By Tigger too
March 29 2007

Frustration with the way things are going. Dissent among the supporters over tactics and team selections. A bad season can make things fraught. Tigger too puts down his pint (no, really!), cogitates on matters suggests that a more reflective outlook might reap rewards...

Does that date ring any bells? It should do. If you don’t remember I will remind you at the end. Because it was the end in many ways. Or the beginning.

So. It’s not been good this season. The Tigers have just knocked us out of the EDF. We have had a horrendous run of injuries. There has been discontent in the ranks of the supporters. The RFU and clubs cannot agree on anything. There may not be a European competition next year. So who is to blame? There seems to be, at times, a need blame somebody.

The SSSC has come in for a lot of criticism. Very unfairly in my opinion. I am not suggesting that they are being blamed for our form this season but they have always tried to do the right thing by their members. The supporters’ evenings, away travel and fund raising are all done on a voluntary basis and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them, both past and present, for all they have done. I have met many new friends over the past few years and had some great ‘craics’. They have always gone the extra mile to help supporters who have lost their tickets/bought tickets in the wrong place, arrange interesting and informative supporters evenings and arrange discounts for events at the club. And all for £10!

As for our run of injuries. Well what is the management to do? We can’t bring in ‘big names’ to replace the likes of Jason White, Charlie Hodgson and Andrew Sheridan. Add in a plethora of other injuries and it is a disaster of Titanic proportions. This then leads on to players playing with niggles. They are running on empty. We have had no chance to rotate the squad this season so we are in an ever-decreasing cycle. There is no time to recover, rest and recuperate. Are you surprised we look lethargic at times? Of course the international periods do not help. It disrupts training even if we do get the players back fit.

My biggest problem this season has actually been the supporters. I could not believe the booing at some of the games directed at our own players. Especially Daniel Larrachea. The criticism of Larry, Chabal, PSA, Mark Nelson and most recently Jason Robinson to name a few, has bordered on the personal. Just when the players and management need the support the most it seemed to evaporate. I am not saying that people shouldn’t objectively criticise but sometimes I have felt embarrassed and angry at some of the comments and posts. Do we boo Charlie when he has an off match? Did we boo Braam Van Straaten, Mike Hercus or Byron Hayward? I know for a fact that players and management read this board. How do you think it makes them feel? As for PSA, KJ and Nelly getting the tactics wrong and playing players out of position…well I can’t comment on that as I don’t attend the training sessions and see what they do. I don’t tell them how to do their job and they don’t come to my work and tell me how to sweep up.

Is there a point to this…well rant for want of a better word. Lets cast our minds back to the 1987/88 season. The year Sale was relegated to the old second division. Nearly 20 years ago. And we came close a couple of times since. In fact this will most likely be our worst season since 2000/01. Is it anyone’s fault? Why do we need to feel the need to blame anyone? S**t happens. I will support Sale no matter what. I will gladly pay my money and follow them through thick and thin. We all have a choice. I realise this may not be a popular opinion but of course I am entitled to mine.

The point is we played Wasps in the last ever game at Heywood road on Sat 03 May 2003. We lost, it was raining, it was my new wife’s first game and I nearly lost my wedding ring. Who knew then what was just around the corner. The arrival of PSA and KJ, Chabal, Bruno and the Lobbe brothers to name a few. The departure of most of our forwards to Sarries. The departure of Dimes and Big Jim. What did the future hold then? How much doom, gloom and despair was around at the games and on this message board? Just over three years, THAT IS THREE YEARS, later, Sun 14 May 2006 to be exact, we beat Wasps at Edgeley Park in The Guinness Premiership semi-final and…well I don’t have to remind you. We also ‘won’ the league and got to the quarterfinals of the HEC. Three years from being a ‘small club in Cheshire’ to Champions. So how about a little bit of perspective? I will now retire to my bunker.