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Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 3:13 pm
by BR
BaggyTrousers wrote:
BR wrote: Results-wise, I'll concede that.
And in a gesture of goodwill, I'll agree with you that there have been some good signs, but they have not been consistent which is the problem. Notably, there have been none away from home, unless you point out Cave at least having the brains to take a quick dropkick conversion.

Two away games, that we always seem to make a meal of, have been appalling but it should be recorded that the only ever previous defeat in Italy before this came when Fat Deccie got himself red carded after 5 minutes or so.

So this genuinely marks a new low because it is stretching credulity to say we deserved anything more than we got, notwithstanding the obvious issues in at least 2 of their tries and the outrage of Patterson's adjudication for the rolling maul.
Saturday's Zebre team would have beaten last year's Edinburgh side.

We lost on Saturday, because Zebre played better than us.
We lost last year because we played even more shïte than Edinburgh.

Saturday was lost by the players IMHO. Players who, had they played to their previously demonstrated abilities, would have won the game using the same tactics.

In November, we had the wrong players, the wrong tactics, the wrong approach, ...

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 4:44 pm
by BaggyTrousers
BR wrote:
BaggyTrousers wrote:
BR wrote: Results-wise, I'll concede that.
And in a gesture of goodwill, I'll agree with you that there have been some good signs, but they have not been consistent which is the problem. Notably, there have been none away from home, unless you point out Cave at least having the brains to take a quick dropkick conversion.

Two away games, that we always seem to make a meal of, have been appalling but it should be recorded that the only ever previous defeat in Italy before this came when Fat Deccie got himself red carded after 5 minutes or so.

So this genuinely marks a new low because it is stretching credulity to say we deserved anything more than we got, notwithstanding the obvious issues in at least 2 of their tries and the outrage of Patterson's adjudication for the rolling maul.
Saturday's Zebre team would have beaten last year's Edinburgh side.Doubtful, INternational window & they very rarely win away

We lost on Saturday, because Zebre played better than us. Absloutely
We lost last year because we played even more shïte than Edinburgh. Debateable, we were awful but once the correct players were in the correct positions we were by far the better team & were beaten finally by an outrageous TMO decision - anybody notice how we rarely appear to come out on top in those? Saturday was not the first classic in Italy.

Saturday was lost by the players IMHO. Players who, had they played to their previously demonstrated abilities, would have won the game using the same tactics. I had no issue with the selection, it should have been good enough. I do wonder about how they were prepared and sent out to play but that we will never know. It was the most error-ridden performance I can recall, Zebre just had to wait for us to make another handling error. I don;t think anyone was faultless but I give the prize of arch-chube to No Hands Luke on the day - then again, I was very very drunk, others may have been worse.

In November, we had the wrong players, the wrong tactics, the wrong approach, ...
Undoubtedly and on the thread of that game, I made a call for the changes that were eventually made after 25 minutes, FOLK made the most important of them 20 minutes later. By all means, blame the players for this one, but tell me how you explain the substitution of probably our best player on the day & goal kicker. I was baffled. FOLK.
Meanwhile, Leali'ifano was having no influence at all on the game, yet on & on he stayed.

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 5:47 pm
by Rooster
Bradley outsmarted Kiss in team selection, tactics and substitutions with a bunch of players knocked together in the past few months

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 6:19 pm
by Tender
22 Missed Tackles

20 Turnovers .....FECKIN TWENTY!

Kiss couldn't motivate Jimmy Saville at a kiddies birthday party.

Those are he stats of for a team of players thinking Meh, it's only Zebre and Les ain't bothered anyway.

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 7:55 pm
by justinr73
I know. FECKIN TWENTY. Exactly the same number as the All Blacks against the Argies. Who'd have thunk it?

The writing was on the wall as soon as 2MP was forced to leave the field. Same number of tackles as Treadwater in half the time.

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 8:24 pm
by BR
Not competing at the ruck may have worked, but once it became clear it wasn't, someone should have made the call before it got anywhere near TWENTY.

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:05 pm
by Tender
Who'd have 'thunk' to compare Ulster to the All Blacks? But heh, now you've started...

The All Blacks seldom stare at each other looking for help. They don't lack belief or motivation. They know if they're aggressive for the first 60mins, they'll hurt a team badly enough to take the game in the last 20mins. It's not Gentlemanly or the Ulster way, but sure it's much better to win friends, than all that pesky silverware which needs polishing.
New carpet again this year in Spanner's trophy room...

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:09 pm
by therealspratt
justinr73 wrote:I know. FECKIN TWENTY. Exactly the same number as the All Blacks against the Argies. Who'd have thunk it?

The writing was on the wall as soon as 2MP was forced to leave the field. Same number of tackles as Treadwater in half the time.
I wouldn't big up Pete's tackles regardless of the count.

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:45 pm
by Dave
Closer to hugs than tackles. He was almost spooning one guy in a ruck.

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 10:07 pm
by justinr73
Tender wrote:Who'd have 'thunk' to compare Ulster to the All Blacks? But heh, now you've started...

The All Blacks seldom stare at each other looking for help. They don't lack belief or motivation. They know if they're aggressive for the first 60mins, they'll hurt a team badly enough to take the game in the last 20mins. It's not Gentlemanly or the Ulster way, but sure it's much better to win friends, than all that pesky silverware which needs polishing.
New carpet again this year in Spanner's trophy room...
If you're gonna pick on a stat, pick on one worth picking on. Most teams, even when winning, cough it up pushing 20 times a game.

And Dave, I know Pete isn't called Darren and wasn't born in South Africa and must therefore be subject to criticism, but precisely what has Treadwater done to avoid your wrath? Or does some handbags in his first few games buy immunity for a couple of seasons?

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 10:14 pm
by therealspratt
Treadwell has been poor and practically a passenger since he's returned from the summer tour but at least I haven't been scared everytime someone has ran at him like Pete.

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 11:06 pm
by Bart S
2MP's tackling was particularly crap and the fact that he was a decent supply of lineout ball and was very short of gametime do nit excuse that.

However, there were plenty of others who were rubbish as well and at least as far below the standards expected from them, as 2MP was from his level.

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 11:15 pm
by Cockatrice
ahhh ..... if only our players could open defences like they can open coffee shops.

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 11:23 pm
by Dave
justinr73 wrote:
Tender wrote:Who'd have 'thunk' to compare Ulster to the All Blacks? But heh, now you've started...

The All Blacks seldom stare at each other looking for help. They don't lack belief or motivation. They know if they're aggressive for the first 60mins, they'll hurt a team badly enough to take the game in the last 20mins. It's not Gentlemanly or the Ulster way, but sure it's much better to win friends, than all that pesky silverware which needs polishing.
New carpet again this year in Spanner's trophy room...
If you're gonna pick on a stat, pick on one worth picking on. Most teams, even when winning, cough it up pushing 20 times a game.

And Dave, I know Pete isn't called Darren and wasn't born in South Africa and must therefore be subject to criticism, but precisely what has Treadwater done to avoid your wrath? Or does some handbags in his first few games buy immunity for a couple of seasons?
It wasn't really 'my wrath' was it? I'm a fan of 2MP but you can't say that was an acceptable performance. I'm not the only one with a critical comment even if mine was a jokey one. Call out some other guys too. Come on play fair.

Treadwell was poor by his own standard but much better than Peter.

Re: Team to play Zebre.

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 11:48 pm
by Bart S
Cockatrice wrote:ahhh ..... if only our players could open defences like they can open coffee shops.
Well as long as the boys were able to bring back a couple of new types of coffee bean for Guilt Trip, then the Italian weekend was a success for them... :roll: