Reply to: Next England Manager

[Pondlife]

An Englishman, a Scotsman and an Irishman walked into a bar and asked the barman where the Welshman was.

The barman replied, "Still in New Zealand ".

[Mich the Tester]

You do realise that to some that counts as a racist statement...? (and no, no smiley)

Indeed; I'd expect sheep of any nationality or colour to have much better taste.

[malvolio]

It so happens that NZ is full of sheep, so your average welshman's behaviour would not seem unusual. So the Welsh players are fully occupied in their spare time doing things that are perfectly acceptable.

You do realise that to some that counts as a racist statement...? (and no, no smiley)

[DodgyAgent]

You can get away with this kind of thing if you're winning, but I think England could learn lessons from the Wales team's approach at this RWC; much more professional.
Mind you, maybe Tuilagi wanted to 'jump ship' and go and play for a better team.

It so happens that NZ is full of sheep, so your average welshman's behaviour would not seem unusual. So the Welsh players are fully occupied in their spare time doing things that are perfectly acceptable.

[malvolio]

How do you reconcile those two statements?

• The players are clueless schoolboys who cannot remember the basic skills of the game
• England have all the talent they need

You can very easily have talented players who behave like clueless schoolboys when the game they've rehearsed doesn't go to plan and they don't know how to react as a team. That bit is mainly down to the coaching team, of course, but also to a lack of leadership on the pitch.

There's a special piece of equipment available for reconciling contradictory statements and it can be carried on the shoulder of the user. It's called a chip.

Don't follow. My team is still out there.

[Mich the Tester]

How do you reconcile those two statements?

• The players are clueless schoolboys who cannot remember the basic skills of the game
• England have all the talent they need

There's a special piece of equipment available for reconciling contradictory statements and it can be carried on the shoulder of the user. It's called a chip.

[Doggy Styles]

Until England find a captain who can lead, a centre cobination with a brain, and a bunch of players who can remeber the basic skills of the game, whoever is sat ion the manager's chair won't matter a damn. Looking at Johnson's body language towards the end of the game, he was wondering who the bunch of clueless schoolboys in the white shirts were.

England have all the talent they need. They just need to learn to use it

How do you reconcile those two statements?

• The players are clueless schoolboys who cannot remember the basic skills of the game
• England have all the talent they need

[Mich the Tester]

That's not MJ's magic, that the basic arrogance of a team ethos that leads the elite players to think they can win without working for it The players have been exposed badly by this campaign, they need to get back to the training camp: not one of them has anything to celebrate. They not only lost badly, they failed to impress on any level, unlike several of the so-called losing sides. Even Georgia did better and played to he best of their ability.

It's up to the head coach/manager to select the right players, train them the right way and get the best out of them. MJ has not done that. The 'right' players are not necessarily the most talented or even 'best', but the players who have the basic playing qualities and the mentality to become the best. The manager's job is far from easy, and it's just not so simple as just picking a great ex-player and slotting him in. Woodward was a good man manager, as is McGeechan.

[malvolio]

England have that; plenty of skilled players in England; unfortunately they seem to go downhill after three or four games for England. Foden, Armitage, Youngs, Lawes all started well in their first few games only to become turgid and dull after a short while. Hopefully MJ will be gone before he can work his 'magic' on Tuilagi.

That's not MJ's magic, that the basic arrogance of a team ethos that leads the elite players to think they can win without working for it The players have been exposed badly by this campaign, they need to get back to the training camp: not one of them has anything to celebrate. They not only lost badly, they failed to impress on any level, unlike several of the so-called losing sides. Even Georgia did better and played to he best of their ability.

[shaunbhoy]

Was that the Ferry the scots were on a week ago?

No. This one was exclusively for talented southern hemisphere players, devastated at the allegiance choices they had recently made.

[Mich the Tester]

BBC Sport - World Cup 2011: England fine Manu Tuilagi for ferry jump


Looks like it has not taken the new boy long to grasp the ethos!!!

You can get away with this kind of thing if you're winning, but I think England could learn lessons from the Wales team's approach at this RWC; much more professional.
Mind you, maybe Tuilagi wanted to 'jump ship' and go and play for a better team.

[DodgyAgent]

BBC Sport - World Cup 2011: England fine Manu Tuilagi for ferry jump


Looks like it has not taken the new boy long to grasp the ethos!!!

Was that the Ferry the scots were on a week ago?

[Mich the Tester]

Until England find a captain who can lead, a centre cobination with a brain, and a bunch of players who can remeber the basic skills of the game, whoever is sat ion the manager's chair won't matter a damn. Looking at Johnson's body language towards the end of the game, he was wondering who the bunch of clueless schoolboys in the white shirts were.

England have all the talent they need. They just need to learn to use it

England have that; plenty of skilled players in England; unfortunately they seem to go downhill after three or four games for England. Foden, Armitage, Youngs, Lawes all started well in their first few games only to become turgid and dull after a short while. Hopefully MJ will be gone before he can work his 'magic' on Tuilagi.

[shaunbhoy]

BBC Sport - World Cup 2011: England fine Manu Tuilagi for ferry jump


Looks like it has not taken the new boy long to grasp the ethos!!!

[malvolio]

Until England find a captain who can lead, a centre cobination with a brain, and a bunch of players who can remeber the basic skills of the game, whoever is sat ion the manager's chair won't matter a damn. Looking at Johnson's body language towards the end of the game, he was wondering who the bunch of clueless schoolboys in the white shirts were.

England have all the talent they need. They just need to learn to use it