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Can Gloucester prove the doubters wrong in 2009-10?

JSD - hopeful
By Cherry Picker
July 3 2009
The Gloucester squad is as big as it’s going to get, and many fans will be disappointed with that. But it’s worth remembering that a year ago there was great anticipation ahead of the new season, and look what happened then. We had a squad bursting with talent, international galore and players with great pedigrees … and they got us absolutely nothing, apart from frustration and failure.
Bryan RedpathNow, as Glaws tell us that new coach Bryan Redpath (right) has got all the players he’s going to get, a lot of supporters fear the worst for 2009-10.
But those same fans were probably surprised last season when that squad with so much promise, the one that had been improved after going so close the season before and the season before that, let everybody down.
So let’s give Redpath and his players the chance to prove us all wrong again.
There’s a note of caution from one of the club’s most popular players, James Simpson-Daniel, for any fans who believe that the departure of coach Dean Ryan is the solution to all the old problems.
He says that the players have to take their share of the blame for last season’s failings and he told the Citizen: "You can't expect to blame everything on one man.
"I'm just glad it's settled. It got to the point where the players were back training and didn't know what was going to happen.
"I wasn't spoken to by Tom and I don't know what was said between him and Dean.
"I have spoken to Dean since he left. I don't know what he plans to do next, but I do know I owe him a lot for how he developed my game.
"He championed the basics when I came on the scene and I owe a lot of the development of my skills in the contact area to him.
"We know we have a smaller squad this season, so we will have to be lucky with injuries. If players do get injured we will have to start playing the youngsters a lot sooner than last time around.
"That's not to take anything away from them. We have a lot of talent coming through – players who will soon make themselves important members of the first team.
"We are focused on doing well in our pre-season games and making sure we are ready for that huge opener (against Bath).”
It strikes us that the big problem last season was one of attitude more than anything else, coupled perhaps with some wrong decisions on the team’s general response to the ELVs.
If Redpath can get the basics right with the squad playing together as a unit, he will surely be some way towards solving the problems. 

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3 Jul, 2009 11:12 Report
Shedloads (IP Logged)
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Can Gloucester prove the doubters wrong in 2009-10?
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3 Jul, 2009 12:16 Report
cheerycherry (IP Logged)
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Re: Can Gloucester prove the doubters wrong in 2009-10?
Glaws totally overreacted to the ELVs and whilst other clubs adjusted accordingly as the season went on, Glaws didnt and paid the price. It is possible to play running Rugby with the ELVs in place and hopefully that is the first thing BR will be saying to the players.

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