[Bulliac]

Re: Sheffield : Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:21 pm  

Bullseye wrote:

The thing is there is still time to rescue this season if changes are made. The longer things are left as they are though the more chance we'll be heading for oblivion by September.

Well, yeah. The basic requirements - like a half decent squad - is still there. It just needs someone to get the best from it; we're some way from being a lost cause, though, as of right now, I confess I'm some distance from believing Jimmy is the one to lead us to the promised land.

Re: Sheffield : Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:59 pm  

HamsterChops wrote:

I confess I've scanned across this thread this morning rather than reading every single comment, largely because I think there'll be a lot of repeated things.

I think at the moment our fans are falling into 3 categories.
1) Bury head in sand. Everything will work itself out, just keep your fingers crossed.
2) Angry. Sick and tired of it, venting by shouting, screaming and swearing.
3) Depressed. Just struggling to even get the motivation to watch this useless rubbish any more.

I saw all 3 at the match yesterday, and I certainly fall into category 3. I couldn't even get myself annoyed yesterday, I just stooytd there shaking my head, sighing and occasionally laughing at just how bad we were.

It was Halifax all over again as far as the attack went. One dimensional, slow, no ideas whatsoever. Just that this week the defence decided to take a holiday too.

I only post when I am so proud of the team or really pi55ed off, no clues to guessing which one today!! Definitely a 3 and also laughed at how crap we were. Defense has been terrible since mid. Last season, with one or two better displays (Featherstone and Halifax were much better), and it's defense which show the mindset of a team. Even if you're struggling in attack, the basic structures and commitment in holding your line should shine out, but to me it's the biggest indictment of Lowes' coaching that the defense keeps getting worse. Add to that at Halifax with Gaskell twice mouthing off to teammates (Campbell when they collided and dropped the ball and a few minutes later when they scored in the corner and he moaned that they had not come left quickly enough. This feels like Cummins all over again, and if Green thinks that he can't afford to let Lowes go for financial reasons, he needs to see that short term savings could cause long term pain. I reckon I spend approximately £700 a year at the Bulls, if this continues for much longer I won't be spending that next year, and I won't be the only one.

Re: Sheffield : Mon Apr 04, 2016 2:52 pm  

HamsterChops wrote:

I confess I've scanned across this thread this morning rather than reading every single comment, largely because I think there'll be a lot of repeated things.

I think at the moment our fans are falling into 3 categories.
1) Bury head in sand. Everything will work itself out, just keep your fingers crossed.
2) Angry. Sick and tired of it, venting by shouting, screaming and swearing.
3) Depressed. Just struggling to even get the motivation to watch this useless rubbish any more.

As we kicked off I was :
1) Bury head in sand. Everything will work itself out, just keep your fingers crossed.
By midway through the second half I was :
2) Angry. Sick and tired of it, venting by shouting, screaming and swearing.
As I left as I was :
3) Depressed. Just struggling to even get the motivation to watch this useless rubbish any more.
next week as we kick off at Dewsbury I will be :
1) Bury head in sand. Everything will work itself out, just keep your fingers crossed.

Communication keeps getting mentioned but it is sadly lacking from the men at the top. Most important aspect of this great game with any succesful side on field and off!
The Jimmy in-out debate is pointless. Get behind him until he goes. You can't influence things unless you are at the games!
The support, me included, had less energy than the team on Sunday. We have to turn up too.

See you all at Dewsbury...

Re: Sheffield : Mon Apr 04, 2016 4:21 pm  

Errol Stock wrote:

That about perfectly sums up where me and my lad are. Looking forward to attending Magic Weekend again - not feeling good about Summer Bash!

Can only add that I am at loss to understand why, in defence, we are waiting for the attacking player to arrive, therefore gifting them 10m minimum gain per tackle.

Line speed is preached at the lowest levels of the game yet there is no evidence of it in our team - and that beggars belief.

