Simmons use of the B Team [without Jammer + TP] : Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:45 pm  

Watching Saints is so much better than last year but I think Royce needs to think about the interchange usage - especially when big hitters like Clough and Perry are out.

When we have Jammer and TP playing [the A Team] we looked awesome at timrs. However, playing without them for 10-15mins either side of half time [the B Team] killed us today - we scored 0 and conceded 16. I understanding starting them both but from then on we really need to spell them in such a way to avoid not having both on the field for a significant period like we did today.

Great effort, but I think Royce missed a trick here. Anyone agree?

Re: Simmons use of the B Team [without Jammer + TP] : Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:49 pm  

Harborne Saint wrote:

Watching Saints is so much better than last year but I think Royce needs to think about the interchange usage - especially when big hitters like Clough and Perry are out.

When we have Jammer and TP playing [the A Team] we looked awesome at timrs. However, playing without them for 10-15mins either side of half time [the B Team] killed us today - we scored 0 and conceded 16. I understanding starting them both but from then on we really need to spell them in such a way to avoid not having both on the field for a significant period like we did today.

Great effort, but I think Royce missed a trick here. Anyone agree?

Two of us have just been arguing about this on another thread.

When would you have suggested Royce interchange his A Team as you call them with his B Team, if not when he did? Or would you have proposed playing his A Team for the full 40 minutes?

I think he took the wisest option myself because that gave the A Team time to fight back. If he had fielded the A Team first, when they went off then the B Team would have crumbled and Wigan would have had a field day without any hope of time for a comeback.

Re: Simmons use of the B Team [without Jammer + TP] : Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:53 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

Two of us have just been arguing about this on another thread.

When would you have suggested Royce interchange his A Team as you call them with his B Team, if not when he did? Or would you have proposed playing his A Team for the full 40 minutes?

I think he took the wisest option myself because that gave the A Team time to fight back. If he had fielded the A Team first, when they went off then the B Team would have crumbled and Wigan would have had a field day without any hope of time for a comeback.

I understand that view and it nearly worked but Wigan like to blow away teams early in each half. I'd have put Jammer on for first 20 of each half and perhaps asked him to do the last 5-10 of each. His leadsership and play is inspirational. Others can play off him and would have started with TP with him but spelled it so TP remained on field when Jammer was off.

Not a big dig at royce but that side either side of ht was far too light.

Re: Simmons use of the B Team [without Jammer + TP] : Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:55 pm  

Harborne Saint wrote:

Not a big dig at royce but that side either side of ht was far too light.

Well, yes. Perhaps there were other factors to consider? Jammer playing with a sternum injury for instance? I dunno. But I can see what Royce was trying to do and had one or two decisions by players been taken differently, we would have won. Had we won, I wonder if anyone would have been so analytical about his interchanges?

Re: Simmons use of the B Team [without Jammer + TP] : Fri Apr 22, 2011 10:00 pm  

You're probably making a fair point. Just in tight games little things count - sternum injury might have been the factor. My frustration is that in the dodgy spell Magennis dropped 2 important balls which were like a 12 point turnaround. The A-team wouldn't have. Jammer and TP were flawless today.

Not many of us would have thought Makinson would get on and do that well?

Re: Simmons use of the B Team [without Jammer + TP] : Fri Apr 22, 2011 10:07 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

Two of us have just been arguing about this on another thread.

When would you have suggested Royce interchange his A Team as you call them with his B Team, if not when he did? Or would you have proposed playing his A Team for the full 40 minutes?

I think he took the wisest option myself because that gave the A Team time to fight back. If he had fielded the A Team first, when they went off then the B Team would have crumbled and Wigan would have had a field day without any hope of time for a comeback.

Yes we was

But can you now see my point ?

Re: Simmons use of the B Team [without Jammer + TP] : Sat Apr 23, 2011 6:15 am  

St pete wrote:

But can you now see my point ?

I saw it to start with, Pete. I just didn't agree with it. I still don't! I don't think you understood the point I was making though, did you? Either that or you were simply choosing to ignore my question.

Re: Simmons use of the B Team [without Jammer + TP] : Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:43 am  

SaintsFan wrote:

I saw it to start with, Pete. I just didn't agree with it. I still don't! I don't think you understood the point I was making though, did you? Either that or you were simply choosing to ignore my question.

I do see your point and I made the same point in my original post that Royce was using the halftime and just after to give TP and jammer a longer rest.

As I've said, I thougt the first 15 mins after halftime was the most important. We knew Wigan would come out all guns blazing and we needed to weather that which we didn't.

I honestly think if Graham and TP would have played the first 15 mins of the 2nd half we'd have won. After just watching it back on sky, Phil Clarke also comments on how saints cope with them both off. The answer was we didn't. Wigan come out and took us apart.

Re: Simmons use of the B Team [without Jammer + TP] : Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:50 am  

St pete wrote:

I honestly think if Graham and TP would have played the first 15 mins of the 2nd half we'd have won. After just watching it back on sky, Phil Clarke also comments on how saints cope with them both off. The answer was we didn't. Wigan come out and took us apart.

But if Simmons had taken them off later in the match, instead of keeping them off straight after halftime, would we have coped better when they went off? They wouldn't have lasted the full 40, no way, not in that heat and with no interchanges. They would have had to have come off at some point.

My question was, would the remainder of the team have coped better later?

Re: Simmons use of the B Team [without Jammer + TP] : Sat Apr 23, 2011 7:54 am  

SaintsFan wrote:

But if Simmons had taken them off later in the match, instead of keeping them off straight after halftime, would we have coped better when they went off? They wouldn't have lasted the full 40, no way, not in that heat and with no interchanges. They would have had to have come off at some point.

My question was, would the remainder of the team have coped better later?

As I said we needed to match them in the 15 mins after halftime. That period was the most important. If they would have not scored in that spell( they scored twice! ) I think it would have disheartened them and we would have gained more confidence.

I can't put in to words how vital that 15 mins after the break was.