That's not too far from where I used to stand before moving to the Tetley's stand.

I know you all very well.

That`s good to hear !!! unfortunely we do have some proper numpties at our club and they tend to bring it down.

Platt was deserved of a lot of the criticism he recieved, just as much as this year he's worty of all the plaudits he is recieving.

Platt would be one of the first names on the team sheet for me, and that is coming from one of his harshest critics for all the previous seasons I have thought him not upto standard.

As Dilli said last night, there isnt anybody in this team that is determined as Mick. At times he has been the only one looking to make things happen.

He's a good asset to us.

Are you too posh for us now then !

I think certain players end up getting stick because they are seen as epitomising the general weaknesses of the team as a whole.

Scott Naylor was a generally popular player in a generally succesfull team. However when that team did struggle it was often put down to too much emphasis on power and brawn at the expense of finesse, it was the so called "no plan B" team. Naylor wasnt exactly the most subtle of players and would usually struggle more than most in those games.

For me 2009 was the year of the blown leads, the defeats snatched from the jaws of victory. Platt wasnt solely responsible for those defeats, but most of them seemed to involve him playing well for an hour or so before having some sort of brain fart that changed the course of the game.

And this year I think Worrincy just about sums up the Bulls weaknesses, particularly the frailty in defense. He wasnt the only player that missed tackles but he has become synonomous as the player that misses tackles in a team that concedes soft tries.

It certainly doesnt justify the booing, but I can see why Worrincy has become a lightening rod for the fans general frustrations.

Cibaman is correct. When you look at the stats on the SL website Worrincy doesn't stand out as badly as you'd expect when compared with fellow Bulls backrowers.

For instance in terms of missed tackles his total of 30 is behind Menzies (49) and Whitehead (59).

In terms of errors his total of (icon_cool.gif is some way behind Menzies (32) and Whitehead (13).

Ok so he doesn't spend as much time on the field as those two. So compared with Glenn Hall:

Metres per carry: MW (6.3) and GH (6.5)
Busts: MW (15) and GH (16)
Errors: MW (icon_cool.gif and GH (10)
Missed Tackles: MW (30) and GH (32)
Penalties: MW (13) and GH (20).

Compared with Langley it's a similar tale. Fact is that Worrincy stands out more as he's easily spotted on the field, being the only black player. So when he makes mistakes people notice them more. The stats show us that his teammates are often equally fallible.

Now this isn't to say I think he's good enough to keep. His role in the side as I see it is to be a running second rower that makes busts and makes an impact.

In this respect his stats are poor. He's made fewer tackle busts (15) than any of Langley(20), Hall(16), Menzies(31) or Whitehead(2icon_cool.gif.

just to add to that, Hall isn't exactly a fans favourite either.

I dont think Worrincy's mistakes are highlighted more by the fact that he is black. That's ridiculous.
Personally I go to watch rugby players play rugby and I'll notice mistakes and poor play in they are white or black.
Michael Platt's mistakes were certainley highlighted as much as Mikes and he's a white dude.

Worrincy is indicative of the decline at the Bulls and the quality of your players. Perhaps this is why he now appears the 2010 scapegoat.
There are a lot better players in the squad and few worse.
The simple fact is he is not a SL quality player.
You need to replace Menzies with two quality forwards who will help the very good younger guys like Whitehead etc develop as they need to do.

Absolutely.

I think perhaps some people have missed my point.

I'm not saying people get on Worrincy's back because he's black or that his mistakes are highlighted more because he's black.

I'm saying people notice him on the field more because he's black and pretty much everyone else is white. You may see a forward miss a tackle or hang around in the centres dowing nowt quite a bit. However when that forward is Worrincy, because he's a big black man is more noticeable and he's unmistakable on the field.

You might see the opposition score a try and sometimes it's dificult to see who missed the tackle in the general melee. However Worrincy is unmistakable in these situations so gets more flak.

As for the comparison with Platt - Platt's main brain farts were when he played at fullback. An isolated position on the field like a goalkeeper. There was no mistaking him either.

After reading that I couldn't read the rest of your post.

You should try.

Ryan Bailey syndrome?