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Thornley

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 24,742 ✭✭✭✭molloyjh


    jm08 wrote: »
    Have you ever even tried to compare the starting team 2 years ago to the one starting on Saturday.

    How any of that is relevant to what I said I'm not sure I'll ever know. You claimed DK has been picking up the pieces from EOS, but the last 2.5 years the team has been in decline. The results, lack of any form of silverware and seeding all show that quite clearly. Let's not even talk about some of our performances.
    Riskymove wrote: »
    I only posted the stats because people posted DK stats

    It was simply a way of comparing them and showing that overall there is very little difference in the win ratios etc despite some of the comments

    I made no judgements or opinions on either coach

    My point is that statistics only go so far as a guide to rating anyone. As people have pointed out, some games Ireland did not have a full team etc
    However, skewing the stats to suit your agenda doesn't sit right with me and I reacted to that

    The main issue at present for me is not simply statistics or win ratios, it is about performance and that for me is the main issue DK has to answer at present

    We're probably in agreement for the most part. I was reacting to a post that claimed that the difference in achievements was stark. I don't think it is. I do think DK has had a longer run of poor results than EOS did and given that we are talking about the reaction from the media towards them based on results I reckon it's fair enough to call it into question. I didn't "skew" anything though. I took a point in time that was relevant to the debate and provided the data.

    I agree that performance is the big one though. It just wasn't part of the context of the debate. That said if you take care of the performance you're doing 90% of the work towards taking care of the results....


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,883 ✭✭✭shuffol


    CatFromHue wrote: »
    A good article as usual from Tony Ward this morning.

    http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/tony-ward-pressure-on-kidney-to-give-kiwis-real-test-3132420.html

    "And, yet, there is pressure on Declan Kidney to deliver. Scotland's humbling of the Wallabies, our U-21s' magnificent victory over Junior World Cup hosts South Africa and Leinster's Heineken Cup triumph all add to the sense of expectation."
    --
    "However, any capitulation would see the Irish management team very much in the firing line. We're not quite at make-or-break time, but the next three Saturdays will have a massive bearing on what happens in the future."

    This comment rankled with me though.
    "Simon Zebo offers a more balanced left side alternative to the hugely committed but more limited Andrew Trimble"


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,318 ✭✭✭Fishooks12


    shuffol wrote: »
    This comment rankled with me though.
    "Simon Zebo offers a more balanced left side alternative to the hugely committed but more limited Andrew Trimble"

    Ya that's odd alright. Zebo is in better form but Trimble is an infinitely more balanced winger


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,592 ✭✭✭GerM


    shuffol wrote: »
    This comment rankled with me though.
    "Simon Zebo offers a more balanced left side alternative to the hugely committed but more limited Andrew Trimble"

    I wouldn't disagree hugely with that. I'd think Trimble would be more effective in this game as he's good at coming up and killing a move with a shuddering hit and is a very hard runner but, as a left winger, Zebo does add a balance especially with his booming left boot. Trimble is better as a right winger, I think where his physicality is in demand more.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,883 ✭✭✭shuffol


    GerM wrote: »
    I wouldn't disagree hugely with that. I'd think Trimble would be more effective in this game as he's good at coming up and killing a move with a shuddering hit and is a very hard runner but, as a left winger, Zebo does add a balance especially with his booming left boot. Trimble is better as a right winger, I think where his physicality is in demand more.

    I dont like the suggestion of Trimble been "limited" in comparison to Zebo. Bit disrespectful IMO to a player who's been one of the top wingers in the country for the past few seasons. Zebo's got endless potential but a far less rounded game than Trimble at this moment.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 13,553 ✭✭✭✭thebaz


    Thornley used to be a very good journalist a few years ago - but he went the opposite direction to George Hoook , and became a conservative, dont rock the boat, safe journo - shame really , that he rarely asks the hard questions these days,


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,234 ✭✭✭totallegend


    GerM wrote: »
    I wouldn't disagree hugely with that. I'd think Trimble would be more effective in this game as he's good at coming up and killing a move with a shuddering hit and is a very hard runner but, as a left winger, Zebo does add a balance especially with his booming left boot. Trimble is better as a right winger, I think where his physicality is in demand more.

    Kidney will, hopefully, have drilled it into Zebo (and everyone else except Sexton and possibly Kearney) that the absolute last thing he should be doing is kicking the ball.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,318 ✭✭✭Fishooks12


    Kidney will, hopefully, have drilled it into Zebo (and everyone else except Sexton and possibly Kearney) that the absolute last thing he should be doing is kicking the ball and keeping it in play!

    FYP!


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,885 ✭✭✭✭Riskymove


    molloyjh wrote: »
    We're probably in agreement for the most part.

    yes I think so


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,592 ✭✭✭GerM


    Kidney will, hopefully, have drilled it into Zebo (and everyone else except Sexton and possibly Kearney) that the absolute last thing he should be doing is kicking the ball.

    Nothing wrong with kicking the ball when it's the right thing to do. If Zebo receives the ball in his own 22 with no Irish jersey near and Guildford closing in, I'd hope he booms one up the line into touch. Trimble had a ball put in behind him playing left wing against Italy in 2010. He should have launched it into the stand but wasn't comfortable, passed it to Kearney when the opposition were on top of us and we ended up conceding a try. Zebo offers a useful relieving option with his left boot that I've seen utilised in Munster on several occasions to great effect.

    Aimless kicking and good tactical kicking or sensible kicking are two very different things. We've seen a lot of aimless kicking to nowhere in the last 2 years.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,234 ✭✭✭totallegend


    GerM wrote: »
    Nothing wrong with kicking the ball when it's the right thing to do. If Zebo receives the ball in his own 22 with no Irish jersey near and Guildford closing in, I'd hope he booms one up the line into touch. Trimble had a ball put in behind him playing left wing against Italy in 2010. He should have launched it into the stand but wasn't comfortable, passed it to Kearney when the opposition were on top of us and we ended up conceding a try. Zebo offers a useful relieving option with his left boot that I've seen utilised in Munster on several occasions to great effect.

    Aimless kicking and good tactical kicking or sensible kicking are two very different things. We've seen a lot of aimless kicking to nowhere in the last 2 years.

    Yeah, absolutely; Zebo's boot should be a 'break glass in emergency' situation, to be used for "sensible" kicking but not for "tactical".


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