Times Up!

[MurphysLaw]

What I find interesting is that amongst all of the finger pointing and recriminations, no-one is suggesting that Messrs Tom, Wheeler and the Board have a share in any blame for our predicament.
We have a situation where our Head Coach leaves in the first half of a season, and although a replacement is coming next season, we are left,bereft for the remainder of this season with Cockers, who has openly admitted his limitations when it comes to backs coaching, Blake who arrived here, late and still finding his feet,as Defence Coach, and Murphy, who is just learning his trade.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and all that, but the Burke experiment did not work and the club has been running without an effective Head Coach since the shouty Aussie left. The decision to appoint (and dismiss or did he walk?) Burke was the Board's.
Mauger is seen by most as a good appointment. In the meantime however, the Club has been left to continue to muddle along for this season with inadequate coaching resources. Cockers, Blake, Murphy are left to carrying the can and take the flak from the fans and the media. Maybe the players are feeling it too?
Could the Club have appointed a 'caretaker' Head Coach? Parachuted in a 'Jake White' character as an interim measure as has happened elsewhere? (I think he has since been given the Montpellier rescue job).
Anyway, my main point is that those calling for Cockers to go imo are off the mark.

[sapajo]

What I find interesting is that amongst all of the finger pointing and recriminations, no-one is suggesting that Messrs Tom, Wheeler and the Board have a share in any blame for our predicament.
We have a situation where our Head Coach leaves in the first half of a season, and although a replacement is coming next season, we are left,bereft for the remainder of this season with Cockers, who has openly admitted his limitations when it comes to backs coaching, Blake who arrived here, late and still finding his feet,as Defence Coach, and Murphy, who is just learning his trade.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and all that, but the Burke experiment did not work and the club has been running without an effective Head Coach since the shouty Aussie left. The decision to appoint (and dismiss or did he walk?) Burke was the Board's.
Mauger is seen by most as a good appointment. In the meantime however, the Club has been left to continue to muddle along for this season with inadequate coaching resources. Cockers, Blake, Murphy are left to carrying the can and take the flak from the fans and the media. Maybe the players are feeling it too?
Could the Club have appointed a 'caretaker' Head Coach? Parachuted in a 'Jake White' character as an interim measure as has happened elsewhere? (I think he has since been given the Montpellier rescue job).
Anyway, my main point is that those calling for Cockers to go imo are off the mark.

Excellent post the board are indeed culpable in failing to adequately replace MOC when he left and replace him on the cheap with Burke and the inexperienced Murphy. It was complacent and naive especially to allow this situation to fester for so long.

[Rykard]

I seem to remember that simon cohen has previosuly said they were after mauger before but he 'wasn't available'. it sounded like he was the plan but it didn't pan out the way they thought, MOC leaving early - those left for this season not quite working out.

[bc]

I agree that the board have to take responsibility and, as I mentioned in the original post, I believe Simon Cohen has to consider his position. He is the link between the board and the playing side. He should have also recognised Cockerill's weaknesses and looked to mitigate.

However, there is no getting away from it that, as DOR Cockerill has been poor. He is responsible for all things rugby related:
- Coaching. He has overseen a decline in the playing ability of this club over the last 2 seasons.
- Player fitness and conditioning. The injury problems over 1 season is bad luck but over 2 that says there is something wrong.
- Academy. Not produced any non Tigers related players into first team squad since Dan Cole.
- Player retention. We are losing, Tait and Gibson and I also believe that Parling and Harrison are going to Exeter and Salvi is off to France.

Of course as a DOR Cockerill does not have to manage all those areas but he has to manage all those that are responsible for those areas and he clearly has not and is out of his depth.

[sapajo]

I seem to remember that simon cohen has previosuly said they were after mauger before but he 'wasn't available'. it sounded like he was the plan but it didn't pan out the way they thought, MOC leaving early - those left for this season not quite working out.

Tigers must always require a Plan B as it is not just limited to it being required on the pitch.

[origamitiger]

Couple of thoughts. To the gentleman who wants a suggestion for a new DOR, perhaps we could start with Matt O'Connor. And if not him, then there are plenty of good coaches out there. The point is that the club has to be more important than the coach. The other interesting indication is the number of first team players that are moving on or not that eager to re-sign. Doesn't paint a picture of a happy committed dressing room.

[MurphysLaw]

[quote="bc"]I agree that the board have to take responsibility and, as I mentioned in the original post, I believe Simon Cohen has to consider his position. He is the link between the board and the playing side. He should have also recognised Cockerill's weaknesses and looked to mitigate...[/quote]

All of this is supposition on our part,(unless you have inside knowledge of course)I certainly don't profess to know the goings on behind the scenes. However,I would imagine that Cohen has a role in it, but it is not him who makes the decisions about the coaching structure and personnel is it?.Surely, it is the Board as a whole who make such appointments.

As you are probably aware, changes have already been put in place regarding the Academy (although not sure what you mean by '...produced non-Tigers related players...? - Balmain?, Pasquali?); and isn't the whole training and conditioning regime being externally reviewed? I think these problem areas have been recognised and measures put in place to improve them.

Yes, Cockers, as DOR, is responsible for the playing side of the Club. But,my point is that perhaps,in the circumstances of the failed Head Coach appointment, he, and the other coaches, are being sold short.

