Quote: lefty goldblatt "I don't disagree for one second, SC
In fact, you could add the following to your list
A halfback pairing of Ratchford and Bridge,
Richie Myler
even Gareth O'Brien, could have won that game.
This stems back to Smith's apathy to recruitment, as well as the Briers situation.
Briers didn't really retire, did he. He was told to stop immediately, on medical grounds. If Smith was still coach, and Briers neck not done in, Briers would still be playing regular rugby for us NOW, despite his decline in his last couple of years in P&B.
Since that GF defeat in 13, we've sleepwalked into blandness in the middle of the park. An old Gidley, a bang average Brown (who we paid a big transfer fee for) and a urine taking Roberts, who (iirc) was signed when we didn't have a coach in place.'"
I disagree on Ratchford/Bridge/Myler/O'Brien...the reason we ended up with Kevin Brown and Roberts (via Sandow) was that these guys weren't able to do it. As regards recruitment and planning post-Briers, TS had a plan - it was Myler and Ratchford who were seen as the hot young 7 and 6 talent around, and we picked them up young and gave them time to bed in while Briers was still here. Had they been better it would have looked like perfect planning, but whilst they are decent players, they weren't halfbacks that could win you a big game. Same with O'Brien. Sandow could, but had other issues.
Quote: lefty goldblatt "
It's time we admit that Brown and Roberts aren't working, and something needs to change. What's that definition of insanity? Doing the same thing all the time, but expecting a different result.
As Jean Jacques Burnell once grunted "Something Better Change"'"
Sure but another definition of insanity is swapping Roberts for Patton and expecting a different result.