scintillating rugby.

However for the last three / four years Tigers have not looked like a 'team'. They have been shambolic at times, and on occasions they have simply capitulated. This is not about the 'weight of expectation'. This is not Leicester Tigers. Nor is this about long term planning.

If a pack cannot win its own line out ball consistently, then either the players aren't good enough or the coaches aren't good enough (or both). We have become arrogant, not viz-a-viz other teams, but in relation to the truths of the game. Why do we believe we need a back division with five current international (plus Tuilagi), but a pack with 2 (plus Genge)?

I was talking to an academy coach recently and asked him who the last Tigers regular was to have come through the academy. The answer:Tuilagi. The worrying thing was that the academy coach didn't even know.

There should be pressure to win the league. To get into the top 4. To qualify for Europe. That is not unreasonable. We may or may not achieve it. The thing that hinders us, is not the expectation, but the virus that has somehow infested the club which seems to assume we alone no longer have to observe the age old truths of the game. Its packs that win matches..............

[Jimmy Skitz]

He also suggested the Tigers board have not reacted prematurely, quite the opposite and they let MOC stay three months too long.

Shouldn't have come in the first place. His name wasn't on the list, you're not coming in!

a certain Italian's name wasn't on Leicester City's list a few years back and he was appointed to widespread derision from all the so called experts, I think its safe to say they had a pretty good season that year...

My point is just because someone applies that isn't on your initial list of targets doesn't mean you should dismiss them from the process

[Old Hob]

Of course it's a stiff climb back to the top, but the anger is about allowing the decline in the first place; the inability to see or react to the obvious rot that infected Tigers 3 or 4 years ago and which has been chronicled on this message board.

[JP14]

Of course it's a stiff climb back to the top, but the anger is about allowing the decline in the first place; the inability to see or react to the obvious rot that infected Tigers 3 or 4 years ago and which has been chronicled on this message board.

I think your right, sort of. I believe the Bod did try to act and shake things up by bringing in Scott Hansen and Aaron Mauger as well as the class players of Brendan O’Connor, Mike Williams, Veainu, Fitzgerald, Bateman and the players that are no longer with us Barrow, Betham and you could argue McAffrey. However the coaching appointments obviously failed, in my opinion the appointment of a Southern Hemisphere defence coach was a significantly worse decision than the appointment of MOC.