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mkking(2)
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Thu, 31 July 08 02:03 GMT
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Given BS 's close relationship with a former Grand Slam winning coach England will be in safe if not nervous clammy hands, though he should be used to looking over his shoulder.
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There can be only one. |
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Oldmanmartin
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Tue, 15 July 08 09:08 GMT
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At last, Brian Smith's appointment is confirmed. But just as senior attack coach, not principal coach as was suggested.
All the coaches will need to understand how to exploit the ELVs. And if these are canned after a year's experiment a year of coaching (and selecting) under them may be largely wasted.
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steve johnson
- sehjohnson@hotmail.com
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Mon, 07 July 08 16:50 GMT
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In the SH, they say that a team has to "earn the right" to play out wide - in other words, win the close game, then throw it around. Add fitness to that, and 14-15 phases of narrow attack channel play, then a sudden wide blitz is very hard to defend against.
England have to develop that 15 phase potential - all 15 players being able to keep the ball under pressure without conceding penalties, support arriving at lightning speed, and keeping going like that, then a game maker who can 1) ACCURATELY scan the possibilities 2) make the error-free play to put England on the front foot, and keep them there.
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SteveJinJapan |
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alphaq
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Mon, 07 July 08 13:49 GMT
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That's very true, ed.
England's success in the relatively short period leading up to 2003 was built very much upon the fact that the squad, under SCW's innovations, was fitter and stronger than the opposition. Even by the time the WC came around, the other 'big' teams were on the verge of closing the gap, which also helps to explain the team's rapid demise post 2003.
That, then, is the measure of the task facing MJ. England are back in their more familiar position versus the SH, bascially having to make up ground in terms of fitness and power. They must close this gap pretty quickly and then some.
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edrainger
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Mon, 07 July 08 08:52 GMT
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Problem is everybody got fed up of being beaten up and went down the gym. In the top 5 or 6 teams in the world you wont find one that can now consistently beat the oposition up and dominate a game in that fasion.
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tom_rowlands25
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Sat, 05 July 08 13:10 GMT
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I hope you're right Winkler. But why not throw in a bit of flare every now and then? We don't have to throw it about all the time (otherwise we'd be the French). When MJ was playing we had it just about right- beat up the opposition up front and then let the backs do the finishing. At the moment we can (sometimes) do the first, the second has been the problem that now needs fixing.
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The Winkler
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Sat, 05 July 08 00:46 GMT
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When Dean Richards was DOR at Leicester, he had Wells and Howard. He wasn't a particularly hands on coach, he just told Wells and Howard in no uncertain terms, what he wanted out of their charges. Wells and Smith will hopefully be MJ's version of the same thing.
Mentally, MJ is as close to Richards as we're going to get without ousting the whole of the RFU so I predict a bright future for England, playing rugby to our strengths, and not capitulating to the under-current of "15 man 7s" perpetuated by the antipodians.
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tom_rowlands25
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Fri, 04 July 08 20:39 GMT
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I don't think that it could be, I think it most definitely has been! I agree that Wells has been overstepping his remit- IMO he was the rot in the Brian Ashton setup. BA should have reigned him in early and it cost him his job. MJ must learn from this for his own sake (or, even better, get rid of him all together) . Wells has proven that he is a world class political survivor in the RFU setup- he has yet to prove that he is a world class coach.
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alforth
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Fri, 04 July 08 16:10 GMT
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Good point Ed. It could be that the assistant coaches have not had firm enough direction from above to keep them on message
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edrainger
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Fri, 04 July 08 13:59 GMT
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I suspec MJ wouldnt have taken the post without carteblanche to organise the whole set up. He must know wells very well and either is biding his time or sees something in wells ability to impart the technical side of things. My impression is that wells has been overstepping the mark on his brief and has had a significant say in selection and strategy. Now presumably he will be told these are the players takeing the field. They must scrummage, ruck, maul and line out like international forwards, get them doing it and keep you nose out of selection, strategy and game plan.
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alforth
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Fri, 04 July 08 11:32 GMT
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Martin, that's what I meant by internal muddle.
Earlier in this thread you directed me to Paul Akford's piece from NZ where he reported that RA had presented the Smith appointment as settled. I expect this part of it will be OK anyway and Smith will be appointed, presumably just as attack coach, but I am totally depressed that the remaining coaching clan will remain. It just seems that we cannot make a clean start and every regime has to carry baggage from the previous one.
