johnthegriff wrote: ↑Wed Apr 10, 2024 12:31 pm
Neither Bob Dwyer nor Matt O'Connor were exactly reticent in expressing their feelings about Tigers dispensing with their services.
Deano was unfairly sacked after his aging and tired team couldn't regain former form following the England World Cup win, he did sign Ramiro Pez though. There were people in the club that wanted him gone but couldn't t make their move whilst the team was winning.
Cocker's sacking was just unfair.
Very one eyed view John, always 2 sides to every story.
The other side is the club's refusal to spend any money on the players RC wanted?
There is nothing to be gained from opening a discussion on RC but his involvement with the club, or lack of went far deeper than the first team, including dealings with academy recruits and ex players.
He was very successful his record speaks for itself I’ll say no more
For me Cockers is a club legend and deserves a rousing round of applause when he appears for btoh what he did as a player and a coach.
That said, as can happen when coaches/managers/DORs stay for prolonged periods, he oversaw diminishing returns. Indeed, IMO he oversaw the start of the rot that SB finally turned around. Whether that initial slide and resulting rot was down to Cockers or not, and many have a view either way, it is fair to say that he was in charge of results and performance, and both were terrible by the end of his time. Unfortunately they then plummeted even further once he'd gone.
IMO he inherited a very strong squad that needed pulling back together after Loffreda and Meyer and he did a great job in doing so whcih saw results spike and carry us throuhg for a few more years until 2012/13 after whcih the slide started when the best players retired, were often injured or left wihtout being adequately replaced. It also coincided wiht the Academy supply chain drying up - again you can take your view on whether that was as a reuslt of RC not selecting players and bringing in journeymen or whether he was forced to bring in journeymen because the Academy had stopped producing talent.
For my money, it was a bit of both but RC has to take both the plaudits for a period of success at the start of his tenure and the brickbats for the lack of success at the end of his tenure. IMO it was the absolutely terrible recruitment in the final 3-4 seasons that did for him - we lost our identity and ended up with a bunch of individuals, no team, and a real lack of quality that saw morale sink, sink and sink again both during and then after Cockers time.
Indeed, in professional sport, if you are getting beaten 43-0 at home and losing 45-0 to Bath and in general seeing results, season by season, get progressively worse then those in charge will end up paying the price. The slide had started and Cockers was the guy there at the time.
That slow erosion across the squad was mirrored in the wider club and was then compounded by MOCs time in charge that GM couldn't turn around but did sow the seeds of Academy quality coming back through.
Was Cockers solely responsible for the intial success - probably not but he was a key part.
Was Cockers solely responsible for the latter lack of success and general malaise - probably not but he was a key part.
Some of it was not making it clear what the boundaries of Cocker's & Mauger's responsibilities were, meant the board ended up sacking both as the players had split as well, then we had the world search for the best coach...
DeadlyDunc wrote: ↑Wed Apr 10, 2024 1:01 pm
IMO he oversaw the start of the rot that SB finally turned around.
Was it SB who sorted it out? Has it acually been sorted out yet? IMO it's still ongoing.
He did have a hand in sorting the onfield stuff, but off field needed majorly sorting out as well and I'm not sure that SB did that, although his recruitment was part of the process, then part of the problems again.....
Wayne Richardson Fan Club wrote: ↑Wed Apr 10, 2024 1:02 pm
Some of it was not making it clear what the boundaries of Cocker's & Mauger's responsibilities were, meant the board ended up sacking both as the players had split as well, then we had the world search for the best coach...
This. I was really excited when Mauger came in, but it was really badly managed and was never going to work like that!
Why oh why do they schedule it for Friday night? For those reliant on ever diminishing and unreliable public transport or who have to travel any distance after work it becomes almost impossible to attend. I know that TV schedules force us to have some games on Friday nights and every year I resign myself to the fact that I am going to have to forego a couple of games I've paid for on my season ticket but surely the scheduling of this fixture is totally in the hands of the club.
A plea to the management: when fixtures like this are totally in your hands please try to schedule them when all your loyal supporters actually have a reasonable chance of attending.
Tigers for the premiership and European Cup. Get behind the team and make some noise!!
voice of the crumbie wrote: ↑Fri Apr 12, 2024 6:36 am
Why oh why do they schedule it for Friday night? For those reliant on ever diminishing and unreliable public transport or who have to travel any distance after work it becomes almost impossible to attend. I know that TV schedules force us to have some games on Friday nights and every year I resign myself to the fact that I am going to have to forego a couple of games I've paid for on my season ticket but surely the scheduling of this fixture is totally in the hands of the club.
