: Sun Jun 21, 2009 9:13 pm  

Latchford Wolvesfan wrote:

Right then, i didn't want to start another thread so i'm bringing this back up.

Ive said many times that the team if given the confidence and direction can play and win games without Briers.

My argument was that for many years under the Cullen or Lowes regime the team imo have been told that everything from play making to water carrying goes through Briers, so much so that the team seemed lost without him. We now have a coach that can give the team the self belief, confidence and direction when Briers isn't on the field.

We lost at Scotland without Briers although i feel he wasn't missed in that game but Morley was, we lost last week because we had the drongo in charge again and he lacks the expertise of a first class coach.

I don't want this to turn into another Briers bashing thread and i know it's only one game but those people who think we need Briers on the field to win games, what do you think now and are you anymore convinced that with the right coaching the team can play and win games without him

I want to believe, I want it to be true. I just think that we'll be here, soon enough, after a lacklustre defeat, debating if he'd played would we have won, and plenty of us championing the "Yes" angle.

I think Graham Appo showed in 2003 that we can do without Lee Briers, what nobody ahs been able to do since, is do it for a long enough length of time to convince coaches & fans alike that Lee should go, now maybe Old Father Time is making that decision for us, and rather than 'Can we play without Briers', Smith will enforce the approach of 'We have to win without Briers, and will do so.'

I think what Smith does is empowers his players, gives them the confidence & self belief. If they didn't previously believe that they could win without Lee, they soon will do.

: Sun Jun 21, 2009 11:38 pm  

Wire_Yed_79 wrote:

No Morley no win

agreed

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:49 am  

Latchford Wolvesfan wrote:

Right then, i didn't want to start another thread so i'm bringing this back up.

Ive said many times that the team if given the confidence and direction can play and win games without Briers.

My argument was that for many years under the Cullen or Lowes regime the team imo have been told that everything from play making to water carrying goes through Briers, so much so that the team seemed lost without him. We now have a coach that can give the team the self belief, confidence and direction when Briers isn't on the field.

We lost at Scotland without Briers although i feel he wasn't missed in that game but Morley was, we lost last week because we had the drongo in charge again and he lacks the expertise of a first class coach.

I don't want this to turn into another Briers bashing thread and i know it's only one game but those people who think we need Briers on the field to win games, what do you think now and are you anymore convinced that with the right coaching the team can play and win games without him

Apart from a few mentalists (I have to put that in after WOTT managed to find someone last week who LITERALLY thinks we'll NEVER replace Briers) no one is saying Lee Briers is utterly irrelplaceable. Similarly, no one is saying he is perfect, personally or professionally. However the overwhelming evidence, over 10 years, is that we are a much better team with Briers in it than not.

Now, I take your point that for years the team may have been directed to send stuff through Briers. However, the other reason is that he has been excellent for us on many, many occasions. It's natural that people will look to him.

As an aside, I don't agree that the reliance on Briers has been all that contrived - lest we forget, past coaches have tried to sign any number of half backs to play with the bloke. For obvious reasons, it makes no sense to have 1 player who can kick, pass and cause problems for the opposition line.

What I would like to see Latchy is you to acknowledge the bloke's contribution to our club over his career and his importance to the team. Who knows how long he has left at the club (well, you might) - I'm a bit uncomfortable with how his reputation (player) is being tarnished by some.

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:57 am  

Ian [77] wrote:

Apart from a few mentalists (I have to put that in after WOTT managed to find someone last week who LITERALLY thinks we'll NEVER replace Briers) no one is saying Lee Briers is utterly irrelplaceable. Similarly, no one is saying he is perfect, personally or professionally. However the overwhelming evidence, over 10 years, is that we are a much better team with Briers in it than not.

Now, I take your point that for years the team may have been directed to send stuff through Briers. However, the other reason is that he has been excellent for us on many, many occasions. It's natural that people will look to him.

As an aside, I don't agree that the reliance on Briers has been all that contrived - lest we forget, past coaches have tried to sign any number of half backs to play with the bloke. For obvious reasons, it makes no sense to have 1 player who can kick, pass and cause problems for the opposition line.

What I would like to see Latchy is you to acknowledge the bloke's contribution to our club over his career and his importance to the team. Who knows how long he has left at the club (well, you might) - I'm a bit uncomfortable with how his reputation (player) is being tarnished by some.

Well said Ian, I really hope people do acknowledge his contributions over the years, surely no one can't deny his commitment to Warrington.

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:17 pm  

Ian [77] wrote:

What I would like to see Latchy is you to acknowledge the bloke's contribution to our club over his career and his importance to the team. Who knows how long he has left at the club (well, you might) - I'm a bit uncomfortable with how his reputation (player) is being tarnished by some.

Every time you bring this up i have said many times and will say again that nobody can knock the contribution/commitment that Briers has made over his Warrington career, he deserves to be acknowledged for that but it doesn't make him a great player.

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 4:37 pm  

Latchford Wolvesfan wrote:

Every time you bring this up i have said many times and will say again that nobody can knock the contribution/commitment that Briers has made over his Warrington career, he deserves to be acknowledged for that but it doesn't make him a great player.

He is a great player he has has just been unfortunate not to have ever played in a great side.

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:32 pm  

briers is legend full stop, i will be writin to the big wigs for a statue of him somewhere in this town when he retires.

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:34 pm  

mark_m wrote:

He is a great player he has has just been unfortunate not to have ever played in a great side.

Perfect example of why the word great is overused.

Briers has been a talented player who has had some good games and played a long career.

Great is like Andrew Johns, Ellery Hanley, Martin Offiah. Briers was never a great.

If he was a great however he would have played in a great side, he wouldn't have hung around Warrington he'd have been winning trophies with Saints or Bradford.

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:43 pm  

stringers_wolves wrote:

briers is legend full stop, i will be writin to the big wigs for a statue of him somewhere in this town when he retires.

COUGH,COUGH,COUGH,COUGH
LEGEND is a strong word and Briers is nowhere near LEGEND status nowhere near the cotributions of Brian and John Bevan ,Murphy,Parry Gordon,Boyd,Drummond,Hesford,Gregory and the list goes on and on without Briers mentioned,YES he has served the club well yes he has played well in patches he has been a good player but he ISN'T a LEGEND !

: Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:53 pm  

SPIRIT OF 74 wrote:

COUGH,COUGH,COUGH,COUGH
LEGEND is a strong word and Briers is nowhere near LEGEND status nowhere near the cotributions of Brian and John Bevan ,Murphy,Parry Gordon,Boyd,Drummond,Hesford,Gregory and the list goes on and on without Briers mentioned,YES he has served the club well yes he has played well in patches he has been a good player but he ISN'T a LEGEND !

i'm 25, so i really havent seen much of all of the above names to be honest, but like you have sed and me dad tells me, they were greats, but for the warrington legend of what i know and my era it has to be lee briers, really do think the stick he gets sometimes is a joke, people who dont even watch the ruggers and you have a conversation with them they will say, (we need get rid of that briers dont we), For me, personaly opinion, briers is the man