Dead rubber v Ulster

[Ian Cant]

We now need Murphy to start a run like Manchester United, the team many of the press compare us to and todays comment by their temporary manager should be emblazoned on all our players and staff:
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer: "You expect to win every single game at Manchester United. You won't, but you must think that. That's the mentality of this group.”
There is a lot of talent in the Tigers’ squad and I believe, if everyone pulls together the club can begin to move onwards and upwards.
Keeping the faith.

[Coleshillad]

I think half the team have already basically given up because they know the fans on here think they are useless and possibly Murphy feels the same as well.
So they know they are Championship fodder or at best, a reserve at Quims / Sale/ Worcester/ Barf/ Glos or Newcastle..
Some of the lack of effort yesterday was unforgivable. But paradoxically others tried 150%.

That's good. Those that think that can leave. What the club needs, are the ones with a "(censored) - you" attitude. The best players get where they are by competing with those who want their shirt. The right to compete with opposing club 1st team players has to be earned. They need to look at the careers of the best.........and there's a lot of good ones out there, now, and those that have gone before.

[Ashurstwoodtiger]

OK here goes ready for the abuse that will surely come from some quarters on this Forum

Now is the time to stop moaning about what has happened in the past and start Supporting the Team. Don't know if the players actually read this Forum but I think some will and they will be feeling very disheartened to read some of the personal comments made. They know things are not right at present and am sure they want to put it right. Half empty seats and a quiet crowd is Not the way forward. Would you want to work harder if you felt that your efforts however small were not appreciated or would you look for another work place where they might be. This goes for our players as well old ones new ones apprentices etc.

I don't get to many home games but watch every match on TV I get depressed with some of the performances of late but what depresses me more is what I read on this Forum afterwards.

Things will turnaround given time until then as regular "supporters" of which I am sure there are numerous ones on this Forum get behind YOUR TEAM and SUPPORT them raise the roof so that I can hear you all in sunny Sussex

Things will get better to quote "KEEP THE FAITH" for Bills sake

Rant over

[Hot_Charlie]

It might be a dead rubber to us but is it a dead rubber to Ulster? I think they need points from this game whereas the Scarlets game was dead for both sides?
That being the case we should make the Irish beggars fight for the points and show some respect to the Parisians.

This is indeed the case. A "weakened" side may be viewed dimly by ERCC against Ulster, whereas of course yesterday's result had no effect on any other clubs so was indeed a "dead rubber".

[voice of the crumbie]

OK here goes ready for the abuse that will surely come from some quarters on this Forum

Now is the time to stop moaning about what has happened in the past and start Supporting the Team. Don't know if the players actually read this Forum but I think some will and they will be feeling very disheartened to read some of the personal comments made. They know things are not right at present and am sure they want to put it right. Half empty seats and a quiet crowd is Not the way forward. Would you want to work harder if you felt that your efforts however small were not appreciated or would you look for another work place where they might be. This goes for our players as well old ones new ones apprentices etc.

I don't get to many home games but watch every match on TV I get depressed with some of the performances of late but what depresses me more is what I read on this Forum afterwards.

Things will turnaround given time until then as regular "supporters" of which I am sure there are numerous ones on this Forum get behind YOUR TEAM and SUPPORT them raise the roof so that I can hear you all in sunny Sussex

Things will get better to quote "KEEP THE FAITH" for Bills sake

Rant over

[jgriffin]

OK here goes ready for the abuse that will surely come from some quarters on this Forum

Now is the time to stop moaning about what has happened in the past and start Supporting the Team. Don't know if the players actually read this Forum but I think some will and they will be feeling very disheartened to read some of the personal comments made. They know things are not right at present and am sure they want to put it right. Half empty seats and a quiet crowd is Not the way forward. Would you want to work harder if you felt that your efforts however small were not appreciated or would you look for another work place where they might be. This goes for our players as well old ones new ones apprentices etc.

I don't get to many home games but watch every match on TV I get depressed with some of the performances of late but what depresses me more is what I read on this Forum afterwards.