Surely this fault must be the easiest to correct. Shocking to stand and wait and then get knocked back another 2 or 3 yards in the collision because opposition are at speed and we are - not!
Basically it means our boys are lazy. Too idle to get off the line. And apptly our coach cannot see this - or has no authority with players to coach it out of them. Week after week it happens.

[Bullseye]

Re: Sheffield : Mon Apr 04, 2016 5:13 pm  

It certainly needs sorting. Sheffield were making 70 and 80 metres per set yesterday.

Re: Sheffield : Mon Apr 04, 2016 6:39 pm  

Bullseye wrote:

It certainly needs sorting. Sheffield were making 70 and 80 metres per set yesterday.

Everybody we play is making 70 and 80 metres per set. Sometimes it looks like lads v dads. Even then the lads would try, but half the time, we just stand there rooted in the line and wait for folk to crash into us, so it's like 15-20 metres per carry.

This is one of the main characteristics that I just don't understand.

Another thing I don't understand is how we jeer and mock possession. We take the pisz out of possession. I was talking to the people who sit nearby as the game went on and saying how bizarre it was that we seemingly never finish a set,, we find ever-more-annoying and imbecilic ways to turn over possession. Just when you think the well must be dry, we throw an interception try, or give away a dumb penalty under the posts, or do a hopeless kick, or drop the ball cold, or let it bounce.

While you don't know HOW we're going to pisz away the ball, you KNOW we ARE going to pisz away the ball. Sure as night follows day.

If only our selection and variety of GOOD plays was 50% of our joke playbook, we'd be the world champions.

Re: Sheffield : Mon Apr 04, 2016 7:08 pm  

The way Sheffield have played last few games, we should of been out of sight by half time after been 12-0 up after 20 minutes. What I thought was so alarming was just completely no idea on attack, especially 10 yard off their line. It really was get to the last tackle and kick and hope. It worked when Caro collected the kick and didn't work when Lo collected on the other wing and ran 100 metres to score

Obviously crying out for a scrum half, but a scrum half won't help the defence conceding so many easy tries

Re: Sheffield : Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:50 am  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

Everybody we play is making 70 and 80 metres per set.

Must admit, I've noticed the same.

I've racked my brains at games trying to work out why we barely move off the line. It MUST be tactical. I refuse to believe players are lazy. They may be delicate little flowers that can't take criticism, they may be completely useless at the mental side of the game, they may be just plan rubbish (I don't believe they are), but I can't ever think they're just lazy. Sure the odd players is/was (Jamie Foster & Karl Pryce, please stand up), but not all 17 in every game.

The ONLY thing I can think is that it's something along the lines of keeping your line and planting your feet for the tackle. But you can still all saunter up a bit quicker than they do and manage to do that. Every other team manages it.

I'm convinced it's tactical, but I still can't quite understand what that tactic is.

[Bullseye]

Re: Sheffield : Tue Apr 05, 2016 9:02 am  

The tactic is to get utterly dominated so we get used to how it will go in the middle 8s I think.

Seriously though there’s no explanation. There is zilch aggression in the side in defence and this is reflected in the line speed which is appalling. Other teams in the championship seem to be more enthusiastic. Lord knows what would happen if we played a SL team – we’d be looking at a 70-80 point thrashing no problem.

The players seem to have lost all belief and have no enthusiasm for getting stuck in. Occasionally one gets wound up but this doesn’t translate across the team which suggest players are playing for themselves. Take Sunday – When Mexico and Flemming clashed heads and Flemming got knocked out Mexico chucked the ball at him on the ground. That should’ve been the cue for the pack to wade in. Did they? Well there was a bit of a mild altercation. It was pathetic. If that was me on the ground I’d not be impressed by how much my teammates stuck up for me.

I’m afraid it comes down to the coach at the end of the day – no matter how many duff players he might get foisted on him by others.

Re: Sheffield : Tue Apr 05, 2016 9:12 am  

It's a combination of a lack of confidence, a lack of leadership, a lack of communication, and a poor coach.