Errors?

[jgriffin]

Dear God........I've been saying MOC was a fraud for years; I said Cockers wanted the senior players to work harder and not be prima donnas, but they contributed to him going, thanks to conduits to the BoD; that AM and Scott were a busted flush. I would claim I was spot on.
I will also now predict it will take 3 years for GM to rebuild, but he needs at least a good defence coach (on the way up to Edwards/Faz level) and possibly a consultant for a while (not a DOR). The team needs to be part shredded to be reconstructed as GM requires. Some 'senior players' need to draw their heads in or be moved on.

Some of the comments here are sadly overcritical, yet over-optimistic that a completely new set of coaches and some miracle signings will succeed.

[ellis9]

Why have you decided to use Saints v Wasps as an example?

...because Wasps have consistently been in the top 4 for the past 3 years including finishing first 2 years ago.

Also, I wish people would keep saying others teams play "entertaining rugby". What is entertaining to some, isn't to others.

...entertainment is being able to compete with the best and to do that you can't stick it up your jumper any more, as the great Cockerill found out (and he was great in his prime).

Oh wow. We were in there for 14 years in a row! As we have heard many times on here, it's not just about finishing in the top 4, it's about winning it. Wasps are a bad example to use when trying to claim we should be like them if we want to win the title.

By the way, tell me how many teams have won the league playing the way Wasps do? Here's a clue, it's less than one.

[sapajo]

I truly hope Smurf can work his magic and get us back to the top 4. That said, I fear that the truth behind his appointment is purely a fiscal expediency, furthermore if he succeeds the Board can wallow in the glory, if not they can just say at least we gave him a shot.The Board have no doubt spent shed loads of money getting shot of MOC and we simply do not have the cash to appoint a " world class DOR".

[voice of the crumbie]

Dear God........I've been saying MOC was a fraud for years; I said Cockers wanted the senior players to work harder and not be prima donnas, but they contributed to him going, thanks to conduits to the BoD; that AM and Scott were a busted flush. I would claim I was spot on.
I will also now predict it will take 3 years for GM to rebuild, but he needs at least a good defence coach (on the way up to Edwards/Faz level) and possibly a consultant for a while (not a DOR). The team needs to be part shredded to be reconstructed as GM requires. Some 'senior players' need to draw their heads in or be moved on.

Some of the comments here are sadly overcritical, yet over-optimistic that a completely new set of coaches and some miracle signings will succeed.

Well said JG. This has to be the post with which I can agree most so far this season.

[Ian Cant]

I agree that Murphy needs time. There is no quick fix, particularly with how unlucky we are with injuries and unexpected international call ups( Holmes and our Aussies).
Tom Youngs has told it like it is: frustrating mistakes but now is a time to stick with it and as I said in a previous post this weekend’s results show that apart from Exeter and Sarries, (as we all know are a cut above the rest) the rest are close.I also remember going to Gloucester quite a few times with near full strength teams (including Johnno’s, and getting no where close to a result). The way Gloucester and their fans celebrated Friday still shows how much it means to beat us.
Time for The Board to tell the players Murphy is The Boss: if they don’t play for him then show them the door.
Stability is what is needed, which is why Tigers now need to keep playing the youngsters, starting with Hardwick at 10 as he really has a swagger about him and will try to be more creative than others. He will hopefully be here next season too, so keep him at 10 in the Six Nations with Matt Tomua to mentor him. Come on Tigers.

[strawclearer]

Dear God........I've been saying MOC was a fraud for years; I said Cockers wanted the senior players to work harder and not be prima donnas, but they contributed to him going, thanks to conduits to the BoD; that AM and Scott were a busted flush. I would claim I was spot on.
I will also now predict it will take 3 years for GM to rebuild, but he needs at least a good defence coach (on the way up to Edwards/Faz level) and possibly a consultant for a while (not a DOR). The team needs to be part shredded to be reconstructed as GM requires. Some 'senior players' need to draw their heads in or be moved on.

Some of the comments here are sadly overcritical, yet over-optimistic that a completely new set of coaches and some miracle signings will succeed.

Well said JG. This has to be the post with which I can agree most so far this season.

[chris111]

It’s pretty clear GM is keen to build the club by bringing through Academy talent - and I for one am happy to see that happen. However, I am enough of a realist to understand that we are not going to win trophies any time soon....it will probably take 3-5 years. I’m not sure if the Board will have enough patience for this - and I am sure this Message Board will become unbearable

Having said this, we can’t ignore the fact that with a back line of B Youngs, G Ford, Toomua, Tuillagi, May, Holmes & Veanu, the Gloucester game would have gone very differently.

[JP14]

I truly hope Smurf can work his magic and get us back to the top 4. That said, I fear that the truth behind his appointment is purely a fiscal expediency, furthermore if he succeeds the Board can wallow in the glory, if not they can just say at least we gave him a shot.The Board have no doubt spent shed loads of money getting shot of MOC and we simply do not have the cash to appoint a " world class DOR".

I’m pretty sure the reason we got O’Connor back was because he was cheap.

[fentiger]

Dear God........I've been saying MOC was a fraud for years; I said Cockers wanted the senior players to work harder and not be prima donnas, but they contributed to him going, thanks to conduits to the BoD; that AM and Scott were a busted flush. I would claim I was spot on.
I will also now predict it will take 3 years for GM to rebuild, but he needs at least a good defence coach (on the way up to Edwards/Faz level) and possibly a consultant for a while (not a DOR). The team needs to be part shredded to be reconstructed as GM requires. Some 'senior players' need to draw their heads in or be moved on.

Some of the comments here are sadly overcritical, yet over-optimistic that a completely new set of coaches and some miracle signings will succeed.

Spot on as always!
The difficulty will be maintaining patience as we have been in decline (and, in some quarters, denial) for so long.