Costello hits out at the players

[Heathen]

I also think stating that players "have missed their opportunity " doesn't do much for team morale.

Agreed!

[baldpaul101]

what he actually said was:

"Some guys will get another opportunity, some guys will have to live with the fact that opportunity has passed them by at the moment."

I don't see too much wrong with that. He's saying if you didn't deliver, you may have to wait a while for another chance. He isn't going to say, never mind if you were a bit cr@p, have another try next week is he?

Don't forget, the players will have reviewed this and they will know who didn't perform at the required level, this is just putting out there to the supporters that the coaches know it wasn't good enough. When Dai used to blandly talk about "not respecting the ball" & other assorted coach speak, people moaned about it, now people aren't happy that a coach is telling them straight that is wasn't good enough?

[Rossm]

I quite agree, bp101. I really think the thread title is a bit misleading. Not at all what I had expected once I had read the Cov Tel article.

[BG]

I also think stating that players "have missed their opportunity " doesn't do much for team morale.

If it was a foreign coach saying something similiar you could excuse the "lost in translation" excuse.

There's a difference between saying "some players didn't quite grasp the opportunity on the day".. which gives them encouragement the next time to do so.. compared to what Costello said.. which almost implies they've been thrown in the bin already... the opportunity has passed.

I don't think Costello has done enough in his career so far to say that about players in the squad.. which makes me think he's passing the pressure he's under, to deliver, onto the players.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

.. which makes me think he's passing the pressure he's under, to deliver, onto the players.

... and, when you do that, it is shortly before you get shown the door, as, at that point, you lose the changing room.

[Hymenoptera]

So, 3 months from now, we have a new defence coach to appease the masses. The players continue to miss one on tackles, knock the ball on, kick out on the full, pass to the invisible man, butcher clear scoring opportunities...and do every schoolboy basic, badly.

Who do you blame then?

Fear of change is no excuse not to change.

Is that your answer or did you answer within the wrong thread.

Avoiding the facts don't make it fiction.

[Shugs]

I can't pretend defence wasn't an issue last season but for me attack was the big issue. We were a shadow of the team going forward that we had been. Yes there were circumstances beyond our control but at times we were dreadful. No one seems to be out to get Blackett (or the strength and conditioning team for that matter).

[westwaleswasp]

Thought the comments were going to be explosive, but they were actually a little milder than that in the article.
I suspect a lot of people fear that this is going to be last year, but although it is trite it has to be said- early days yet, only the prem cup etc.

I also agree with Shugs- last year the issue was the woeful attack.