Should he stay or should he go?

[BaggyTrousers]

It's currently the talking point, two seasons of Mark Anscombe and many wonder is he the right man to coach Ulster.

The job of a sports coach in a team game is to make sure that the ability of the team is at least equal to but preferably better than the sum of the parts and for really good coaches, way in excess of the sum of the parts.

Alex Ferguson's final title comes to mind as an example where a coach demanded that a collection of at best mixed ability players performed far above the sum of the parts.

Has coach Anscombe come close to that?

Many factors in an attritional sport like rugby get in the way of the best laid plans, injury crises, player idiocy, even extraordinary decisions from refs in crucial games.

So is it right that the buck stops purely with the coach a figure in all sports where only the very very best don't end with a P45 in their hand and a sizeable cheque in their back sky rocket if they are lucky.

For the reasons stated I don't feel a simple yes or no is appropriate, so here are a few options.

[Mac]

Mark's side of the story in the Tele today - "Blame Me"

Ulster Rugby coach Mark Anscombe says 'blame me' for team's trophy failure

Ulster coach Mark Anscombe has accepted blame for his side's season ending barren in Saturday night's 13-9 defeat by Leinster in the PRO12 semi-final at the RDS in Dublin.

That loss – the fourth in four seasons at Leinster's hands when the finishing line has been in view – put paid to Ulster hopes of ending an eight-year trophy famine.

Anscombe bravely took one for his team by saying it was mostly his fault. "We were just our own worst enemy at times," he said.

Admitting Ulster's failure to finish the job, the Kiwi added: "That's something that we clearly have to be better at if we're going to win these big games because we've been there for three or four years and repeating it, so that's mostly my fault that we haven't fixed it."

Ulster supporters have not seen their big-money team win a trophy since 2006 and Anscombe's undertaking to them was: "I can promise you that we have unearthed a few good young players for the future, with some others coming in."

Insisting that Ulster have closed the gap between themselves and Leinster, Anscombe added: "There's nothing in it between these two teams and I think everyone will agree it's a toss of a coin in all these games now."

Captain Johann Muller, heading back to his native South Africa having retired from rugby, forecast good times, too.

"I would love to come and watch them next year in the final and have a bit of champagne with them afterwards because I truly believe, I honestly believe, that it is possible for this team to win trophies," he said.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport ... 84256.html


Breaking down this past season..............



What now after another year of failure?

Ulster captain Johann Muller's post-match words put things into context – they have taken some huge strides but they have yet to crack the code when it comes to stepping up on the big-match occasions. The killer instinct is not quite there.

We just need to find that extra step because that's the difference between ending second and ending first," he said.

"Obviously a side like Leinster, who have won plenty of trophies in the last five-six years, know what it takes to get to that extra step.

"This Ulster team's time will come, without a doubt. The facilities are there, the players are there, the set-up as well, the Academy are coming through. I've got no doubt that in the next five or six years there will be plenty of trophies in Ulster Rugby."

That's in the future. But where did it go wrong in 2013-14?

Injuries

Once more, Ulster have had injuries. They are not alone in that, however, so let's not get paranoid about anything on that count; professional rugby is a high-speed physical contact code and casualties are inevitable.

But where Ulster have suffered is in the timing of those injuries and the importance of the players affected.

That Heineken Cup game with Saracens was a case in point, with Rory Best exiting with an ankle injury after 10 minutes, by which stage it was already obvious that Ruan Pienaar was struggling as a result of the shoulder injury he picked up three weeks earlier.

Tight-head is the cornerstone of the scrum; John Afoa played in only nine of Ulster's 23 PRO12 games this season. He last lined out on April 5, since when he has been sidelined.

Leadership

The unavailability of key players – Rory Best, for example, played only nine games for Ulster this season, while Tommy Bowe made just 13 appearances – was a handicap.

But so, too, was the fact that some of the big-name players did not step up when it mattered this season. That is a sin of omission.

Leadership is not the responsibility of one or two; it is something to which everyone contributes so that the burden is shared. Ulster would benefit if some of those who appear to believe this is somebody else's role were to come forward and provide an example to follow in the heat of battle.


All the great sides have an abundance of leaders throughout their ranks. In view of the number of Ulster players with 100+ caps, they should have no shortage.

Killer instinct

Had Saturday night's set-to at the RDS been scored as a boxing match rather than rugby, Ulster would have won it. In terms of possession and territory, they out-jabbed Leinster, particularly in the first half.