There's still plenty to play for of course, but I also think that, given the amount of hand-wringing going on, it wouldn't be a bad thing for the Club to start giving the fans some sort of statement of intent, or something positive to counter the gloom and doom.

[ellis9]

For all those who say that calling for Cockerill to go but have no solutions here you go:

DOR - MJ
Head Coach & Attack - Aaron Mauger
Forwards - Brad Thorne
Defence - Phil Blake

What does Martin Johnson have to show that he is good enough for the job. He is a Tigers legend but that doesn't mean he is the answer. It didn't go too well with England did it?

Ellis it is irrelevant who should replace him and unfair on the poster to ask him/her to suggest this. There are people who recruit others for a living and whose role is to be aware of the skills and availability of potential managers/coaches.

What? Unfair to ask the poster to suggest replacements! Do you realise how contradictive you sound? So it is ok for people to suggest Cockerill should be sacked but then then it is unfair for them to suggest a replacement? You are right in the 2nd part of your post though, there are people who recruit for a living and these are the exact same people who are experts on whether to keep or sack the current DOR so surely by your reasoning, it is unfair for people to be suggesting Cockerill should be sacked and this should be left with the experts?!

[jgriffin]

Couple of thoughts. To the gentleman who wants a suggestion for a new DOR, perhaps we could start with Matt O'Connor. And if not him, then there are plenty of good coaches out there. The point is that the club has to be more important than the coach. The other interesting indication is the number of first team players that are moving on or not that eager to re-sign. Doesn't paint a picture of a happy committed dressing room.

Due to circumstances the last two seasons I had a conduit to a senior player (now elsewhere in a different capacity). You would not vaguely countenance MOC returning if half the stories were true. A hugely divisive and abrasive figure, far more than Cockers, and actively disliked by some players, especially in the pack. While such figures can be highly functional in some situations you would not want them as a figurehead leader. You may call that 'hasn't got the dressing room' but unlike the days of the (IMO) unlamented Mr Back, there are no bothercausers in dressing rooms these days, players are a lot more professional than that and do not slack even if they are going elsewhere at the end of the season.
Professionalism has brought just that, professional players; but that also means they look at their bank balances and futures more than the days when they could use the OB network to fall into a job as an estate agent or similar - so they make a rational decision to move (as I have done more than once)for a better salary.

[Isambard]

Ellis, you twister of words you rascal.

Finding contradictions when there are none.

Message boards are for the placing of messages and not for the presentation of analytic reports.

the person who finds crowding in a hospital department should not be expected to produce a cost risk analysis for its improvement.

[Spicer]

The problem is nobody is really available currently.

[ellis9]

Finding contradictions when there are none.

Can you explain how it is ok for people to suggest Cockerill gets sacked but then suggest that it is not up to them to decide who replaces him as there are experts to do that isn't contradictive?

[TigerLad]

What I find interesting is that amongst all of the finger pointing and recriminations, no-one is suggesting that Messrs Tom, Wheeler and the Board have a share in any blame for our predicament.
We have a situation where our Head Coach leaves in the first half of a season, and although a replacement is coming next season, we are left,bereft for the remainder of this season with Cockers, who has openly admitted his limitations when it comes to backs coaching, Blake who arrived here, late and still finding his feet,as Defence Coach, and Murphy, who is just learning his trade.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and all that, but the Burke experiment did not work and the club has been running without an effective Head Coach since the shouty Aussie left. The decision to appoint (and dismiss or did he walk?) Burke was the Board's.
Mauger is seen by most as a good appointment. In the meantime however, the Club has been left to continue to muddle along for this season with inadequate coaching resources. Cockers, Blake, Murphy are left to carrying the can and take the flak from the fans and the media. Maybe the players are feeling it too?
Could the Club have appointed a 'caretaker' Head Coach? Parachuted in a 'Jake White' character as an interim measure as has happened elsewhere? (I think he has since been given the Montpellier rescue job).
Anyway, my main point is that those calling for Cockers to go imo are off the mark.

[The Boy Dave]

I think we lack honesty!
I'll probably get shot down for it but if I am being honest we do not possess many great all round players, we have some who could be or were great but very few at a peak, apart from Manu.
Ayerza is a great scrummager, Mulipola is a great ball carrier, Salvi is a great fetcher, Williams is a great kicker and Burns is a great runner but there are so many areas of weakness you could attribute to so many players, mobility, fitness, pace, fear and risk.
On their day when it clicks they can compete with anyone, but they are vulnerable.
To play a complete game you need complete players, if a trade off is to be made to accomodate less than complete players then you must stick to a gameplan.
What I struggle to accept is Williams and Burns as 10's in the same 23, they are chalk and cheese.
The All Blacks, the most complete players in the world could adapt to a huge change in style from their 10,'s but we are not the All Blacks.

[RagingBull]

Couple of thoughts. To the gentleman who wants a suggestion for a new DOR, perhaps we could start with Matt O'Connor. And if not him, then there are plenty of good coaches out there. The point is that the club has to be more important than the coach. The other interesting indication is the number of first team players that are moving on or not that eager to re-sign. Doesn't paint a picture of a happy committed dressing room.

MOC is imo half the problem.