Ulster V Glasgee: Positives & Negatives

[againstthehead]

Just back from a very odd game at ravers - just never seemed to come alive.

Positives
- lineout superb - albeit not put under any real pressure from glasgow. Mueller reigns supreme in the air,
- scrum very solid without BJ.
- when the pack took glasgow on up front, we looked tasty. Breaking the gainline and recycling the ball well. Too often we still go wide too early. Smash it up a bit more.
- Pienaar superb. Looks for the break, flat passing, decent box kick yaps at the ref for pens, good good good.
- Wallace did well at 10 towards the end - pinned glasgee back and took control.
- finished the game well - i thought we'd lost it with 10 to go but we camped in the glasgow 22 and waited for the points to come. Good work.
- Besty looked back to himself/ Good darts and worked well around the park.
- Diack put in a tonne of work and carried well.

Negatives
- Just never really got going. Did well to come back so quickly from 8-0 down and I thought we'd go on from there. In fairness, Glasgow played a super territory game, kept possession for long periods and took their points on offer but we didn't help ourlselves.
- Poor under the high ball. No one even looked like being capable or wanting to catch a ball under pressure.
- Hate to single a player out but NOC had a shocker at 10 tonight. I thought having Pienaar on one side and PW at 12 would help him settle but his kicking was a shambles. Sorry to see him injured though.
- Still think we missed a genuine openside. Henry great in defence but never seems to be on anyone;s shoulder in attack or first to the breakdown turning over ball. Not a personal attack, as I think he's a super 8 but not just a natural 7 at this time.
- General lack of potency in attack from the backs - although we have a different backline every week so they'll take a while to gel.
- Poor penalty attempt at the end.
- re-starts still a concern
- quiet crowd - but not too much to shout about.
- injuries to NOC and Smith. Big selection dilemna ahead - considering IH hasn;t played surely PW at 10. And 15 between darcy and mcilwaine. Hard one to call.

Overall, a very average performance BUT another victory squeezed from the jaws of defeat. No bonus points at all which makes a bit of a worry but I'd have taken 18 points at the beginning of the season. Next up Heiny Cup!!! C'mon ULSTTTEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

[SparkyClarky]

Once again we have the positives and the negatives.
I'll keep it short.

+ we won

- we underperformed again and didnt show any of the flair in attack of previous seasons with a far better squad.

There you have it! Who is at fault? I don't know!

Glasgow are 10th in the league, in previous years of ML a top 4 team would put 10 - 20points between them.

We didnt so I for one am a little bit concerned what direction the management are taking us!

Have said in many other threads winning ugly is fine in ML, but ti ain't going to cut the mustard in HC!!!!!

C'mon ULSTER!!!

[Binman]

The major negative is o'connor. He isn't and never will be a 10. God only knows what mclaughlin sees that the rest don't.

The major positive was pienaar. The guy is worldclass.

[TheRustler]

Positives:
=> Another win;
=> Players showed good character, to eke out the win again;
=> Lineout, now a real strength, Muller excellent again;
=> Piennar...class act
=> Trimble..looked a real threat again;
=> Court & Best prominent in the loose
=> Overall the forwards played well

Negatives:
=> Sorry to focus on O'Connor given his injury - but he really was very poor tonite; kicking not great, and doesn't offer any threat of a line-break - which is a bit of waste behind such a good pack of forwards;
=> General back-play is lacking, with the ball going from side-to-side too slow, with very little inventivenss...decoy runners etc;
=> We have won four games - which is great, but at an average margin of 4 points, illustrates that all of these games could have gone either way.
=> Never looked liked gaining a bonus point, which we will need to do if we are serious about progressing in europe;
=> Chase of kicks a bit lethargic again

[Gromit]

Piennar definitely a positive but his speed and quickness was negated half the time. Couldn't believe it when he looked to pass from the base of a ruck only to pause because NOC wasn't standing where he expected and he had to look a further 10 yards back to find him. Seriously whats the point

[for dog and ulcer]

Piennar definitely a positive but his speed and quickness was negated half the time. Couldn't believe it when he looked to pass from the base of a ruck only to pause because NOC wasn't standing where he expected and he had to look a further 10 yards back to find him. Seriously whats the point

Several times in fact.

