Re: Is Simmons the right man? : Sat Feb 25, 2012 10:21 pm  

I can understand Simmons' reasoning. It's perfectly logical. However, it is also further ammunition to the - seemingly - growing number of people who feel disillusioned with the ... well ... irrelevance of the league component of SL.

Re: Is Simmons the right man? : Sat Feb 25, 2012 10:24 pm  

Mugwump wrote:

I can understand Simmons' reasoning. It's perfectly logical. However, it is also further ammunition to the - seemingly - growing number of people who feel disillusioned with the ... well ... irrelevance of the league component of SL.

Maybe some players feel the same way about Royce

Re: Is Simmons the right man? : Sun Feb 26, 2012 12:03 am  

Mugwump wrote:

I can understand Simmons' reasoning. It's perfectly logical. However, it is also further ammunition to the - seemingly - growing number of people who feel disillusioned with the ... well ... irrelevance of the league component of SL.

Was thinking the same myself. If it happens this way, and we make it OT again, it pretty much undermines the first 16 or so games virtually meaningless.

Re: Is Simmons the right man? : Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:39 am  

Carlos Alberto wrote:

Was thinking the same myself. If it happens this way, and we make it OT again, it pretty much undermines the first 16 or so games virtually meaningless.

To be honest it only began to bother me when they changed the playoff rules. Prior to that I was not only happy with the system but fully supportive of it. Now I'm beginning to have concerns. I think the substitute situation under Simmons is symptomatic of a worrying mindset that has clouded the heads of many(/all?) SL coaches.

In itself Royce's decision seems relatively harmless. But set against the context of actions taken in SL over the past few years it simply underlines the prevailing wisdom that the league component of SL, which, let's be honest, amounts to 9/10ths of the season is little more than a means to an end for the top clubs.

Fair enough, some might say. It works in the NRL. It works - albeit slightly differently - in the NFL, MLB etc. But those competitions are all contested by pretty evenly matched teams (yes, there are some whipping boys - but not to the extent you see in SL). It's not uncommon for a side finishing bottom of the pile one year to be close to the top the year after. Which means if your game is based exclusively upon peaking around the time of the playoffs you run the risk of being overtaken by sides going flat out from the start and never getting there.

It's not that I want to return to the old league system because it has flaws of its own. I just think that the current playoff model applied to a competition in which the same end-of-season contenders keep cropping up with monotonous frequency is wide open to tactics and strategies that are not in the spirit of the game. Coaches are paid to think creatively and it is thus in their nature to push the boundaries of the system to breaking point in order to gain some kind of competitive advantage. My worry is that given the current "safety first" trend it won't be long before some coach makes a complete farce of the competition and damages its reputation.

Re: Is Simmons the right man? : Sun Feb 26, 2012 6:33 am  

He is a top class coach and if that bad I would swap him for Betts anyday.

Re: Is Simmons the right man? : Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:27 am  

I didn't understand Simmons after match comments when he said "All teams know how to beat Saints and that is to choke James Roby at the ruck"

He's the coach, shouldn't he have a plan B?

Re: Is Simmons the right man? : Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:55 am  

Some people want it all. Last year Royce got blasted for not keeping players fit and conditioned. Any injury and it was the full shotgun to Royce and staff for not keeping players fit. Now we have a fully fit squad he's getting the same 2 barrels from the same people for not playing players week in and week out at the start of the season.

I have no problem with prop rotation.

There is no way the massive 28 meters that perry put in last week against Hull KR would have made a difference to the Catalan game this week.

I think that some people just have never taken to Royce, just as some never took to Potter, and will therefore use what ever decision is made to bash him.

ie Gaskell needs to play, Lance is not a half, but we needed Lance's experience in the halves on Friday night and not Gaskell. EH!!!!!!!!

Re: Is Simmons the right man? : Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:07 am  

St pete wrote:

I said it last year he wasn't up to the job so it's no knee jerk reaction from me before all the Saints fans that see thru red v glasses chip in.

My concerns are as follows :

Tactics - the guy has none, I wonder what we've done in pre season as he's not brought in anything new and gets out thought by smart coaches.

I THINK YOU HAVE SOME POINTS HERE AS THE INSIDE PASS DOES SEAM OVER USED, BUT IS THAT ROYCE OR THE PLAYER ON THE FIELD USING THAT OPTION? I'VE NOTICED ALOT FROM LOMAX AND ROBY TO THE FORWARDS. MAYBE THEY NEED TO VARY IT UP.

St pete wrote:

Substitutions - I just can't work out this back on the bench that plays ten mins if he lucky. He takes players off with no thought. Today he brought laffranchci back on only 2 mins after halftime! The players just had 15 mins rest so why take someone off after 2 mins? It's waste of sub.