A plea to the management: when fixtures like this are totally in your hands please try to schedule them when all your loyal supporters actually have a reasonable chance of attending.
The scheduling of this is entirely down to the club.
However we need to use it as prep for our next game. Which unfortunately is a Friday game. The last thing we want is a short turnaround for the Sale game so it's a choice between making it easier for fans to attend a friendly and giving our team the best prep for the league match.
Used to run around with an 11, 14 or 15 on my back.
voice of the crumbie wrote: ↑Fri Apr 12, 2024 6:36 am
Why oh why do they schedule it for Friday night? For those reliant on ever diminishing and unreliable public transport or who have to travel any distance after work it becomes almost impossible to attend. I know that TV schedules force us to have some games on Friday nights and every year I resign myself to the fact that I am going to have to forego a couple of games I've paid for on my season ticket but surely the scheduling of this fixture is totally in the hands of the club.
A plea to the management: when fixtures like this are totally in your hands please try to schedule them when all your loyal supporters actually have a reasonable chance of attending.
The scheduling of this is entirely down to the club.
However we need to use it as prep for our next game. Which unfortunately is a Friday game. The last thing we want is a short turnaround for the Sale game so it's a choice between making it easier for fans to attend a friendly and giving our team the best prep for the league match.
It is but they will also want to avoid clashes with the European semi finals that will be on TV. It may also have been requested by the Black Lions.
TiltonTiger wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 4:39 pm
I just hope it’s a more interesting match than the Portugal fixture was.
It definitely will be. The Black Lions beat Llanelli Scarlets this season in Wales. It will be more like the Emerging Italy game (presuming we pick a similar strength team to that) where they fire some shots at us and give us a scare but we buckle down and get the win through good defence and the maul.
voice of the crumbie wrote: ↑Fri Apr 12, 2024 6:36 am
Why oh why do they schedule it for Friday night? For those reliant on ever diminishing and unreliable public transport or who have to travel any distance after work it becomes almost impossible to attend. I know that TV schedules force us to have some games on Friday nights and every year I resign myself to the fact that I am going to have to forego a couple of games I've paid for on my season ticket but surely the scheduling of this fixture is totally in the hands of the club.
A plea to the management: when fixtures like this are totally in your hands please try to schedule them when all your loyal supporters actually have a reasonable chance of attending.
Leicester City are playing Blackburn in the last game of the Championship season on Saturday at 12.30pm.
Tigers are playing Sale on the next Friday, so won't want a 5 day turnaround to play on the Sunday.
“A plea to the management: when fixtures like this are totally in your hands please try to schedule them when all your loyal supporters actually have a reasonable chance of attending”
Whatever day they select it will never be convenient for “all loyal supporters” there will be some who couldn’t make it on a Saturday or Sunday, so needs of the team in preparation for an upcoming game takes precedence.
CogGom wrote: ↑Fri Apr 12, 2024 12:06 pm
“A plea to the management: when fixtures like this are totally in your hands please try to schedule them when all your loyal supporters actually have a reasonable chance of attending”
Whatever day they select it will never be convenient for “all loyal supporters” there will be some who couldn’t make it on a Saturday or Sunday, so needs of the team in preparation for an upcoming game takes precedence.
Has been mentioned above that City are at home on the Saturday so it isn’t totally in the clubs hands Saturday is out as the police and Health and Safety elves won’t allow it
voice of the crumbie wrote: ↑Fri Apr 12, 2024 6:36 am
Why oh why do they schedule it for Friday night? For those reliant on ever diminishing and unreliable public transport or who have to travel any distance after work it becomes almost impossible to attend. I know that TV schedules force us to have some games on Friday nights and every year I resign myself to the fact that I am going to have to forego a couple of games I've paid for on my season ticket but surely the scheduling of this fixture is totally in the hands of the club.
A plea to the management: when fixtures like this are totally in your hands please try to schedule them when all your loyal supporters actually have a reasonable chance of attending.
The scheduling of this is entirely down to the club.
However we need to use it as prep for our next game. Which unfortunately is a Friday game. The last thing we want is a short turnaround for the Sale game so it's a choice between making it easier for fans to attend a friendly and giving our team the best prep for the league match.
Exactly, I consider myself loyal and struggle with Saturdays where as Fridays are easy for me. We are all different so let’s not categorise ‘loyal’ purely to suit one perspective please.
