The Boy Dave wrote:Just laughable and such a shame how easily folk forget the lad is rare world class player, no matter who the opposition is his level never drops, he is very young and the best all round centre in England by some distance.
Its just as laughable to suggest Manu is World Class.
He's a very good player and an asset to any team, but World Class? No, not really.
Skin and muscle has a point - both Leicester and now England (for a long period) have learnt to play without him. If he were to go, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
“It is no use saying, ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.” Sir Winston Churchill.
Skin_and_Muscle wrote:
We were a very successful attacking team before Tuilagi because we utilised players properly. We're a very successful attacking team when Tuilagi is fit because we can exploit his particular talents. We're not so successful when Tuilagi is injured because of a failure to deploy the players we do have properly. If we ever lost Tuilagi, we'd have to play a different way, which has worked for us in the past. Therefore, he wouldn't necessarily be a huge loss.
So because we've looked so bereft of ideas in attack when Manu isn't available, he wouldn't be a huge loss if he became permanently unavailable...?
The Boy Dave wrote:Just laughable and such a shame how easily folk forget the lad is rare world class player, no matter who the opposition is his level never drops, he is very young and the best all round centre in England by some distance.
Its just as laughable to suggest Manu is World Class.
He's a very good player and an asset to any team, but World Class? No, not really.
Skin and muscle has a point - both Leicester and now England (for a long period) have learnt to play without him. If he were to go, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
Is this a joke? Roberts and Catchpole will never make the grade. To be a quality centre, you either need to be rapid or have size or be Conrad Smith.
They have none of the above. Keeping Manu is imperative.
Recruitment has been insane so far, can't believe a quality centre hasn't been signed. Reminiscent of Quins not signing any front row last year and look how that turned out.
Matt Shields from National 1 in February time......... If we slum to those depths I will despair but its heading that way
The Boy Dave wrote:Just laughable and such a shame how easily folk forget the lad is rare world class player, no matter who the opposition is his level never drops, he is very young and the best all round centre in England by some distance.
Its just as laughable to suggest Manu is World Class.
He's a very good player and an asset to any team, but World Class? No, not really.
Skin and muscle has a point - both Leicester and now England (for a long period) have learnt to play without him. If he were to go, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
You may not agree that Tuilagi is world class but it certainly isn't laughable. Regardless, before his injury and brush with the law he would have been one of the first names on Tigers teamsheet and probably Englands aswell. At this point he isn't playing so we only have our memories and youtube videos to work off. I'd suggest we wait until he has been playing regularly, is fit and injury free before we judge any further. I, for one, hope that is in a Tigers shirt and nobody elses!
Recruitment has been insane so far, can't believe a quality centre hasn't been signed.
The club has stated that they have scoured the globe but nobody that fits the profile we require is currently available at an acceptable cost. Which is another reason why it is imperative we keep Manu and get him back fit and at his best.
I just can't get the mindset of some on here - they seem to be sneering at EVERYTHING to do with Tigers, including rubbishing the players. Mrs G says "Go off and support Glaws, they like braying at everything". I agree with her.
PS in case you think she is an invention of mine, a literary device, TB and several others have met her. Her actual opinion was a little STRONGER than purveyed here.
Leicester Tigers 1995-
Nottingham 1995-2000
Swansea (Whites) 1988-95
A game played on grass in the open air by teams of XV.
Roly wrote:Its just as laughable to suggest Manu is World Class.
If he's not world class why do the southern hemisphere teams fear him?
Why did all the other centres on the Lions tour say they were looking forward to being paired with him - they all spoke that Manu was a dead cert and 1 other space between the rest of them
Roly wrote:Its just as laughable to suggest Manu is World Class.
If he's not world class why do the southern hemisphere teams fear him?
Why did all the other centres on the Lions tour say they were looking forward to being paired with him - they all spoke that Manu was a dead cert and 1 other space between the rest of them
None of those reasons make him 'World Class'.
A 'World Class' player would be 1st on the team sheet in his preferred position in a team that was a World 1st XV. In my opinion, Manu would not be that player. It doesn't mean he isn't a very good player, because he is (as I said). He IS a big asset to both club and country - but, therein lies the problem. Both club and country have almost developed a game around him, when he isn't there, head scratching starts. That is disappointing, Manu's absence has forced both club and country to try something else. I think Tigers have struggled in attack because they rely so heavily on him, that quality centres have been overlooked, Lancaster seems to be holding up better with his choice of International centres now - and I for one would not be happy to see Manu automatically get his place back. He must earn it.
“It is no use saying, ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.” Sir Winston Churchill.
Roly wrote:None of those reasons make him 'World Class'.
A 'World Class' player would be 1st on the team sheet in his preferred position in a team that was a World 1st XV. In my opinion, Manu would not be that player.
Who would you have at 13 instead?
When the likes of BOD knew they're missing out to him there's not a lot left to consider
The definition of World Class is always debatable, but among the worst definitions is the idea that they'd have to be first on the team sheet in their position in a World XV.
Aside from which, when Manu was playing and devastating the best international sides in the world, a LOT of people would have put him in their world XV. And that's even though he plays for England, which is an immediate handicap for World XV status because most other countries will refuse to accept that we have good players.
He wouldn't be in a World XV right now for the simple reason that he's injured.
4071 wrote:The definition of World Class is always debatable, but among the worst definitions is the idea that they'd have to be first on the team sheet in their position in a World XV.
Aside from which, when Manu was playing and devastating the best international sides in the world, a LOT of people would have put him in their world XV. And that's even though he plays for England, which is an immediate handicap for World XV status because most other countries will refuse to accept that we have good players.
He wouldn't be in a World XV right now for the simple reason that he's injured.
How else would you define a world class player?
“It is no use saying, ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.” Sir Winston Churchill.
darganj wrote:
Recruitment has been insane so far, can't believe a quality centre hasn't been signed. Reminiscent of Quins not signing any front row last year and look how that turned out.
Matt Shields from National 1 in February time......... If we slum to those depths I will despair but its heading that way
It's the first half of June. The Premiership season starts in October. Pipe down.
I have but one question to those who seem to want to disrupt the club or undermine players of my club, Tigers.
Do you take pleasure in doing this or is there an alternative reason for it, I always thought that Support meant just that support!
Manu grew up playing rugby here and is a part of our club, and fit he's a first choice player for us. Put it this way, I'd certainly like to see the lad who we develop and comes through to take his shirt! Will be quite a player.
So I don't care how he rates internationally, because he's one of ours and fit and firing he's worth his place in our starting 15. And that's all that matters to me really. So I hope he stays until his best days are behind him - maybe after the 2019 RWC.
But if the rumours are right, and really big money is on the table, then we should let him go. The club shouldn't risk it's long term future for Manu, or any other star.
All this kerfuffle supports the point I make pretty often: that young, home grown stars give their very best (at club level) in the two or three years after they break into the side. It's when they've got it all to prove, and for Manu that time has passed.
