Gloucester Rugby

[honourthestripes]

Hiya all, as you all can see I am a passionate rugby fan and will be with Gloucester forever.

This is how I feel above their current depressing situation;

I am shocked at Gloucester. We've gone from one of the most threatening,well structured, consistent side to one now that is loosing say 3 in 5 games and can now be beaten easily at home... It makes me very upset. Now I know that Wasps are a quality side with undoubted talent in their squad however Gloucester have officially lost all their 'willingness' and their 'confidence' to compete with the best in the Guinness Premiership.
By no means is it impossible for Gloucester to claw back and finish in the top four this season but with more and more teams dramatically improving each weak such as the Saints, it is currently hard to see us Gloucester in the top four come May.
If we turn our heads, concentrate and stop making this pathetic school boy errors that are costing us 20+ points game in game out, then we do perhaps have the slightest chance. However, we will find that even more humiliating defeats both home and away will come our way if our rugby is not top notch and our defence is completely sorted out. To miss so many tackles, to not defend in a straight line and to not chase any high balls that we play just shows laziness and a lack of confidence and commitment. For Gloucester fans, their are some serious causes for concern.
As an extremely faithful and positive fan, I will always believe that we can turn this season round and produce the kind of rugby that we were producing 18 months back- there is still a long way in the season to get something positive out of it.

I would like to know what all you other rugby fans out there feel and what is currently the MAIN problem at the club and just why they are struggling so deeply as well as what you all believe will happen come the end of the season for Gloucester.
Any comments? I would appreciate all your opinions'

All the best Gloucester. <_<

 

[bristol-iain]

The reason why Gloucester are failing? No Dean Ryan.

Ryan made Glos play with discipline and power, always had a pack to rival the best in the division. Now Redpath is in that up-front dominence seems to have gone. The loss of Allen, Lamb, who were showing genuine talent has also affected Glos. Oh and is it just me or is Vainakolo looking really fat?

PS. Welcome to TRF honourthestripes!

 

[honourthestripes]

ahh thank you bristol-iain

That's what I was thinking Redpath just keeps on saying that he will turn things around and that he will come good for Gloucester. He seems all talk and yet nothing at all done about it. Dean Ryan was strict and so disciplining.
I don't know what will happen to Redpath.. I really hope he goes...

And yes....! He doesn't actually look like a machine like he did 2 seasons ago! Before he looked strong and fast, now he looks to have padded out! Not good!

 

[Prestwick]

Whaaaaat?!

Dean Ryan is the reason they're in the mess to begin with! Do you guys even remember what happened last season?! You remember? When Gloucester were so awesome under Ryan that they almost fell out of the qualification zone for the HEC?

Look, Gloucester have a superb team with possibly one of the best back lines in the Premiership and a powerful yet mobile pack but Ryan could only take them so far. In fact it wasn't Ryan winning those games it was actually the sheer class of those 15 guys. But when Gloucester needed Ryan most Ryan just jumped up and down and screamed like a madman rather than actually deliver the leadership his team so desperately needed. Thus, Ryan's Gloucester flopped when it mattered, choked when they really needed to win a GP and fell over when they really needed to beat Munster or Cardiff to get to the HEC knockouts.

Pining for the past isn't going to solve Gloucester's issues. Simply a season rebuilding and reforming and pushing to get a top 6 finish. In fact, perhaps finishing in 7th will liberate Gloucester to actually play without this metric ton of expectation on their shoulders. 2010 - 2011 season, a cracking season and a ACC cup win and Gloucester will be back in the game.

I mean, lads, lets face it here. You're not going to get relegated (that seems to be between Bath & Leeds right now :s ) but bringing Ryan back would just mean yet more epic fail and yet more hilarious images of Ryan jumping up and down screaming like a lunatic and not actually doing much work.

 

[shazbooger]

From a foreign perspective (dont watch GP rugby), they really do look like a poor outfit this year in Europe and they wouldnt have worried too many teams in the HEC last year (from what I remember).

Other then that, they do seem to be playing with a lot of average scot players in their ranks.

 

[honourthestripes]

By Prestwick '' Dean Ryan is the reason they're in the mess to begin with! Do you guys even remember what happened last season?! You remember? When Gloucester were so awesome under Ryan that they almost fell out of the qualification zone for the HEC?''

But look at where we are with Redpath! No where near as 'good' as that! We currently lie in 9th and still last season we only lost 1 or 2 at home in the GP and certainly were not getting thrashed by 25+ points at home and getting annihilated by 30 points in the Heineken Cup. Do ya know what I mean? We at least DID have some control and a degree of discipline with Dean whereas look at where we lie with Redpath. We may have trembled on the biggest stage with Dean however we were by far and away the most consistent side in England for at least two consecutive seasons. Fact.

There were undoubtedly some problems with Dean hence why he left. However I truly believe that from when he came and we he left (long time) that there was never really a stage when people after people and expert after expert said that Gloucester are in a crisis- what can they do. Redpath has been in charge now for how long..? Properly since the start of September maybe late August... just shy of two months....? And yet people are ALREADY questioning his abilities as an intelligent coach and for one to succeed. By no means having Redpath is better than Dean. No way. Many people including me question whether he actually knows how to control and discipline a top quality side as we were, he just seems to talk to the press about how we will come good and how he will turn us around. Yet nothing is happening. Nothing at all. We aren't getting better and more promising as the games pass by, we're getting worse. That's where the real concerns lie.

 

[QLD]

What happened to Gloucester fan Danny?

 

[Prestwick]

I think the point here is that Gloucester need to accept that Ryan is gone and he isn't coming back and he shouldn't come back even if he wanted to. If Redpath isn't the coach to take him forward (and admittedly he does seem a bit of a lightweight) then Gloucester need to act now to move on and restructure properly for next season.

 

[honourthestripes]

I just don't know who could be the right man for the job......

 

[Bullitt]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dale @ Oct 29 2009, 06:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

What happened to Gloucester fan Danny?[/b]

Banned for being a racist biggot.

 

[feicarsinn]

Ah the system works... unlike Glouchester's

snap.

 

[Prestwick]

Snip.

 

[stormmaster1]

When los were a mediocre side, they'd front up at Kingsholme and beat or run close absolutely anyone. The desire/passion and the grit determination to do the hard stuff seems to be lacking. Some of it may be a reaction to the wheels coming off last year and the squad haven't gelled fully since. Not neccessarily Redpath's fault. It depends on whether he can see what the problem is and then do something about it. assuming he can fix gloucester i think it'll be well into the spring before we see it.

 

[Bluemoon]

Even though I do not think that Redpath was experienced enough for the job in the first place, surely its a bit harsh blaming him already? He is having to sort of the damage the Ryan seemed to have done throughout the club and it takes time to get that winning mentality back and build a new squad.

I agree completely with Prestwick in that they may need to finish somewhere mid-table to get the pressure of high expectation off their back. Financially, this may not be the perfect scenario, but sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards.