Terracetiger4 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 10:41 am
To me this move is incredibly short sited. They must be really confident that pollard has re signed. Because it just doesn’t make sense otherwise.
Personally I think after he dropped behind Shillcock at the beginning of the Prem that Charlie signed to go to Gloucester (rumours that both Hastings and Carreras are out of contract there so he sees an opening)
Then the thing is we wanted to keep Brown as backup 15 as Shillcock is now our backup 10.
So do we let a player who has already signed to go leave who is probably one of our highest earners outside our regular matchday 23, to retain a cheaper fullback who is regularly in and around the 23. With additional cap space behind.
It's worth pointing out our current injury list was in double figures before Youngs went off injured.
Additional cap space to cover injuries may be useful
Used to run around with an 11, 14 or 15 on my back.
Terracetiger4 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 10:41 am
To me this move is incredibly short sited. They must be really confident that pollard has re signed. Because it just doesn’t make sense otherwise.
TBF even if Pollard hasn't resigned (I think he has another year anyway) is Atkinson based on what we have seen the replacement for him? Shillcock is ahead of him. Atkinson will want more game time and he's just not looked our answer to 10. In a more open gameplan he would prob do a lot better.
Is anyone honestly confident with Atkinson at 10 with Tigers?
Sadly no he has not realised his undoubted potential at Tigers and we all know of players that have left the club and done precisely that.
I feel he's a 10 that thrives with a dual threat 15 on the pitch.
At Wasps he played his best rugby with Umaga at 15 or Gopperth at 12 or even Sopoaga at 15.
and my one concern in the backs with Tigers is we lack a second playmaker I feel.
But unless you move Freddie to somewhere and have Shillcock at 15 i'm not sure where that second playmaker will come.
I guess 10. Shillcock, 12. Pollard maybe
I know people pooped it but it's why I would like to see Steward tried at 12 sometime, he's got the carrying potential for it.
Defence play him at 15 with Shillcock on the wing and attack move him to 12 and have Shillcock as a roaming playmaker.
TBF even if Pollard hasn't resigned (I think he has another year anyway) is Atkinson based on what we have seen the replacement for him? Shillcock is ahead of him. Atkinson will want more game time and he's just not looked our answer to 10. In a more open gameplan he would prob do a lot better.
Is anyone honestly confident with Atkinson at 10 with Tigers?
Sadly no he has not realised his undoubted potential at Tigers and we all know of players that have left the club and done precisely that.
I feel he's a 10 that thrives with a dual threat 15 on the pitch.
At Wasps he played his best rugby with Umaga at 15 or Gopperth at 12 or even Sopoaga at 15.
and my one concern in the backs with Tigers is we lack a second playmaker I feel.
But unless you move Freddie to somewhere and have Shillcock at 15 i'm not sure where that second playmaker will come.
I guess 10. Shillcock, 12. Pollard maybe
I know people pooped it but it's why I would like to see Steward tried at 12 sometime, he's got the carrying potential for it.
Defence play him at 15 with Shillcock on the wing and attack move him to 12 and have Shillcock as a roaming playmaker.
Have you been having a pint with Sir Clive?
Exile Wigstonite living in Wales.
Poet laureate of the "One Eyed Turk".
Bar stool philosopher in the "Wilted Daffodil"
Sadly no he has not realised his undoubted potential at Tigers and we all know of players that have left the club and done precisely that.
I feel he's a 10 that thrives with a dual threat 15 on the pitch.
At Wasps he played his best rugby with Umaga at 15 or Gopperth at 12 or even Sopoaga at 15.
and my one concern in the backs with Tigers is we lack a second playmaker I feel.
But unless you move Freddie to somewhere and have Shillcock at 15 i'm not sure where that second playmaker will come.
I guess 10. Shillcock, 12. Pollard maybe
I know people pooped it but it's why I would like to see Steward tried at 12 sometime, he's got the carrying potential for it.
Defence play him at 15 with Shillcock on the wing and attack move him to 12 and have Shillcock as a roaming playmaker.
Sadly no he has not realised his undoubted potential at Tigers and we all know of players that have left the club and done precisely that.
I feel he's a 10 that thrives with a dual threat 15 on the pitch.
At Wasps he played his best rugby with Umaga at 15 or Gopperth at 12 or even Sopoaga at 15.
and my one concern in the backs with Tigers is we lack a second playmaker I feel.
But unless you move Freddie to somewhere and have Shillcock at 15 i'm not sure where that second playmaker will come.
