McRae was excellent with the limited ball he got and showed exactly why he should be picked every week, if the two centres had released the ball a bit more we would have seen more of him. O Halloran showed his lack of experience a number of times but he is one for the future. When you have 15 individuals playing out of their skin and yet as a team cannot string a performance together then you must look at the management team. With the amount of water breaks, with the Video man on board instructions are easy to get to a team, this is not happening. Someone said before you can see the pods from the moon, I think you can see them from further away we are clueless when we get to the oppostition 22 and very easy to defend against. I can take defeat(just about) what I cannot take is the managerial claptrap that comes out, and this asking people to Front Up Rise Up is just toilet it was a good idea and the supporters have fronted up with hard earned cash and its fantastic to see, they have put there arse's into the cold the only people that have not fronted up is management. I could go on, they saw last year as a successful year :woohoo: so they will probably think we are going well now too. Anyway rant over, player wise we have what we have and individually they are all capable of doing a job for us, look at the some of the French teams one or two stars and the rest are players like ours so it can be done but only with a good coach, we do not have one.
Oh who is the guy on the microphone before the match, does he know we have two stands with supporters on both sides or has he a sight problem.

simpleton wrote: Stringers gone to Saracens. How about trying the nines we have, what's our third choice 9 called, he's had no chance yet.

Dave Moore, I'd imagine if he was doing enough at training and with Wegians he'd have gotten a chance.

Jarvis is kicking extremely well for Wegians, I say we get him in the team. O Connor can't move a backline, doesn't threaten the gainline. His only attribute is place kicking which isn't great either. What have we to lose throwing Jarvis in at 10 with Nikora on the bench as an impact sub where he has thrived in the past and can up the pace.

We have a big problem will all our half backs tied down for 2 years. That may hinder us in signing anyone next year

Stringers gone to Saracens. How about trying the nines we have, what's our third choice 9 called, he's had no chance yet.

Porterbelly wrote: I don't feel I say that, but I do feel there should be more accountability and transparency. We are making the same mistakes over and over and over again, that's why I'm continuously pissed off with the management.

Fair enough, bit of an exaggeration on my part; my point was you've generally been strongly anti- the management and I've tended to be pro- them, but I'm coming round to your way of thinking.

That said I don't think video analysis is the solution; if anything we look overcoached and don't play what's in front of us.

I think a major issue is a lack of leadership on both a moral and tactical level.

The former is partially explained but not excused by the fact that 3 of our 5 pack leaders (McCarthy Flavin, and O'Connor) were out against Treviso, leaving only Muldoon & Swift. The rest of the lads seem too, well, nice.

The management know there has to be a certain number of dogs in the pack, and they should be looking for that quality in signings - it's notably absent in this years crop.

As for tactics, picking a glacially slow outhalf partnership hasn't helped. The PGB needs to go all out to sign a new scrumhalf of quality - Stringer? - almost as badly as we need a new tight head.

salmson wrote:

Porterbelly wrote: The problem is, if we don't arrest the slide and start playing some decent, winning rugby, these young lads will up sticks and who'd blame them. Then where will we be

I never agree with Porterbelly, it seems to me he's never more than one defeat from screaming "fire entire the coaching staff", and I do understand the strictures our team operates under and the losses we had last summer.

I don't feel I say that, but I do feel there should be more accountability and transparency. We are making the same mistakes over and over and over again, that's why I'm continuously pissed off with the management. 3 or 4 phases, mistake, knock on, static ball. McPhillips should be scrutinising videos of Munster and Northampton forward play when in attack. Patient, in their pods, moving at pace around the side of the rucks. Northampton are excellent at this, rarely do you see them static when coming onto the ball. We've much the same pack of forwards for awhile and we're making no progress this regard.

connachtexile wrote: McSharry, Griffin, O'Halloran are going to get better. Dead wood will be cut next year like NOC and Anderson

NOC and Anderson are on 2 year contracts. Murphy is contracted until 2013. We're stuck with the deadwood for all of next season too.

The players you want to keep? McSharry's out of contract in the summer, O'Halloran's on a development contract. They can walk.

As for keeping the faith, the likes of you and me have been keeping the faith for years. I can take 44 more games of this muck (that's how long til summer 2013 folks), but I doubt the new fans will.

I don't know if you were at the Treviso game, I'm guessing by your nom-de-guerre it's unlikely, but this was a new low.

70% possession, 80% territory I'd guess, we smashed or passed our way up the field to their 22 repeatedly only to turn into robots the moment we saw the line.

Galwegian describes it as whiteboard rugby, just one example: it was as if it were preordained we must go blindside X number of times before trying the backs, even if we had men over.

The pack, as individuals, amostly played well, but there was no organisation or leadership. Murphy played as if he had just been introduced to the pack, and then promptly taken a vow of silence.

NOC mixed wonderful tactical kicking with his trademark moments of black comedy.

The outside backs, the hapless McCrea asides, looked sharp but hardly ever got the ball.

And we should remember this was a disinterested B team Treviso put out.

Not that we seemed overly interested either: no dog, on intensity, minds maybe on next week. And players with plenty to prove - POD, Jarvis, Grace, Vainkolo - left sat on the bench while the Untouchables huffed and puffed and knocked-on.

Where does this rant lead?

Simply to these conclusions:

1) We cannot have losing streaks extending to a third of the season every year, as we have last year and this.

