Are we headed for dark times??

[Dan Dare]

In a simple answer to your question........ Yes

[Jackie Brown]

Don't worry lads, everything at Ravenhill that is in anyway permanent has been sold. So we should be rolling in cash.

Our academy seems incapable of producing anything bar the odd loose head, centers and outside backs. Our backrow is shocking but I've been saying this for 18 months.

[Cockatrice]

Am I getting this right, we have two good signings, so all will be okay

Away outta that with you, it'll be a good sticking plaster and no more, the problems maybe be slightly delayed until I emigrate and then we are going to be fighting it out for a SDC place.

Enough to keep the Brill Brigade on board and keep all those blows ins coming for another season or so.. thats all that matters.

ps have UR looked beyond Esportif this time as other agents are available ?

pps do you think they know we need a back row.

[Rooster]

Feckin dark early tonight

[Jackie Brown]

I've spotted an All Black on the Esportif website. Do I win a prize?

[BaggyTrousers]

I've spotted an All Black on the Esportif website. Do I win a prize?

Who are we buying Jackie?

[BuckRogers]

Don't worry lads, everything at Ravenhill that is in anyway permanent has been sold. So we should be rolling in cash.

Our academy seems incapable of producing anything bar the odd loose head, centers and outside backs. Our backrow is shocking but I've been saying this for 18 months.

Imagine if we'd only sold all we have for enough to keep the lights on and not much else. That would be embarrassing.

[againstthehead]

On the positive side, the backline is reasonably decent on paper. I've always said Charlie was not needed and I've seen nothing to change my mind this season. Charlie Faumuina maybe... We need forwards and that was clear when Ferris retired and we lost Muller and Afoa. Those were world-class operators (Muller in terms of leadership). You can't just bring in average joes to replace that kind of quality.

I'd blow all our money on forwards. How many NIQ's are allowed? I can't keep up. 3 quality forwards would make all the difference. We'd have henderson, henry and best so that would be 6 top players and a couple of guys to fill in the gaps. Squad-wise, we'd still be light, but at least we might have a competitive 1st choice XV. Problem is with the RWC over, half of the SH will be off to Europe to fund their retirement plans so a lot of sides with be strengthening their squads.

[Snipe Watson]

I'm not convinced that bringing in players is the panacea for all our ills. There needs to be a sea-change in attitude. If you listen to AAT after Edinburgh. There's a guy who is professional to the core and stoic with it, yet he was highly critical of that performance. Something like that is a product of frustration plain and simple. We'll see what happens in Limerick on Friday night. If its the same lethargic dross that we have seen in our two previous away fixtures, questions need to be asked.

[BaggyTrousers]

I'm not convinced that bringing in players is the panacea for all our ills. There needs to be a sea-change in attitude. If you listen to AAT after Edinburgh. There's a guy who is professional to the core and stoic with it, yet he was highly critical of that performance. Something like that is a product of frustration plain and simple. We'll see what happens in Limerick on Friday night. If its the same lethargic dross that we have seen in our two previous away fixtures, questions need to be asked.

No panacea at all, just a necessary sticking plaster slapped on the wound. In fairness, if the alleged signings are true they along with the absolutely necessary Piutau, will represent a significant step up in their positions, just as Piutau will be over the solid Ludik.

Clowns saying stupid things about Piutau are simply not realising he is replacing one NIQ 15 with another and if they think we have an Ulster 15 worth a damn they know less than nothing, given Payne will apparently never play 15 again. I'd happily have had 3 forwards with Payne at 15 but it's not an option. Fibber wants him at 13, he's a 13.

The result is that we are rolling over the 3 current NIQs other than Ruan, and hugely improving them, that will sharpen our strongest 15, but as you say Snipe it does nothing in terms of our obvious issue of having a malaise where the decent appear to be being dragged ever lower by the feckless and malingering time servers who appear to have neither pride in the club nor themselves.

The most important man coming into Ulster walks in today but who knows if he has the wherewithal to crack the whip to any great effect. A week will hardly change things.

As for Friday, and it's a bloody RWC 6pm kick off , unless we have any returning Irish players in the pack, which I doubt, it is unrealistic to expect any change, further humiliation awaits.

[Kofi Annan]

Hope so ,I have just bought a new torch

[BaggyTrousers]

Hope so ,I have just bought a new torch

You planning to hold it under your chin to scare off trick or treaters Kofi?

Nice tangent by the way.

[Cockatrice]

Whatever the calvary that arrives post RWC it won't be in the form of McCaw or Read but I suppose that still leaves Kaino although given UR's record even that will be Dave Kaino the back-up OH for North or South somebody.

Whoever comes I really can't help feeling it is all sticky plaster stuff to try and hang on to a challenging position in a chit league and to stay clear of the SDC which if we went into we would struggle to win even that.

Leinster appear to get the right mix in terms of bringing players through the system, copying it may not be the answer but there must be something in there that at least highlights what we are missing.

I said before I was speaking to the father of a young lad coming through the schools here and getting into the Academy he was hopeful that his son could make it one day. Then his son was dumped because he didn't hit the matrix set down by UR for muscle build/shape/physic whatever you want to call it. From what I understand a skilful player with good handling skills/ball control and able to offload now dumped in the rugby wasteland at a tender age and deemed useless to Ulster. The lad is likely to give up and concentrate on his academic side and good luck to him for I suspect that if not him one or two others like him may be to Ulster's loss. It appears that size is everything and ball skills nothing.

[Snipe Watson]

As for Friday, and it's a bloody RWC 6pm kick off , unless we have any returning Irish players in the pack, which I doubt, it is unrealistic to expect any change, further humiliation awaits.

I remain hopeful as always, but even my well of hope runneth dry. What I look forward to on Friday night is an improvement in attitude with less strolling around and more intent to actually play rugby.

[MCBwinwinwin]

Why are people getting so wound up about the back row? It was bad last season without Henderson and Henry but with them back we can start a strong starting back row and with Faloon, Diack, WIlson as first line of reserves we can't really complain.


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