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Oldmanmartin
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Fri, 04 July 08 10:13 GMT
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Hold on a minute - according to RA, MJ is responsible for coaching appointments. Has he uttered a word on the subject? Everything seems to be according to RA, and we know how much weight we can put on that.
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alforth
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Thu, 03 July 08 17:59 GMT
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I understood from RA's reported remarks in NZ that the Smith issue was settled and that he would be the head/senior/principle coach. Now it seems it is not settled (Smith is selected but not yet released by London Irish)and that he will be simply the attack coach with Wells and Ford remaining. In the case of the Wells and Ford it must be that Johnson doesn't think anyone better will take the job or he is blocked elswhere, perhaps by contract and cost implications. I can hardlyt believe that he is satisfied by their perfomance.
Perhaps it is just me but does this have the smell of another fudge or internal muddle. Maybe life is just like that.
I think the coaching issue is at least as important as the selection of the players.
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Laurentian
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Thu, 03 July 08 15:16 GMT
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. . . they can also throw the ball forward and block tacklers . . . at speed and with precision!
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alphaq
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Wed, 02 July 08 14:44 GMT
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In fact, the AB's have a lot of pre-rehersed moves which they execute with pace and precision; it's not 'off the cuff rugby' by any means. Of course, they can run and pass accurately at speed, which is not a bad starting point. England have yet to get there.
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tom_rowlands25
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Wed, 02 July 08 14:14 GMT
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I think if Smith is appointed he should bring Catt with him. The upturn in London Irish back play has alot to do with him getting involved as well as Smith (particularly taking Shane Geraghty under his wing). They work well together because they both preach a "throw away the play book, look up and play what's in front of you" philosophy. After watching The All Blacks do exactly that to us two weeks in a row I think it's high time we learnt how to do it ourselves!
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ob
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Wed, 02 July 08 14:13 GMT
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My reading of the Smith situation is that it has been agreed in principle, and they are now merely sorting out the details.
It could still fall through, of course, but I am ever hopeful.
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Oldmanmartin
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Wed, 02 July 08 10:45 GMT
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Still no confirmation of Smith's appointment. If it falls through, will Johnson try to turn to Ashton? Is his future role still up in the air?
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Oldmanmartin
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Mon, 23 June 08 10:53 GMT
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Al, Ackford is NEVER cheerful unless he's trashing England - he rarely makes a constructive suggestion.
Yes, I think BS should be a good appointment. Presumably he will have an input to the other coaching positions, though Johnno will have the final say.
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alforth
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Sun, 22 June 08 18:23 GMT
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Martin. Just looked Akford's pieces in the ST. Not at his most cheerful, understandably I suppose.
Good news about Smith, at least I think it is, I don't know much about him but the upturn in London Irish must mean something. If he is to be the head or senior coach they must allow him to select his assistants.
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Oldmanmartin
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Sun, 22 June 08 16:21 GMT
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Alforth, the ST thread was getting rather diverse so I started 3 specific ones now the tour's over!
I quote from Paul Ackford in today's STel:-
"Over coffee in the hotel lobby, Andrew confirmed that London Irish's Brian Smith will soon head England's coaching set-up under Martin Johnson ..."
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alforth
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Sun, 22 June 08 15:26 GMT
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Martin, we have drifted into this in the Summer Tour thread. Given the evidence I think MJ has little choice other than replacing all the coaches. On the question of who, anybody's guess is a good as mine although I would take a serious look at who might be available from the southern hemisphere.
Is the Brian Smith issue settled? I understood London Irish were being difficult.
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Oldmanmartin
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Sun, 22 June 08 12:53 GMT
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It’s hard to imagine a less favourable situation for this tour. A new supremo, not yet formally in post, who couldn’t go. His job is to study talk to, prepare and motivate the players, at training, at the hotel, in the dressing room before and after the match. Only then can he make sensible selections.
Instead he was a back-seat driver, a temporary stand-in had to act as his eyes, ears and communicator, while acting as attack/backs coach and selection adviser. If reports are true, training largely ignored the latter while concentrating on the defence and forwards – the only areas where full-time coaches were available – and these (at the scrummage and midfield defence, in particular) were the very areas where the team fell down.
These circumstances cannot – surely will not – be repeated. It sounds that Brian Smith is, after all, to be the attack/backs (and principal) coach. Will Johnson, on assuming formal control in a week’s time, also replace Wells, Ford and Rowntree? If so, who are the candidates?
This message edited on Sun, 22 June 08 by Oldmanmartin
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