2) WE're not going to win stuff in the next 20 years, but to get to even the level of Dragons or Treviso, we have to start winning our home games - we've lost 3 games to understrength Welsh and Italian teams already this year.

Bradley was here waaaaay to long.As for EE he's lost 15 players last season including the core of his team in his top try-scorer, his first choice TH and his first choice OH. I dare any team to lose that many players and come out the next season storming the table. We have a young team who haven't played together before and yes we are lacking in some areas but I think we're going in the right direction. McSharry, Griffin, O'Halloran are going to get better. Dead wood will be cut next year like NOC and Anderson and hopefully young guns like Kearney, McKeown and Bolland will be given opportunities to show there stuff. It's not a perfect scenario but with Connacht one must always have faith!

The season Bradley left, we played like drains up to his announcement that he was standing down , for the remainder of the season we and he relaxed and we were on fire,oh yeah Big George had arrived as well....

Porterbelly wrote: The problem is, if we don't arrest the slide and start playing some decent, winning rugby, these young lads will up sticks and who'd blame them. Then where will we be

I never agree with Porterbelly, it seems to me he's never more than one defeat from screaming "fire entire the coaching staff", and I do understand the strictures our team operates under and the losses we had last summer.

But this time he has an unarguable point; for instance TOH isn't even on a full contract. Why in God's name wouldn't he move to Munster where he'd walk into the matchday 23 at least, maybe the starting 15?

I think the PGB should be sitting Eric down and saying it's like this:

You have 2 home games against an eliminated Gloucester and a by-then-likely-to-be-eliminated Harlequins. You should aim to win one of those.

You have 3 home interpros, one on New Years Day against Leinster and 2 others which will likely not matter to the opposition (Munster having qualified for the playoffs and Ulster being miles from said playoffs but safely well ahead of us). You should surely win one of those.

You have 3 home games against Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aironi. You must win all of those.

You have 8 away games remaining, including such heavyweights as Dragons, Glasgow, and Aironi. It's not to much to ask that we win one more away game before the end of the season.

Obviously there are unexpected victories and defeats, but bottom line, if you fail to win 6 of the remaining 16 fixtures you will have the choice of jumping or being pushed.

Don't get me wrong, I think Eric's done a great job last season, and as for the nonsense about how well Bradley did in his last season, I think it's more believeable that the team knew Eric were taking over and were playing both to his instruction and to impress him as the new boss. Does anyone genuinely believe Bradley magically turned things around after 4 years of unmitigated sh*te?

I think the Simon Heaslip article in the Galway Independent, in which he acknowledges that the squad needs to be strengthened, is an admission that the PGB has, in focussing on the financials (and doing brilliantly in that respect), been remiss as regards the playing side of things.

Well, lads, I'd start with the coaching staff who signed most of the current squad - and it's time for the tough love.

Ga1wegian wrote: On the plus side we do seem to be unearthing some excellent Irish talent with McSharry really looking the part, and Tonetti was impressive for his first match, not forgetting the development of Griffen and O'Halloran. What I would like to see next is a belief that our young forwards and also do a job, the likes of McKeon and Connelly who are tearing up trees in the AIL.

The problem is, if we don't arrest the slide and start playing some decent, winning rugby, these young lads will up sticks and who'd blame them. Then where will we be

:evil: Heard that stringer is heading to saracens, IMO he is the type of player we need, quick ball, a winning "mentality" commands respect and would surely bring on the lads in the position etc etc

Well said Seapoint - keep EOS well away from us.

8 defeats on the spin is not enjoyable and we do seem to be playing too much whiteboard type rugby, the opposition know what we are going to do almost before we do, like they have read the script.

On the plus side we do seem to be unearthing some excellent Irish talent with McSharry really looking the part, and Tonetti was impressive for his first match, not forgetting the development of Griffen and O'Halloran. What I would like to see next is a belief that our young forwards and also do a job, the likes of McKeon and Connelly who are tearing up trees in the AIL.

We appear to have lost the ability to win matches, there is just a little bit too much anxiousness when we get inside the 22 and not enough patience. A cool head in the 8-9-10 positions would be good, however we don't seem to have settled on a player in any of these positions as of yet and until we get players in those key positions who firmly believe in themselves and their abilities then we are going to continue to struggle.

The best thing about last night was how the crowd kept going right until the end, we need to keep believing on the terraces and keep supporting the players and we will hopefully get the break we need to spark our belief that what we are doing is correct and we can start winning.

swift4prez wrote: last year we went on a 10game losing streak. this year we are at 8 and as stated it can be 12.
bradley's last year we only lost 3 games at home all season vs ospreys (first game)game vs munster (one off 4 games in 16 days) and the semi final vs toulon.
we are not the team we used to at home. yes we are better away though

Dare I say it we played alot better rugby towards the end of Bradley's tenure as well.

last year we went on a 10game losing streak. this year we are at 8 and as stated it can be 12.
bradley's last year we only lost 3 games at home all season vs ospreys (first game)game vs munster (one off 4 games in 16 days) and the semi final vs toulon.
we are not the team we used to at home. yes we are better away though

I'm not happy. With things but ee still has my full support,

I don't want Eddie O'Sullivan anywhere near Connacht Rugby. The thought of that snidey little fecker talking his bolloxology every week would put me over the edge.

Too much history there as well and I cannot see the IRFU rubber stamping it...thankfully!