Yet for all of that, they were limited to just six points from a brace of Paddy Jackson penalties, with the second of the pair having been the last kick of the opening 40 minutes. At this point in their evolution, Ulster are not sufficiently clinical.

The All Blacks are the best team in the world. They make their visits into opposition territory count almost every time.

Ulster do not have that.

They can recycle ad infinitum it seems, but the end product isn't always there. Jabs are one thing – knock-out punches are something altogether different. Points win matches.

Indiscipline

This has been an Achilles heel this season – and I'm not talking about red or yellow cards so much as the concession of penalties at moments when, having worked hard to create the opportunity for a finish, a moment of sheer carelessness undoes all of that graft.

It is mentally exhausting for those who have put in the effort to find themselves forced to retreat as a result of a team-mate not releasing, going in off his feet or entering from the side.

That is a facet of their play Ulster really must eradicate if they are to metamorphose from a nearly-there side into an over-the-line outfit.

And they must become more street-wise when it comes to their working relationship with referees. If they are warned punishment is imminent, they must heed the warning rather than re-offend.

Mental block

Right now, Ulster appear to be stuck. They are close – very, very close – to winning trophies, but there is still a psychological barrier to be overcome.

It has been a bane of many a fine side and doubtless will continue to be so as long as sport is played.

Examine the history of any code and almost certainly you will find that before they became winners, most teams had experienced the pain of failure, frustration and disappointment.

On Saturday night, Leinster showed Ulster how to win. Mentally, they had the edge, experience having taught them not to doubt but just to stay focused, keep working and remain disciplined in the conviction that their reward would come.

We saw exactly the same belief in the All Blacks at the Aviva Stadium on November 24, 2013.

Misfortune

Ulster have certainly had more than their fair share of bad luck in the campaign just ended, not least in its most crucial stages.

Once again Ulster topped the PRO12 Fair Play League, confirming the fact that they are not a dirty side.

The red cards awarded against Jared Payne in the Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Saracens and Tom Court in the PRO12 round 21 derby date with Leinster were down to interpretation by the referees – Jerome Garces and Luke Pearce, respectively – who might well have taken the view that there was neither intent nor malice in either incident.

In both cases, those were 50-50 calls and each time they went against Ulster. Payne's dismissal played a massive part in 14-man Ulster's European exit and the two-match suspension Court received ruled him out of the PRO12 title bid.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/table ... 83726.html

[Cornerfleg]

With this group of players I ask myself would we have won something with Joe as coach ... I cant help saying probably yes ... ergo if we want to be a world class team ... Mark is not the man to do it.

Cold - callous - maybe ... but true.

[big mervyn]

What would Joe have done? has been a recurring thought in my mind of late too.

[Snipe Watson]

The more I hear about Joe Schmidt and his coaching, the more I realise how good he is. He handles players well and his attention to detail is incredible. I suspect with Joe in charge we would have won something in the last two seasons.

[Cockatrice]

Back page does say under Sorry Anscombe to blame him....then inside articles he says more stars need to stand up..... Who could he be hinting at?

[ruckover]

Look, I want him to go. With the players we have and the young players we have coming through (Joyce, Scholes, Busby etc.), to not have won a trophy is unacceptable and we should not still be complaining about our strength in depth. Leinster don't need to improve their strength in depth and they've probably blooded more youngsters in the last two years than we have.

This season has papered over a lot of cracks. The only result I can say I'm truly happy with is the Montpellier away game where, to his credit, Maak got everything spot on tactically. But our Pro12 form has been nothing short of dismal, and that's the bread-and-butter of Ulster Rugby. He may say all the right things, but for me I wouldn't be sad to see him given his marching orders.

Will he go? No. After the whole McGlocks horror show, to fire another coach especially after giving him a new contract recently would be a huge PR disaster for Ulster. A Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat (one which is considered unlucky by many) and a Pro12 semi-final defeat are not enough to justify going back on the new contract.

[BuckRogers]

With this group of players I ask myself would we have won something with Joe as coach ... I cant help saying probably yes ... ergo if we want to be a world class team ... Mark is not the man to do it.

Cold - callous - maybe ... but true.

That would sum up my feelings quite well. As I said elsewhere what does Anscombe actually bring to the party?

He's clearly not a devil is in the details man ala Schmidt nor does he seem to be a seriously technical coach either.

