A refined approach needed.

Sentencing options in courts are deemed to be a “deterent”. They are not and here’s why.

HMP Wormwood Scrubs

There are two types of crime, pre-planned and spontaneous. Every crime falls into one of these two categories.

Pre-planned, however shortly prearranged they are, tend to be crimes such as theft, robbery & burglary etc. Crimes that require some element of creation & forethought. Even a spur of the moment crime, such as a burglary after spotting an open window, requires an element of planning, such as looking around to check there are no witnesses or ensuring the property appears empty.

Spontaneous crimes tend to be those that are driven by emotions and therefore have no element of planning. They are often driven by anger and result in assaults and/or Public order offences. Frequently these are fuelled by drink and/or drugs but also by a lack of personal control or ability to reason.

In both these scenarios the offender is not considering they may be caught and punished for their actions. The offender with some level of prearrangement believes they have taken sufficient precaution to prevent capture. The offender driven by spontaneity does not even consider such matters but is consumed by a lower, animalistic, driver; one where conscious thought is, for the most part, absent.

If these statements are true then there can be no “deterent” factor in sentencing. It must be used wholly for two reasons, to punish the offender and to remove the risk they pose on the streets for the benefit of the public for an appropriate length of time.

I make clear here & now, I genuinely believe in rehabilitation. Government figures show “Adults released from custody or starting court orders had a proven reoffending rate of 29.5%. Adults released from custodial sentences of less than 12 months had a proven reoffending rate of 54.9%”. This indicates there are significant numbers of offenders who are NOT reoffending. That proves rehabilitation can work. What those that work in the industry need to evaluate is what works & why.

In the meantime, offenders need to be punished appropriately, with just sentencing. In talking with a past Prison Governors Association President we discussed the Prison Estate. He stated that when the number of available beds fell the number of people being sentenced to a custodial sentence fell, by order of the Home Office. When new, private, prisons were built (and beds were paid for regardless of whether they were occupied or not) Home Office sentencing guidelines stated that more people were sent to prison. This meant that during this, and subsequent, cycles some prisoners that should have received a cusodial sentence were given a community punishment but, later, some that would normally be given a community punishment were sent to prison. That is not how sentencing of criminals should work.

The reason for my covering this subject is that it has been published today (13/09/23) that “The Scottish government said it was taking action to reduce the prison population.” How & why? Surely sentenced criminals should either be in prison or not. It should not be based on economics and it cannot be based on “deterence”.

All crimes have a “Sentencing Guideline”. Some of these can appear quite broad. Section 4a, Public Order Act, for example, guidelines vary from a “Low Level Community Order” to 2 years Custody depending on the cupability. This can make it difficult for Vox Pop to grasp why a particular sentence has been imposed. One of the challenges is the limited reporting of court trials which can take many days, even weeks, so cupability & mitigation may not be well covered in such reports. All that is often seen is the headline used to garner attention and designed to do so with as much outrage as an editor can get away with.

Add to these problems the very real challenge with the current Prison Estate System where there are simply totallly inadequte facilties to deal with the challenges that we face. Studies show the average IQ of the male prison population is 87. Contrary to what some believe IQ is not a measure of your knowledge but a measure of your ability to reason and solve problems. With extremely limited facilities for self-improvement within the Prison Estate more prisoners are likely to be released who will go on to reoffend simply because they have not been taught the ability to reason and solve problems. So rather than cutting budgets and throwing recidivists back on the streets, usually without the support required to adjust to life in a community after a significant period away from it, budgets need to be increased to improve the prospects of those being released and prepare them for a life outside.

A significant number of inmates, if not the majority, have never been given the simple skills to take care of themselves. They more than likely left school with no, or poor, qualifications. Were brought up in families with poorer social skills and have never learnt the very basic fundamentals of living. These may include, but are not limited to, simple cooking skills, laundry, budgeting, relationship skills etc.

So prisons need to become rehabilitation centres rather than simply locking them up for 23 hours a day and then tossing them out on the streets or releasing more prisoners simply on the grounds of economics. Trust me we will save money in the long term and fewer people will become the victims of crimes.

A Difficult Final Few Weeks!

From flying high in 4th to dismal ignominy in 10th, I don’t know anyone that predicted that. I confidently predicted after a few weeks in the reign of Turkish that we would be in 4th in his 3rd season in charge. And we were, but for such a short time. So where did it all go so wrong?

Despite those that try to deny it a key factor has been the enormous number of injuries to key players. We all know the numerous names so I won’t bother to recite them here. Some have argued that other teams have had injuries. I’d love to see the stat for a team that has had so many 1st team players out for so long as we have, particularly our front row taking into account the reduced ferocity & effectiveness of our maul in recent weeks. One of the highest ranking coaches in the world said about Val “Best prop over the ball in Prem and strong scrummager!”.

