Seth wrote:
The problem with calling things as you see them in this respect is that fans only see what 20% of the information that goes into decision making and the impact decisions have on many other aspects.
Of which the "no plan B" complaint is the most obvious example.
If the Plan A that you worked on all week on the training field isn't working, the coach gets a maximum of five "active listening" minutes at half-time to correct it. Players are too fatigued both physically and mentally at the break to take in too much tactical information, so the best he can do is offer them some pointers and hope they sink in. No coach in the world has time to install a whole new gameplan mid-game.
Often where a team appears to have "no plan B", it's because the key players in the side are either unable to recognise that Plan A is failing or simply don't have the game management and leadership skills to be able to change it on the hoof and start to play what's in front of them rather than what they were expecting. The last couple of Magic Weekends are perfect examples of Leeds sides not being able to come up with a solution out on the field for breaking down Wigan's "blitz" defence, instead sticking to the pre-planned approach of battering away down the middle, little inside passes off the ruck etc.
Nobody on the field was able to grab hold of the side and say "right, this is what we're going to do differently", yet it's the coach who usually cops the criticism for the players not being able to play with their heads up.
