He reached the semi finals of the Champions Cup with Nicky Robinson at fly half. What more did you expect?!
I see that you have a similar view of Mr Robinson to me
But if you look at the players in that semi https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff ... neken_Cup), many of whom were there before and after, you would expect more than the 5th/6th places in the league that they generally got around then. And their European performances weren't what a Cardiff supporter would hope for.
Do you think their squad was better than Leinster, Munster, Leicester, Wasps and Toulouse at that time? Because to do better in Europe, those are the teams they would have had to beat.
They did do better than 5th/6th in their league, they finished 2nd twice in a row!
Cardiff fans might have hoped for more, just like I hope to win the lottery. Neither were ever likely to happen, and neither are Dai Young's fault....
They beat Toulouse in the quarter final in the year the reached the semi. And after the semi, they finished 5th/6th 3 seasons on the trot.
Two points. Firstly, my opinion is based on the whole of Dai Young's coaching career from when he first took charge of Cardiff. My (late) wife being a full-on Llanelli and Scarlets supporter, along with the whole of the family of 7, I was kept well informed of the state of Welsh club rugby.
Secondly, yes, his teams did have some success. However, there was a lot of antipathy outside Cardiff to Cardiff because of the special treatment that they seemed to get and the big name players that they signed (see the semi final squad) . However this was tempered by the fact that they generally were the 'third best' Welsh club/region most of the time, behind Scarlets and Ospreys. The general feeling was that they should have been achieving more than they did with the players that they had. And IMHO this carried on at Wasps.
The best think for me about the return of Dai Young to the game is every mention if his name sets me off singing the Black Sabbath track of the same name.
Dai Young has always come across as a good coach just not a great one. His team's have always seems to just miss that clinical edge to mix it with the big boys. His team's were always well drilled though.
Worth remembering that when he took the hot seat at Wasps they were in a right mess. There's been a few financial based clouds hanging over the club from time to time that he's had to cope with as well.
sam16111986 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 08, 2021 6:52 pm
Dai Young has always come across as a good coach just not a great one. His team's have always seems to just miss that clinical edge to mix it with the big boys. His team's were always well drilled though.
Worth remembering that when he took the hot seat at Wasps they were in a right mess. There's been a few financial based clouds hanging over the club from time to time that he's had to cope with as well.
Mail reporting Zach Mercer to Montpellier is a done deal, sorry to see somebody so talented give up on international selection but I doubt he's ever going to get a go with how Eddie wants to play
kpj tiger wrote: ↑Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:39 pm
Mail reporting Zach Mercer to Montpellier is a done deal, sorry to see somebody so talented give up on international selection but I doubt he's ever going to get a go with how Eddie wants to play
Mercer hasn't been consistently hitting form for a while now, plus I'm sure he was part of that doomed England 15 that struggled versus Japan and never played again for England (along with Care and Alex Lozowski).
Formerly of Burbaaage (not Inkleh), now up north at uni
Mercer is a great player, he's just unlucky to have so much England competition in his position. He's also not the kind of player for Eddie and Eddie's game plan.
Shame to see him leave the Premiership, I'm sure he'll do very well in France.
kpj tiger wrote: ↑Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:39 pm
Mail reporting Zach Mercer to Montpellier is a done deal, sorry to see somebody so talented give up on international selection but I doubt he's ever going to get a go with how Eddie wants to play
Mercer hasn't been consistently hitting form for a while now, plus I'm sure he was part of that doomed England 15 that struggled versus Japan and never played again for England (along with Care and Alex Lozowski).
He's been on fire this season. Whilst Wiese & Liebenberg have played really well, they don't have Mercer's dynamism going forward.
Let’s face it Taufua is off at the end of the current season, and I for one would have thought we could have had Mercer on our books as a Tiger player. After all-he is an exceptional player that is very versatile and can play 6, 7 and 8 and is the type of player that Tigers need. It’s is a shame that he is going to France. Good luck Zach!
I think Mercer has gone backwards. A couple of years ago he was tearing it up but not so much now, plus he’s prone to errors. I wish him well in France but could never see him as a Borthwick type of player.
