Re: Is this season a write off? : Tue Mar 20, 2012 6:58 pm  

Billinge_Lump wrote:

I think the point when I wrote Simmons off came with that 'I didn't know what they were doing comment'.

To me, his reaction to that defeat was one of avoiding blame. We didn't plan that, they didn't do what I asked, etc. It was a marked difference to an interview given by Powell at London earlier in the year when he also blamed communication issues on the field for a loss, but then took responsibility by stating that it was an issue he would have to work on, he would have to deal with.

I also noticed something Wellens said in a post match interview after the Bradford game, when he made a point of saying that what was going wrong was not due to a lack of effort in training or on the field. Now I may be looking into this too much, but to me that was a captain placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff. When a captain is doing that, especially from such a club man as Wellens, the writing is on the wall for the coach.

In a nutshell thats nigh on exactly what i think,its obvious to everyone something was badly wrong this year and better to sort it now than to let it linger week after week.

Re: Is this season a write off? : Tue Mar 20, 2012 7:40 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

Rubbish. They had gone off plan and were in a bit of a panic so obviously the coach hadn't a clue what they were doing as it wasn't in the plan. The context of what he said was as if you had asked what on earth someone was doing when they did the exact opposite of what they were supposed to be doing.

Don't agree, Royce as games progressed has "lost his team", the players look confused, short of ideas and don,t know which player they will be playing with the following week.
This rotation of players was shocking whilst trying to find form, it was causing confusion and dissallusioment, something that McManus has picked up on.
I have,nt seen any form of plan this season.............just 16 headless chickens. The team needs to get its Mojo back, when we do there is only one direction and that's upwards.

Re: Is this season a write off? : Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:02 pm  

Judder Man wrote:

Don't agree, Royce as games progressed has "lost his team", the players look confused, short of ideas and don,t know which player they will be playing with the following week.

They were just the same at the start of last season too, or have you conveniently forgotten this? They couldn't attack or defend at first and then the defence began and the attack came later. Strangely enough we were adjusting to no Cunningham (leader) and a new stadium then as well.

I have,nt seen any form of plan this season.............just 16 headless chickens.

So you didn't attend the pre-panic matches then? Against Catalans they certainly had a plan but it was their defence which let them down. The plan was there. Royce can't force them to stick to it once they are on the pitch though and they lack a leader up front to get them back on track when they go off the plan, so they panic. That isn't Royce's fault. That's the responsibility of the board for not recruiting a leader.

Re: Is this season a write off? : Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:03 pm  

brook40 wrote:

So if they had gone off plan isnt it the coaches job to put them back on plan ? yes it is,did he ? no he didnt.You can rubbish it all you like,the fact is this season the team has been poor,its the coaches job to sort this out and he didnt/couldnt.

He can't walk on the pitch and tell them to get back on the plan!

Re: Is this season a write off? : Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:04 pm  

Judder Man wrote:

Don't agree, Royce as games progressed has "lost his team", the players look confused, short of ideas and don,t know which player they will be playing with the following week.
This rotation of players was shocking whilst trying to find form, it was causing confusion and dissallusioment, something that McManus has picked up on.
I have,nt seen any form of plan this season.............just 16 headless chickens. The team needs to get its Mojo back, when we do there is only one direction and that's upwards.

16 headless chickens

Re: Is this season a write off? : Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:04 pm  

FearTheVee wrote:

You had written Potter off 80 minutes after a grand final, let alone 7 matches!

You really are a sad, obsessed person aren't you?

I gave Potter a full season. Only during his second season with us did I end up thinking he was rubbish. And I haven't changed my mind since.

Re: Is this season a write off? : Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:06 pm  

Billinge_Lump wrote:

I also noticed something Wellens said in a post match interview after the Bradford game, when he made a point of saying that what was going wrong was not due to a lack of effort in training or on the field. Now I may be looking into this too much, but to me that was a captain placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff. When a captain is doing that, especially from such a club man as Wellens, the writing is on the wall for the coach.

You are reading the wrong thing into that comment completely. I follow Mike Appleton on Twitter and visit the Saints FB page too. That comment was a direct response to fans criticising the team for being lazy/no passion, etc. It has absolutely nothing to do with the coach. And that is a matter of fact.

Re: Is this season a write off? : Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:07 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

:lol: He can't walk on the pitch and tell them to get back on the plan!

After one match fine,
Two matches, well maybe it's some bad form
Three matches, maybe it will turn around next week
Four matches we seam to have deeper problems
Five matches, well maybe he should walk on the pitch because what ever he's done over the last month had zero effect.

Re: Is this season a write off? : Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:10 pm  

bewareshadows wrote:

Five matches, well maybe he should walk on the pitch because what ever he's done over the last month had zero effect.

There was an effect. We leaked fewer than half the number of points in the last two weeks than we had in the previous two weeks. So our defence had dramatically improved and but for Jamie Foster's lapses it would have been even better. Incidentally, the original plan was to drop Foster for four matches but injury to Gardner meant that Foster had to be played.

Defence righted itself first last season too. The attack would have come.

Re: Is this season a write off? : Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:12 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

You really are a sad, obsessed person aren't you?

I gave Potter a full season. Only during his second season with us did I end up thinking he was rubbish. And I haven't changed my mind since.

To be fair, you'd jumped on the Royce is great train just from one interview. I recall you saying you like him already from his very first interview.