Aironi v Connacht - 07/01/12

Agree Seapoint, he spent more time getting barred from nightclubs than putting in shifts for us at the coalface. A gym monkey and a poser.

He also posted this comment on facebook: ''Whose job is it to fill confidence, pride, build team cohesion spirit & Ora? Starts from somewhere & should be maintained from somewhere. I know for a fact players are capable physically, not only are good blokes but but also have what it takes to win!'

That was really hard to watch. The amount of basic errors being made is scary and surely stems from the total lack of confidence evident in the players. It's a long time since I've seen it so low. There's a real lack of leadership out there too and you'd wonder how much influence Duffy is having as captain in this respect, seeing as he's so far removed from play a lot of the time at full-back. The negativity on social media sites is depressing and now ex-players wading in too? Bad times. A win can't come soon enough but god only knows where we're going to get it.

This has all become pretty sad. Ezra has as much a right to his comment as we do ours, but as much as Im not a fan, he might have some inside knowledge. Although on face value, it seems like cheap shots

Ya wouldn't be rushing to hear Ezra Taylors views on the Connacht setup but still I'm glad its raised all the same.

After the two HC games there is a break and that time needs to be used for a serious sit down review. We all know the passion Eric has for Connacht and he has achieved legendary status for all he has done for rugby out west. However, its a results based business regardless of what was achieved in a players playing days.

This isn't just about Eric. Its about the whole playing side of things. Issues which need to be addressed:

1) Recruitment and Departures - Never been great but disastrous since Eric took over. We are rarely if ever going to get a player who is the finished article and we have a limited pool to recruit from so no-one is saying anything but that its tough to get every signing right but we need to make sure every decision is well thought out. Some of the signings have been of very poor quality. Our best signings have been the lads we've got on development deals. 4 of our key players have left, even others who did a decent job for us left and are doing well elsewhere. We need to identify who is responsible for the likes of Ah You, Fa'aili, Vainikolo, Taylor etc. These lads are knocking huge chunks out of our budget, the money saved on these lads would be hugely significant for us.

2)Season to date: What have been the positives, why are the results so poor, what can we do to change the results with the present resources at our disposal. how are we going to improve for the rest of the season, performance level etc. Targets for the remainder of the season (vital we become results driven, have to target at least 3 wins before the season is out)

3)Back room staff: How are our present back room staff performing, what input do they have as to the season so far, are we learning from past mistakes? What areas of the back room staff do we need to improve/change.

Other issues obviously as well, recruitment is obviously what most of it reverts back to.

Things have been got right off the pitch through huge effort from all parties and an honest effort to put in the resources and structure to market Connacht a whole lot better than had been done previously but there needs to be a similar results driven mindset for on the field matters. (If Gerry Kelly is going along with the amateur viewpoint of ah we've played well in a lot of the games and we've been unlucky to be on the wrong side of a few tight games and we've shown in the Heineken we can compete sort of nonsense we might as well thrown our hat at it) Connacht are a professional club and we need to regard ourselves as such. We can't be taken seriously until we take ourselves seriously.

Recruitment has been bad, but not awful. Considering the position we were put in with all playing contracts expiring at the same time it could have been much worse.

ummm, wrote:
And now we have a war of words brewing with Easterbury who is trying to downplay our one trump card by telling journalists they can do more for young players and that playing time is overrated.

Right, umm, don't think you need to worry about too many players swallowing that (at least the smart talented ones).

Obviously the nine thousand and one training session players like POD fare far better once they leave Leinster on their 29th birthday, as compared to, say, Dave McSharry or Dave Kearney.

salmson wrote:

ummm, wrote:
And now we have a war of words brewing with Easterbury who is trying to downplay our one trump card by telling journalists they can do more for young players and that playing time is overrated.

Right, umm, don't think you need to worry about too many players swallowing that (at least the smart talented ones).

We don't need smart ones, we need front rows!

sea_point wrote:

clan clover wrote: Totally gutted seeing good players trying their upmost and getting no reward, when the camera panned to EE and Allnut you could see on their faces they had not got a clue what to do, the desperation was obvious and this transmitted to the players on the pitch.

Ezra Taylors comments ring very true, <strong>Sean C and Carr have waxed lyrical about the coaching they now receive at Leinster and a few years ago players that made a similar move also made similar comments.</strong>

They were talking about specialist coaching they are getting there which Leinster can afford, we have a forwards coach, they have a forwards coach and specialist scrum coach, same with backs....

