Sharpe urges patience

[GAFFA]

Sorry for the late reply guys I have been working down south for the last week and this is the first time I have been at a computer since Sat when I wrote the above comment.

I would just like to say I stand by everything I said above even after the match against the rebels and it just proves why I am so frustrated with Foley as a coach.

Exile I do spend a lot of time over on GAGR the main reason is so the Force has a voice over there and not letting people get away with blatant lies about the Force or Rugby in WA, the time I have spend there has nothing to do with me calling for Foley to move on I was very vocal and critical when we signed him and you can look back on the post to see that.

I can assure you I am a real a Force Fan as they come being there like many of you since day dot at the first game a Subi sitting in the stands watching us take on the Brumbies thinking how good it was to have rugby in WA, but over the years I fear the fans have become come very jaded by the results and the crowd numbers show that 9500k on sat when it is arguably one of the biggest games in the clubs history with Hodgo playing his 100th game was a very sad thing to see.

Not only have we lost a ton of people from the games but I also feel that the people who are left are happy with mediocrity which I am sorry to say sick of. We are almost happy to lose 90% of our games and forget everything when we win like we did on Saturday, just like when we got thumped by a second string Tahs last year only to forget and forgive when we beat the Brumbies.

I’m sick of being the “Perennial Underdog” its time that the Force grow up and make a stand and for us fans who are left to demand better.

If you have followed some of the things I have said here and on GAGR you will no doubt know I have been very vocal in my criticism of Foley but you would also know I have been very complimentary to some of the things he has been able to achieve while he has been here the main thing him bringing the lost WA talent home and recognising the locals that are coming through now.

As a head of a rugby department he is great but as a head coach well to put it bluntly he left wanting big time.

His time at the tahs was a mess he took a top 6 side and turned them into a bottom 5 side in 1 year. His coaching philosophy is to grind his opposition into the ground never give an inch and to hardly ever take any risks.

That’s fine if you have the England forward pack but we nor Tahs have that.

Last year when he was signed all the talk was about playing attacking running free flowing rugby we had a top line attack coach and a great forward pack. The first game we jumped out of the blocks scored 3 tries in the first half and looked great doing it. We fell apart in the second half thanks to some dumb refereeing 2 yellow cards and the rebels fought back.

I was at that game and was happy even though we lost. But them the next week came and we looked like a different team the free flowing running game was gone, out came one out runners kick for touch kick the high ball kick when ever you got the ball game plan and it stuck around for the rest of the year. Yeah we won a few games against the odds but bar the Brumbies game never really showed anything that had me excited about our future under Foley.

Then we lose our world class attack coach out of the blue no explanation …nothing. We sign up some random no name saffa. I asked some Saffas on other sites if they new him maybe we had pulled the rug from under the saffas and scored a gem? Nope no one had ever heard of him…well that made me worry a bit. Has Foley just installed a yes man happy to have a job after he and the former attack coach had a difference on how they though we should be playing? Who knows but it doesn’t look good nor does it fill me with happy feelings.

The First 2 game were just appalling one out runners kicking the ball away at every opportunity no direction no clue. I spoke with someone very high up with in the Force management about the tactics used in the First match and asked why on earth you would kick the ball to Izzy like we did.

He said the game plan was to kick the ball to him let him catch it and tackle him ASAP so you could pressure the breakdown and if you didn’t win the ball he wouldn’t be in the play for the next couple of phases………WTF! that has got to be the dumbest thing I had ever heard yeah lets kick the ball away concede the contest in the hope of maybe him making a mistake and if he doesn’t then he wont be in the play for a few phases… yeah great tactics how did that work out for you?

How about we worry about the things WE can control and not base our game plan on players from the other teams making mistakes. Worry about our own game and the thing we can do then once we can play how we want to play then maybe worry about the opposition.

Robbie Deans was a great example at the Wallabies in the beginning he chose a side to win games which the did but then almost over night he changed direction and started to pick a team to match the opposition to make sure we didn’t lose, which we did a lot.

Saturday night was great to watch…well was great for about 30mins. After half time we reverted back to the old kick it away at all costs one our runners no risk rugby. We where just lucky that the rebels were a rabble by then and they didn’t make us pay for the ridicules tactics we employed in the second half.

Was the First half just a one off because the players where fired up cause of Hodgo, did they revert to Foley game plan in the second half I’m not sure but we shouldn’t get to far ahead of out self’s just yet.

For Foley to be a good coach he needs to loosen the reigns and let the boys play like they did in the first 27mins on Saturday but unfortunately it isn’t in his blood to do so and I fear that last Saturday was just a one off and it will be a long time between drinks unless Foley changes his philosophy or he is moved on.

I will continue to voice my opinion when it come to him and his ability to be a head coach, I am more than happy to be proven wrong and will happily eat my share of humble pie if the does so but I wont stand by quietly and watch the team I love continue to die a slow death like it has done for the past 9 years.

[Flying 14]

Good for you Gaffa. I agree whole heartedly with everything you said above. At the moment the game on the weekend was an aberration. If the boys play well with a decent game plan for the rest of the season, then I will believe in Foley. At the moment the jury is out on whether he can coach. I still have my doubts. I love the Force and just want them to be the best they can be week in, week out...

