Dan Soper

[UlsterNo9]

“Also, as someone who has been a season ticket holder for the past number of years, I’ve always watched the development of players with a keen eye so it’s really exciting that I’ll now have the opportunity to help further that development.”

Love this latest initiative..... was there a season ticket holder email on this...... how do you apply? Picking a season ticket holder to coach the team for a year. I'm next.

All in jest, I think Soper is a considered well thought out appointment.

I'd agree with Snipe, Peel is being harshly judged. So many other facets of a teams performance have to go right in order for a backline to sing.

Was there a stat that showed we had the most clean line breaks in the league..... or was that Cooney who would benefit most from having a former British Lion scrum half coach. Could have imagined this, open to correction.

[kingofthehill]

Do we really know that Peel is crap?
How do we know?
where's the evidence?
He's been a third level coach this season, so how realistic is it to be able to categorically say whether he was a good bad or indifferent coach?
Maybe he is at least in part responsible for Cooney's great season and McPhillips excellent progress.....

Set pieces backline plays are enough to suggest he’s not up to it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BR]

Do we really know that Peel is crap?
How do we know?
where's the evidence?
He's been a third level coach this season, so how realistic is it to be able to categorically say whether he was a good bad or indifferent coach?
Maybe he is at least in part responsible for Cooney's great season and McPhillips excellent progress.....

Set pieces backline plays are enough to suggest he’s not up to it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How much autonomy did he have? He's only an apprentice, after all. He's supposed to be learning from the other coaches. Perhaps Soper will be able to develop him too.

But inexperience does seem an increasing worry.

[breakdown]

Do we really know that Peel is crap?
How do we know?
where's the evidence?
He's been a third level coach this season, so how realistic is it to be able to categorically say whether he was a good bad or indifferent coach?
Maybe he is at least in part responsible for Cooney's great season and McPhillips excellent progress.....

Set pieces backline plays are enough to suggest he’s not up to it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Having a thrown together back line which is rotated every few matches doesnt help either

Personally think (and heard) he’s a decent enough coach but it goes without saying he’s inexperienced

[BaggyTrousers]

Now....

Did they worldwide scout beyond Lisburn and get him at Banbridge...

Or did they get him at Osborne Park?

Don't give a toss where they got him. It has long been a surprise to me that someone so obviously successful in the spheres he has operated in has not apparently been on the UR radar before. The fact that he coaches a style which puts smiles on players faces rather than the drab crap produced regularly by MCB & Hogwarts is an added bonus. That shyte used to win school cups but it will never again cut the mustard in pro rugby. Skill is king.

[UlsterNo9]

Do we really know that Peel is crap?
How do we know?
where's the evidence?
He's been a third level coach this season, so how realistic is it to be able to categorically say whether he was a good bad or indifferent coach?
Maybe he is at least in part responsible for Cooney's great season and McPhillips excellent progress.....

Set pieces backline plays are enough to suggest he’s not up to it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is it easier to score of first phase play nowadays? I'd agree it used to be a great opportunity to try a back move with the forwards tied in to scrum or lineout.

Our game plan seemed to revolve around 1st centre crashing it up to allow us to build phases.

[Columbo]

I was a bit underwhelmed when I heard about this if I'm being honest, but I can see the logic in having a good skills coach with loads of experience of successfully working with youngsters - given that it's going to be crucial to Ulster's success over the next 5 years to get the players from underage / academy feeding into the squad asap.. happy to see him have a go

[Bring Humph On!!]

I was going to start with “my fear” but have decided to get with - ONE of my fears for next year is the lack of experience in the coaching team. An experienced head like Graham Henry even for a few months may be a good thing. Or I t may not, as it may be seen by the coaches as a lack of confidence in their ability.

Was there talk of Andy Farrell coming up the road for a bit?

I think you’re right. I have hazy recollections of reading that somewhere.

[BaggyTrousers]

Do we really know that Peel is crap?
How do we know?
where's the evidence?
He's been a third level coach this season, so how realistic is it to be able to categorically say whether he was a good bad or indifferent coach?
Maybe he is at least in part responsible for Cooney's great season and McPhillips excellent progress.....

Set pieces backline plays are enough to suggest he’s not up to it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is it easier to score of first phase play nowadays? I'd agree it used to be a great opportunity to try a back move with the forwards tied in to scrum or lineout.