I guess 10. Shillcock, 12. Pollard maybe
I know people pooped it but it's why I would like to see Steward tried at 12 sometime, he's got the carrying potential for it.
Defence play him at 15 with Shillcock on the wing and attack move him to 12 and have Shillcock as a roaming playmaker.
Have you been having a pint with Sir Clive?
He does seem to making a lot of sense like Sir Clive …you both make valid points and it’s a conundrum that Dan must be frantically trying to resolve to inspire some greater creativity to our game
I have no issue with Atkinson leaving. His performances over the last 6-12 months have been consistently very poor (apart from one decent showing off the bench recently).
I know he's still only 22, but he's pretty experienced already and yet he just doesn't look likely to ever become a Tigers starting fly half.
Pollard and Shillcock are just fine for me, even if one of them gets injured. And, to be honest, if both got injured I would have been terrified at the thought of Atkinson having a prolonged stint in the starting line up.
Clearly talented, but I think he needs a fresh start elsewhere. I imagine his salary was based on being 2nd choice and pushing for 1st - now he's third choice with little prospect of being 2nd or 1st until someone leaves, so why keep spending the money on him?
The creativity at Tigers had been missing for years, it's not the Tigers I started watching & supporting, the constant "Tigers DNA" narrative doesn't reflect my "view" of the club.
As for Atkinson I would have kept him over Brown for the rest of the season.
What I do hope is that we have Brown news quickly, plus maybe a short term Hooker deal even if none of our hookers are out for long enough to warrant an injury exemption we are one injury away from a big issue there...
Used to run around with an 11, 14 or 15 on my back.
Tiglon wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 11:34 am
I have no issue with Atkinson leaving. His performances over the last 6-12 months have been consistently very poor (apart from one decent showing off the bench recently).
I know he's still only 22, but he's pretty experienced already and yet he just doesn't look likely to ever become a Tigers starting fly half.
Pollard and Shillcock are just fine for me, even if one of them gets injured. And, to be honest, if both got injured I would have been terrified at the thought of Atkinson having a prolonged stint in the starting line up.
Clearly talented, but I think he needs a fresh start elsewhere. I imagine his salary was based on being 2nd choice and pushing for 1st - now he's third choice with little prospect of being 2nd or 1st until someone leaves, so why keep spending the money on him?
RagingBull wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 10:42 am
TH is a concern.
If we have signed an International LH (Hoping Sutherland or Fischetti) that will hopefully cover that problem.
TH though is a major concern of mine really
Cole must only have a season left as starting quality
Heyes isn't progressing as we hoped
Hurd looks good, not sure I would say he is a starter though
De Bruin out of contract at Edinburgh this season, hopefully a target of ours.
International
De Bruin, Cole, Heyes, Hurd
Outside that do you wait another season and potentially try and spend big money on like a Tupou?
Love me some De Bruin!
"Rugby isn't a contact sport,ballroom dancing is a contact sport. Rugby is a collision sport" Heyneke Meyer
I feel he's a 10 that thrives with a dual threat 15 on the pitch.
At Wasps he played his best rugby with Umaga at 15 or Gopperth at 12 or even Sopoaga at 15.
and my one concern in the backs with Tigers is we lack a second playmaker I feel.
But unless you move Freddie to somewhere and have Shillcock at 15 i'm not sure where that second playmaker will come.
I guess 10. Shillcock, 12. Pollard maybe
I know people pooped it but it's why I would like to see Steward tried at 12 sometime, he's got the carrying potential for it.
Defence play him at 15 with Shillcock on the wing and attack move him to 12 and have Shillcock as a roaming playmaker.
Have you been having a pint with Sir Clive?
He does seem to making a lot of sense like Sir Clive …you both make valid points and it’s a conundrum that Dan must be frantically trying to resolve to inspire some greater creativity to our game
Every team we come up against seem to be so much quicker than our players. yesterday, once again, opposition were on us so quickly, either a lot faster than us, or possibly offside? They all seem to want to run at us, pass quicker and attack so much faster than we can. Look at the break that Steward made early on, where was our support, we should have scored from that but no their defence got there before us. At times when we tried passing the ball on, we were standing still driving for the line, no momentum.
I really dont know after that where we can get our backs moving, kicking ball away seems our only way of getting the ball up field. Sadly Matt Smith is not the answer to coaching our attack, Dickens is missing, we need an outsider to give us some new ideas. We do allegedly have pace on the wings but we also need pace in the centres to get ball out to the wing
