FC Callum wrote:Or is it down to the players being unfit, lazy and/or dumb?
He cant do anything about the players being dumb but Smith surely as the top coach that people say he is then he should be getting the players super fit and weeding out anyone who is lazy
Joined: Jan 26 2009 Posts: 2839 Location: The Cavern Club
bonaire wrote:He cant do anything about the players being dumb but Smith surely as the top coach that people say he is then he should be getting the players super fit and weeding out anyone who is lazy
Having an actual S@C coach would help with this. What does Jason Davidson actually do and Tom Bennett who is the head of conditioning and as far as i know isn't a qualified S@C coach. More cost cutting?
pmarrow wrote:Because sport is a funny old thing, weve had youngsters coming in, a shattered spine, players having brain farts and also had alot of players missing. We are also in round 3, nobody is anywhere near there best.
Im not saying the situation is ideal but I struggle to see how so many of you cant see it. How can you employ one of the competitions most successful coaches and give him a shoestring budget. Hes had to sign players nobody else wants. If he had his way im sure the recruitment would be miles better but he has such a small budget to work with.
I get people may think his time is up and he may not have what it takes to win a grand final again. But for people to suggest he doesnt know how to teach the basic fundamentals of the game with his track record is completely barmy.
Tend to agree with all of that. It’s a lazy solution to always just get another coach. He has to work with the squad he can cobble together. We are all observing -often unkindly, the slow art of improving the players individually and collectively. Yesterday I saw lots of positives, quite a few if onlys and I enjoyed the contest. Even Jordan Lane was ok. I’m not blind to the shortcomings though. We should aim for mid table then kick on. Think a good moan is cathartic for many and forums such as these are a good vehicle given our current status at Hull FC
I'm not so sure on if our players are unfit, I had heard during pre season that players stats where much higher on the season previous (even those who had come from other clubs). What I would say however is that there is a couple points to notice:
1) - Our use of the bench, we played pretty much with 15 men on Sunday (no offence to Charles) and towards the end of the game it showed. Sloppy errors in both attack and defence crept into our game particularly from our forwards. This has been a common theme at Hull for a while, I cant recall another team leaving 1-2 players unused on the bench. Ligi Sao, for as much stick as he cops, goes regularly through 80 minutes of graft and never shy's away from carrying the ball in. His efforts are huge but its no coincidence to me that a lot of his errors come in the final thirds of a game.
2) - Following from the above, the sloppy errors lead to having to make more tackles, as mentioned we have the top tackler in the league in Lane, it has never been a positive stat for me. More defending = More fatigue.
I wouldn't say our players are unfit, I would say we need to be smarter to help preserving the players energy levels.
I believe it's the first time Tony Smith has left an unused sub on the bench for Hull FC.
Brett Hodgson did it FIVE times in 2021 and three times in 2022. Aiden Burrell was unused once in each season. He left Ben McNamara on the bench at Magic in 2021.
Steve0 wrote:So far we've given away the most penalties of any team, the most red cards, third highest missed tackles and third highest errors in the competition, that to me shows a team that isn't picking up the basic fundamentals of the game
To me I dont see that as all the coach, the players have to own them mistakes. I hardly doubt these are problems that are being ignored and in some regards problems that existed long before Smith.
I do feel like the negetivity in the stands doesnt help, we are entitled to our opinion and they have to react better to it. I cant help but feel they is massive confidence issues where players are too scared to do something different or outragous incase it doesnt come off. Its a theory I have but momentum and confidence is a big thing in our sport.
I didnt expect this season to be great, if we can see slow improvements and some youngsters coming in then we have the base to move forward. What isnt needed is paying every man and his dog off and throwing new players at it. With no relegation for us I kinda see it as an opportunity to grow some youngsters and hit the market next year with no covid loans to repay. If we are still in this boat next season then id say Smith has nowhere to hide, for now im happy to go along with it.
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