[WFDom]

I'm with you on the Meehan / Foley point Gaffa. I don't think Foley will stand for anyone challenging HIS game plan / style of play. Maybe this is why such an attack minded coach like Meehan left.

I too have been critical & harbor reservations. I hope Saturday was a turning point & not one of our 2 or 3 home games highlights every year where we play exponentially above our usual standard & keep us loyal fans happy & coming back in hope of another amazing performance.

It was encouraging to see Alby state at half time on the telecast that that is what they've been working towards all pre-season. He seemed relieved & happy that all the hard work had come to fruition. Which leads me to believe they know what they have to do... up until Saturday they hadn't.

The best thing about Saturday wasn't just the attack, we played as a complete team

We won't have someone's 100th game as motivation every week to get up & over whomever we're playing.

Time will tell. I do want Foley to succeed. Like I said I have reservations about the way we play sometimes. When we're good, we're very good. But when we're bad.... we're shockin'! But saying that, I think in every other facet of his job Foley is up there with the best.

[beige]

Still got a bigger than the Canes mind you (circa 8k). Not that it should be our benchmark.

[Herbasimplex]

The "sell-out" in Christchurch between the Crusaders and the Chiefs drew about 15 000. There are more cow-bells than punters at the Chiefs home games, though most of their supporters may have to leave the Stadium momentarily as part of their bail reporting conditions

[Flying 14]

I really want to see Foley succeed too! He seems like a nice bloke. But he has got a lot to prove over the next 5 - 6 weeks. Play well and win some = happy fans. Play badly and lose them all = centrelink que.

[GIGS20]

We won't have someone's 100th game as motivation every week to get up & over whomever we're playing.

Look at the history, We are generally a team that has sucked at milestone matches, I can't think of one other big milestone where we won the game. The fact that this performance happened on Hodgos hundredth is yet another tick in the aberration box.

Look, seriously folks, I hope I'm right, but as much as some defend the tactics after half time on Saturday, they were the same tactics which we employed in the first two games, which gained us precisely nothing, rather than the tactics of the first 27 minutes which produced our best figures in our history.

Now not even I am advocating 80 minutes of running it from inside the 22 at all costs, but there were MANY kicks in the second half made from outside the 22 (thus needing to be kept in) with several players behind the ball, the rebs advancing slowly and a bunch of blue shirts in front of them. If that's not a situation where it's better to counterattack and (if nothing else) gain 20 metres before you launch it I don't know what is!

and if you're on the attacking side of halfway, there's absolutely no reason why you would kick the ball without a totally committed chase looking to regather and score. Hold the ball, challenge the line, wear them out and keep the clock running.

[.X.]

After watching the game twice. In my humble opinion the change of tactics from first half to second half was an absolute necessity.

First up - after 28 minutes of the first half the Rebels were that shell-shocked that they made four substitutions. These changes changed the attitude of the Rebels and put them on a completely different footing for the rest of the match.

Secondly with Half time there was the change of attacking ends for both teams and the very strong breeze was in our face. We changed our tactics to use that wind as a positive. Take a look at the number of times the rebels failed to find touch or to kick the ball dead. Sais Ebersohn was kicking the ball low and flat to ensure that we still got some distance and the Rebels spent the half running the ball out of their own defensive end. Utilizing the wind for our own advantage is being aware of our surroundings and playing smart rugby.

[Moono74]

Some fair and valid points there Gaffa and I agree with many of them. Lets see if the guys come out and play the same way against the Highlanders. Hopefully they have seen the light and realise playing off the front foot and putting scoreboard pressure on can crack your opponent. Its better than playing catch up footy.

Congrats on the huge post, well made points....though I had a nanna nap halfway through

[GIGS20]

Hey Ex, agree to disagree?

We could argue about interpretations of the tactics all day and night and not come to an agreement, but I'd prefer to look at the positives. The boys have proven that they can play aggressive, attacking, effective rugby, whether they contain that to half an our or 80 minutes is immaterial, if they do it consistently, for long enough to win each game I'll shut up. I just think that a better team would have overpowered us in the 60 minutes they had to do so and we would have been on the back of another one of those 'valiant losses' which we so proudly point to.

I don't want a 40 minute rugby team. I want us to be the Crusaders of the TwentyTeens I want total domination and obliteration I want to see a team that doesn't have to worry about the conditions, or the opposition, we'll run it because we like to and we know we're capable of it.

Maybe I'm dreaming, but that's what I want the Force to grow into.

[Alison]

Much as I share your dream Gigs, do you think it will ever happen, given the way the ARU run the show to ensure NSW/Sydney dominance? I don't mean to be cynical, but I've seen much that suggests it's not in the ARU's interest to have a WA team as the best club side in Australia, let alone the Southern Hemisphere.

[MI5_Dog]

in all respect to you Alison F*ck the ARU and what they want.
Bugger the 'asking permission' I'd rather win the title and then say sorry.

[WFDom]

in all respect to you Alison F*ck the ARU and what they want.
Bugger the 'asking permission' I'd rather win the title and then say sorry.

Hells yeah-yuh!

[Sheikh]

I think if we ever win the title it'll be as the plucky underdog no-one thought could do it with a bunch of journeymen, and then the 'big clubs' come knocking to pick the side apart as the ARU "want parity between teams".

[hertryk]

In our dreams people... in our dreams...