Re: Is It Really Brown's Fault? : Mon Apr 22, 2013 8:46 pm
St. Etrigan wrote:
This has been a very interesting thread up to now with some insightful comments and observations. I would like to add my own to these FWIW
Brown is certainly at fault for some of the teams failings (selections) but there is so much more to our problems that a new coach was on a hiding to nothing.
Half back Situation
We obviously need a 7 and less desperately a 6 but cast your mind back only 2 years ago. We had a halfback combination of Eastmond (the current No 7 for England) and Leon Pryce to come back from injury. We had a 7 to build a team around, an experienced 6 for 2 or 3 more seasons to help guide and some good young talent at half coming through. Almost overnight it seems that we had to then rely on Lomax and Gaskell to see us through that season - the majority were over the moon with the performance of 2 local boys (I never saw it with Gaskell but was willing to accept that they seemed to work together). We made the grand final with our marquee players such as Graham, Roby, Puletua and Soliola as stand outs and only injuries prevented us from winning on that day.
Last Season
Things started to look rosy, we had lost Graham but signed an Australian of some reputation and Perry (our international prop) ready to come back after an injury ravaged season, we had signed a Kiwi international to work in the halves and also added utility value (personally I have never rated Hohaia and thought he was probably the luckiest player to pull on an international jersey after Andy Currier) but then things started to go wrong very quickly. It was very apparent that the players we had to replace Graham couldnt come close and the loss of Graham was now deaply felt, Roby was starting to work alone as the dummy half, the half backs were now no longer working together and the super kiwi had to be played even though there wasnt really a place he could fit into the team. We sacked the manager who the year before had been a saviour (probably because he knew that Brown was signed for the next year) - slipped down the table and we had to use internal coaches for the rest of the year and to be fair to them they did what was needed to get us through that season, but with no eye on what was the long term.
Fullback and current halfbacks
Last season Wello showed that he still had the ability to cut it at the highest level even though he still had some issues with speed - but this year he has gone further back and when we see a player like Lomax show what we could have had it has only added to our woes. So our one decent half back now has to play full back - so we are left with
One half back who is a tackling second row
One half back who is an ex full back
One half back who is a Kiwi and doesnt show any flair for the position
One half back who seems to be made from chalk
One half back who has been moved to another club as he just isnt good enough
and a bunch of kids who are not yet ready but it seems that they will have to be played.
But 2 years ago we were very strong in that area?????? The loss of Eastmond caused all of this dilema but it was further compounded by Lomax and Gaskell looking good for 1/2 a season making the club and the supporters feel that they had good half backs when it turns out we only had a great fullback and a Salford player - we signed a half back who simply shouldnt be anywhere except on the last plane home.
But to add to this we have lost all of our go foward through poor props and an injured hooker (so we now have our 2 outstanding players injured) and no replacement.
We have more than our fair share of players who shouldnt be getting regular first team places - but they are and need to be whittled down to subs or first choice replacements
What has to be done
We are in a right mess and very little options but to rebuild around the players we still have. Should these have been seen earlier - probably but not by a coach you were going to replace and not by an interim coach.
So it is a case of fate, mismanagement and poor purchasing that has got us here. It will have to be Brown who gets us out and it will take seasons and brave choices to do it.
What we need to do
Some people on here are talking about packing in, not getting a season ticket and generally deriding the team. Yes we are not good at this time - but we will rise again - Wigan had this scenario a couple of years back - what did they do? they rallied round the team, supported in even greater numbers and have been enjoying it ever since. There is nothing like poor seasons to make you appreciate good ones - I think that we have all been a bit spoilt, but the answer now is to get behind the team and show them that we understand what is happening and we trust them to get it right - dont tell me that you need a bunch of pie eaters to show you what is the right thing to do
Brown is certainly at fault for some of the teams failings (selections) but there is so much more to our problems that a new coach was on a hiding to nothing.
Half back Situation
We obviously need a 7 and less desperately a 6 but cast your mind back only 2 years ago. We had a halfback combination of Eastmond (the current No 7 for England) and Leon Pryce to come back from injury. We had a 7 to build a team around, an experienced 6 for 2 or 3 more seasons to help guide and some good young talent at half coming through. Almost overnight it seems that we had to then rely on Lomax and Gaskell to see us through that season - the majority were over the moon with the performance of 2 local boys (I never saw it with Gaskell but was willing to accept that they seemed to work together). We made the grand final with our marquee players such as Graham, Roby, Puletua and Soliola as stand outs and only injuries prevented us from winning on that day.
Last Season
Things started to look rosy, we had lost Graham but signed an Australian of some reputation and Perry (our international prop) ready to come back after an injury ravaged season, we had signed a Kiwi international to work in the halves and also added utility value (personally I have never rated Hohaia and thought he was probably the luckiest player to pull on an international jersey after Andy Currier) but then things started to go wrong very quickly. It was very apparent that the players we had to replace Graham couldnt come close and the loss of Graham was now deaply felt, Roby was starting to work alone as the dummy half, the half backs were now no longer working together and the super kiwi had to be played even though there wasnt really a place he could fit into the team. We sacked the manager who the year before had been a saviour (probably because he knew that Brown was signed for the next year) - slipped down the table and we had to use internal coaches for the rest of the year and to be fair to them they did what was needed to get us through that season, but with no eye on what was the long term.
Fullback and current halfbacks
Last season Wello showed that he still had the ability to cut it at the highest level even though he still had some issues with speed - but this year he has gone further back and when we see a player like Lomax show what we could have had it has only added to our woes. So our one decent half back now has to play full back - so we are left with
One half back who is a tackling second row
One half back who is an ex full back
One half back who is a Kiwi and doesnt show any flair for the position
One half back who seems to be made from chalk
One half back who has been moved to another club as he just isnt good enough
and a bunch of kids who are not yet ready but it seems that they will have to be played.
But 2 years ago we were very strong in that area?????? The loss of Eastmond caused all of this dilema but it was further compounded by Lomax and Gaskell looking good for 1/2 a season making the club and the supporters feel that they had good half backs when it turns out we only had a great fullback and a Salford player - we signed a half back who simply shouldnt be anywhere except on the last plane home.
But to add to this we have lost all of our go foward through poor props and an injured hooker (so we now have our 2 outstanding players injured) and no replacement.
We have more than our fair share of players who shouldnt be getting regular first team places - but they are and need to be whittled down to subs or first choice replacements
What has to be done
We are in a right mess and very little options but to rebuild around the players we still have. Should these have been seen earlier - probably but not by a coach you were going to replace and not by an interim coach.
So it is a case of fate, mismanagement and poor purchasing that has got us here. It will have to be Brown who gets us out and it will take seasons and brave choices to do it.
What we need to do
Some people on here are talking about packing in, not getting a season ticket and generally deriding the team. Yes we are not good at this time - but we will rise again - Wigan had this scenario a couple of years back - what did they do? they rallied round the team, supported in even greater numbers and have been enjoying it ever since. There is nothing like poor seasons to make you appreciate good ones - I think that we have all been a bit spoilt, but the answer now is to get behind the team and show them that we understand what is happening and we trust them to get it right - dont tell me that you need a bunch of pie eaters to show you what is the right thing to do
Great post
