Ulster Coaches

[Cap'n Grumpy]

But Bart ..... don't you know?

It's all a southern conspiracy to break the confidence of our naturally superior players!

[Cap'n Grumpy]

You had to go and spoil a good conspiracy theory, didn't you?

[Eggs]

It is easy to blame the coaches when things go wrong, but then just because its easy, doesnt mean its not still right!

For my part Im going to reserve judgement until after the next couple of matches. I said before the Munster game that a loss would be hard to come back, and make for a long wait to get a chance to recover, and Im gutted that this is now the case. I think we are going to have to be reallistic as well, after the break we have some tough matches, and even if we up our game that may not convert to wins, but we need to see some performances, and some tries!!

What I really want to see (and maybe its wrong- Im no coach!) from the coaching staff is this- pick your starting 15, with noone out of position, then give them a few games as a team. A poor performance does not make a poor player, and a couple mistakes shouldnt mean a player gets dropped, it seems to me that we need some stability. Of course some players are going to be away/injured, them coming back may mean others dropping to the bench, but lets get some sense of a stable team about us. Then we can build on our performances, and that in turn will lead to results. A good run into Christmas and who knows...

After all, we are still 4th in the table!

[backawaygoonahead]

We were told last Tuesday night by Buzz that the kickers are all practicing hard. I think he mentioned Piennar, NOC, Humph but can't remember was D'Arcy amongst those who were practicing. Does anyone recall?

Those 3 plus Paddy were mentioned. Not D'Arcy ..... although I assume it doesn't NECESSARILY mean he's not practising.

Cheers Skipper, thought that was the case but you know what the old memory is like! Seems odd given he was supposedly an 80% plus kicker in Oz if I remember correctly & from a vid I saw of him he had a simple looking style and struck it solidly rather than our Ruan's banana strikes which start straight and make a dranatic left turn - if he hits it well

[backawaygoonahead]

Dean Richards anyone...

Don't think Mr Richards would do any better to be honest. I think most are going off half cocked and of course the coaches everywhere make easy targets - in rugby we tend to side with our players so it has to be somebody else's fault. Mind you I suspect McGlock & team wouldn't be up to Sir Alex's standards as motivators given our current 2nd half displays.

Where I can see peoples arguments is the likes of Pedrie, when he stands in the backline everybody knows only one thing is going to happen. If just once some other move happened using him as a decoy you might think some mental processes were at work, but as it stands its hard to see any evidence. Similarly rigidly sticking with a man who is clearly struggling with his placekicking when other options are there.

I still believe we are getting used to each other as a team and to expect instant success is a stretch, I think I am prepared to see what happens by the end of the season albeit that we may effectively only be chasing top 4 in the ML by then and only see an outside chance of the Amlin rather than HC quarter as I can't see us winning twice against Bath even if they are moderate opposition.

I'm not normally patient by nature but think we need to be or there will be a surge in heart problems pre-christmas.

[Ardglass2]

I think both Dean Richards and Eddie O'Sullivan would be a huge step up from what we have at the moment and, for differing reasons, actual possibilities.

[cables]

I think both Dean Richards and Eddie O'Sullivan would be a huge step up from what we have at the moment and, for differing reasons, actual possibilities.

Should Dean Richards ever be appointed as a coach with Ulster, it would be immediately followed by withdrawal of both my support for and interest in the Ulster rugby team.

[Jackie Brown]

Dean Richards, no, thank, you

[pwrmoore]

I think both Dean Richards and Eddie O'Sullivan would be a huge step up from what we have at the moment and, for differing reasons, actual possibilities.

Should Dean Richards ever be appointed as a coach with Ulster, it would be immediately followed by withdrawal of both my support for and interest in the Ulster rugby team.

Admirable cables. Many here have made such a fuss about the awarding and operation of long bans for the likes of Brennan, Attoub, Dupuy, and of course Richards that is its hard to imagine too many turning round and welcoming the self-confessed cheat with open arms. Would be a step too far I think.

