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Personally, I think that he could well be the right man, but the opportunity might be a year or two too soon.
Especially given the squad he has to work with this season, and probably for the next season, and maybe even the season after that.
And can Tigers afford to wait that long for success, or maybe they have to wait that long anyway, no matter who is in charge ?

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The forwards are the problem. They are underpowered and relatively ordinary.


I'd argue that as a unit they've improved greatly from the rubbish served up under other coaches, BUT they still arn't good enough to challenge for honours etc.


No quick solutions to this.


Geordan has to be given time to change this. It isn't going to be a quick process and I feel it'll get a lot more uglier before we'll see any significant improvements.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2019 13:18 by RushdenTiger (KT at work).

Not

You need Dean Richards back

ASAP

He'd reestablish a good bite and snarl about the Tigers again that is patently missing

IMHO

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I would answer Yes , with the correct managerial and coaching structure around him , sadly it currently is not in place , which exposes Geordan,as it did MO`C, Mauger and Cockers, to the vagaries and machinations of the BOD, and the CEO and Head of Rugby Operations? He will be scapegoated to protect the current dysfunctional structure at the club, he needs top cover which IMHO does not exist currently.

For me, too early to say. Still a risk but one the Board are willing to take based upon past experience of a similar risk paying off for them more than once.

I do hope Geordan will be given the time he will need, by both the Board and the fans. It maybe the latter who are the bigger problem tbh.

The squad needs improving throughout but this will take a couple of seasons more before Geordan has "his" squad in place due to player contracts. I do hope he builds a more balanced squad than we have seen of late and does not allow the Board's apparent desire for "fancy dan" rugby to influence him too much. Also this might be his natural inclination too.

I do have concerns about Bakewell. He has had selection influence for some time now over our forwards (squad and team) and their inability to successfully carry out basic functions of a pack (lineout, maul, breakdown, etc) after his training time is not desirable. Our scrummaging is the only real positive worth highlighting and that is down to Stanko.

I do wonder what the real motivator was behind his sudden appointment as Head Coach (rather than just "Interim")? Couldn't be justified by results!

Stability and patience now needed if Tigers are going to dominate again. The right mix of young and old, local and import, forwards and backs within the squad needs to be built and this doesn't happen over night. A balanced team of coaches, who trust each other and the players and whom the players trust and are motivated by, also needs to be put in place. Let's see what happens in the future!

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Geordan has inherited a playing squad and associated coaches, it may be the BOD are looking for a DOR with Geordan managing the coaching of specialist coaches, Boris for scrum, Breakdown Newby, second row Deacon Defence Blake and Ant Allen the backs.

It may be that Georda is the DOR.

I don't see a massive queue of alternatives and any external candidate would have exactly the same issues re inherited squad plus finding their way around Tigers

It has been a long slide down a slow incline with any braking causing little but skids and lurches. Those responsible have been slow to adapt to our fall from financial dominance and the supporters have exacerbated pressure upon them by expecting empirical performance from a leveller playing field. That is a simplification, but close imho

There have been some poor decisions, but these were little doubt made with the best intentions; they are in the past

Geordie is as good as anyone to take us into the long term, the pitfall-strewn scramble back up; he is a Tiger .. he cares!

He must be given all the help our Club can give, but it must be understood that is not limitless and gets more difficult the further we fall.

There is danger, a drop is possible, but I've seen much from the incumbents that tells me we are not going down a division .. maybe a European competition but wtf? We do not currently compete anyway

So yes, Geordie is the Tiger in our tank

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The referee is the final arbitrary

whilst I would like Deano back he isn't a head coach.

Deano + Murphy would be a good combo though.

The best we can ask for at present. He is holding a VERY poisoned chalice.

I feel (as said earlier by others) he's the right man... but maybe still a couple of years too early. It could be the making of him. But I fear that the repeat of what hapened to Paul Burke could again happen (ie just over-promoted too quickly when a hole appeared without proper rational controlled sucession planning) then left holding the can, and then ceremonially sacrificed. (Not to mix too many metaphors).

We de-powered the pack 4 years ago. And never replaced people like Luis Deacon, Parling, Newby, (or woods, skiv, Salvi, arguably even TTTE, and more recently Croft, and horse traded Slater away too) with equal calibre. We suffer from that still, and will take years to fix in all reality.

My biggest fear is Geordan will not get the right support around him, with no Peter Wheeler type to link to the BoD, and eventually Smurph will get dumped on.
I'm reaĺy hoping to be proven utterly wrong. And will be glad when I am !

Yorkie

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‘I do wonder what the real motivator was behind his sudden appointment as Head Coach (rather than just "Interim")? Couldn't be justified by results! ‘

It was NOT a sudden appointment and was known about internally for several weeks but Geordie did not want it making public whilst the side was losing, but suspect eventually it had to be announced so as not to impact on recruiting etc.

Personally I feel he is the right man but as he said he has a battleship to turn round and this particular battleship has been badly damaged over the last few years.

Those repairs are going to take time, and might involve the ship being taken out of Premiership service for a season.

The new captain of the ship is in place but feel we may need changes at the Admiralty!

He has my fullest support until it is shown definitively that he isn’t right.

He isn't yet the finished article. Deffo. the right man but give him time and a fair chance.

Quote:

tigersimon
Yorkie
Quote
‘I do wonder what the real motivator was behind his sudden appointment as Head Coach (rather than just "Interim")? Couldn't be justified by results! ‘

It was NOT a sudden appointment and was known about internally for several weeks but Geordie did not want it making public whilst the side was losing, but suspect eventually it had to be announced so as not to impact on recruiting etc.

Ok. So if known about "internally", why not make it public? Why wouldn't Geordan want it making public? (Sorry, don't accept the stated excuse.) And, if decision made weeks ago, why the sudden announcement? And the announcement was "sudden" after press just prior emphasising the "interim" status.

And if decision made "several weeks" ago then why even bother appointing him "Interim"?

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..sorry but think not.Admire him as a player but that does not make him a potential Head Coach.Whatever the merits of our present side - and it is limited in comparison to those of the past - it is vastly under-performing.However this is not a middle of the table side with middle of the table players (in my opinion).Any team should be greater than the sum of it's parts and ours is not;collectively our coaching (with the exception of Boris S ) is not good enough.The premiership table does not lie.
Geordan’s tenure as skills coach (approx 5 years) has not exactly seen a great improvement in the basics, our attacking play is largely predictable and our whole game plan lacks cohesive structure.
Tell me, on the strength of performance and results in his interim role the justification of a permanent appointment ?
Ah, yes "stability"... I'd rather have ability and a proven quantity.Who ? That is not the question posed here.
You can't teach what Geordan had as a player,and the board (possibly) pitching in an untried ex player as coach because it has worked in the past is farcical given the current situation.Geordan also is perhaps too close to the problem to see it clearly and he must have a care or his 'mates' as well as those above him could well cost him his new job.
I hope I'm wrong as the guy is a legend but to me this is just too much ,too soon and I have the gravest reservations.