Quote: Peter Goddard "Last week Dunning said we have not suddenly become a bad team but unfortunately that is the case.'"
I heard him say that and he's right. We've become a bad team, not overnight, but over the last 18months. It wasn't what he meant though and a coach has to stand by his players publicly. What he says behind closed doors is a different matter.
The quote doesn't really do him any favours as it implies the Newcastle result was an aberration. Instead I think it's been on the cards for some time. With the attitude and fitness of the current side on the decline it was only a matter of time before we got spanked.
The performance vs London was poor. Dunning said we got into the arm wrestle which pleased him but it's a very low bar to clear. When we clawed our way back into the game we promptly conceded a try under the sticks. The coach and players can talk as much as they like but the evidence on the field shows they're not at the races at the moment.
As for attendances they announced approx 2700 for this game. I'm genuinely sceptical about that - they must be counting season ticket holders who weren't there as it looked like there was about 1k less than that. I actually quite enjoyed watching Flanagan Jnr make his debut. The rest left a lot to be desired but there was almost a perverse comedy about seeing our fatties getting smacked about. The hit on Ben Evans was a classic example of what happens when you play half hearted rugby. He took a ball at walking pace and got absolutely cleaned out by the London defender. We made Wellington Albert look like Gordon Tallis at times. After the next two games I can't see gates getting above 2k. Is that sustainable Nigel?