Gloucester
Time for Glaws to stop making schoolboy mistakes
Nicky R - back?
By Cherry Picker
November 18 2009
Gloucester’s season has settled into a pattern, centred on one basic question – when will the team stop making the sort of mistakes that have caused them to lose their last two games after being in match-winning positions? Perhaps, more accurately, the question should be – will they EVER learn?
In two LV Cup matches, against Cardiff and Wasps, Glaws have started well and suggested they just might be about to turn the corner, only to gave the games away with unforced errors and a lack of experience.
Now it’s back to the Guinness Premiership, and Friday night’s test at Kingsholm is posed by the old enemy, Leicester Tigers, who might not be as strong as they would like to be this season, but they are still fourth in the table within striking distance of leaders Saracens.
How often have we seen Tigers lurk in the background before pouncing in late season to challenge for the honours?
Glaws are hoping that some of their injuries are starting to clear up after Nicky Robinson missed the Wasps game.
Coach Bryan Redpath is hoping Olly Morgan recovers from a hamstring injury, while James Simpson-Daniel, Jake Boer and Greg Somerville should also be back.
Redpath must get sick of saying the same thing after matches, his comments after the wasps game looking very familiar: “We're cutting our own throats too easily. We talked about keeping our own half clean and we did that in the first half and created opportunities.
"Then suddenly we have a chip kick and Varndell scores in the corner, then we have a line-out overthrow and Simpson scores. We have another overthrow leading to three points. Then hands at ruck, yellow card and more points.
"Some of these things are decisions we are getting wrong.”
But while even the best coach in the world loses direct control over his players as soon as they cross the white line to go on the pitch, the way they coach during the week has a major influence on the team performance and while Redpath is right when he talks about mistakes, it’s up to him to find a way to stamp them out or to at least compensate for them.
Will it happen this season or are we in for five more months of torment?
Watch this space.
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18/11/2009 11:32
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BR is right to point to the errors, but I do think he needs to look at his coaching team's "form" when performances are so poor.