[backawaygoonahead]

Eddie would be interesting, should the job become vacant, but would he work for buttons ? Might work out for us as he isn't much of a man for rotation so we would have our best team on the pitch more often.

[mikerob]

EOS will be in the US job until RWC 2011... whether he says on will probably depend on how the Eagles do.

The degree of responsibility of the coaches vs the players for Ulster's malaise is a valid debate but IMO it is too early to talk about new coaches.

If Ulster's season ends up with no sign of an upward trajectory - out of the HEC before the last group games, no Amlin, no ML play-off, dog fight with Connacht for a HEC place - then the powers that run UR will have an important decision to make....

[darkside lightside]

In Doak's defence, if anyone wishes to question his ability to coach a backline, pop down to the DUB any saturday Queens are at home to see high paced, high skilled rugby...albeit its not always winning rugby.

but no disrespect to Queens, but they're an AIL2 side, a whole different ball game to coaching a bunch of professional players including a load of internationals.. Look at who's coaching Leinster's backs this year, his previous gig was coaching Clermont in the Top14, bit of a difference in CV. There may be something to your theory about McL imposing a different gameplan - although for me the problem isn't that we aren't putting the ball wide (although we are kicking too much on occasion), but that we're putting it wide indiscriminately, often too early without having gone through any phases or tied up any defenders, and that when we do go wide, we just pass from side to side, with a bit of lateral running to eat up more space, or we give it to Whitten/Pedrie in midfield - and never really threaten the gainline..

I think both Dean Richards and Eddie O'Sullivan would be a huge step up from what we have at the moment and, for differing reasons, actual possibilities.

I will never forgive EOS for the hole he drove Ireland into, and don't believe that that leopard can change his spots. I wouldn't be keen to see either of these guys have anything to do with Ulster, ever.

[backawaygoonahead]

Cheating or gamesmanship? was it any different to UR bringing props back on after they had played 30 mins went off as a substitution then due to a "sore back /neck" to the replacement, they came back on for the last 10-15 minutes fighting fit.some people really have to get "Jolly old hockey sticks" syndrome outta their heads and take a reality check..............Personally i thought the bloodgate thing was a mark of a genius, getting caught was the act of a fool

Yes - one is more or less accepted "practice" within the game the other is "proper" cheating. Perhaps its you needs the reality check if you really don't see a difference.

[pwrmoore]

Admirable cables. Many here have made such a fuss about the awarding and operation of long bans for the likes of Brennan, Attoub, Dupuy, and of course Richards that is its hard to imagine too many turning round and welcoming the self-confessed cheat with open arms. Would be a step too far I think.

Cheating or gamesmanship? was it any different to UR bringing props back on after they had played 30 mins went off as a substitution then due to a "sore back /neck" to the replacement, they came back on for the last 10-15 minutes fighting fit.some people really have to get "Jolly old hockey sticks" syndrome outta their heads and take a reality check..............Personally i thought the bloodgate thing was a mark of a genius, getting caught was the act of a fool

Youngman, I always felt that Williams was cheating in that respect, and I didn't approve then or now. I wouldn't have been at all disappointed if he'd been pulled in front of a disciplinary committee for it. Call it a jolly-hockey-sticks mentality or anything else you like, if it is unchecked it will ruin the sport. If you enjoy watching a sport where players/coaches will stop at nothing to draw a free-kick/penalty then go and watch soccer.

[Jackie Brown]

NO i want to watch teams win........simples.. and if that means being a tad underhand and a cad so be it..an accepted practice goonhead? it is still cheating ...........Do you think that the great crowd(Munster) who pride themselves on silence for the kicker would be silent if they were 1 point in the lead to say an English team with the english team having a kick in front of the posts to get a semi final place in the ERC......................nope they whould be howling like a gaggle of banshees on speed...........(did not use Ulster as we will never be in that situation)

They did a lot of shouting during kicks as we humped them 2 seasons ago.