Grains of sand or solid as a rock?
Sunday 7 December 2008
Solid foundations are what the leading Superleague clubs have in common. Supporters have bemoaned England’s lack of half-back options, with the four leading half-backs (one retired from the international game) coming from the two dominant clubs, with little alternative elsewhere. But that is no coincidence. The record shows that to win a Superleague crown, there must be a stable half-back pairing for the team to build around.
In fact, the only side to win a Grand Final with non-British halves is Bradford with the Paul brothers, both of whom provided long service to that club for a team to develop around them. Wigan got to a Grand Final with Matthew Johns, but doh!- he left them that year- so it was back to square one the next. Yet clubs have consistently sought a magic solution from down under when looking to fill a number six or seven shirt, and none have seen that translate into a Superleague win.
British halves will inevitably remain at their clubs longer than big name imports. They provide a solid foundation to build a team around over the course of several seasons. An import might bring impetus to a club, he might produce some exceptional individual performances, but most won’t stay long enough to gel a great side together. Above all though, the record shows that he won’t bring the silverware.
However many great performances we’ve seen from the likes of Trent Barrett and Ben Walker, or Warrington thought just one man in Andrew Johns could bring them honours, they have been like grains of sand swept into Superleague on the wind and swept away again just as quickly. So to keep this multi-cultural, let’s end with this old Chinese proverb- “do not employ handsome servants”!
Fiver each-way on an old nag?
Monday 1 December 2008
It is easy to feel sorry for the poor old racehorse. Years of fine service to their trainers and jockeys, countless wins, and yet one small trip or a hoof getting caught in the soft ground on a rainy day at York and a vet comes along, declares them lame, then it’s off to the great glue factory in the sky.
We tend though not to remember their demise. Instead, it is their record of wins and success which is held fondly in the hearts of all those who’ve won a bit on the back of their success. The same cannot be said of Superleague coaches.
In the past couple of seasons, three coaches who had given long service to their clubs and developed them from wannabes into possible contenders during their time in charge have been shown the door. In all three cases, Jon Sharpe at
Things are different in
It is still far from the beginning of the season, but some fans are already placing bets on the first Superleague coach to be shown the door next season. One bookmaker, Totesport, has the six English coaches in its top seven favourites to get the chop. Under our current system, this would be disastrous for most of these (perhaps apart from Brian Noble and John Kear, who has proven he is a survivor and the exception to this otherwise grim rule about the fate of English coaches). Like an old nag, their careers in the sport would be over. What future is there for an English ex-Superleague coach? maybe a regular stint on Skysports? an advisory role at another club?- or worse, a defection to the dark-side as a defensive coach?
With the new license model, clubs shouldn’t get into the sort of panic we have seen with promotion and relegation in the past. A short run of poor form shouldn’t be the deciding factor in a coach's fate. After all, if Manchester United had taken that view a few years back, then Alex Ferguson wouldn’t own quite the number of racehorses he does today.
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