Our game plan seemed to revolve around 1st centre crashing it up to allow us to build phases.

And there boys and girls, is what I understand to be Peel's preferred method of attack, a disciple of Warrenball & Howleyshite.

I am also much amused at the "no experience" worry. The STA was a very experienced coach - fu'cking useless.
Lesbian O'Kiss was vastly experienced as a defence coach - Ulster defence came apart season on season.
Mark McCall was an inexperienced coach - won our last trophy. Racist phone was a semi-experienced coach & pro drinker, full of shyte other than the odd time he was sober enough to coach, couldn't pick his nose. Big Jono was a highly experienced coach, couldn't wait to get away & many were unimpressed with the Ulster pack last year.

What good is experience? If it's repeating the same shyte that doesn't work then I call that "bad experience" and not worth the schtame aff yer pish.

I recall with clarity, Doylers first season as Irish coach - the year was 1985, he brought in a host of new young players and shed a load of the 1982/3 successful teams, won a triple crown but with such style. 1986 was a whitewash, the team had gained experience and were never the same again, Ireland won nothing until Comical Eddie's triple-crowns, then up steps kindly Uncle Deccie for a GS.

Experience, like the history of Irish Rugby is a mixed bag, some good, much less than good. It is needed in part, no more than that.

[Columbo]

Do we really know that Peel is crap?
How do we know?
where's the evidence?
He's been a third level coach this season, so how realistic is it to be able to categorically say whether he was a good bad or indifferent coach?
Maybe he is at least in part responsible for Cooney's great season and McPhillips excellent progress.....

Set pieces backline plays are enough to suggest he’s not up to it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There was a stretch of a few games last season where our set plays were painful to watch - I think it may have been during the ultimate chaos period (Kiss sacking, PJ/SO trials and fallout, Gibbes knobbing around) so not ideal.. I remain to be completely convinced, but UlsterNo9 makes a good point in that a lot of building blocks need to be in place before a back line can really take off.

What worries me is that I think the ideal with a new head coach is a complete blank slate - so out with everyone, and let him build his own ticket. We haven't done this for... how long, ever? I think this has been a major cause of our problems in the last few years - blokes being thrown together to work with each other, under a head coach who isn't really that much of a 'head' because his team has been picked for him by someone else..

So what happens if by Christmas say, the team is functioning decently (i.e. solid set piece, settled pack and half-backs) but our backs are looking really disjointed and first phase is a disaster - what do we do? Back to the old sacking a coach half way through a season routine?

[BaggyTrousers]

Andy Farrell, eh? Still "coming up the road is he, eh? They should have bought the guy a satnav FFFS, we are still waiting.

Andy Farrell coming up the road was indeed talked about.

Talk is cheap - Fact.

[scrum5]

Anyone remember the old Rabo Direct ad when the coach's plan for the team was...Give the ball to the big lad, the second part of the ad showed the halftime talk with the big guy battered and bruised and the coach says give it to the little guy....reminds me of Ulster only we didn't have the wit to try and change it at HT, we still gave the ball to Stu....

[UlsterNo9]

Is experience anything more than a measurement of time?

There are plenty out there doing a job badly for 30 years, is that experience? Have a we look around your workplace tomorrow or drift back in time to think of some of the buck eejits you used to work with. I'd prefer the guy who has been performing well for a short period of time than someone who has done really nothing other than fill voids.

If you want one of the guys with 30 years experience that has a proven track record Ulster won't be on his radar I'm afraid. He already has a top class coaching position or isn't going to take the risk of tarnishing that CV which he has clearly worked so hard to build.

[Gary]

Time will tell, but Soper seems a sensible, obvious choice. Happened to meet one of our backs earlier, and when he had at last finished playing "fetch" with Boris, had a wee chat about things. He thinks that Soper should have been called in during last season. Pointed out that that it could lead to us being one of the best teams to watch next season. Also mentioned no need for a no 10. Said the players are behind McP and Lowry.

[HammerTime]

Hadn't been to a Banbridge match in a few years but caught a few games this season and I couldn't believe the standard of rugby they were playing. Some of the handling was sublime. Soper himself just doesn't believe in kicking away possession unnecessarily and wants to run everything. I only made it as high as their 2nds when I was playing but some of my best friends were coached by him. Was speaking to one last night who rarely praises anything about anybody and he said he was a brilliant. Really takes a personal interest in players and made him believe in himself with confidence to get better and better.