This poor season could probably be traced back to a badly managed pre-season. It seems we approached the games half arsed with a lack of gameplan and the focus being on getting minutes in the legs, regardless of which position it was in.
That could be put down to Smith's naivety, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out the importance of pre-season for building combinations, structure and cohesion. I had a manager who insisted on people rotating teams so they knew a bit of everything. It doesn't work. People need to be experts in their areas with an understanding of others.
To play devil's advocate, this could potentially be the making of Smith, but he needs a wise head beside him as Director of Rugby. He's still a young coach and has made a fair few mistakes this season. If he can put his hands up and say he got it wrong, it could be a huge learning experience. But he needs someone there with experience. His coaching team is quite young and I wonder if there's anyone questioning his decisions, or if they're just nodding dogs.
What's clear is that the club is broken on the field, and has been for some time. It feels like we're stuck in the past still living off the success of the golden generation.
