It's the fact we don't score enough tries that leads to us losing games.

Yep.

What I'm saying is that because we have lost by small margins, these dumb decisions have proven costly. We wouldn't be calling for the coaches head if we played poorly but won the last four league games by a small margin and be around 5-6 in the table.

I'm not arguing against the issue in our attack, it's turd as I've already said. I'm merely stating the brain farts of some players in our last games have proven costly in the long run.

This is the frustrating thing, and also why fans have held kept faith with Gentle as long as they have IMO. Last season - and for parts of this season - we've looked the real deal. But far too often this season we've looked utterly clueless. It's baffling to think that the same coach is involved with those hugely different performances.

I agree! All I'm saying is that our players individual mistakes have proven costly in the last four league games as we have lost by small margins! However, we shouldn't be relying in those to win.

Grown men aren't easily scared. IMO fans put too much emphasis on that. They should be in fear of being dropped but not frightened of the coach.

So you disagree with your own point then?

I'll say it again.
Combine Gentle's defensive coaching skills with Sandercock's offensive coaching skills and you have a very, very good coach.
Both are missing the other and it is swings and roundabout which is better in general.

This was exactly the problem under Agar and hasn't changed. To a large extent, this fixation on our halfback problem seems to me to try and shift some of the coach's responsibility onto 1 or 2 players in the hope they'll pick up the slack. Yes, the loss of your main playmaker(s) will always have an effect, but to the degree that we see where the entire team becomes completely clueless points to a more fundamental flaw IMO.

Maybe that's what I mean. Players know with certain coaches that if you don't perform the manager won't be happy and they don't look forward to facing him and what the consequences are. It's fear/drive. Fergie was the master at it.

Quote ="PAUL M"Maybe that's what I mean. Players know with certain coaches that if you don't perform the manager won't be happy and they don't look forward to facing him and what the consequences are. It's fear/drive. Fergie was the master at it.'" Billy Slater was interviewed on Sky, about Bellamy's methods, it was the fear/drive from the coach that everything in training,is honed to perfection. Looking forward to reading Bellamy's book store.kobobooks.com/books/Title/ ... FgFP4hp8Cw Maybe should send a copy to Gentle.

Quote ="PAUL M"Maybe that's what I mean. Players know with certain coaches that if you don't perform the manager won't be happy and they don't look forward to facing him and what the consequences are. It's fear/drive. Fergie was the master at it.'" Billy Slater was interviewed on Sky, about Bellamy's methods, it was the fear/drive from the coach that everything in training,is honed to perfection. Looking forward to reading Bellamy's book store.kobobooks.com/books/Title/ ... FgFP4hp8Cw Maybe should send a copy to Gentle.

Fergie only had to scare Soccer players though.



The problem is that dropping players only really works if you have a core that are playing well with one or two failing. We're well past that stage now. Might be worth trying it with the worst performers anyway - maybe it will galvanise the rest.

I don't think either are up to much TBH. sandy is on a good run with rovers but you've had some good fortune in those games and he got really lucky when travis burns became available unexpectedly (without burns sandy would be back in oz by now) who has dragged rovers up to a better standard.

pearson's problem is the long contract he gave gentle half way through last season

Don't think as such gentle is bad attacking coach but what I know of it our structures are incredibly complicated. Ogre should for example should never be beyond the right of the posts, players have very set roles n even in a game we may be winning the tactics can change 4 times within a game. Sounds overly complicated to me, mainly on account I don't think a lot of our players have the intelligence for it. Which is why when our halves are out or disrupted we look so disjointed.
To make excuses for us last night don't think we'll have trained much last 2week's the way the turnarounds n travel have worked, combined with the distraction of the semi.
Still not good enough. What a disappointment this season is if we don't come up with something next week.

That's a point I made earlier in the season, and it was rubbished (including by yourself).

There have only really been 4 players I can think of who have actually been dropped for performances this year; Yeaman, Green, Arundel, and Seymour, and 2 of those have essentially been scrapping for the same position. Maybe Johnson? IMO there have been several others at least as deserving at various stages, and the possibility has to be considered that this could be contributing to the players' apparent complacency.

Look back at 2012.
Hull finish 6th with the 5th best defence and we finished 10th with the 6th best attack.
This year is pretty similar. You are 5th best defence we are 5th best attack (I am assuming we score more that 5 against Warrington which isn't a stretch).
Add them together and you have a side constantly pushing top 3/4 or higher.

I can personally only dream of us having that ability.

I actually think there is a lot to this point. I just fail to believe that Gentle is such a poor coach that he can't improve the deficiencies in our attacking play. Unless he has wedded himself to very complex structures and isn't willing to budge and is to stubborn to see the players aren't intelligent enough to enact his structural plays. Its a very fine line between being smart and innovative and being to complex for professional athletes to implement your ideas. The best managers have an ability to convey complex ideas in simple terms. Does Gentle have this ability, remember Peter our half's aren't Benji Marshall.

Gentle was a halfback himself wasn't he .

Yes playing for Mansfield I think

If there's a complexity of structure from our coaching staff our players on the park are doing a pretty good job of disguising it.
I don't see any complexity, just see us presently struggling with the fundamental basics.

He was,not sure how good he was, but the creative players often make the worst coaches. They fail to understand why players can't do what they could and have little tolerance for players with less skill and ability than they had.

Completely agree, there is a real issue with our basics. But you have to admit that we can't possibly play to a very basic attacking structure, as Agar managed to get this lot to execute 5 drives and a kick well at times.

He'll no doubt be laughing his cock off if he gets Wakey into the 8 at our expense.

Hope he does because we sure as hell don't deserve to make it.