Things will turnaround given time until then as regular "supporters" of which I am sure there are numerous ones on this Forum get behind YOUR TEAM and SUPPORT them raise the roof so that I can hear you all in sunny Sussex

Things will get better to quote "KEEP THE FAITH" for Bills sake

Rant over

Agree. Some on here have little grasp of reality or have an obscure troll desire. It will take a while to turn round a decline that was Board induced from 2013. I'm unsure that GM will do it, but it needs our muted criticism at worst on here and full support st WR.

[LE18]

It might be a dead rubber to us but is it a dead rubber to Ulster? I think they need points from this game whereas the Scarlets game was dead for both sides?
That being the case we should make the Irish beggars fight for the points and show some respect to the Parisians.

This is indeed the case. A "weakened" side may be viewed dimly by ERCC against Ulster, whereas of course yesterday's result had no effect on any other clubs so was indeed a "dead rubber".

I don't think the match was a total dead rubber, not until approx 5.00pm on the day, so begs the question was it already given up before the game, or was it a bit of crystal ball gazing that prompted so many selection changes?

[newport tiger]

We now need Murphy to start a run like Manchester United, the team many of the press compare us to and todays comment by their temporary manager should be emblazoned on all our players and staff:
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer: "You expect to win every single game at Manchester United. You won't, but you must think that. That's the mentality of this group.”
There is a lot of talent in the Tigers’ squad and I believe, if everyone pulls together the club can begin to move onwards and upwards.
Keeping the faith.

"There is a lot of talent in the Tigers’ squad and I believe, if everyone pulls together the club can begin to move onwards and upwards". Sadly that's the problem there isn't a lot of talent in the squad, as players have moved on we have replaced them with inferior players. I believe it started the year we let Exeter poach half our team. As was sadly exposed on Saturday we just don't have strength in depth anymore. Its easy to blame the coach but he plainly hasn't got the tools to do the job. There is always talk about big name signings but it rarely happens, we were linked to Liam Williams long before Sarries but when we went to Wales to sign a player we came back with Gareth Owen.

[Scott1]

Yes it was a dead rubber,16 points would never have got us qualified. But Ulster can finish top or as a best runner up so we owe it to the competition and the other clubs to compete and try and win.

[Spicer]

Did Eastmond go off at half time because he was injured? Or was it tactical?

[Tiger_in_Birmingham]

Did Eastmond go off at half time because he was injured? Or was it tactical?

he was slow getting up a few times - I think he was hurting rather than injured, & wasn't having the best of games

[Mark62]

May and Ford pictured back training on Instagram so I would imagine it will be the strongest side pickable before the 6 nations break commences

[TigerCam]

I'll be there with a few mates from Cambridge, one being an Ulsterman. A good test for the Tigers to show that they are not really that bad? Maybe Ulster will play a prop at 6/7/8 seeing as how effective one at 8 was on Saturday? I fear being hit with the banter stick for many an hour? Bound to be a few additional Ulstermen in the hotel too - could be a long night? Then again, Ulster do have the habit of losing games they should have won this season? My Ulster buddy was not too confident about the RM92 game but he will be full of it now - so please Tigers a one point win will do!!

[Scott1]

Ulster could be without their first choice halfback pairing and their captain Sylvester the cat is already talking about mauling the Tigers,let's hope our players have read it,let's make WR horrible again.

[DingDong]

Murphy is now in his 4th season as a coach at Tigers, and his 4th month as Head Coach, he is not a newcomer to this role nor to the game itself. I back him only because he is officially the clubs coach. The squad is there, but Murphy's selection of the Scarlets match day squad was absurd because why demoralise an already declining club by starting an under gunned team to face a strong opposition? The club needs rebuilding consistently and therefore starting stronger with a weaker bench would've been an acceptable loss for a dead rubber, some continuity in game management/strategy from previous games would've meant we could of been competitive for half of the game instead of looking second best all game, players would gel and understand each other more. The team looked disunited once again therefore it was a step backwards.

Should he make the same arrogant selection mistakes for the Ulster game, then how does he expect the Premiership starting IV to pick up from where they left off?