Look at yesterday's game. We gave away silly penalties, gave up line breaks and then loads of metres. We didn't make many meaningful breaks ourselves. At the moment most of our significant gains come from chips over the top from Smith. Most of the kicking was poor. Our restarts were bad. We don't have enough good players, and most of the signings over the past couple of years have been barely premiership standard. The huge list of 3rd rate props has been particularly telling. We've stopped producing good academy players and are bringing in substandard journeymen to compound the issue. Our style of play is not great. Without Marcus and dommers I think we'd be relegation material.
We definitely have high expectations that probably are too high (clearly based on recent seasons!!)
I don’t get this. If anything, based on this board, I would say expectations are far too low. The fact that we can happily say we shouldn’t expect anything out of games against the likes of Bristol and Exeter just sums it up. Why shouldn’t we expect to win? At least 50% of the time? Each of their players have two arms and two legs, just like our players. They pay up to a salary cap, just like we do. They have to play within the rules of the game, just like we do. Why should we expect to lose?
Just because we have habitually failed to achieve what we should be capable of achieving, doesn’t mean we should expect to continue to do so. We are at a very low ebb right now, but I expect the club to turn it around and become a team that competes week in week out. Sure, we will lose some and we won’t get silverware every season, but we should at least be competitive every week.
I think at the moment though we feel like a bunch of players rather than a team. It takes a while for guys to bond into a team. Until then, you need moments of individual skill to win games. Like we sometimes get with Smith.
Usually though, we need consistency. When you are consistently good, then you can think of silverware.
My feeling is that we have had a lot of change over the last few seasons and we are disrupted. We need some stability to build a team around
I also think that if we put Stooke into the current squad, then he will be unable to make any difference. The scrum is a bit random at the moment as the front rows have not all played alongside each other yet. Likewise, other than Young, there has been no consistency in the second row.
The lineout is pretty random. Other than Baldwin, the hookers are struggling. Not all faults in the lineout can be pinned on the hooker though. The locks seem to have different props lifting them every week.
The maul defence was a plus point of yesterday's match. But, I will bet that we can't recreate it as there will be a different pack for next game.
Until you get a consistently bonding team, you need to be careful with bringing in new players. Teams like Chiefs seem to get a settled team and then recruit for specific areas to bolster. We are anything but settled at the moment.
Just maybe Gustard is very effective when he has access to the best players - at England or at Saracens via their open cheque book - but simply isn't so good with lesser players?
I don’t get this. If anything, based on this board, I would say expectations are far too low. The fact that we can happily say we shouldn’t expect anything out of games against the likes of Bristol and Exeter just sums it up. Why shouldn’t we expect to win? At least 50% of the time? Each of their players have two arms and two legs, just like our players. They pay up to a salary cap, just like we do. They have to play within the rules of the game, just like we do. Why should we expect to lose?
Just because we have habitually failed to achieve what we should be capable of achieving, doesn’t mean we should expect to continue to do so. We are at a very low ebb right now, but I expect the club to turn it around and become a team that competes week in week out. Sure, we will lose some and we won’t get silverware every season, but we should at least be competitive every week.
It’s round 4. OK, the opening loss was bad, although I’d argue we were in the game for the first 55-60mins. We won our next two with bonus points and I think we were at least competitive yesterday.
So ... we’ve been competitive for at least 50% of the time so far this season ...
I have to respectfully disagree with this post.
You always need new players to come in and add quality. We will be letting go of a number of those that have not proven to be quality enough for then1st team.
Stroke is a quality signing and we cannot rely on Symonds, he is broken as soon as he come back. Stooke is a replacement for him straight away.
We defo need new options also at hooker, prop and a second fly half who can challenge Smith.
I have to agree with Twickersman. For me our biggest issue is the lack of a consistent platform. Our first choice pack is competitive but with the possible exception of tighthead, it picks itself. The drop off in quality is stark and we badly need better options, particuarly at lock and in the back row.
I'm not advocating wholesale change but two or three quality acquisitions in the right areas would make the world of difference.
I really thought our defence would have been way better by now. The amount of tries we concede is awful. The deterioration of our attack is maybe even more concerning. We seem to be constantly relying on individual pieces of individual bits of genius rather than having any consistent sort of game plan. Perhaps symptomatic of having a pack thats on the back foot too often?
I really thought our defence would have been way better by now. The amount of tries we concede is awful. The deterioration of our attack is maybe even more concerning. We seem to be constantly relying on individual pieces of individual bits of genius rather than having any consistent sort of game plan. Perhaps symptomatic of having a pack thats on the back foot too often?
I was super impressed with the effort in the first half of the game. Given we had our third and fourth choice second rows playing, I was impressed. Right up until the 1st Bristol try.
Our pack defo needs beefing up. We need to ass quality second rows who are hungry to add to the group and push on. Stooke if true is to be signed as a starting lock. He is a great contrast to Lewies and would add to a Symonds, Dino, Glen Young (I have to admit, I think he has really started to up his game. He seems more physical and gets around the park).
Back row is a big issue to solve, Domborant needs Chis Jnr to push him as the starting 8. We need an enforcer type of 6 and a physically abrasive (Think Jack Vermulen or Jannis Kirsten at Exeter type of player) to compete with Will Evans, who is the best back row we have at the moment. He is super physical for his size and is amazing over the ball.
Smith needs pushing too. I saw on the club website that Green is down as a hot half / full back.
Was Chris Robshaw the glue of the team? Or the heart of the forwards? Maybe we are not missing his rugby but his determination and Quins heartbeat?
I think one more season for Gustard to strengthen the squad with a particular emphasis on beefing up the pack (Stooke and a big 6/7) and clearing out the deadwood (Brown, Care, Campagnaro, Landajo, García Botta et al) and we could be challenging for silverware.
We haven’t started the season badly at all IMO given the injuries/suspension of key players. And don’t think we are far off Top 4.
Come on you Quins!
Referring to Brown as Deadwood is massively disrespectful to a player with his number of appearances and number of tries.
Referring to Brown as Deadwood is massively disrespectful to a player with his number of appearances and number of tries.
The truth hurts sometimes.
He is my favorite quins player of all time. However, I have to say that his best years are behind him. No, he is not yet deadwood.
However the time has come to blood new options. lynagh is a full back and his play in the wing the other day would have been amazing for his confidence.
No player deserves to start, they have to earn it. Brown is a fighter and will not give up his 15 shirt easily.
Fully agree that Brown's best years are behind him. But, he had earned enough respect to not be called Deadwood.
We all know the slide started when we let Mad Max go
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