Lutontiger wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2024 5:31 pm
Feel sorry for the players - most played their hearts out and will be going home very downhearted.
Effort and heart is there, no faulting that. The last ditch defence showed that today as it could have been worse at HT. We just don't seem to have the confidence or ideas when plan A doesn't work.
Hoping an attack coach and a full pre-season with less injury/international disruption will help. Get the game plan into the players and let them play a bit more off the cuff. Inspire confidence and then let the rest start to develop with time and as partnerships grow. The biggest key for the start of the season is who plays 10? (Assuming Pollard is away with the Springboks) Is it Shillcock, Wilkinson, or do we need a new backup?
I don't agree that Tigers were on a level footing until the red card. The ground was beginning to crumble away from very early in the second half.
Kata must take a lot of the blame, as in addition to the stupidity of the red card, his reckless flying up out the the line early in the second half gave Northampton a massive gap to run into. It gave them momentum and from there onwards they kept it. Hassell-Collins too should be given the hair-dryer treatment for his vapid efforts.
JVP was excellent, Kelly not far behind, and Carnduff did a very good job.
tripeandonions wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2024 6:20 pm
I don't agree that Tigers were on a level footing until the red card. The ground was beginning to crumble away from very early in the second half.
Kata must take a lot of the blame, as in addition to the stupidity of the red card, his reckless flying up out the the line early in the second half gave Northampton a massive gap to run into. It gave them momentum and from there onwards they kept it. Hassell-Collins too should be given the hair-dryer treatment for his vapid efforts.
Big Dai wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2024 5:50 pm
Well.....That's all the hopeful "We're gonna make the top four." Put to bed. Tigers just not up to snuff under this chap and have not been for some time.
Biggest miss for me is Aled. The physical and mental sharpness just isn't there.
Now waiting impatiently for a new start. Hopefully with a coaching team that's had a severe wire brushing.
I don't think McKellar, like many SH coaches, has appreciated what the Prem is like, or has the nous to rectify issues. I said at the end of last season it was Aled, not SB or Kev what won our title. The edge has gone. QED
Leicester Tigers 1995-
Nottingham 1995-2000
Swansea (Whites) 1988-95
A game played on grass in the open air by teams of XV.
I think we showed a lot of promise today but also it highlighted just how far we have to go. 15vs15 our defense was solid but we only had 15 on the field for about half the match. I lost count of how many penalties we conceded and 2 yellows and a red makes it almost an impossible task. With 20 to play at 18-17 its game on. There was no need for Kata to make that hit. The loss does not fall at his door but that was certainly the moment it all came crashing down for me. We were on the back foot for much of the second half but we had just scored a very very good try and things were looking up.. ah well.. lots to learn but there were some positives in there too today
johnthegriff wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2024 5:53 pm
Stop the experiment of playing an international quality fullback.on the wing and an international winger at 12. Ideally get Kelly back to 12. We did miss Reffell when he went off but Cracknell although a different style of player was not too bad. Our discipline was awful and that has to.improve.
Cracknell was poor. Fell off tackles, made no notable carries and was MIA at the breakdown.
We don't have any fit wings. Bassett, Watson, Porter and Simmonds are all injured. Who are you playing on the wing instead.
Kelly had an excellent game at 13, the partnership between him and Kata worked well.
Kata was poor on the wing at the world cup, he's not nearly quick or agile enough to play that position currently. I suspect he'd have to drop a few kilos in order to change position back and given he's about to hit 30 moving back to the wing is the opposite of what players like him do at that age. Before joining us he was a centre for Exeter and a centre for Moana Pasifika. You're going back to August 2021 since he started a club game on the wing in the NPC.
OakhamTiger32 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2024 6:46 pm
I think we showed a lot of promise today but also it highlighted just how far we have to go. 15vs15 our defense was solid but we only had 15 on the field for about half the match. I lost count of how many penalties we conceded and 2 yellows and a red makes it almost an impossible task. With 20 to play at 18-17 its game on. There was no need for Kata to make that hit. The loss does not fall at his door but that was certainly the moment it all came crashing down for me. We were on the back foot for much of the second half but we had just scored a very very good try and things were looking up.. ah well.. lots to learn but there were some positives in there too today
Not the Head Coach’s fault…..mmmmm….. not sure I agree.
Whatever the issues are, and let’s be honest, there are quite a few, eg no attack coach, poor player engagement, poor levels of fitness, no nous and guile with very predictable play, lack of discipline, to name just a few. The responsibility for those things ultimately sits with the senior leadership, ie the Head Coach.
The Head Coach is responsible for delivery on the pitch, and if there are shortcomings of any kind, then they need to address them. I remain to be convinced about DMK, I have yet to see any evidence that he has what it takes to revive our fortunes.
Lutontiger wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2024 5:53 pm
Had a chuckle at the ‘severe wire brushing’ but have to agree - might it be, to do a misquote - ‘tigers led by donkeys’?
I thought that was a standard expression? Removing rust and corrosion?
Exile Wigstonite living in Wales.
Poet laureate of the "One Eyed Turk".
Bar stool philosopher in the "Wilted Daffodil"
Lutontiger wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2024 5:53 pm
Had a chuckle at the ‘severe wire brushing’ but have to agree - might it be, to do a misquote - ‘tigers led by donkeys’?
I thought that was a standard expression? Removing rust and corrosion?
I just pictured the coaches being given the brushing as a punishment - I just feel so many of today’s issues, such as the discipline are down to the coaches not the players but it seems the players are taking most of the blame.