[tommya]

Positive:
Pieenar showed his world class, may have missed a few kicks but his game play was superb and deservedly man of the match.
Scrum is looking unbeatable.
Lineouts excellent.
Negatives:
O'Connor was atrocious tonight , he has not been good in any of the games,
Smith was very poor.
Support for Pieenar was sadly lacking.

[ulster32]

NOC was atrocious tonight, pienaar controlled the game at 9, huge gulf in class between 9 + 10! I just cant understand why the coaches cant get NOC to play up on the gain line because he stands so deep it is ridiculous!!! RTE pundits even questioning where ihumph has gone to, and commentin how ulster are very one dimensional and some what predictable in the way they play which isnt far wrong to be perfectly honest!

[bootlaced]

Positive:
Pieenar showed his world class, may have missed a few kicks but his game play was superb and deservedly man of the match.
Scrum is looking unbeatable.
Lineouts excellent.
Negatives:
O'Connor was atrocious tonight , he has not been good in any of the games,
Smith was very poor.
Support for Pieenar was sadly lacking.

support for Pienaar, that would be the back row then,maybe lacking in a proper 7

[GMAC]

Once again we have the positives and the negatives.
I'll keep it short.

+ we won

- we underperformed again and didnt show any of the flair in attack of previous seasons with a far better squad.

There you have it! Who is at fault? I don't know!

Glasgow are 10th in the league, in previous years of ML a top 4 team would put 10 - 20points between them.

We didnt so I for one am a little bit concerned what direction the management are taking us!

Have said in many other threads winning ugly is fine in ML, but ti ain't going to cut the mustard in HC!!!!!



C'mon ULSTER!!!

Sorry Sparky winning ugly isn't fine in the Magners. Winning ugly ie not scoring tries (therefore not getting BPs) and kicking one more penalty than the opposition will see us finish up in the dizzy heights of 5th or 6th i.e out of the playoffs. If that is the height of our ambition as a professional team, well that's just depressing

[Harold7]

Some of the sentiment on this thread cracks me up. Posters questioning the management, posters questioning our ambition! We've taken 12 points from three home games that last season we took the grand total of 1 point from. We're unbeaten FFS! I think some people need to remember what a low base we have come from. This squad was always going to take a few months to gel, the players and coaches have said it themselves, the fact that we're still winning while gelling is a great sign IMO. There's a long way to go but that should be something to optimistic about.

As for the game itself

Positives
The win
Diack
Trimble
Pienaar
Lineout/Best in general
Centres when they got some ball

Negatives
NOC lying far too deep
Two or three sloppy periods
NOCs injury
Smith's injury
Only one try

[SparkyClarky]

GMAC

Look up all my posts & you will see that I am far from happy. Been saying from the start of the season that we are not attacking enough and bonus points or lack of them will cost us. With more drink taken I will say that its he coaching staff that arn't up to it as we certainally have the players!!!!

[GMAC]

In that case Sparky we are in agreement sir

[Harold7]

GMAC

Look up all my posts & you will see that I am far from happy. Been saying from the start of the season that we are not attacking enough and bonus points or lack of them will cost us. With more drink taken I will say that its he coaching staff that arn't up to it as we certainally have the players!!!!

Aye, sack them all...

[KeithW]

I think the post that sums it up best is the first one... It was indeed a very odd game. We played some great rugby and yet Glasgow were neck in neck all the match and they were to be honest pretty crap! We're winning so it hard to complain, thank goodness for the number 9! Its good also to see Trimble so consistant he always looks dangerous and hungry