I wonder how much Briscoe or Ferres rate him as a coach? Both arrived as top class internationals and now both look very ordinary.
Ferres has looked very ordinary from day 1. I doubt even McDermott could have f***ed over his career that quickly. Although Ferres might well look to point the finger. he doesn't strike me as one who takes a great deal of personal responsibility.
The longer we go the more the finger of responsibility for performance has to lie with BM. He's been coach since 2011, which means more and more of the squad are down to him. Next year we'll only have 4 players who were here before he took over, and none in any of the key positions. That means its his team. Just as BM deserves massive credit for all the success from 2011 to 2015, IMO he equally has to bear responsibility for performances since then.
I actually think on paper we're starting to make the right sort of changes, with the signings of Myler and Dwyer drawing a line in the sand over the Sinfield era. I do think we should have reacted more to the appalling 2016 season, as I think a number of players who had ridden the wave of success were shown up badly without Peacock/Sinfield, but we are where we are. Without a couple of linebreaking forwards I can't see us dominating again for some time though.
I'm not convinced BM is the coach we need moving forward. I still think last year was a disgrace and as head coach he has to bear major responsibility for it. In many ways for me 2018 is shaping up as the year we really see whether BM is a good coach in his own right, or whether he was just the right coach to get the best out of the end of the Sinfield era.
Wasn't 2017 the year to see what McDermott could do? Or 2016? Or 2015? Or 2014? Or 2013? Etc...,
At the end of the day what coach would've come in to change the signings/departures made? Don't you think McDetmott would've loved a Ali style 2nd row? This is the guy who gave Gale his first proper chance at SL level at Quins so don't you think he'd have liked him here?
Wasn't 2017 the year to see what McDermott could do? Or 2016? Or 2015? Or 2014? Or 2013? Etc...,
At the end of the day what coach would've come in to change the signings/departures made? Don't you think McDetmott would've loved a Ali style 2nd row? This is the guy who gave Gale his first proper chance at SL level at Quins so don't you think he'd have liked him here?
In my opinion, a great coach can make the sum of the parts more than their individual worth. BM has not once demonstrated that ability and, as much as I actually like the bloke, we need a great a new coaching team who can the absolute best out of what we have.
The availability of player x or player y, is irrelevant, organisation to combat deficiency is the key. Graham Murray was a mater and, to some extent, all the coaches since have managed it to some degree. Unfortunately, we have reached a point where the current shortfall in ability is beyond what BM is capable of addressing.
It is worth adding that, unlike other posters, I don't expect to win every game and aren't overly bothered by a loss, providing we have been reasonably competitive for whole game. In the big games this year, we have barely been at the races for the first half.
Printer, why do you react so defensively every time questions are asked about BM?
I think he deserves massive credit for 2011-2015 and its ridiculous to simply assume we would have won as much with any other coach. It reminds me of the people trying to credit 2004 to Powell rather than Smith, which was equally nonsensical. However, last year was an utter disaster, which for whatever reason you seem to give him a free pass on. I don't. It was, and this is worth repeating, just about the worst year in the club's entire history. In any event that's my opinion and yours is different.
The club as a whole (maybe GH, maybe BM or both) reacted way too slowly to last year's debacle - during and after. In many ways where we are now is where we should have been last year. Regardless, BM is still with us, and since he is I hope he proves his doubters - including me - wrong.
I also agree that he needs support re signings, and as I've said, signing Myler and Dwyer to me makes a very clear statement about moving forward. My biggest doubts are and have been around the pack, where I think we've fallen a long way. Hopefully we get at least one new dynamic forward in the mix to change things up.
McDermott is going. I actually think he is more relaxed because of it, and seems to have let the shackles go. He apparently asked to finish the season, and that is what they agreed.
McDermott is going. I actually think he is more relaxed because of it, and seems to have let the shackles go. He apparently asked to finish the season, and that is what they agreed.
Printer, why do you react so defensively every time questions are asked about BM?
I think he deserves massive credit for 2011-2015 and its ridiculous to simply assume we would have won as much with any other coach. It reminds me of the people trying to credit 2004 to Powell rather than Smith, which was equally nonsensical. However, last year was an utter disaster, which for whatever reason you seem to give him a free pass on. I don't. It was, and this is worth repeating, just about the worst year in the club's entire history. In any event that's my opinion and yours is different.
The club as a whole (maybe GH, maybe BM or both) reacted way too slowly to last year's debacle - during and after. In many ways where we are now is where we should have been last year. Regardless, BM is still with us, and since he is I hope he proves his doubters - including me - wrong.
I also agree that he needs support re signings, and as I've said, signing Myler and Dwyer to me makes a very clear statement about moving forward. My biggest doubts are and have been around the pack, where I think we've fallen a long way. Hopefully we get at least one new dynamic forward in the mix to change things up.
I'd agree with much of this though for me the question of the club's reaction speed after the 2016 horror show remains to be resolved. These are only personal criteria but if we win the GF, the club and coach are vindicated. Second place and a respectable GF loss is, for me, still good; it suggests reasonable progress made although I recognise for some it'll not be good enough (mind you, what would?). Second place but a meek capitulation in the play offs, or worse, and I think surgery would be called for.
I think getting to the GF or even just performing strongly to the end of the season would be enough for this year. My issue last year was the almost complete lack of response during the season. Even the signing of Segeyaro was down to luck more than planning. As it is I think we missed a chance to make a few more changes to the squad, particularly the forwards. All we've really done in that area IMO is delay the inevitable.
