Neil best

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cheese
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Neil best

Post by cheese »

If anyone saw the Northampton game yesterday you will really appreciate what Ulster will miss this year. He was immense and on that form will be a cert for the Lions. I think now its clear this could be a very tough year for Ulster in his absence. :duh:
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Ardglass2
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Re: Neil best

Post by Ardglass2 »

cheese wrote:If anyone saw the Northampton game yesterday you will really appreciate what Ulster will miss this year. He was immense and on that form will be a cert for the Lions. I think now its clear this could be a very tough year for Ulster in his absence. :duh:
Ulster wont miss an underperforming player who, if the rumours are true was a disrupted influence in the dressing room.
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Neil F
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Re: Neil best

Post by Neil F »

Ardglass2 wrote:Ulster wont miss an underperforming player who, if the rumours are true was a disrupted influence in the dressing room.
Agreed.

Neil Best, for whatever reason, lost the ability to play as part of the team at Ulster and as a result, he won't be missed. In all likelihood, Best would never have regained any kind of form at Ulster and anything he achieves at Saints, or anywhere else, requires that context before we start thinking about what we've lost.
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Re: Neil best

Post by cheese »

He would get in the Ireland team on that form. maybe he just got fed up playing with such an average team. playing with quuality now will bring back the Great Playing Neil Best
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Re: Neil best

Post by GerryO' »

cheese wrote:He would get in the Ireland team on that form. maybe he just got fed up playing with such an average team. playing with quuality now will bring back the Great Playing Neil Best
Neil's form was part of the problem that made Ulster as you say 'average'; Personally I'd say crap, but there you go. I find your reasoning rather naïve and one sided.
Just because Neil played well for Saints, doesn't mean he would have played well for Ulster. Neil's departure from Ulster will almost certainly prove beneficial for him and us. There were all manner of issues involved in the decision to part company, but what is clear to me is that Ulster will be better without Neil and Neil will be better without Ulster at least for the next few seasons. I hope he returns to form and to the Ireland team and then a Lions spot could be his next summer.
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Neil F
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Re: Neil best

Post by Neil F »

Cheese, Neil Best's for dipped after his exploits in the Autumn of 2006. By the end of the Autumn Internationals of 2006, Ulster were not, "such an average team." They were top of the Magners League with 28 points from 8 games, they had crushed Ospreys and Toulouse teams chocked full of internationals and were, shall we say, cruising? At that stage, Ulster looked far from an average team - it was the inability of the likes of Neil Best to play as part of this Ulster team that contributed towards the massive dip in form; Best's form dipped immediately and Ulster's form followed soon after. I do not know Neil Best but why his formed dipped at Ulster is obvious - he lost the ability to play as a part of the team. Why he no longer felt a part of the team at Ulster, I don't know but it was certainly nothing to do with Ulster being, "such an average team."

I'm glad that he's shown good form at Saints already but I'm also glad that he is no longer pulling on the white jersey for Ulster. He would never have recovered his form at Ulster, but it is not right to blame other Ulster players for that - these are issues that Neil Best had and Neil Best made the right decision, both for himself and Ulster, by moving on.
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Re: Neil best

Post by colinh »

Fair play to Bestie.
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Ithryn
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Re: Neil best

Post by Ithryn »

Im going to follow saints this season in the premiership, it will be interesting to see how best and wilson go in that slugfest, it may suit there game more, plenty of big guys for best to run into and each team has at least one like minded fiery tempered forward so there could be a few good scraps.

That being said while neil played awesome on sunday and i wish him well as one of my favourite players, the saints will have much harder games that worcester at home (who came second bottom i think last season) it was an easy match up.
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Re: Neil best

Post by rosetintedgoggles »

I have to say that after watching the pre season and opening Magners league match we sadly miss a player of Neil Best's physicality. We have no impact players.

For what ever reason he ceased to be effective for Ulster, we are a poorer team for his passing. We cannot simply shrug our shoulders and say his face didn't fit anymore. He gave his all to the cause and was a major factor in the Celtic League success. The way he was treated by the muppet O'Sullivan would have had a major negative effect on anyone's outlook and attitude.

Then we had the sad and protracted demise of Mark McCall and the appointment of MW. Once Neil had made public his decision to leave he was used erractically by MW to the point of being insulted. However all this may well be in the best interests of both parties.

I wish Neil Best well and hope that one day soon we may see him in the green shirt once again.
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Re: Neil best

Post by for dog and ulcer »

I thought Wilson looked good too and that Paul Shields played well and looked a lot trimmer.
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Re: Neil best

Post by Master of None »

Hi everyone, this is my first post (maybe my last). I find it strange that some people seem to take satisfaction in berating and insulting Neil best in recent times. I had the pleasure of being involved with coaching Neil in his early days at Malone RFC and I have nothing but praise for him both as a person and as a player. I don't know why things with Ulster deteriorated and I suspect that a lot of the posters on this site don't KNOW either,but in his time with Ulster, he was Man of the Match on numerous occasions and played with considerable style and passion and I personally wish him every success with Northampton along with any player who has served the province well and has moved on. (I'm sorry for the length of the post, I know that brevity is admired)
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Re: Neil best

Post by scrum5 »

RTG says
The way he was treated by the muppet O'Sullivan would have had a major negative effect on anyone's outlook and attitude.
true but why take it out on the Province that he played for and the supporters who idolised him.RTG also says
For what ever reason he ceased to be effective for Ulster, we are a poorer team for his passing
he chose to stop playing for Ulster and no one is to blame for his demise than himself, with that attitude if he had stayed Ulster would indeed be a poorer team for him staying, Tommy Bowe and Roger Wilson et al all left at the end of the season but their commitment to the cause of Ulster rugby did not diminish like Neil's. RTG again said
Once Neil had made public his decision to leave he was used erractically by MW to the point of being insulted.
Neil by his attitude made the decision easy for MW to leave him out of team. Personnally I would have loved for Neil Best to have recaptured the form of 2006 and to be wearing the white of Ulster Rugby still, but he made the choice and no one else. I wish him all the best at The Saints and like others will be following his progress this season, but on the previous 2 seasons performances for UR he is no great loss, especially with Ferris, Henry and Tommy Anderson coming to the Fore.
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Re: Neil best

Post by fermain »

Master of None wrote:Hi everyone, this is my first post (maybe my last). I find it strange that some people seem to take satisfaction in berating and insulting Neil best in recent times. I had the pleasure of being involved with coaching Neil in his early days at Malone RFC and I have nothing but praise for him both as a person and as a player. I don't know why things with Ulster deteriorated and I suspect that a lot of the posters on this site don't KNOW either,but in his time with Ulster, he was Man of the Match on numerous occasions and played with considerable style and passion and I personally wish him every success with Northampton along with any player who has served the province well and has moved on. (I'm sorry for the length of the post, I know that brevity is admired)
Welcome MoN, A good 1st post; who said brevity is admired..? have you seen some of the posts on here? :wink:
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Re: Neil best

Post by Freebird »

Sport in general is riddled with players and coaches who have grown stale (and comfortable) in one environment and have gone on to be a revelation in a new setting. While i am only speculating, i doubt Bestie would've been great for us had he stayed. It may well be that the change was good and necessary for all parties. I guess time will tell to an extent.
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cables
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Re: Neil best

Post by cables »

some people seem to take satisfaction
Hi Master of None. I have not posted anything on this thread up to now but I have read all the posts.

I do not get any feeling that anyone is taking satisfaction from what they posted. I believe all would be tinged with sadness.

Would you not agree on reflection?
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