Tom Varndell

[bwightman]

This is an angry rant and I make no apologies for it.

Tom Varndell = Totally Valueless

Being in such a poor vein of form, out of favour and being frustrated due to lack of game time you'd have thought that TV would have taken the opportunities give him in the last two games. Oh no.

Last week he was pathetic and motivationless and now this week he fluffs the only two tackles he needed to make all game to concede the match-drawing tries.

Considering that Hamilton, Murphy, Smith and Tuilagi are all - with the exception on the injured Alex - pressing for wing positions you'd have thought that TV would be doing everything to impress. Not once in the last 80 minutes (40 mins in each of the last 2 games) did he do anything to suggest he even wants to be on the field.

He jogs to the ball - when taken into account that he's THE fastest player in the premiership bar none this is inexcusably lazy.

He shies away from contact both defensively and offensively - now I know the first rule of contact is always to avoid it but he's really taking the micky with this. His defence, which, towards the end of last season, was seen to be markedly improved is now back to the shambolic flailing and flapping of arms at an attacker that it once was.

Today Matt Smith and Johne Murphy did themselves and the jersey (and more crucially their position) proud by chipping, chasing, harrassing, tackling, and worrying the opposition and the ball. Varndell did nothing.
Smith and Murphy always go looking for the ball; Tuilagi is too big to avoid the ball finding him most of the time; Hamilton uses his experience and intelligence to be in the right place at the right time; what does Varndell bring to the team? I'm not buying into the old chestnut that "last season he was the top try scorer blah, blah, blah" - on that basis we were Heineken Champions two seasons in a row, therefore we're still amazing. He's done nothing to merit his inclusion in the squad this season.

Rabeni's sitting on the bench, raring to go - when he comes on he does everything to try and get his name on the teamsheet to start the next match. Varndell should take note.

I know many people might disagree with me and dismiss this post as a knee-jerk reaction to 2 or 3 missed league points today, but I've finally had it with Varndell's lack of appetite for the game. I know that he didn't single-handedly lose the win for us today but he certainly didn't help the cause. The likes of Croft, Murphy, Hipkiss and Smith shone against Quins and Tom only cast a shadow of lethargy and apathy over the proceedings.

If he has a single shred of love left for the club he'd tie his daft white boots to a brick, lob them in the canal and pop an application form in to Sainsbury's on Monday morning.

[WhitecapTiger]

Whilst I don't disagree entirely, I think you're being harsh and laying the blame of many at 1 players door.

Must admit though I wasn't particularly concentrating on TV when he came on.......but:

Firstly, Toby Flood missed the tackle for Mike Brown's Try, allowing him through to the line, NOT Tom Varndell, yes TV was there but Flood should have held his man.

and secondly, when there's a 4 or 5 to 2 overlap you have to put your money on the attacking team scoring (apart from us in the first half), in MINOR defence of TV, PLUS if Julien Dupuy had kicked his clearance to touch, when we stole their lineout at the end in our own 22, INSTEAD of down the Harlequins backs' throats we wouldn't've been in that position in the first place!!

Where're your condemnations of others who didn't perform as we expect? Toby Flood had a nightmare second half - basic errors that were avoidable, Dupuy's poor box kicking all game as well as his slow re-cycling of the ball, or slow use of recycled ball.

The game changed for me when Jordan Crane went off.

TIGERS threw that win away, not TV all by his lonesome - I know you sort of acknowledge that latterly in your post, but with views such as yours singling out an individual to blame for a group 'failure' I reckon he'd be quite happy to work at Sainsbury's from monday morning. I take it you don't already work there?

These are but my opinions and views, no admittedly, he didn't do a lot today but you're seeing things very subjectively and not giving objective a look in....

