Don't Panic Mr. Mainwaring Says Stopsy.

By razcal
September 16 2002

Only three rounds into the marathon war of attrition they call the Zurich Premiership and already some pundits are hailing the end of a long rein

Only three rounds into the marathon war of attrition they call the Zurich Premiership and already some pundits are hailing the end of a long rein. Are they right? Who are these critics. Should we be worried?

I have seen the three Tiger’s league games this season and for once feel that I know more about a rugby subject than all bar 1,000 or so other people who can make the same claim.

Yes Tigers have lost two out of three games and made harder work than necessary in beating a poor Harlequins side. This is indisputable. Also the decision making and execution of basic skills has been well below the standards that Tiger supporters have been used to watching from their heroes. These are facts. It is also true that we are in an unusually low position in the league. But can these facts justify some of the opinions that have been based on them? Opinions such as Martin Johnson looks like Mick Jagger, that Neil Back and MJ are over the hill and too old. Gloucester, as predicted by some pundits before the season started are ready to usurp the Tiger’s mantle. If these opinions come only from some of the meaner spirited inhabitants of other message boards who wander onto our board for a cheap gloat we need not worry. They are often the same people who let us know from time to time that we only win because we cheat. If that were so then surely looking like an aging rock star who stars on the front cover of SAGA is no barrier to being able to cheat. It may be mildly amusing to file some comments away and put them back on their boards later in the season and ask if the poster has anything to add. Some of the journalists who are enjoying our discomfort have never let the truth get in the way of Tiger bashing before anyway so nothing to worry about there. Of more concern would be definite evidence that Angry and Angrier Tiger are really Welford Road Season Ticket holders and not some idiot from another board with nothing better to do. Denise has kept quiet about the true identity of Angry Tiger but it is likely they do purport to support our club. At the final whistle at Sale a Leicester fan I didn’t know from Adam said to me, “I am getting frustrated with Deano and his team selections. That’s whats wrong.” If there is a problem I would suggest that the supporters should get behind the team and encourage the players and coaching staff.

So what comfort can we draw from the current situation? Firstly there is the injury situation. Darren, Ollie, Glen, Leon, Geordan, Rod and Lewis have not been fully fit or fit at all this season. With Ollie, Geordan and Lewis missing we lose pace from the side. With Rod out we miss a midfield general. Injuries are something every rugby team has to live with but that is an unusually long injury list to start the season with. In addition, the 10 England players were called to England training at very short notice this week. This meant they could not take part in any of the preparation work for the Sale game and Deano felt he had no choice but to start with the players who had been able to train together for the Sale match. I do not wish to use the injuries and England situation as excuses but we can look forward to the injuries clearing up and Deano having more advance notice of future elite training sessions so he can plan round them.

The same problems have made it difficult to implement the ambitious new running lines that Rod wants to introduce. The fact that we have tried to do this with makeshift backlines may explain some of the poor handling. Again, this may right itself when Geordan, Rod and Leon return.

Gloucester have an 8 point start on us but we finished how many points ahead of them last season and that without really contesting the Bristol away game? Much will hinge on the Autumn internationals. Will the squad be able to respond as it has done so magnificently in previous seasons? If Gloucester do the double over us that 8 point lead will double. If we do the double over them the lead vanishes. What happened last time we opened with two away defeats and a home win in 3 starts? We won the league by 8 points from Bath.

In both defeats we pulled back a deficit by 60 minutes and appeared to have the force with us. We just need to find the patience to keep turning the screw without forcing and making silly errors.

As for players being too old. MJ and NB are 4 months older than the players who lifted the Heineken Cup in May. MJ looked back to his best at Biarritz and Neil Back is not ready to reach for the zimmer frame yet.

This leads me on to the most tricky point to tackle. Austin Healey has been criticised for his performances at fly half this season. I told Stopsy I would not criticize him in the Sale match report because I went to Paris and Cardiff and know exactly how many European Cups we would have won without Austin. The criticism of Oz comes from Tiger supporters, the press and gleeful prats from other boards. I cannot deny that he has too often run 5 yards sideways only to throw a pass he could have thrown before he had given the defence time to move up. He has also not attempted to play for territory. But he has had to play without Kafer organizing him and without Leon and Geordan to fire his bullets. I think Austin will improve at fly half when Rod returns and when Geordan can run onto his cross field kicks.

So there you have it. No crisis for Razcal just a disappointing start. And what if the disappointing start continued and we had no league title or European Cup this year? We have no divine right to win every time and I personally would not go to games if I was stone cold certain that Tigers would win every time. It is the risk of defeat which makes victory so enjoyable. You can’t have the latter without the former. Who remembers the last Bob Dwyer season? Was it seven away defeats and the fatal admission after Gloucester “I have run out of ideas.” Who stopped going then? Good job too.

So I say to all the doubters, keep your nerve, encourage the team and most certainly do not turn on the very people who have brought so much success in the last 4 years. To the converted who inhabit this board I say we will just have to keep on enjoying being fans of our great club in our own unique and individual ways whatever ups and downs the season continues to bring. We are in it for the long haul.