Quote: Dave K. "So I'll read between the lines, Pearson basically says that Gentles recruitment was poor, can anyone argue with that?'"
I'd say a fair assessment would be mixed. Some poor players, but equally some of the best players in our current squad are still his signings. Disregarding next season's recruitment because we don't yet know how it will pan out, I'd also say that recruitment since has been equally mixed so far.
Looking at this year:
Paea, Watts, Ellis, Thompson.
Sa, Talanoa, Pryce, Sneyd, Minichiello, Paleaaesina, Michaels, Naughton, Rankin.
Compares quite similarly IMO, some real quality in both lists, a canny signing or 2, and some averageness to bobbins (especially when adding in some already moved on). Probably our 5 best players in there this year IMO, shaded by Gentle's recruitment despite all the criticism it gets.