Quote: carl_spackler "Just ANY coach is possibly why we're in this mess. If we're going to get rid it should be for an improvement, and quickly, otherwise we'll just be in further disarray scratting about without a coach with recruitment/retention decisions to be made by our chairman who seemingly still has no clue about rugby-related matters. Or we'll just stick the next assistant coach in line in charge.
I didn't say they won't be at all telling, I said they won't be as telling as the 2 games after. There's a difference. Our battle this year is clearly going to be near the bottom end of the table again, so will be defined by how we do against the others there. Losing to 2 of the likely top 4 will change little about that, even if we do put in spirited displays. We've seen before that we can respond to our regular poor performances with the odd one- to two-off games where we really fight for it against the top-end sides, we need to see if we can start asserting ourselves against those around us. Even if we were to get a shock win in one of the next 2, I still wouldn't be convinced we've turned it around until we start backing it up in the mid-table battles.'"
IMO the next two games and how we perform make more of an impact than the two following games.
Firstly because it is exactly how we react from the performances of last night and the week before in these two games that will have a huge bearing as to how we go on the two games and beyond as we'll have almost played 1/3 of the season.
As I said the difference between how we perform over the next two games could well decide how our season pans out, lose badly in both and the chances of winning the folowing two games that you reckon have more bearing are even less. Sneak a win, a draw, just something for the players to draw upon and the following two games whilst not easy to get a result from a mental POV are a little easier.
Losing confidence and the drain of losing games week in week out (which would be apt if we've lost 5 weeks running) and the added pressure each week from losing has a massive bearing on what happens next.
That's why the next two games are more important for me.