www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/s ... rting_duo/

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/s ... rting_duo/

Odd that. Midway through last season I questioned the ability of the conditioner due to our inability to last a full 80 minutes. As usual, the resident "experts" were quick to condemn this as rubbish and me making things up.



Shows you what they know.

How very odd. A quick search says you have never used the word "conditioner" in a previous post. Oh well, I'm sure you have a link, so we can see how crushingly prescient your post was.





No wait! it's [iinfra dig[/i to trawl back through posts, so you won't be able to look. Dilemmas, eh? Who'd 'ave 'em?

seem to remember quite a few of us raising the general fitness levels as a concern last season tbf.

As do i, but I can't see whats changed since 2003 or even the 2005 WCC when we looked in excellent shape. I know methods get outdated, but why would we be less fit under the same regime?

seem to remember it being mentioned that clawson used to ring jennings for advice in first few years after he took over. Maybe this communication broke down after noble left?. most of stories re new bloke have mentioned that we have pretty much concentrated on body building aspect of training, which I believe was Clawsons speciality, at expense of other aspects for last few years.

Sounds about right, prime example being Langley. Hope we don't do the same to Donaldson.







Btw i'm not saying we don't need Langley's workhorseness in defence, he's just turned out to be a different type of player than expected.

And a certain few also backed him up.



Still, a good decision by McNamara for once. Lucky he has some scapegoats.

It's accepted wisdom that our succeses in the Noble years were down to the team out muscle-ing the opposition which as Mat has alluded to above seemed to have been Clawson's strength (if you pardon the pun).



As we all know the game has moved on. We have a need for speed and stamina. Presumably that's the reason for the change.

Which claim might be at least not 100% nonsense, had McNamara cast even one word of blame, or even faint praise, in the direction of the "scapegoats".

Perhaps certain players just weren't putting in the effort e.g. Solomona.



Also you have to look at the balance of the side - the starting forwards need adequate interchanges, not a bench is stacked with lean backrowers masquerading as props, backs, and half-backs masquerading as hookers.



I often felt that the Bradford bench of 2009 lacked the same muscle as the equivalent trophy-winning sides, partly a factor of injuries but also an issue of squad balance. Lynch, Scruton and Kopczak were the only out and out bona-fide established props, plus Burgess (who seemed to flirt with the back row). Far too dependent on Lynch, even more so than Saints with Graham, and Leeds with Peacock.

Yeah, cos he is really gonna come out and publicly slag them off isn't he? What a stupid thing to say.



The fact that he has effectively booted them out speaks volumes and is hardly a glowing praise now is it?