Alex Murphy : Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:15 pm  

When Alex was coach we went through a similar situation to now, the first team players were under-performing, lazy, uninterested etc etc.

Alex's respense was to drop the whole team and play the reserves. He said "I would rather see a team of young enthusiastic lads playing 110%
than a lot of prima donna's under-performing".

Despite criticism from all quaters and screams of fury from the fans, it worked like magic ! The following week all the first-teamers played like men-possessed !

Mind you, they were being paid for wins then, not on lucrative contracts as now.

Shame we don't have a coach with the same iron discipline now, although to be fair, he did drop Penny ?

Murphy was an instinctive player with inate skills and a fantastic win ethic.

He couldn't pass on his skills because they were natural but he could coach and he could motivate. I well remember an international winger saying after a session with Murphy (when he was GB coach), that he had never before been as motivated to win as he was by Murphy.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 4:00 pm  

I wonder what the effect would be of dropping those in the team under performing and playing the youngsters. I'm sure we'd get hammered but at least it'd be a game with our players being honest to themselves and the fans, plus it's no worse than is happening now!

Out of interest, if Lowes was to drop those under performers, who would you keep in?

I'd keep Reiley, Hicks, Higham and Carvell. Possibly Bridge, I don't think he had enough of a chance to break into the first team last game so is deserving of the opportunity.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 4:12 pm  

Rugbychick™ wrote:

I wonder what the effect would be of dropping those in the team under performing and playing the youngsters. I'm sure we'd get hammered but at least it'd be a game with our players being honest to themselves and the fans, plus it's no worse than is happening now!

Out of interest, if Lowes was to drop those under performers, who would you keep in?

I'd keep Reiley, Hicks, Higham and Carvell. Possibly Bridge, I don't think he had enough of a chance to break into the first team last game so is deserving of the opportunity.

westwood and morley?

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 4:25 pm  

jAmEs-LaD wrote:

westwood and morley?

Westwood - 5 match ban and penalty machine.

Morley - Been somewhat lacklustre in my opinion.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 4:30 pm  

Rugbychick™ wrote:

Morley - Been somewhat lacklustre in my opinion.

NOT IN ATTACK HE'S NOT!
Unless I've ben watching a totally different game to you......

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:13 pm  

fes wrote:

NOT IN ATTACK HE'S NOT!
Unless I've ben watching a totally different game to you......

She doesn't even go the games cocker.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:18 pm  

Rugbychick™ wrote:

Westwood - 5 match ban and penalty machine.

Morley - Been somewhat lacklustre in my opinion.

Quick question for you.

Which one of Ben Westwood and Mick Higham conceded most penalties last year?

I'll give you a clue, it was not the one that you referred to as a penalty machine, but the one that you would keep in the team.

Re: Alex Murphy : Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:21 pm  

Rosswire wrote:

When Alex was coach we went through a similar situation to now, the first team players were under-performing, lazy, uninterested etc etc.

Alex's respense was to drop the whole team and play the reserves. He said "I would rather see a team of young enthusiastic lads playing 110%
than a lot of prima donna's under-performing".

Despite criticism from all quaters and screams of fury from the fans, it worked like magic ! The following week all the first-teamers played like men-possessed !

Mind you, they were being paid for wins then, not on lucrative contracts as now.

Shame we don't have a coach with the same iron discipline now, although to be fair, he did drop Penny ?

Murphy was an instinctive player with inate skills and a fantastic win ethic.

He couldn't pass on his skills because they were natural but he could coach and he could motivate. I well remember an international winger saying after a session with Murphy (when he was GB coach), that he had never before been as motivated to win as he was by Murphy.

This was all before my time, but do you have any more details on it?

Did he drop every player? What score did the game with the reserves end up? Were they all then dropped for the following week?

How did this work out long term? I could potentially see this being a short term fix, but just couldn't see it working long term.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:00 pm  

Dave T wrote: This was all before my time, but do you have any more details on it?

Did he drop every player? What score did the game with the reserves end up? Were they all then dropped for the following week?

How did this work out long term? I could potentially see this being a short term fix, but just couldn't see it working long term.[color=orange][/color]

Sorry its from memory but its pretty well correct.

1. I think just one or two were retained.
2. The youngsters got thrashed but did give 110% and were clapped off
at the end. It was a pretty important match too.
3. It only happened the one week but the lesson was learned.

It was an Alex off-the-cuff response to a situation that really angered him. He just couldn't take lack of effort and would not be messed about.

Most of his actions were off-the-cuff, thats why he was so un-predictable on the field.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:09 pm  

There is a video on some website or other on t'internet of Murphy in the Wigan changing rooms (I presume it's Wigan, could be Leigh), threatening to put anyone on the transfer list who doesn't turn up for extra training.