The Hull City effect (on topic I promise) : Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:32 am  

I was looking at yesterdays performance (up to 32-0 down) and thinking how much like 2006 it felt – let’s not forget on merit it was 1st play 5th. I know Saints are a great team, but we made them look unbeatable and when the Westy smoke clears (I have posted about that elsewhere – this is about Rugby ONLY) – we were terrible.

I think there is a massive test in the next few weeks:
Celtic (possibly the best game we could have after last week, but if we approach it like we did yesterday, we will get beat). They will be targeting this big style, depending how we travel this could be a pick-em game.
Hull @ Magic – they’ll be double figure starters I think.
Halifax – CC…. There won’t be a lot between Halifax and Celtic and this would not be a massive shock – there were only a handful of league places between us at the end of last season, albeit in differing divisions.
Follow that up with Leeds @ Home!

I believed in and still do believe in what we were trying to build – forget results and look at performances – but the Wakey and Saints games give me an uncomfortable feeling that we might not have come as far as we think and if we don’t correct the blip now, we could drop into position 9 or 10, be out of the CC and the perceived progress and momentum will be lost – It’ll be put down to early season results and luck and we’ll find “our level” again.

This period I believe will be the one that defines our season, Terry’s time as our head coach and our eventual position in the ladder….. Ask Phil Brown how hard it is to pick it up again when the early momentum fades…. We need to avoid this season’s Hull City effect from the Prem.

Just the Monday musings of a damaged fan – not claiming any club inside knowledge.

: Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:38 am  

Tbh I didn't think we did too bad in the first half yesterday

Saints were by far the better team, however i seem to recall Cas only having the ball 2/3 times in the whole of the first half (one of which was dropped by Faumuina after a series of shocking passes)

Saints made very little mistakes yesterday and deserved the scoreline imo

: Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:43 am  

casman2 wrote:

Tbh I didn't think we did too bad in the first half yesterday

Saints were by far the better team, however i seem to recall Cas only having the ball 2/3 times in the whole of the first half (one of which was dropped by Faumuina after a series of shocking passes)

Saints made very little mistakes yesterday and deserved the scoreline imo

Bear in mind we were missing Feather, Jones, Ferres, Evans, Hudson(!) and Widders yesterday, and if present, Saints would probably still have won......

Agree : Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:53 am  

I agree with both replies:
But we didn't find a way to hang in there until 32-0 down and injuries are going to come to all teams, but it is how you deal with that adversity that defines you as a team and a club in the end.

: Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:55 am  

We were always dependent on a lot of good fortune with injuries to sustain our start to the season. We have 18 (?) frontline players backed up by the younger players (in experience and development terms if not age), Boyle, Clayton, Massey, Ford...

Yesterday we simply showed the effects of the heavy recent schedule, the injuries taking out a number of key players and facing the best side in the league on a nice sunny day, suitable to the running game they play.

If I were TM I'd pay little attention to the game and try to get some bodies back on board, maybe ask RW for 1 or 2 loanees? We need to put it to one side and focus on next week. There's no reason we can't target winning our next 3.

Re: Agree : Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:57 am  

mdean wrote:

...injuries are going to come to all teams, but it is how you deal with that adversity that defines you as a team and a club in the end.

Some clubs are better set up to deal with spates of injuries. The Hull City effect seems to be that some people are establishing irrealistic expectations.

It's a 3-year cycle that we're in.

Re: Agree : Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:03 am  

StuMain wrote:

Some clubs are better set up to deal with spates of injuries. The Hull City effect seems to be that some people are establishing irrealistic expectations.

It's a 3-year cycle that we're in.

Spot on.

The Hull City is not a great analogy - with a full team out we are Villa/Everton; with a few injuries = WBA (or LUFC)

Re: Agree : Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:14 am  

morrissey wrote:

Spot on.

The Hull City is not a great analogy - with a full team out we are Villa/Everton; with a few injuries = WBA (or LUFC)

See your point, interesting...... I don't agree though with even bringing LUFC into it - Cas fans have suffered enough already for gods sake.... (From Leeds, school in Garforth and I am a White through and through - I am allowed to say that)

: Mon Apr 20, 2009 11:02 am  

Once Saints were on a roll they were unstoppable.

Re: Agree : Mon Apr 20, 2009 11:09 am  

morrissey wrote:

Spot on.

The Hull City is not a great analogy - with a full team out we are Villa/Everton; with a few injuries = WBA (or LUFC)

Everton (my beloved Blues!) have been without a striker for at least half the season and are still nipping at the heals of Benitez's 'Big' clubs and now in the Fa final, (hopefully not throwing Europa away as well...).

Hopefully the injury front will not be as long term for Cas.