And here’s a stat for those that love them, Bears hadn’t given away a single penalty in the 1st 60. We seemed to be handing them out like cake at a wedding. On the 61st minute the Great Big Sexy Beast that is Jamal entered the fray and in the last 19 minutes Bears gave away 9 penalties to our total of 10!! An immense turnaround. So yes, key injuries have had a massive impact.

The Great Big Sexy Beast……Jamal or Walker? Twins separated at birth 😉

But it’s not just missing key players. It’s the further impact it has on those fit enough to play with no rotational support to rely on. Having to play more games & for longer. As I’ve said so many times, this ain’t the game I played. I feel exhausted just thinking what the guys have gone through in 80 minutes. God alone knows what their bodies feel like. So injuries are a double edged sword.

But where else have we suffered? As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, the attack stats are appaling in comparison to last season. Last season an average score of 28.5 points per game with 3.8 tries. This season 21.75 points & 3 tries. An average difference of 6.7 points. We lost 5 games by less than that margin. That would be 12 wins. Current 3rd & 4th spot have 11 wins each. I have a huge amount of time for Tim Taylor and believe he is an extremely talented skills & kicking coach and has an awesome responsibility in his Academy Backs Transition Role. I believe we are already seeing benefits from this. But we need a knowedgeable & experienced dedicated attack coach.

The Rugby Paper has rumoured we are fishing for Ed Robinson, son of Andy. He was Attack Coach at Reds where they appear to have been fairly consistently middish table. Eddie Jones picked him up for some England Camps (from what was, in all honesty, a limited market availability) and he does seem to have other coaching attributes. He also recorded a podcast a few years back when he talked about creating tries from your own line. Well, we know we have the back line to make that happen, is he capable of lighting that fuse? Certainly, it seems, Turkish was hinting at an enlarged coaching team in his post match interview. There seems to be absolutely no confirmation on such an appointment anywhere, however.

“We are unbelievably grateful for the Gloucester supporters they are through thick & thin they turn up, they scream, they shout….
We will be bringing in a few staff…coaching team this year is very skinny. We’ve got the smallest coaching team in the Prem by far and that’s something we’ve addressed!”

There has been a great deal of discussion on forums as to who should be the captain going into the new season. For me now and always it is Luds. The guy is a Gloucester legend and quite possibly it’s most passionate player, and that for me is a key driver. He alone will not make all the necessary decisions on the pitch, there will be huge input from senior leaders, the likes of Harris, Hastings, Singleton & others. He is polite & respectful to the ref and gives 100% every game. And one of the key things Turkish has done with the squad is instill the passion for club, city & fans. Luds epitomises that. For those that have any doubts recall his try in the game v Barff.

A calm & relaxed Lewis Ludlow after scoring a try against Barff.

So, at the risk of being labelled a “happy clapper” what positives can we take from the season. It’s been a huge learning curve for the coaching team for a start and those calling for his head really don’t seem to appreciate what Turkish is bringing to the table. He has made some tough decisions and backs the squad. The whole team, coaches & players have grown & matured and many individuals have become hugely better players. The squad is going through evolution rather than revoluton and this can only be a good thing, few players out, few players in. Yes, I hate to see familiar faces, dedicated servants, leave but there has to be realism & pragmatism. And what of the young stars of the future that have had a baptism of fire this season? Certainly Seb Atkinson has deservedly won Young Player of the Season with his break out performance. But Blake & Jordan as well as others. The future IS looking bright even with a careful eye on the purse strings. I think many thought that what happened to Warriors & Wasps was impossible, but financial mismanagement will always bite you on the arse!

So, thank you to those leaving us for all your dedicated service over the years, it’s been a genuine pleasure to watch you. Ben, the very best of luck with your business. Billy, my good lady says you rock the new locks. Jordy, what do we nick-name you now? If we call you Predator those that don’t know will just give us funny looks! But to everyone else, here’s looking forward to the new season…….and a top four place!! 😉

‘Holm By Any Other Name!

After that coffee…..or Guinness!

I often commented that I did not think Humphries and Ackermann were the right choice for Gloucester and I stand by that and feel I have been proven right. I’ve also regularly suggested St.Q, while being a formidable businessman, might be struggling with the knot in the purse strings. Way back in May 2020 I commented on the conjecture that Rory Teague may take over from Ackermann as Head Coach and suggested that he “fit’s St.Q’s budget”. I also suggested that big names do not necessarily bring success. Any successful team is driven by cohesion, not by throwing money at it. It has to be said I certainly never wanted Teague as HC as I didn’t believe he was anywhere near good enough and I’m singularly glad that his appointment never came to be and that other decisions were taken. Alex Brown’s (a Gloucester man through & through) appointment as COO has proven to be inspired but it is the selection of head coach that has been the greatest assignment and Bradley’s hand in these and other events needs to be applauded.

Coffee Time

With so many top names linked to the Gloucester HC role Turkish seemed a dark horse and some may have thought my previous comment in regard to Teague regarding budgetary demands may have applied also to this option; I can’t deny thinking it, though I don’t think I ever actually said it. I did however, having not actually commented on his appointment, comment in December 2020 that I was impressed with his early weeks and felt we would survive 20/21, move into European contention in 21/22 and probably be top 4 in 22/23. I based this on the cohesiveness I saw being created around a strong and passionate squad with elements of leadership, wisdom, & youth. I have also commented previously on succession planning and the appointment of Carl Hogg to lead the academy was also sublime.

And so I have to admit, these appointments were made, not in regard to any budgetary restriction, but identifying the right people for the job; after all, just because it’s not the most costly option doesn’t mean it’s not the right one. Certainly, those coming in had to understand that budgets have to be adhered to so coming to work for Gloucester may not offer the greatest financial remuneration. But Maslow proves to us that once basic needs are met other motivations form part of our drivers. One of these is “love & belonging”, well you get that in bucketloads at The ‘Holm. Maslow then states that as these needs are met we find ourselves aiming for self-actualisation and, ultimately, transcendance, to become the very best we can be. Turkish clearly wants to become the very best he can be. He has also clearly shown that cohesion is one of the most important factors in delivering team success. But he and others, have taken this even further than my limited understanding by trying to ensure the squad, the club, the business, the supporters and the city become a single cohesive identity. He understood the necessity to appoint Luds as captain. he understood that by creating a powerful scrummaging, mauling front 8, a favourite of any Glaws fan, he would excite the fans and start recreating “Fortress Kingsolm”. So things are looking good on the field and in the backroom. For me, one of the clearest signs of cohesion is that the whole team want to stay together. You have evolution not revolution. And that is clearly what is happening at Gloucester. Meanwhile, at Welford Road, 21 players out and 12 in, an incredible turnover even considering the reduced cap. All may not be as cohesive as it seems at Welford Road. It will interesting to watch Tiggers this season to see if they emulate past success.

But all is not rosy in the rugby garden. Pests have been struggling for a good while now and things could get even shakier. Worriers are on the brink of Administration. Barff and Sarries are seemingly wholly reliant on fincancial backers with big wallets and the moment Tony Rowe started limiting his involvement with Chiefs they suffered their first set backs. So while I, and I’m sure many others, would love to see big money being thrown around that is not what’s required; steady financial probity has to be the essential element. We have all seen big bucks thrown around before without a great deal of success and that is because without the other essential elements, the absolute neccessity to take the whole team on the journey with you, it will ultimately fail.

So, while Gloucester is not, and probably never will be, an endless gold mine generating wealth for owners, it’s holding it’s own. And in that regard is probably one of the most financially successful premiership clubs. And to ensure that endures difficult decisions must continue to be made. One such was the naming rights given to The Shed. There was some strongly worded protests when this was announced but, as I said at the time and proved to be true, when the first home game of the season kicks off the commentators will say “It’s now the Greene King Shed” and will then just call it The Shed forevermore. I doubt many people have realised the sponsor has changed and it is now “The Compede Shed”. It will forever be “The Shed” in rugby circles. But we get a good return on letting pretenders call it what they will. It’s similar to stadium naming rights. Who calls Welford Road “Mattioli Woods Welford Road”? Anybody…….? How many of us call the Allianz “The StoneX”? or The Ricoh “Coventry Building Society Arena”? very few I think.

The legend lives on in Northern Ireland

So what about the unmentionable? What about the naming rights for The ‘Holm? What would arguably the most fanatical club rugby fans in the world feel about that? Surely it must be a consideration for any business to ensure it generates the maximum income it can, particularly in the murky waters of a difficult industry. Surely, as supporters of our club it’s something that, if ever suggested, we should whole heartedly support? We must trust the business acumen of those that have led us through what has been the single most difficult time in professional rugby. Name it what they will, it will always be ‘Holm to us, and with their sound financial probity, it always will be.

P.S. going back through old blogs to ensure I recalled things correctly I note back in August 2020 I suggested Clarke could step up into the 2nd row. It seems I’m not always wrong 😉

P.P.S I still think Dan Tobin has proven to be a key element to our success and is arguably the greatest fitness Coach in the Prem.

Shoot The Messenger.

I am often slated on forums. I am called a moaner. Fair enough. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. And I genuinely mean that. But that includes me. I’m entitled to an opinion. I’ll be honest, I read many opinions that are quite often not backed up by research and statistics. I sincerely hope that’s what I bring to the discussion. Fine if you want to slag me off. I have broad shoulders. My sincere preference is that you engage me. Prove to me I’m wrong. Argue with me with facts and figures. Seriously, if I’m wrong I’ll more than happily admit it (but message me privately first, I might know something you don’t). I do believe, however, that more often that not I have been proven right. Trust me when I say it doesn’t make me happy. All I want is for my team to be successful. MY team. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about yet read an old blog post from a few years ago.

https://wordpress.com/post/winnyssite.wordpress.com/797

Toulouse, Hippopotamus Restaurant. Absolutely Superb! Yes, that IS Walker Marshall & Matt Hardy 😉

I have my qualifications. I have my Shed Stripes. I have my away tours, my Euro tours. I moved to Glaws in ’94 and have been a Shed head for 25 years. A Quarter of a century. Not a patch on the likes of Danny who has been a Shed Head for around 125 years. But a Glaws fan I am. I have engaged with world leaders in the sport, players & coaches. Challenged & grilled them.

I am told that there are “Leaders” at GRFC that do not have a clue about rugby. I am told there are “Managers” that do not have a clue about “management”. These same managers didn’t have a clue in car sales apparently. This from people I have a great deal of respect for. Leaders in commerce. One has to query the huge turn over of staff at GRFC. So many adverts for vacancies recently.

It has often been said there are “Lies, damn lies & statistics”. And this is true. You can make statistics say pretty much whatever you want them to say. So how about the following……..

Attendance Figures (now, forgive me, but sell outs seem to be at 16,115)
16//17

Friday Nights Average Gate 13,565

Saturday Nights Average Gate 14,377

Total Average for Season 16/17 14,156

17/18

Friday Nights Average Gate 13,616

Saturday Nights Average Gate 13,830

Total Average for Season 17/18 13,765

18/19

Friday Nights Average Gate 13,717

Saturday Nights Average Gate 14,612

Total Average for Season 18/19 14,287

19/20

Friday Nights Average Gate 13,551

Saturday Nights Average Gate 13,943

Total Average for Season 19/20 13,747

20/21

Total Average for Season 10,940

In 16/17 we had three sell outs of 16,115. In 17/18 we had two sell outs. We haven’t had one since, more than 2 years. The great Gloucester. The greatest fan base in the Prem. We haven’t sold out The ‘Holm since 30th December 2017 (although we came close on 4th January 2020), both against Barff.

Our average home gate this season (albeit just two home games in) is 10,940, for the last four seasons 13,989, a disparity of 3,049. With Shed prices around £35 that’s at least £106,000 without after sales for beer and food. Say 13 home games per season. Almost £1.4m. And the forums are awash with comments from fans not purchasing in the ground. Fans loading in pubs outside before & after KO.

StQ, are you still happy with your appointment of Bradley? I hear he was in The Shed on Saturday and asked by a Shed Head when he was going. Apparently not a happy man.

Many choose to discredit what I say but I do not say it unless I have stats to back it up or the information comes from at least three separate reliable sources. But if I say it it’s because I love my team. And when I say my team I am talking about something very different to the business.

From my previous comments you may understand that I back Skivs and the players 100%. And I do. But they are very separate from the “business” of GRFC.

I said when Skivs joined that I saw a 3 year plan. That last season we would survive. That this season we would finish top 6 and in 22/23 we would finish top 4. I stand by that. As long as “The Business” backs Skivs. And for anyone questioning the D, Dinger took three seasons to get that right.

Yes, I love my team. But Gloucester is and always will be a working class city. Our current owners seem to suggest we are muppets but we wont pay £5.50 a pint when we can get it cheaper in the Deans or the Jockey or The Peli, or many other locals. What you will see instead is a Shed that doesn’t start filling 2 hours before KO. And that is a very sad state of affairs. That is history being dismembered.

All for a man (sic) who, in my opinion, was not thought highly of at Mitsubishi.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly!

The Ugly

JV Smith is a local and international legend in rugby. His exploits are well recorded. I contacted Gloucester RFC to remind them that JV had passed away at the age of 95 on Friday 17th September. A man that had set a 30 year record for England and was President of the RFU as well as many other achievements. I asked that he be remembered with a minutes silence. Richard Smith, Finance & Operations Director, responded with “Unfortunately, we are not able to hold a minute’s silence at the game on Friday, but he will be in our thoughts.” This is a club that is telling the members/fans/supporters they want to recognise the heritage of rugby in Gloucester. JV actually played for GRFC in one game! He was the oldest surviving English Rugby Player and contributed hugely to local rugby in Gloucestershire. I will never forgive or forget GRFC treatment of such a legend. Rest in Peace J V Smith and thank you for all that you did. At least the RFU remembered him. https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/remembering-j-v-smith

The Bad

I confess, I haven’t visited The ‘Holm for some time. This is my choice and not something I expect anyone else to follow. Several seasons ago ticketing changed. I am “self-employed” and can usually only decide whether I can go to a match a few days in advance. There were no issues, we had “early bird” ticket options that enabled me to get a discount as long as I purchased a ticket no less than 2 days in advance. All of a sudden that changed and “early bird” became a 2 week decision process. That wasn’t something I could decide that long before a game. My work isn’t that flexible. Not just that but tickets were going to be graded, A to D. All of a sudden a ticket I could have paid £25 for had gone up to £45. That’s one hell of an increase. So I decided I would spend my money on BT Sport and a 45″ whizz bang TV. There are those that may think this means I am not really a dedicated “fan”. That’s their opinion. While I may not visit The ‘Holm I have done many away games including plenty of European trips. I have my credentials. Unfortunately that means that a lot of what I hear is now only word of mouth. £5 pints. £2.50 cans of coke. £6 burgers. Difficulties in returning deposit cups. That’s without reports of membership fees not being refunded and so many other problems being caused for fans such as a £180 increase in tickets for disabled supporters. Is this true? Really Glaws?

• 

I believe the last Prem, pre-covid home game for Glaws was Friday 28th February 2020 when 13,370 turned up for a game against Sale, 574 days previously. So, let’s be honest, the first home game after almost 600 days away, Friday night under the lights. Surely a capacity crowd? 11,640. Near 5,000 below capacity. Huge swathes of empty seats. 5,000 not buying drinks or burgers on top of unsold tickets. Seems I’m not the only one voting with my feet. From my records you have to go back to 28th April 2018 for the last capacity crowd. Martin St Q is this really what you wanted? You think it sounded good on Friday? Imagine how it would have sounded with an additional 5,000 fans!! Imagine how much more money you would have taken if you weren’t trying to rip people off. You might like to have a chat with Lance about that.

The Good

It was a difficult night to watch Glaws. It seemed to be we would go the way of our trip to Saints. It seemed we were determined to set a new record for penalties against, one every minute. Soon enough we tightened that up and, actually, Tigers gave away 3 more penalties than us. There was some criticism that we went to the set piece rather than kick for points and that we might well have edged it had we done so. Personally, only my choice you understand, I loved seeing the lads back themselves. And our forwards were in the ascendance with Tigers losing 50% of their scrums. Our Line Out was also so much better this week, no doubt as a result of the return of Slater. Yes, far too many unforced errors. Apparently 17 missed tackles (personally I thought there were that many against Nadolo but who could not forgive that, he’s like the slightly smaller version of Lomu!! He’s also a genuine utility player who’s happy at 3/4s and can actually kick a goal from 50m. I think most of these errors were as a result of the lads, if anything, trying too hard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLylk_3vTdg

Tigers are a very effective unit this season so far. They trounced Chiefs, past Prem & Euro champs, who didn’t take a point from them. We took 2. We ARE still building. We ARE still short of key starters, L R-Z, Harris, the Pumas, Polledri to name just 6. Yes, 6 internationals. And we have an embarrassment of riches in the back line so where does Skivs start there? Chiefs took several seasons to climb to a dominant position. Of course Sarries & Bears did it a different way, cheque book rugby. We know StQ wont play that game. So it’s left to Skivs to create what he can. Admittedly he’s still new to this, but I actually like what I see and still believe we can achieve top 6 this season. I believe we have some of the best Prem players at Glaws, including previous dark horses such as Davidson, Reid & Moyle; guys that fit StQ’s budget but have delivered.
So, yes, now, and for the last 25 years, a Kingsholm man, come rain or shine. But that doesn’t mean I have to put a penny in StQ’s pocket or kiss Bradley’s arse. I mean, after all, he wont even meet me for a coffee 😉

Feeling Sullied!

Lance Bradley actually said something that I had to agree with, all be it on the Lance Bradley Lovathon on You Tube hosted by Colin Boag. It was one of those things that took me back to the good old days of the Two Colins at Hartpury. If you haven’t watched it’s 50 minutes of Colin asking Lance pre-cleared questions and Lance saying “I’m not really able to go in to too much detail”. It doesn’t make for riveting stuff but if you have the time you can find it here. Hence my feeling sullied!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGd58tbEBIc

The thing that he did discuss that I had to agree with him was when he started talking about Succession Planning. Any businessman knows that to achieve long term growth & success there has to be a Succession Plan, not just for the months ahead, nor even for the next 2 or 3 years, but longer, 5 years and more. And that is something that Gloucester has singularly failed to have for far too long.

Indeed, since 2009 Gloucester have had six head coaches. And during that time it cannot be argued that each head coach has been giving carte blanch to build their own squad, create their own team. Far too often there have been too many cooks and the chef hasn’t been left with full menu control.

But LB seems to have acknowledged this and comments about it and this can only be a good thing. It took time for Chiefs to get to where they are, slowly building, architects of their own future. And from where we were in the early months of 2020 when the very best you can describe us was that we were in disarray, it is clear that we needed to start from scratch and create a plan that would take us to ten years and beyond. And you can already hear about the foundation of that plan. LB says Skivs and the coaching structure will be here for the foreseeable future and must be given the time to build their own squad and create their own team, anything else is pointless and reverts us back to the dark days of last year. And we hear about it when Skivs talks about bringing on academy lads, and there were 11 home grown talents in the team last week so we know it’s not just hot air. We all see every week the talent that has been created here, but playing for other sides.

A few years ago we saw Boy Walkinshaw trying to tempt top talent, coaches, players &c in an attempts to make GRFC look like a viable and thriving business in the hope he could maximise the price he achieved when selling it to finance his racing business. There was no plan in place, just a bunch of big names. Hibbard, Hook, Humphries, Fisher among others. There was no overall idea about how to get all these parts operating together as a single unit……but it looked good. And we enjoyed a lot of it. And there was a modicum of success with the ERCC. But with no plan, and no single person in overall control to create one, it was destined to fail.

So now we have one, now we a have plan. And as I’ve said elsewhere we can just begin to see the tiny green shoots. Things such as giving guys short term contracts or bringing them in on loan to see if they fit in with what’s trying to be achieved. Those that do get rewarded and two names that come to mind there are Reid & Singleton, both of whom have made a cracking impact in their short time with us. We are seeing youngsters being given more time and Seabrooke had a good game at the weekend. Our young props are giving good grunt up front and they frighten me how good they will become in future if they are this good now. Our back row is probably the gnarliest in the prem with huge depth and we now have a second row that is not only winning most of our line outs but successfully challenging opponents, something we haven’t seen for several seasons. And let’s be honest, when you lose two of the most talked about international wingers to the 6 Nations but still have Thorley and Carreras the plan is starting to look good.

Not perfect, we need to sort out a couple of working pairs of half backs with Willi on the move but I think they have a plan for that

We All Make Mitsakes!

“You Don’t Know What You’re Doing. You Don’t Know What You’re Doing!”

Quite some time ago I raised the issue of how fair Refs tend to be against Gloucester. I’m sure, for the most part, they are 100% opposed to any bias. But what if there is a 50/50 call and you still have those words stinging in your ear? Dickson must have felt like he was on holiday yesterday with The Shed shut. Having watched the game in full again, apart from other things such as the cynical late tackles on 57, I spotted four high tackles on Gloucester players right in front of the ref; he even seemed to warn one of them when he was at the base of a ruck. Did anyone notice that the TMO pointed the crooked put in to the scrum from Chapman but failed to do so the Saints twisty little bugger? Just saying.

Saints played a very cynical game and quite deliberately attacked key players with a purpose to set out and injure, no-one will convince me otherwise. And why will no-one convince me otherwise? Because we had Tigers, Bears and Barff fans saying the same thing at the same time. When Barff fans are on your side after taking a record hammering the night before you know something’s wrong. Even Healey said we should have had a penalty on the 62nd minute……Barff fans AND Healey on our side, have I entered an alternate reality?

Personally I’d like a citing officer to sit down and watch the whole game keeping a very close eye on Ratuniyarawa throughout. In the words of Ben Kay “It’s obviously tactical!” Enough said on that.

I went into the game yesterday thinking that we could take three of the next five games. Saints, Irish & Warriors while probably not Bears. Until Friday night I thought we might struggle at The Rec. But the thought of 3 out of 5 and rising above Irish & Warriors gave me a warm feeling in my slippers; and no I hadn’t pissed myself, though I did check 😉 But since yesterday I’ve been looking at why I thought that. Why did I think we could beat those three teams? We are bottom of the table, surely it’s their right to believe we are there for the taking, not the other way around. We look at the lower end of the table and see juicy, easy wins……To eleven other teams we are that juicy, easy win! So they come to us psychologically buoyed up and very much believing in themselves. Our challenge is to find that genuine belief in ourselves, and there’s no reason we can’t, especially with the magnificent win against Wasps and the performance we put in against Chiefs.

I’m tempted to ask “so where did it all go wrong?” but that would be a misnomer. It didn’t all go wrong. But some bits did, and enough bits did. But, again, we got a lot right also. Six changes to the starting line up will affect team cohesion and I felt some of the sexy off loading we’ve been seeing was missing (although Thorley doing a 270 degree to off load to 57 was nothing short of miraculous) but they’ve had plenty of time to get that right in practise. 57 & Woodward making starts after long layoffs, 36 back for a first start after several weeks away. Missing key players such as Singleton & Harris and with new kid in town, Carreras, out of position on the wing but desperate to prove his credentials and then losing him on the half hour mark; it was a bit of a hotch potch after some stability over the previous couple of games so seeing a list of sexy names on the team sheet wont necessarily transfer to an effective team. It’s no good pretending we haven’t been an unsettled team, we have, especially with the recent departure of Cipriani. But we’re passed that now.

Clearly the key to the loss was that depressing 8 minutes between 52 & 61 where we just left an entire side of the pitch unguarded. Take that out of the equation and you’re potentially looking at a 26-14 result. But we know that didn’t happen so we need to concentrate on that massive gap. Apart from that 8 minutes the defence, I felt, wasn’t as awful as some suggest. 16 phase defence on our line, Saints pushed back from the gain line time & again, there was plenty of good stuff there. Obviously Saints had most of the possession so we did most of the tackling with 161 with Saints trailing on just 101 ( I note Ratuniyarawa made just 6 legal tackles).

Having said that I genuinely feel there is a lack of confidence in the team. I think any of the 2nd to 4th penalty kicks could and should have been kicks to touch. Certainly our pack was far the more powerful. There are those that argue our line out wasn’t at it’s best, well certainly nor was theirs. Simply play it short, we only needed one to work and the game was won. We stole 3 of theirs to them stealing one of ours. We won 8, Saints won 6. But even then we had a golden opportunity with a kick to touch on the 68th minute that 36 missed despite having had a decent day off the tee. So there were plenty of opportunities to have won this.

We keep hearing that phrase “fine margins” and this was another loss to those fine margins. I saw a few “mitsakes” today, certainly, but also I saw a lot of hard graft and, yes, passion. I know some disagree but I believe we have a squad proud to wear the shirt with a lot of youngsters & newbies but have yet to wear it where it matters, in front of a sold out Shed……Their day is yet to come, let’s make it extra special when it does.

And to finish on a lighter note, I was pleased by the reaction to my suggestion that “The Predator” was a suitable nick name for Jordy Reid…..Since then I cannot quite get over the uncanny resemblance between Matt Garvey & Hellboy. I’m led to believe they’ve never been seen in the same room together 😉

Less Than I’d Hoped for!

I was disappointed that we came away from Kingston Park without at least a losing BP. I genuinely believe the lads had earned at least that, especially when you look at so much of the detail.

I don’t want to be harsh on Craig but I have to say he doesn’t have the pace for the 6 shirt and if we had someone with just one or two meters of extra pace we would have been looking at our first try as well as denying Radwan Falcon’s first…….You’re looking at a very different game right there.

Falcon’s second came from what I assume was a misunderstanding between Garvey & Val that left the door wide open. It is what it is and will no doubt be something worked on during the week.

Our set piece has improved so much this season that according to the stats our line out is second only behind Falcons. I can believe that, I think it’s our most improved area and May’s try on 24 minutes came from another excellent line out with rolling maul which it is so good seeing Gloucester make an effective tool once more. I recall Fisher, when asked what he’d like to see most at Gloucester, said “a 40 meter rolling maul against Bath in front of The Shed for a try”! Perhaps that day might be coming.

I’ve seen a lot of criticism of the game as we played it, as well as a lot of positive comments it has to be said. But to be honest, for me, one of Gloucester’s very best bits of rugby in the last couple of seasons has to be the defence we showed at half time when we held up to over 35 phases of attack in our 22 without giving away a penalty before the inevitable happened. But despite the effort of that defence they then defend successfully against that line out drive and it was the cherry on the cake.

For a huge chunk of the game we kept Falcons in check and when they finally got the win they went, briefly, to the top of the table having won 5 from 6 which shows they are a quality side; although they are also one of the teams to benefit from covid points, as are the six teams immediately above us.

So facts have been against us and that’s what we have to live with, but we went to Kingston Park and Falcons knew they’d been in a battle with a team that is growing in quality and clearly has ambition…..if only Polledri had been in receipt of Simpson’s pass!

But in a review of the season so far I’m struggling to understand why heads are being called for. I genuinely like what I’m seeing. As far as I’m concerned we were in a mess, a genuine mess, before covid. Losing game after game and dropping back from a pinnacle that seemed to be a launchpad from the end of 2019. Those of you that have read some of what I write regularly will recall I went on a blitz reporting what was going wrong behind the scenes. The main cause of the problems in my opinion has now gone and we are sailing calmer waters. We have a young and, on paper, inexperienced coaching set-up. We have a huge number of new signings and academy players. We have existing guys that are only just starting to get regular game time. And yet, for me, I’m seeing things at Gloucester I haven’t seen for a good long while. There is a team spirit about the place. All what I hear coming from the back rooms is that the guys want to play for the Shirt and for Skivs.

What I’m seeing that I haven’t seen for so long is cohesion and that is a key to success. I’ve said elsewhere I believe we will be regular top 6, if not top 4 by the end of 2022/23 if we keep the majority of what we currently have. We will be 8th or higher at the end of this season. The improvements are there for all to see. They don’t all happen at once but they can be seen to be happening. Memory is not too distant of a bonus point win v Wasps and putting the fear of God into Chiefs.

And, it has to be said, I don’t know who is spotting for us at the moment, but by crickey they should be given a bonus.

The Man Who Would Be King.

A great deal has happened since my blog post in June but, strangely, that post is as relevant now as it was then; it was all about cohesion.

https://wordpress.com/post/winnyssite.wordpress.com/1923

I’ve heard quite a bit about some dissension in the ranks. Strangely this was concentrated in a very small group and I heard that the very vast majority of the team were happy with events and with where they are being led and by whom. For “dissension” read “dick swinging”. It’s a phrase I like and that is appropriate. In any large group of males with excess testosterone you will find dick swingers. People that think they matter more than they do and should have more say than they do. These team members are destructive to cohesion. They are splinters annoying a small unnecessary wound and a salve needs to be applied or it has to be removed permanently for the good of the whole.
As some of the most knowledgeable fans in rugby Gloucester supporters know full well that one man doesn’t win a game. They can help toward that goal but cannot do it alone. But what is needed is a leader. Somewhere where the buck stops and a decision is made. With the departure of David Humphries and a few others I think we now find ourselves in possession of a single leader. A man given the opportunity to turn Gloucester around. And having watched, quietly, his first few months in charge I think we may just have found one.

George Skivington leads coaching with Cipriani & Clarke background

When I was a senior manager with a large team I had people that wanted to work for me. They saw the manner in which I managed and wanted to be a part of my team. That is an important first step in building a cohesive unit. If your team are not on-board you’ll never get a reliable squad on the pitch. Skivs has that. From what I see, in bucket loads. Word from the changing room is very supportive of what is happening.

Of course there is a huge amount of work to be done. With splinters being removed the budget enables the leader to find players that buy into his ethos….and crickey, aren’t we seeing some names sign up!

Adam Hastings (also represented Scotland in the Javelin which could be an interesting addition to GRFC skills base)

Santiago Carraras Plays 15, 12 & 11. Superb utility

Giorgi Kveseladze possible signing? Brian O’Driscoll says “really gets the defensive part of his game too. Abrasive and hard working”

This on top of other quality signings such as Alemanno, Garvey, Gibson, Moyle and probably the most talked about recruit this season, Jordy Reid.
And with huge swathes of injuries and a need to rest key squad members Skivs had to go searching the Academy & Hartpury to create a squad to face a massive unit like Lyon. And what did he come up with but Seb Nagle-Taylor.
As most people that bother to read my articles know I feel we will be top 4 in 22/23 if not before. There will be bumps and scrapes along the way. It’s a truism that no natural river or stream will run straight for longer than 10 times its own width. As it is with teams. We will have ups & downs but as we proceed ups will start to outnumber downs and as we reach the coast there will be smoother sailing. We will not win every game. There will be massive disappointments. But in these first few weeks of the new season and in finishing off the last we have had numerous injuries and international call ups. What we have ahead of us is the opportunity to grow as a squad with a leader that knows what he wants and seems to know how to get it.

As for The Man That Would be King……..Imagine being the
Dick Swinger that Delivered the Premiership Title To Kingsholm.

.

Few Expectations. In a Good Way.

And there’s a good reason for that. We have a Chance Card, a  Get Out of Jail Free Card. Quite seriously, as I’ve said elsewhere, all I want to see is an improvement over the remainder of the season. If there is more, all to the good, but I’d be happy with general improvement.

We came into this pandemic in possibly the very worst position we could be in. Seven senior fixtures lost on the bounce. Clearly some huge problems in the back room that were having a serious impact and an eerily silent response when questions were asked.

But that’s behind us and now we move forward. A brand new set up. Not just coaching, but a new commercial director in Alex Brown, a new team manager in Sam Raven and Lance Bradley stepping up to CEO. There are still lots of unanswered questions but no point in banging that drum anymore. We’ve passed that moment. I still have one or two concerns, as I have no doubt everyone one of us has. We’re incredibly light in the second row, at Full Back and at Fly half so I think GS has some very interesting selection challenges ahead, because we sort of have “cover” in those positions. 36 at Fly Half, Sharples & Banners at FB. But what about Lock? George knows what is needed there so I expect some interesting selections, especially if injuries occur, which are highly likely in this foreshortened season. I certainly think Clarke & Polledri could step up. As the Premiership moves on and belts are tightened yet further I expect development of “utility” players across the field.

Clearly, we all want to see a massive improvement on the last few weeks prior to the pandemic but I’d prefer to see risks taken as well, seriously mix things up a bit. To find what we’re good at and what needs development. We’re safe from relegation so that’s not an issue. There is an argument that we should aim for top 6 to get Champions Cup qualification and I can see the logic in that but my preference would be for steady growth as all the elements start coming together working toward becoming a cohesive unit that can maintain a long running campaign to remain at the top of English Rugby.

We’ve been here before of course, but not with quite such a huge clear out in one go. I am quietly confident that we have turned a corner but GS and this team must now be left alone to do their work. He certainly talks the talk. Now let’s see the walk.

GLOUCESTER, ENGLAND – JULY 20: George Skivington, (L) the Gloucester head coach talks to Danny Cipriani during the Gloucester training session held at Hartpury College on July 20, 2020 in Gloucester, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)