AGREED- WHILST NOT AGAINST IF TACTICALLY USED BASED ON A SPECIFIC MATCH PLAN, IT'S DOGMATIC USE IS OF CONCERN

St pete wrote:

Rotation - IMO it's unreal! He moaned last year he can't play the sane team weeks on the bounce and now he's resting wingers! WTF was resting makinson last week all about? He's 20, fit as a fiddle and one of our best players!

SORRY DISAGREE ROTATION WORKED FINE UNDER DA. YOU MAY HAVE A POINT WITH THE BACK LINE BUT THE PACK WILL BENEFIT LONG TERM FROM ROTATION.

St pete wrote:

Recruitment - we lose jammer who IMO is the best prop in the world and he replaces him with a 31 year old backrow who's a stranger to the prop postion. He had to replace him with the best prop he could get his hands on, not a old mate of his that ain't played prop. We lose eastmond and replace him with a world cup winning kiwi international FULLBACK who's hardly played halfback for past 10 years!

MY CONERN IS AFTER GRIFFIN AND HILL WHY WE DID NOT LOWER OUT STANDARDS AND RATHER THAN GO TOP QUALITY OR NOTHING TRY AND GET A PLAYER WHO COULD DO THE HARD YARDS BUT MAY NOT BE A HUGE NAME. IE HUDDERSFIELD AND TONY TONKS.

St pete wrote:

Defence - worst I've seen for long long time . Simple!

IT WAS FINE UNTIL 53 MINS - KEEPING CATALAN TO 8 POINTS FOR 50 MINS, MOST TEAMS WOULD BUY THAT. THE QUESTION IS WHY WE HAVE PERIODS WHERE WE TURN OFF? IT'S LIKE GOING BACK PRE HANLEY.

St pete wrote:

Attack - same old crap move which is totally predictable. If the players don't pull off the cuff rugby we don't score.

REALLY THE ATTACK DOES NOT WORRY ME, WE ARE SCORING PLENTY OF POINTS BEST ATTACK IN SL.

St pete wrote:

Motivation - for me this is the big one, he can't get us up for games, the players don't react to him and for me that's the bullet.

YOU WOULD KNOW MORE THAN ME HAVING AN INSIDE MAN.

St pete wrote:

I like Royce as a guy and I know for fact he gives his all and puts every ounce off effort in to the job but he's not good enough. Let's get this idiot out before he ruins the club for years to come.

Re: Is Simmons the right man? : Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:09 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

I didn't understand Simmons after match comments when he said "All teams know how to beat Saints and that is to choke James Roby at the ruck"

He's the coach, shouldn't he have a plan B?

From what I hear, he's not even got plan A.

Potter was bad but this guy is only slightly better.

What was it he said,He needs to get the points against down to around 14 per game? Getting it down to 30 points would be a start.

Re: Is Simmons the right man? : Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:13 am  

bewareshadows wrote:

I THINK YOU HAVE SOME POINTS HERE AS THE INSIDE PASS DOES SEAM OVER USED, BUT IS THAT ROYCE OR THE PLAYER ON THE FIELD USING THAT OPTION? I'VE NOTICED ALOT FROM LOMAX AND ROBY TO THE FORWARDS. MAYBE THEY NEED TO VARY IT UP.

AGREED- WHILST NOT AGAINST IF TACTICALLY USED BASED ON A SPECIFIC MATCH PLAN, IT'S DOGMATIC USE IS OF CONCERN

SORRY DISAGREE ROTATION WORKED FINE UNDER DA. YOU MAY HAVE A POINT WITH THE BACK LINE BUT THE PACK WILL BENEFIT LONG TERM FROM ROTATION.

MY CONERN IS AFTER GRIFFIN AND HILL WHY WE DID NOT LOWER OUT STANDARDS AND RATHER THAN GO TOP QUALITY OR NOTHING TRY AND GET A PLAYER WHO COULD DO THE HARD YARDS BUT MAY NOT BE A HUGE NAME. IE HUDDERSFIELD AND TONY TONKS.

IT WAS FINE UNTIL 53 MINS - KEEPING CATALAN TO 8 POINTS FOR 50 MINS, MOST TEAMS WOULD BUY THAT. THE QUESTION IS WHY WE HAVE PERIODS WHERE WE TURN OFF? IT'S LIKE GOING BACK PRE HANLEY.

REALLY THE ATTACK DOES NOT WORRY ME, WE ARE SCORING PLENTY OF POINTS BEST ATTACK IN SL.

YOU WOULD KNOW MORE THAN ME HAVING AN INSIDE MAN.

Inside men

Talking of inside men, did anyone watch the last one the other night on bbc? If so, what the hell was that ending all about?