Which is exactly my point, we have coaches they have coaches, only difference they have better ones. Yes they have a scrum coach but they are alone in that and it's not something FIonn Carr benefits from. It's well documented by ex players you question the coaching in Connacht you first get dropped and then shown the door. While everyone is having a pop at Ezra remember he knows the set up he knows the routine inside out and he knows the players inside out and he is still friends with a lot of them and still in communication with them so he may know the feeling of the players. But he is not the only player to voice his feelings over the last few years others have too. The manner of yesterday's defeat was the hardest bit to take, you can see the panic in the players, the stupid basketball passes the go it alone attitude,that is when you need the coaches and the captain to want their earn their crust, it did not happen individuals playing out of their skin week in week out fr no reward.

At the end of the day we will be going into year two of make or break for Connacht and it will be back to the same 1500 souls every home game as we have had for the last few years, the new guys will be gone and you cannot expect them to stay when they see defeat after defeat.

As Mul said some weeks back, it's not easy being a Connacht supporter at the moment........ I won't go over what has already been said on this site and elsewhere, about areas on the field where we need to improve, and I do sincerely hope that this will be addresed with some good signings for next year.

But in the interim, I think that the biggest issue to be dealt with at the moment is that of the players mindset. In most games this year we have shown glimpses and sometimes more of what we can do with our tails up. However when things start to go against us, we panic. The fear of losing yet another match is leading to panic and silly mistakes and decisions being made. We seriously need some leardership on and off the pitch regarding this.

Also, given that this season is now effectively over for Connacht, I think Eric should be starting some of the young Connacht lads from academy, under 20's etc.

exactly clanclover, individuals playing well| there lies a lot of the problem wit consistancy. The only thing consistant wit connacht atm is the result.

Some weeks a lot of individuals turn up wanting to play, others not so many .

Aironi and thomond were those nites.

Leinster at home is example of good nite when a lot turned up but still no team ethic. Pack were hot and cold, varying from good maul and scrum to slow off the ground and to next ruck for no other reason other than switching off. No sense of resposibility on last play for example to put it up jumper and drive forward when in front of posts but into wind to get closer. When ball goes to ground they inevitably switch off and leave it to scrum half who incvariably tosses it left or right without thought.
Some of this comes down to the players natural mindset but it mainly comes down to a Head Coach standards clearly are not high enough.
Before we change anything else we must change head coach. Eddie o sullivan is available atm, has the required experience, track record and peofile to make the many changes required in attitude, set up and personnel required.

Im one of the new fan referred to in posts here. Im a limerick man used to going to thomond who lived in dublin for 10yrs before moving to roscommon 4 yr ago. i started bringing my son to games this year. He is 4 yrs old and doesnt have a clue whats going on but he knows the difference between winning and losing. HE HAS NEVER SEEN CONNACHT WIN. It upsets him every time they lose.
i aske him to come to thomond last nite wit me but he wudnt because connacht werent playing so his mind is made up on his team.

For him and all those kids out there like not to mind the new paying fans everything has to change.

I have never seen such a casual(sure it will do) attitude in my life to everything from ticket sales, spectator facilities, stewarding etc right down to the team/coaching.

This should not be acceptable, even the good things this year on and off the field should not be acceptable, they shud have been done better.
A huge change in mindset needs to happen which requires a new coach and business manager,
rant over.

I'm 37 and I've only ever seen Connacht win once live!

As a crowd we clearly lifted the team when they played Leinster, the noise was evident and there was a clear difference between the last two performances.

