In the light of our current position, I thought it might be entertaining to take a look back and pick out some of my favourite forum comments.
Names have been removed to protect the innocent - but if anyone feels the need to fess up to any of them please be my guest.
Quote A “Regardless of the achievements or lack of them being the majority, Cockers has to be replaced with someone who has more vision to use the vast talent of players he has to select from. ………………. If Shedwards does not go for the England job, he would be up there as a choice to turn the Tigers fortunes and the fans enjoyment around.”
Quote B “So, where are the happy clappers now?
I had one sitting behind me yesterday. They said something along the lines of Cockerill's position being at risk, and I turned and said "Not before time". There followed an indignant, but polite, tirade about how good Cockerill has been for the last couple of seasons.
There is at least one left!”
Quote C (Yes sir I’m deluded) “Some people still think Tigers will make the top 6 well to be honest I cannot see it happening at all there is too much wrong happening IMO within the club and if the team struggle against teams like Sale and LI then they are not going to beat the big boys unless they start playing for 80 minutes”
“Right, I'm happy to be shot down by the happy clappers,but if they are the ones who think all is rosy at the club then quite frankly they are the deluded one's.”
Quote D “Absolutely agree that things are not right and need sorting out before this season degenerates into a relegation battle.
Can't see how though, unless and until the senior people at Welford Road who can make a difference actually admit that there is a problem.”
Quote E (one of my favourites) “These problems have been all too clear for a number of seasons. I found last season a complete chore so voted with my feet and gave up my season ticket. This now makes me a happy clapper because I haven't invested hard earned readies in the dross that's happening again this season. Am now happily visiting my local rugby club and have rediscovered my mojo and am enjoying rugby again. Something is very rotten in the state of Tigers!”
Quote F (particularly like the last bit) “Having luckily avoided watching the rubbish thrown up today, and as I mentioned at the beginning of the week a thrashing was always on the cards. Is it now time to thank Cockers for all his time at the club as a player, coach and Director of Rugby and look for someone/group of people who will stop the rot! Tackling, ball retention, forwards play, game plans, fire in the belly all spring to mind alongside brilliant backs with skills. This is what TIGERS once stood for going back the 35 years I've been a loyal supporter. Very very worried that season is a write off already!”
Quote g (the last line of this one is pretty good too!) “Going on the way all the other clubs with the exception of Newcastle have played with vision and flair so far we will have no chance of winning the league or heineken with our static, narrow style of play.
No vision is the key, poor backs coaching, bad defense coaches mean no matter what scores we get we leak badly and are always playing catch up.
Quins and Sarries (sadly I have to say) have the forwards to donkey work and skillful backs to show flair, vision and inventiveness when on the ball. Rarely do we see poor kicks to no where (from these clubs at present), piling the pressure back on the defense.....oh yes poor tackling first up leaves us 30 metres further back!!
Leave it too late and we become the laughing stock of English rugby!”
Quote G (got to go to Twickenham perhaps?) “I'm sick of hearing people bleating about our start of season performance and the fact that we haven't got our World Cup players playing that has meant our results are been poor when our performances have been unacceptable. I hope todays performance takes the blinkers off you” …….
……..“We are not moving forward as a team and for that, as I've said for ages, Cockerill and O'Connor have GOT to go.”
Quote H ( Can I have another spoonful please Sir?) “The medicine I have had to stomach this season is a pathetic performance week in week out from the team especially the backs and the inability to turn possession into points.”
Quote I (Newbs might have something to say about this one) “Poor offloading? What about No offloading.......just walk into the wall and fall over. Bye Bye Richard.......Bye Bye!”
I used to sit near a stalker and we want him back "kick for the corner!!!!"
Ha ha - great work (although I do question how long it took you to compile the quotes!). It is nice that Cockers has proved the doubters wrong (so far).
I would class myself as a happy clapper (I guess, I don't actually consider that to be the case, I like to see it as keeping the faith), although I accept people are entitled to their opinion after a loss or disappointment, it is clear that the players and management do read these message boards (certainly the press do) and I would suggest that a few more people keep the faith when times are tough.
