The UAFC

Assuming that this season is a write-off, what 3-4 things would you do, as coach/Petrie, to make Ulster better next season?

I know there are a lot of structural issues like a gash academy system and tom kite youth identification process, but they'll take years to reform. We need improvenent now! My thoughts below:

1) cut the wage bill by releasing no hopers/sicknotes like Matty Rea, Jones, Reffell, Curtis, Addison, Moxham, Sexton. None of the above are good enough (excluding Addison but he looks shot after the injuries).

These lads rarely play anyway and are no big loss to the organisation, so could save a few 100k

2) bring in a quality lock and back row ball carrier. Maybe not an international but a decent Currie Cup/NPC level player, early 20s and hungry. Lure them in as projects and flog the life out of them.

3) invest in a decent sports psycologist/consultant like Stuart Lancaster to purge the loser mentality out of the organisation.

4) play players that are in form. WTAF is Dan doing not playing Sheridan? Please someone in the media ask him why?

1)Get rid of DMcF
2)Get rid of Bell
3)Get rid of Newby
4)Tell Soper, Grant and Faloon you’ve a season to get serious improvement or you're gone too.

Getting rid of the dross mid contract wont save anything as they would have to be compensated so may as well let them stay to the end.

Short contracts. We've seen it before player performance rising markedly just before end of contract - new contract - same old dross.

There is a mentality problem. Guys swanning around Lisburn Road with their Bavarian sponsored beamers going from Latte to Latte like they are celebrities. There is no fight - no grit. It's been an issue for a long time. We have capable players in areas but is there a mindset issue that can be dealt with?

Coaches and management - tell the fecking truth! I swear if Ulster played Donaghadee thirds they wouls still be saying ' they are a well coached very physical team' and after the loss - ' we need to go back and review and put it right on the training pitch'. Yesterday was bleak. SAY SO. Say itls not good enough. Be culpable. Stop feeding the dwindling supporter numbers media prepared crap all the time.

Recruitment - its p!ss poor. Why oh why was Kitshoff brought in when we have much more pressing needs? Why oh why do we cast such a small net. Its like the only country we look to recruit from is SA when there are so many more opportunities out there. Bryn needs a kick up the hole or replaced.

I'm not close enough to the camp to know what specifically is wrong, but q combination of the performances on show and a coach going for interviews makes it clear that all is not well and change is needed.

At a higher level the thing I'd want to see changed is an emphasis on the youth structures. Kitshoff is a great player, but I'd question whether he's a luxury we can afford when we've been laying off rugby development officers in the province and our age grade teams are getting routinely embarrassed. Working out why that's the case and sorting it should be the focus of our finite resources in my opinion.

Splash the cash on a real leader. Lose some of the NPCs. Stop contributing to the hype.