Always a Wasp

Not sure age has anything to do with what someone brings to a team BG, Smith anyone? I also highlighted Jimmy the man, not player, he's a vocal leader and defensive juggernaut beyond his stature, a distributor and game reader. I'd argue we miss him more than...dare i say the name.
Gaby and Watson looked like decent signings, its not Dai's fault at all that they have fallen to such an extent.
I agree on Sops and he is starting to frustrate me a bit, he has pedigree but he just isn't displaying it yet, even the glimpses are too far between for someone of his billing. Sit slightly flatter, ship the ball on a second later and the backline doesn't look as predictable.
I agree it'll click at some point, sooner than later hopefully, losing has become a habit that needs some cold turkey.

Quote from: Gaz on February 04, 2019, 07:30:40 AM

In light of recent events, I'd like to retract my defence of alternative opinion and suggest that DW is best avoided for a day or two!

In their defence (and I include myself in that), 15 defeats in 22 games does not make good reading. The fact that so many of those games have been lost by common causes - missed tackles, poor handling skills, try scoring opportunities butchered etc. - and the lack of any credible messages coming from management as to why, it is very easy to understand the frustration of our supporters.

It is not rocket science. It is all about addressing the fundamentals, some of which IMHO, have been a common theme for a number of years.

Leadership is so important, on and off the pitch. Listen to Rob Baxter and Mark McCall. They have visions and structures in place to deliver them. We, sadly, are light years away.

Now i'm no coach but I'll eat someones hat if its the case that the players are being coached to - butcher tries, drop balls, pull out of being tackled, kicking out on the full, miss one on one's, throw intercepts...the list goes on. This being the case, why constant rant about coaches and blaming Dai.

I'm not sure what Dai is supposed to say, how does he culture a response to that, I know I can't other than to state the obvious. McCall and Baxter couldn't respond any better or worse and no one minded Dai's responses when we were destroying teams.

I also disagree with the comment about fundamentals for a number of years, our fundamentals nearly won us the league and have enjoyed us some good days out.

Do I like the situation we are in, no, do I have my head in the sand, no...am I looking for a scapegoat, absolutely not, because at some point  we will eradicate half of these issues and win a game, then we'll eradicate them all and give someone a pasting.

I get tired of the DW blame culture, for now, it is what it is and can only improve, I could point to individuals but whats the point, its a collective.

I agree, just training with WLR and having his ear, a bit like Smith with Young & Haskell, would be worth a lot.

I'm with Wasps..in the championship he can develop his craft, 20 mins off the bench here and there isn't really going to give him much.

I expect there is a plan, I understand he wasn't a cheap an acquisition as is typical.

I think we need to consider very carefully how many big name S hemisphere players we sign from a playing point of view, especially those without much experience of the NH game who may take time to get used to it up here. We may be able to have one more, but there will be a point where we can't. More importantly, from a crowd POV, we need some top English names to get bums on seats, jokes about dropping the gold are all very well, but Wasps have spent the whole of the pro era with a very English identity and are trying to settle in a new city with a football club dispute hanging round the neck. The potential for crowds to drop is high, for me having a few more English stars would make me feel a little less worried.

Be interested to know what sort of English names you think would put bums on seats?

Would i rather go see a Bauden Barritt or a George Ford, A Damien Mckenzie or Mike Brown, a Fekitoa or a Max Clarke....I know who i'd choose.

Didn't Sale offer Launch big bucks before he re-signed for us last year?

This +1.

This has been done already and it seems any news out there is wasps news these days.

Given they have just signed up 850k on 2 props, JCW and Klitsoff, yes, 850k, with a hooker apparently to come, i'm not sure they'd have the funds for this considering the other players on their books.

Its clear we are a short of at least one experienced coach but one other reason we are less effective at defence this season could be that we no longer have James Haskell in the pack, I'd swap Shields for him no problem and he had his faults but there's no arguing he was a tireless defender, vocal and experienced.

But he was always broken and has been broken all season for Saints, so in that regard offers nothing.

I'd also argue Shields does as much in terms of workrate.

I agree, given the sports drive and the 300 million people, they have the potential. Living in Atlanta I may pop along to the odd match, be great if Wadey rocked up there.