I dont live in Galway so I miss more games than I see live. Its been a while since I saw them win. But support isnt about being their just for the wins. There are some sides who lose 70% of the time.
The last few years we were playing crap and were shite to watch.
We got the odd win but rarely against any top side who played their first fifteen. We have signed a fair few duds in the market and that happens when you dont have the cash or the product to sell to players.
I was at the Gloucester home game and we got what we deserved. With a bit of luck Toulouse could have had a few more tries against us in the first half.
We are heroic losers. Sometimes the player just nearly get there but steal defeat from the claws of victory. Good sides close out matches. In this losing run there were at least 4 games where we could have won given a bit of control, luck and experience.
Last season while the results were similar to years before at least we won a few close games and dint get hammered. The close victories are great to build belief and team spirit. The losses drain it away.
When watchin Munster and Leinster and some top sides when they go behind close to the end of games or in tight games they know what to do. Leinster and Munster know how to get into a position and have the experience to carry out the phases and apply the pressure. Connacht imho are short a few leaders and 5 first team players of quality.
We have better players than a few years ago but we have too many players just not up to it when the pressure comes on.
Having listened to the gaa football results yesterday in non important games it was interesting to hear about a few players who have been around for years that played well for their county. Great in the league but no chance of getting into the championship as they cant handle the pressure.
Some of the connacht lads look great some times but when the winning has to be done they go missing.
They are just not up to it.
I was close enough to look at the Leinster backroom team at the home match and they leave no stone unturned in their effort to get improvement. I wondered if you switched backroom team would their be much difference. I know we dont have the cash or people in place but we are not helping ourselves.
The fitness team is in place but some of the lads arent fit enough. Its just no good enough and as for leaving all the points behind from kicks? Elwood should demand better results and techniques from his kickers.
The buck stops with Elwood. Its no good screaming about the size of your squad and lack of players when you cant get the ones you have up to the fitness required. Im not on about the lads that have been playing every week like Griffen McSharry, Mull, McCarthy, Duffy but more about the front five in the squad.
The lads are wrecked after playing so much and winning so little But the performance at the weekend lacked everything required.
If we had won two games or broken up the run of losses, I dont think the panic would have been this bad.
If you look at the squad its hard to question the workrate, Quality or committment of Mul, Duffy, Toh, Joconnor, Mike Mc, Wilko, or McSharry.
We are where we are.
I believe that we are better than last year even having lost so many players. If we could get back Hagan, Carr, Stringer, Staunton from Leicester, and three or four others.
We need a bit of luck a few experienced Professional players to help us get over the line as a team.

Looking forward to the weekend anyway. For those that are on about returning their season tickets thats your decision. I dont give up on Connacht because of a run of losses. Ive enjoyed more of their games this year that last year so yes a win would be great but we have played some lovely rugby.

seanin4711 wrote: embarrassing!!!
no season ticket for me next year unless DRASTIC changes happen.
I am disgusted by the lack of gameplan by the backroom staff(many who have been there way way too long eg bradley era !)
nuff said!

Seanin I am not having a go at you here at all but was just wondering as an indicator what category of season ticket holder you would fall under?

Would you be a long term season ticket holder who after years of sadomasochistic abuse has decided enough is enough or would you be one of the newer recruits this season?

What type of changes would you have in mind for you to renew your ST? Changes in backroom staff or would the only thing to ensure you renew for next season be a change in Head Coach.

Just to be clear I live in London so didn't get a ST this year (or in any other year previously) so am in no way trying to come across as holier than thou. But i think the numbers of ST holders we can retain this year is key to our survival / success as a province

In terms of the game on saturday the level of performance was a real kick in the nads perhaps summed up best of all by our inability to take a single high ball. Whether thats bad coaching or the result of being screwed by the IRFU for so many years I couldn't tell you but i would hedge my bets on a little from column A and a little from column B. We spoke on here last week about a kicking game plan and pinging opponents back in the corners, ONCE in 80mins did we execute this.

I am all for Billy Millard coming out and having a bit of a pop at the players but the amount of one up runners getting isolated 2 or 3m's infront of the gainline, a complete lack of a kicking game plan and the fruitlessness of our backs plays I think the coaches should be having a word with themselves rather than coming out and attacking the players because they get "so much money".

The IMF wrote:
But i think the numbers of ST holders we can retain this year is key to our survival / success as a province

Season ticket numbers are the only result that counts in the medium-to-long term, sure. But in fairness to Seanin, a 16 game losing streak (which is what we're looking at) doesn't help when it comes to keeping many of the new converts, does it?

Since we're realistically reliant on a not-quite-as-superb-as-last-year Leinster winning the HC to get us back into Europe's top competition, we'll need to excite people by signing marquee players for all our problem positions (and I'm talking about proper Marquee signings like Stringer, Bowe, Nathan White, and one of Madigan/Gopperth/Parks), and realistically that just isn't going to happen.

Lads after the sat performance i was absolute gutted, it was a disgraceful performance. I tweeted on sat during the game saying EE has to go and after calming down (only now mind you), i still feel the same. same tactics week in week out, same team week in week out and same outcome week in week out. People are saying new players aren't doing the job ok a good few aren't near good enough but ther is one or two that have done ok and not being used to there potential example Fetu - they gave him the ball to run onto once in the whole game and caused big problems for them nearly getting over the try line with 3 lads on his back and yet did not once try that route again after that, he was the first one to get into help players. for me he has done enough to be given a good run of games and with henry beside him i think it could be a great combination. I'll prob get a lot of stick for this but its my opinion.