George Fords Departure - Why ?

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Scott1
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by Scott1 »

Goodevibrations wrote: Mon Nov 22, 2021 1:49 pm I still rate Farrell very highly, I just don't think he's a 12. To me it's just a way of trying to shoehorn him and another fly-half into the team.
Bench for me covering 10/12 that's it.
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northerntiger
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by northerntiger »

I think he’s a very good fly half, but not top drawer. He’s not a very good centre.
What I don’t understand is the great leader thing. When things go awry he doesn’t seem to be able to change on the field. He also doesn’t get much of a rapport with refs
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by kk20gb30 »

Cannot deny Owen Farrell has many attributes.The problem (for me) however is that for England there are and have been better fly - halves available and he is not an international class inside centre.Believe that just as George Ford is underrated by Eddie J so Owen Farrell is somewhat overrated by the same coach.
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Scott1
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by Scott1 »

I think he gets this TMA (test match animal) tag,this born winner,this leader of men. Well i saw plenty other people who stuck their hand up Saturday while our pack was being pulverised! (Second half of course). That was a fight,and an incredible win considering the lack of experience in some places.
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Leicestertinytiger
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by Leicestertinytiger »

Farrell is a quality 10 - he’s shown for both Sarries and England that his attacking game is actually very underrated. Takes the ball to the line and has a great flat pass.

He’s much stronger than Ford off the tee and defensively. Albeit at the moment somewhat off form perhaps.

Two problems though. Firstly, he’s an awful centre especially now defences are quicker off the line and afford the second receiver less space. Secondly, I’ve never liked your fly half to be captain. Puts too much weight on their shoulders during a match. Think he performs much better at 10 with someone else taking leadership responsibilities.
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by Jimmy Skitz »

Leicestertinytiger wrote: Mon Nov 22, 2021 3:49 pm Farrell is a quality 10 - he’s shown for both Sarries and England that his attacking game is actually very underrated. Takes the ball to the line and has a great flat pass.

He’s much stronger than Ford off the tee and defensively. Albeit at the moment somewhat off form perhaps.

Two problems though. Firstly, he’s an awful centre especially now defences are quicker off the line and afford the second receiver less space. Secondly, I’ve never liked your fly half to be captain. Puts too much weight on their shoulders during a match. Think he performs much better at 10 with someone else taking leadership responsibilities.
he isn't much better then Ford off the tee, their last season both played in he Prem Ford was better, people say that because Ford used to be iffy off the tee he corrected that years ago
Scott1
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by Scott1 »

Farrell is shocking defensively! Gets bumped nearly every game,goes high and is a liability with his high shoulder
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DeadlyDunc
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by DeadlyDunc »

Enough top level coaches have picked Farrell and he's won enough silverware to suggest he's not a bad player.

I think the reason that Ford hasn't been on Lions tours and isn't now in the England squad is that Farrell is seen as more reliable under pressure and he is to coin that old phrase a "test match animal". Certainly i'd agree Farrell's defence is better than Fords albeit George's has improved this past 12 months IMO but i don't think its controversial to suggest EJ, WG et al think opposition ball carriers would see him as a potential weak link to target.

The other problem GF has is that Smith is more X Factor and therefore (IMO) a contrast to Farrell which you need if you want to change a game or have different options. Ford rarely breaks the line himself and Smith has shown for the past 12 months (maybe more) that he carries that threat and also has the ability to delay passes and pick runners in a similar way to GF.

Whether either have the same ability to control a game behind a dominant pack is questionable but again OF did it enough times behind the Sarries pack and win the European Cup so i don't think that argument necessarily holds either albeit Ford is in better form at this particular moment in time.
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by AngusMcCoatup »

Iam probably not alone in expecting Sale to recruit Mike Ford onto their coaching team in the next few months.. I am very sorry to see George leave Tigers again but a big thanks for your efforts in the rebuild.
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Scott1
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by Scott1 »

One way to look at it is, put Ford behind Sarries all conquering pack and put Farrell behind our dreadful one. And I don't know where people are getting Farrells defence from,its shocking. Ford has been a speed bump at times but most of the time he's a limpet and gives the second man that extra split second to latch on,Farrell just gets bumped,most of the time on his harris!
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by strawclearer »

AngusMcCoatup wrote: Mon Nov 22, 2021 4:59 pm Iam probably not alone in expecting Sale to recruit Mike Ford onto their coaching team in the next few months.. I am very sorry to see George leave Tigers again but a big thanks for your efforts in the rebuild.
'Those who know' (supposedly) tell me there's no chance. They like what they've got and they don't like MF.
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by Jimmy Skitz »

strawclearer wrote: Mon Nov 22, 2021 6:19 pm
AngusMcCoatup wrote: Mon Nov 22, 2021 4:59 pm Iam probably not alone in expecting Sale to recruit Mike Ford onto their coaching team in the next few months.. I am very sorry to see George leave Tigers again but a big thanks for your efforts in the rebuild.
'Those who know' (supposedly) tell me there's no chance. They like what they've got and they don't like MF.
George hasn't started there yet, expect it to change
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by Tykger »

George is a top bloke and a top player. We should be grateful for the heart he has shown us. He is doing what he has to for his family because there is actually more to life than the game. That is what rugby is about. We have him for the rest of the season and he will play with all of his heart until then. After that, and during that period, we have Freddie, who had more heart than 35 other players put together a few years ago...let's not forget that ! We have nothing to fear. If Freddie went down, we'd still have Sinfield strapping up his laces
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by mol2 »

Scott1 wrote: Mon Nov 22, 2021 3:57 pm Farrell is shocking defensively! Gets bumped nearly every game,goes high and is a liability with his high shoulder
He has never adapted. As a youth he was a big lad playing fly half and many of those playing against him weren't so he could afford to tackle upright and not pay too much attention to technique.

At senior test level all the players are big and powerful so the advantage of being the big kid are nullified and technique becomes more important. He simply isn't powerful enough to smash the opponent in the way a dynamic back rower or a Manu type of back can. Tacking upright is risky within the current laws and thus a liability. Ford may be smaller but he tackles correctly, drops to the legs and brings his man down. No he's never going to make a smash or a smothering tackle at test level but that's not his role.
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Re: George Fords Departure - Why ?

Post by kk20gb30 »

Seemingly heading rapidly toward senility .....Not long or far to go now , in fact, getting worse daily.....
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