That's not necessarily a bad thing for a head coach. Kidney achieved a Grand Slam for Ireland by bring the best out if his back room staff and playing squad. Graham Henry was also a great 'overseer' in this mould as was Clive Woodward.

Anscombe just seems to be happy he's here, probably wondering, how he's still managing to wing this.

The article above is very insightful in that it really gives an accurate overview of where things have went wrong. The penalty count against us being one rather large elephant in the room. You would think that a Head Coach would be cracking heads on and off the training pitch about why we are constantly on the wrong side of penalty counts.

I am really struggling to see the benefit of keeping him in situ for next season. It might cost us some money to get shot but as anyone who has ever managed a team will tell you having the wrong man/woman in a key position will do far more damage in the long term than the short term cost to remove them.

The one year contract was one of Humphreys' poorer decisions. In Humphreys' defence poor decisions on his behalf would seem few and far between but that doesn't detract from my feeling Cowboy is not the right fit at this stage.

Get rid of him. Even a year with Doak/Bell sharing responsibilities would not necessarily be bad in comparison to keeping this joker.


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[mikerob]

It's a bit like EOS being oh so close to winning the 6N with Ireland but ultimately falling short on each occasion. Clearly, we need someone like Declan Kidney to come in and win silverware.

[Nightsoil]

Joe appears to be nothing short of a genius though. Asking Anscombe to replicate genius, particularly if we can't point to a genius to replace him with, seems harsh.

But - compared with say Penney, or McCall, to pick a couple of clearly talented but imperfect coaches - would they have got something?

Based solely on what's happening on the field, I'd hem and haw and maybe consider the extra year as fair and maybe consider it as a bit of waste. Hear the off the field stories and it tilts to waste.

Only issue is - who do you replace him with? It's not a zero sum game, Ulster can't afford to be seen as too trigger happy with their coaches, most of the good guys are tied up right now and sacking him costs money after all.

I feel like we're damned if we do and damned if we don't.

[Jackie Brown]

Keep him another season, then snap up a coach after the world cup.

[thecrouch]

In my opinion our league form has gone backward this year. We played better rugby last season. Yes, we've had more than our fair share of injuries at the business end of the season but we've suffered a few terrible results throughout the season and have often struggled to put games to bed.

To me it seems like we put all our eggs in the HEC basket.

[Russ]

Sacking him should not cost money if UR have been smart with their contract extension caveats

Anscombe Out

[OneMore]

Joe appears to be nothing short of a genius though. Asking Anscombe to replicate genius, particularly if we can't point to a genius to replace him with, seems harsh.

But - compared with say Penney, or McCall, to pick a couple of clearly talented but imperfect coaches - would they have got something?

Based solely on what's happening on the field, I'd hem and haw and maybe consider the extra year as fair and maybe consider it as a bit of waste. Hear the off the field stories and it tilts to waste.

Only issue is - who do you replace him with? It's not a zero sum game, Ulster can't afford to be seen as too trigger happy with their coaches, most of the good guys are tied up right now and sacking him costs money after all.

I feel like we're damned if we do and damned if we don't.

I agree with most of what you say here Nightsoil, and particularly the sentence in bold. There has been far too much chatter about things Anscombe has said in training, about senior players being unhappy with him, and the implications to be drawn from what he has said in his interviews. All this stuff is fine if you're blowing the opposition off the park every week. We're not. Can anyone honestly say we'd be in a worse position now than if McLoughlin had been in charge?

All that said, I'm content that his year extension may be on the basis of a lack of available replacements. I expect Humph to have someone good to go this time next year.

[rorybestsbigbaldnoggin]

If Anscombe stays next year, the team will not improve and will actively suffer for it.

It's like having someone like John Afoa - looking for a way out, or failing that the insurance of a contract extension paid with Ulster money - in the coaches chair. Add Anscombe's abuse of younger players and the fact that absolutely no-one in the Ulster coaching/Director set-up is even remotely considering a future with Anscombe beyond 14/15, and the ideal scenario is he is shifted now / shot in the face.

Humph now has the ammunition to sack Anscombe. The contract extension was offered off the back of 6 HEC wins from 6, and a competitive (if diminished from 12/13) position in the Pro12. Since Cardiff away, we have lost 5 games from 6 (I think). The deciding question for Humph will be:

Can we get a better coach for the 14/15 season? Would a place-holder coach (Doak for example) do a better job whilst waiting for an improvement in the management market post RWC 2015?