Nevertheless, we have not won the Premiership yet. I think Cockers should be applauded for his player and squad management and keeping the faith with his group of coaches and players. I also think the powers that be should be applauded for not succumbing to the calls for Cockers' head - the last thing we want is a high coach turnover like other Premiership clubs. There are so good times to come at Leicester, momentum is building, a core squad is being built and management clearly have visions of where this team will go!!
I'm glad for every fan that the season turned round, and that what was poised on a knife edge went our way. That's sport. I have cheered at every game I have attended home and away, argued with others, laughed with others and at the end of the day would happily share my thoughts and fears with RC the same as with everyone else. I personally don't mind having severe doubts - I go on what I see, not blind faith.
But I sure as hell do not have the type of personality to trawl up others quotes as in this thread.
Leicester Tigers 1995-
Nottingham 1995-2000
Swansea (Whites) 1988-95
A game played on grass in the open air by teams of XV.
Perhaps the penny dropped?
Do you think that had we done a little better at the start of the season that Staunton would have started?
Would a departing Twelvetrees have been on the bench?
Changes have been made - by whom & who's influence is not yet clear.
Those who doubted Tigers earlier in the season did so for good reason- we were playing poorly, apparently with a mantra of "if it didn't work the last 20 times, try again!"
mol2 wrote:Perhaps the penny dropped?
Do you think that had we done a little better at the start of the season that Staunton would have started?
Would a departing Twelvetrees have been on the bench?
Changes have been made - by whom & who's influence is not yet clear.
Those who doubted Tigers earlier in the season did so for good reason- we were playing poorly, apparently with a mantra of "if it didn't work the last 20 times, try again!"
I was very doubtful about RC and MOC coaching abilities and I have not forgotten the dismissal exit from the HC this season. However just as I held them responsible for that, and the poor start of the season as they are in charge, then, by the same logic I willingly give them credit for the turn around as well.
Win or lose on 26 May they have earned the right to take us through another season.
There is still a nagging doubt that our success has been due to some senior players exerting much more authority rather than the work of RC / MOC but that is irrelevant for now. You don't change a winning team and RC /MOC are part of that team an deserve all our suuport.
For me come Jan 2013 I expect us to be in HC Q-Final (and in top 4 in AP). If we are not I reserve the right to return to the topic.
Have we got where we are now despite Richard Cockerill and not because of him? Some may think so, but regardless of whether or not that is true I actually admire him for admitting that he got a lot of things wrong in selection and strategy in the earlier part of the season not withstanding absence of World Cup players. It's never a bad idea to do a U turn when you're going the wrong way down a one way street and he did it!
Can't think what all the moaning is about really. Remember that old cricket saw ? "If you want to know the score, look in the book ".
So, if you want to know how we've done this season, look at the table.
And if that doesn't convince you....try Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi..... "You don't know what you got 'til it's gone". Just ask any Wasps or Bath fan or anyone who was a Quins fan about 10 years ago : they tell you what that means .
I have, and had, no problem with people pointing out their perceived failings or deficiencies of playing and coaching staff. Most of it, from the majority of posters, did actually come across as 'from the heart' and for the right reasons AND it actually helped expand my overall perspective of all things rugby and tigers, touching on angles/issues that i'd never really given much thought to previously.
However, for what it's worth, what I did find absolutely pathetic were the occasions where we were subjected to half a dozen or more hysterical threads popping up almost immediately something didn't go right and that they were invariably all along the same lines, with little variation.
I think RC (and MOC) have earned the right to take us forward into next season, as long as forward is the way we continue to go and what they truly strive for. It won't always be rosy, and most know and accept that. Qualification for the HEC knockout stages is very much essential next year though, with further advancement obviously highly desirable.
Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.
The HC qualification to Qtr Final is not as easy as everyone seems to think .
You only have to consider who we were up against Ulster (finalists ) and Clermont (very nearly finalists) and we only just had all our guys back from WC and still carrying mental scars from that and still pleanty of injuries.
I think if we were playing those guys at this stage of the season we would make a better fist of it.
This season is a once every 4 year aberration and where we are now is just amazing - even if we do not win the next final- i do not think the club could have done much better under the circiumstances.
