The Dentist Wilf wrote:
You can forget Smith or anyone else coming in because Lee Radford is here for a while yet, all the signs are there we are signing players and about to sign players that are his choice, there would be little point in doing that if he was off.
Reasonable conclusion to draw. I also have said for a while that I think Pearson will give Radford time and I hope he does. Radford needs to learn from his naïve comments to the media after this game - it's not his role to criticise the paying supporters of the club and he needs to stay well clear of that. Also it's best not to imply that he doesn't have a solution to the issues although I think that was just sheer frustration. I like his honesty in many of the things he says - he actually says what many have said on here about the players' performances for years.
It's recruitment that has messed up this club for a long time and McRae seems to me to have set Pearson's plans back at least two years. I hope Motu Tony can do better. We need higher quality players than we have to challenge. Radford's coaching will improve but I don't think we have enough quality on the field as things stand now, particularly in key play making and the 'game-management' area but also other areas. Losing that game on Sunday was a classic example of lacking a general. It's that long since we've had a player of that type I think some fans have forgotten the importance of it. Westy has masked the absence of such a player this year with his outstanding effort and consistency in his play making role but even he can't dictate play in the way that is required and in any case he's out now.