Re: 2017 and Tony Smith : Sat May 06, 2017 5:55 am  

Another great win for the superleagues form team, seven players missing and still able to drop forty points on people like it's nothing, four points behind Wigan isn't a bad place to be.

Re: 2017 and Tony Smith : Mon May 08, 2017 9:19 am  

easyWire wrote:

I feel a bit dirty saying this, but...

Am I the only one feeling a bit jealous that Saints have a much-plaudited young Aussie coach who likes an attacking style of rugby, while we seem to have missed out now?

The longer this saga goes on the more I'm leaning towards a whole new fresh start... it's a risk but it surely can't leave us any worse than we are now?

Things could be a lot worse. We have clawed our way to the fringes of the top 8, not wonderful but a distinct improvement.

Re: 2017 and Tony Smith : Fri May 26, 2017 8:59 pm  

Enough is enough

smith out

Re: 2017 and Tony Smith : Fri May 26, 2017 9:05 pm  

Love to hear the happy clappers try and defend that shower tonight.

Re: 2017 and Tony Smith : Fri May 26, 2017 9:08 pm  

moving on... wrote:

Love to hear the happy clappers try and defend that shower tonight.

Should not use the words hapoy clappers i got ripped for that by the hapoy clappers lol.

Re: 2017 and Tony Smith : Sat May 27, 2017 10:08 am  

Me too......

Re: 2017 and Tony Smith : Sat May 27, 2017 11:44 pm  

Winslade's Offload wrote:

I can't see the point of this thread, its a bit like building a new sports car and then before it's even raced, discussing the problems of last years model. I am not in love with Tony, I think he is fallible, particularly when it comes to longer term strategic thinking. But he does have great strengths with his inter personal skills and team motivation, and lets face it, all coaches have their drawbacks whoever you sign. But back to the main point, we need to see how this team performs (in my view it's considerably stronger than last year) before any discussion on ditching the helm. You can whinge as much as you like, but nobody has a god-given right to win anything, and if you don't like it, go and support something else, there is plenty to choose from out there.

So what do we make of the new sports car and team motivation?

[Winslade's Offload]

Re: 2017 and Tony Smith : Sun May 28, 2017 8:37 am  

Wires71 wrote:

So what do we make of the new sports car and team motivation?

Ah, that was taken from the start of the season in early February I believe.

Well, from our new imports; Brown, Cooper, Crosby and Savelio I would say I have been disappointing. You would expect on paper that they should have strengthened the squad. Crosby has only played 6-7 games of course but has not showed his GF form. Brown looks slow and I think needs runners to work off. He had a hand in most of the tries in the recent England game v Samoa so he can deliver, but clearly that is not happening at Warrington yet. Savelio is a strange one. He certainly put in plenty of work in the early part of the season and impressed with a couple of tries, but he looks like a lightweight prop playing in a BR position. Cooper has been my biggest disappointment. I don't really watch the NRL, but I had expected to see a top class forward return to us and apart from the Bronco game where he steamed into the opposition, he has just looked like the old Cooper that left us.

From the existing squad I have been very impressed with the progress of the younger lads; Livett, Julien, Philbin and Smith. I think Toby King will come good also but he has had a very disrupted year to date. I worry that Patton is going to be another GOB and fail to make that last jump to top class.

From our stalwarts, Ratchford has been good, also Westerman and Atkins. Clark and Hill have been 'ok'. Gidley has slowed considerably and even though he knows what to do his reactions are simply not there anymore.

Matty Russell is not a footballer and I think it's a tactical mistake to use him to plug the problem in the forwards. Rhys Evans is mostly good in defence, but we need an attacking centre. I think Brad Dwyer has not progressed. I would release all three together with Matty Blythe.

Team motivation ? I would say there is certainly the intent there with the squad, but it seems to be undermined by all the errors, and that of course leads to a lack of confidence.... which becomes a vicious circle. Losing games becomes a habit just as much as winning games does, and suddenly the whole team looks incompetent. But that is the responsibility of the coach, its what TS is paid for, and he needs to turn it around.

Better to wait for the season to actually take place though, before writing off the team and the coach ?

Re: 2017 and Tony Smith : Sun May 28, 2017 11:04 am  

It isn't fair to include Crosby as a disappointment but it's difficult to make an argument against the other signings.
I've probably been most disappointed with Cooper in return for all the pomp around his return, he is the one without any excuse.
Brown is in the position for most critic but he in fairness, he came without a pre season and returning from injury.

Re: 2017 and Tony Smith : Sun May 28, 2017 11:52 am  

Winslade's Offload wrote: Ah, that was taken from the start of the season in early February I believe. Better to wait for the season to actually take place though, before writing off the team and the coach ? I think it was when we were 0 and 4 and were playing broadly similar to how we are now when I wrote the season off. The reason I did is that the coach did not then or now attribute any fundamental, underlying problems to the performance. He treats each loss in isolation as an act of God that is no way due to any failing of himself, the coaching team or squad balance. His quote here “We'd built up well this week, we'd trained well. Some of these performances just come out of the blue,” http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/spo ... =mrb&lp=11 We then see no unenforced squad changes for the Salford game. Business as usual. So whilst the coaching approach and the squad remain the same, the outcome will be the same. Season write off.

Winslade's Offload wrote: Ah, that was taken from the start of the season in early February I believe. Better to wait for the season to actually take place though, before writing off the team and the coach ? I think it was when we were 0 and 4 and were playing broadly similar to how we are now when I wrote the season off. The reason I did is that the coach did not then or now attribute any fundamental, underlying problems to the performance. He treats each loss in isolation as an act of God that is no way due to any failing of himself, the coaching team or squad balance. His quote here “We'd built up well this week, we'd trained well. Some of these performances just come out of the blue,” http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/spo ... =mrb&lp=11 We then see no unenforced squad changes for the Salford game. Business as usual. So whilst the coaching approach and the squad remain the same, the outcome will be the same. Season write off.