However, You are right with your comments about Johne Murphy and Matt Smith (as long as he's on the wing and not in the centre)

JM was outstanding today, and Matt Smith showed enterprise yet again - though he held on again (as he did last week against Falcons) when he could've put TV away down the line! (Minor criticism)

[g]

bwightman is giving his opinion on a player who he thinks is not pulling his weight and IMO he has every right to do so. Why is it that supporters who criticise a player always seems to get attacked by fellow posters who don't agree with what that person has said about a particular player. If the person feels a player is not pulling his weight and doesn't seem bothered then I think they have every right to say so. After all it is the supporters who contribute to these players wages so why shouldn't they give an opinion.

[pogue3]

Yeah TVs tackle was poor at the end but he didn't cost us the game. The team were poor in the last 20 and need to take a good hard long look at themselves. There were poor decision making and mistakes all over the place.

[smalldell]

I do not know what has gone on with TV but he is clearly lacking confidence in all areas of the game. A similar thing happened under PH and he managed to turn it around so lets hope HM can do the same. I know Tom has to get his act together to but when you have such a player as TV as a coach you have to make sure you can get to the root of it and sort it...

By the way we lost the victory today because of the lack of a real leader on the field who could grab hold of the team and tell it what to do..Sorry but thats the reason...

[WhitecapTiger]

g:

my main objection was that the claim that:

and now this week he fluffs the only two tackles he needed to make all game to concede the match-drawing tries.

IMO not an accurate, objective statement....or am I not allowed to disagree?

[TigerCam]

bwightman is giving his opinion on a player who he thinks is not pulling his weight and IMO he has every right to do so. Why is it that supporters who criticise a player always seems to get attacked by fellow posters who don't agree with what that person has said about a particular player. If the person feels a player is not pulling his weight and doesn't seem bothered then I think they have every right to say so. After all it is the supporters who contribute to these players wages so why shouldn't they give an opinion.

Right on g

[bwightman]

Firstly, this is an open forum and, therefore I thought that (within the bounds of decency) we were allowed to share our opinions. I have no problem with you disagreeing with my diatribe jgriffin, but to say that it is unacceptable without providing any concrete reasons for it being so grates a little.

There was not the faintest whiff of either beer or an unvented spleen about what I wrote - I'm just plain annoyed with Varndell's performances this season.

No, he didn't lose the game on his own. Yes, Flood had a poor game on the whole with his missed tackles, poor passes, ill-advised kicks and lack of concentration. Certainly you could look at every individual performance and find faults but that wasn't what I was writing about, neither did I suggest I was attempting to do so.

As for my manners...well, I'm sure they aren't any more deplorable than your own. My posts are thoroughly thought through, intelligent (mostly...) and on topic. I've no desire to establish some sort of vendetta with you, jgriffin, so I'll apologise now for the strength and direction of the original thesis.

It's my firm belief that Tigers boast the most passionate, involved fans in the league and that in being this way we help our club to be the best they can be. Any venom exhibited on my behalf is only a reflection of how strongly I believe that only the best will do for Leicester and how much we all want to see the team succeed week in, week out.

Ben.

[g]

Whitecap


You have has much right to disagree the same as bwightman has every right to give an opinion.


For the record my post wasn't in response to yours it was in response to JGriffin. Who also posted a response which he was entititled to.

[WhitecapTiger]

cap doffed g......cap doffed!!

[G.K]

Now it's all calmed down a bit I have to say that from what I've seen Tom does not seem that interested to get involved. Yes he jogs around a bit, flaps around instead of tackling and just waits for the ideal ball with lots of space. However that doesn't happen that often. My guess is when his contract is up he'll be gone.

[drc_007]

I thought he made a try saving tackle on Barry?

[Mr. Grumpy]

With TV’s current form, whether it is confidence or some other reason, who knows? But standing on the terrace and listening to TV shouting at team mates and seeing his disappointment when things don’t go Tigers way, I’m sure he is interested and motivated. But equally, probably as frustrated as we would be if we standing on the end of a pretty stagnant three-quarter line.