Re: Chester out? : Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:06 am  

MOPSEY LIVES ON wrote:

Most coaches arnt stupid they do their research and plan against each team

This just jumped out at me; contrast our predictable, easy to defend approach to every game, with London - everyone's pre-season whipping boys, who have turned up to every game with a plan, executed it well, with bags of individual and team spirit, and desire to win. As a result, they've picked up way more points than anyone expected them to, and played some really entertaining rugby.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if we end up in a faux million pound game with them at the end of the season - and I wouldn't be at all confident of a win.

Re: Chester out? : Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:07 am  

bren2k wrote:

This just jumped out at me; contrast our predictable, easy to defend approach to every game, with London - everyone's pre-season whipping boys, who have turned up to every game with a plan, executed it well, with bags of individual and team spirit, and desire to win. As a result, they've picked up way more points than anyone expected them to, and played some really entertaining rugby.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if we end up in a faux million pound game with them at the end of the season - and I wouldn't be at all confident of a win.

Was it Phil Clarke or one of the lads on Sky who predicted that London would not win a game?

Re: Chester out? : Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:52 am  

TheDreadnought wrote:

Was it Phil Clarke or one of the lads on Sky who predicted that London would not win a game?

In fairness, they have stuffed us twice and weakened Saints sides twice, which NOBOY would have predicted pre season.
Danny Ward has done a tremendous job down there and he reminds me of Kear.
He has instilled great team spirit, a backs to the all/ everyone's against us attitude and almost to a man, managed to get his players at 8/10 every week.
They have the smallest squad in SL on the lowest budget (a mantle that used to be ours) and they certainly play as a team.
Yes, they get beaten regularly but, you know that they will be fighting like hell for a win EVERY week and they have some real pace in their backs, which has been our major undoing (twice).

London "should" have been easybeats but, credit to them and their coaching staff that they're still battling at the end of the season.
Let's just hope that they don't retain their SL spot at our expense.

Re: Chester out? : Tue Aug 06, 2019 10:50 am  

I'm not too disheartened by more recent results. When you looked at the team we put out at Wigan, and some of those will have been carrying some injuries, the score was pretty much what would have been anticipated. Similarly, against Saints.

Chester has surely gained enough brownie points for one bad season. But when we compare to previous seasons, there are some obvious differences:
1. Attack - Danny Brough. He wasn't there before. Now he is. We're not as good.
2. Defence - we've no assistant coach. Before, we had one focusing on defence (Kear) and now we don't, and we're not as good.
3. Fitness - what has put as at risk this year has been London's unexpected success, and what stands out is their fitness. They just don't go away. If you can't be the best, be the fittest, and then you have a fighting chance. Us? Too many fat blokes or old and broken blokes.

Re: Chester out? : Tue Aug 06, 2019 10:55 am  

Slugger McBatt wrote:

I'm not too disheartened by more recent results. When you looked at the team we put out at Wigan, and some of those will have been carrying some injuries, the score was pretty much what would have been anticipated. Similarly, against Saints.

Chester has surely gained enough brownie points for one bad season. But when we compare to previous seasons, there are some obvious differences:
1. Attack - Danny Brough. He wasn't there before. Now he is. We're not as good.
2. Defence - we've no assistant coach. Before, we had one focusing on defence (Kear) and now we don't, and we're not as good.
3. Fitness - what has put as at risk this year has been London's unexpected success, and what stands out is their fitness. They just don't go away. If you can't be the best, be the fittest, and then you have a fighting chance. Us? Too many fat blokes or old and broken blokes.

Rather than fitness, I think you should have put "old".
Most of our pack are in the twilight of their careers and with the reduction on interchanges, I think this stands out dramatically, especially when you factor in injuries, where we are having to rush players back and in Fifita's case, playing busted

Re: Chester out? : Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:30 am  

Prince Buster wrote:

Called it spot on Avenger, also nice to see someone else pointing out that our conditioning is garbage

Yet its the same coach, team and conditioner who got us playing so well the three previous seasons, so how do know it all nobodies like you and Avenger square that?

Re: Chester out? : Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:48 am  

Fishermanscap wrote:

Yet its the same coach, team and conditioner who got us playing so well the three previous seasons, so how do know it all nobodies like you and Avenger square that?

But maybe that says something is wrong at the club? How do you explain how poor Miller, Brough, Jowitt, Batch, Tupou have been since their return from injury? They look well off the pace, almost disinterested......unfit and badly conditioned? Who knows, I don't think you can dismiss it completely. How did Leeds under McDermott finish in the bottom 4 the win the Grand Final the following season?! Point is, last season was last season. Even if we win a couple more, that would be 3 wins out of 17 games?! Any coach would be lucky still to be there given that record.

Re: Chester out? : Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:49 pm  

Fishermanscap wrote:

Yet its the same coach, team and conditioner who got us playing so well the three previous seasons, so how do know it all nobodies like you and Avenger square that?

PB and The Avenger are two of our less excitable posters on here and apart from being very knowledgeable about the game think first before reacting and can see what you obviously can't regarding the reasons why we are in this predicament, I must stress this is only an opinion and not fact as is they'res, just a thought those 3 previous years that we've done okay, perhaps maybe we find ourselves where we are is because unlike other clubs who have moved on, we haven't and eventually our backroom team have been caught out and are unable to respond, just a thought.

Re: Chester out? : Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:55 pm  

Wildmoggy wrote:

But maybe that says something is wrong at the club? How do you explain how poor Miller, Brough, Jowitt, Batch, Tupou have been since their return from injury? They look well off the pace, almost disinterested......unfit and badly conditioned? Who knows, I don't think you can dismiss it completely. How did Leeds under McDermott finish in the bottom 4 the win the Grand Final the following season?! Point is, last season was last season. Even if we win a couple more, that would be 3 wins out of 17 games?! Any coach would be lucky still to be there given that record.

I see your points but I think there is a much simpler answer, yes we've had a horrific injury list with at one point 11 first teamers out, but that means we're short on FULLY fit players, players who are 100% fit. Unfortunately I feel that our injured players have been played when only 75% fit and it's showing now.

Re: Chester out? : Tue Aug 06, 2019 3:37 pm  

JINJER wrote:

I see your points but I think there is a much simpler answer, yes we've had a horrific injury list with at one point 11 first teamers out, but that means we're short on FULLY fit players, players who are 100% fit. Unfortunately I feel that our injured players have been played when only 75% fit and it's showing now.

Aaaagh, so it's the old, do we play the better player at 75%, or the lesser one at 100%?! I would agree Brough was rushed back, but he didn't have to be, Reynolds could have played, that was the coaches' choice, but he had a choice! Fifita has been hobbling around for weeks, Gwaze could have played more games, Lewis Wray? Has he been injured?! Pretty sure Miller, Tupou, Arundel haven't been rushed back, I seem to remember the time they were expected to be out was spot on, so I assume they were medically fit to play? Obviously takes a few games to get 'match fit' but not forever! Don't get me wrong, Arona, Ashurst, TJ missing for a large chunk is going to affect you, they are quality players, but I still think we should have competed better in most of this horror run. Anyway, it's all water under the bridge isn't it! Let's hope Escare & Green can give us a boost.