Gloucester
Eight days that will decide Glaws season
DR - pressure
By Cherry Picker
April 14 2009
After eight months of drama on and off the pitch, Gloucester go into the most important eight days of their season on Saturday, and by the end of it they will know whether all the hard work and heartache has been worth it. The season has been a frustrating one at times, and opponents are hoping it all ends in tears.
But the optimists in the dressing room and in the stands at Kingsholm believe it will be better than that.
The eight-day season decider starts with the EDF Final against Cardiff Blues at Twickenham on Saturday, a great day out for Glaws fans with Hartpury College and Moseley also featuring in the three-game show at the place Peter West* used to refer to as “HQ”.
Then on Tuesday April 21, which in our view is far too soon after what is sure to be a bruising game against the Blues, the rearranged game against Wuss is played at Kingsholm.
The final day of the regular GP season sees Glaws travel to deposed champions Wasps, and the chances are that this game will decide not only whether they are in the play-odffs, but also whether they are at home or away.
There’s no doubt that Dean Ryan and his players would not have chosen to end their season with three such big games in the space of eight days, but that’s the way it has fallen and at least they had a weekend off over Easter to get themselves ready both physically and mentally.
Whatever happens in this dramatic finale to the season, though, it has been confirmed that the revolving door at Kingsholm is liable to pick up speed as the close-season looms.
Shareholder Martin St Quinton, who appears to be far more willing to speak about the sort of stuff that interests the supporters than Dean Ryan and Tom Walkinshaw are, has told the Citizen that the comings and goings are liable to increase in the weeks to come.
He said: “We will be getting more players in and more players will be leaving.
“We will sit down with Dean at the end of the season and have a look at what we need. April is always a time for speculation because of the way contracts are in professional rugby.
“But Dean hasn’t made his mind up in all departments yet.”
Those comments suggest Ryan will not be one of those going through the Kingsholm exit, but many fans believe that the next three games should be his big test – if Glaws fail, his future at the club will be questioned by the fans, if not by the powers-that-be.
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14/04/2009 13:00
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6 props 4 second row 6 back row with 2 each in every other position, plus 3 top class place kickers as a minimum.
What would you do in our position?
will 5 points help you? its yours!!
KevinTheB
www.justgiving.com/kevinbroadbent
Take nothing away from Wuss as they must have put the effort in to get a result at Castle Grim, but what of Glaws? Where has the grunt, bully and cajole gone? Let's hope it doen't re-appear before next Sunday i.e after the Wasps game
Good luck Gloucester!
LEEDS CARNEGIE TYKES - MARCHING ON TOGETHER TO THE PREMIERSHIP
Definitely not, at least until next year.
Phil
