Another hiding for Connacht-Where to from here?

The title says it all really.62-13 hammering.Same story as last year despite the pre-season talk from CEO down to management and players that the away performances of last year couldn't be tolerated again.Well here we go only this time its worse.We never conceded 62 away in the ML last year even in the "non-targetted games".Conceded 10 points while up a man and 6 tries in total in the 2nd half.We're becoming more of a laughing stock by the week.Just when it looks like things have bottomed out we fall even further.

Totally disgusted but its hard to have any hopes for Connacht to win away but surely they owe themselves a respectable performance.No one in the Connacht rugby setup believes we can win away and that attitude seeps through to the players when the chips are down which they are most weeks away from home.

Bradley out pllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaasssssssssseeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gavkm27

absolutely devastated with that result,did'nt see the match and glad i did'nt,i really don't know where they can go from here,in fairness though they put in a good dig last week against ospreys,i'm really hoping it's more that Edinburgh are the team to beat this year???

Judgement Day

Don't know much about Connacht rugby but surely it is a chicken and egg situation - no money therefore no exciting overseas players therefore no success therefore no crowds therefore no money.....but clearly something urgently needs to be done before the province withers away?

Trojan

Is Bradley really that much of a problem?

outwest

yes he is the biggest problem.
he let aloud afew good young player to leave.
peter durcan being the best example. great game against south africa. didnt play again that season.


there are good players there.

get him out and eddie back form the usa.

there will a small crowd at the match on friday.

get gerry kelly out to.
he said it pointless calling for bradley to get the sack this is rugby not soccer.

i been supporting connacht know for good few years and tonight was a low point. he cant motivate a team, it like he happy for them to play sh*it

i really pissed off know

johnnyboy4711

thats what bradley has achieved!
Forgive me when we were not bottom we were 2nd bottom with the now defunct borders .
We are craving for a coaching change in the west!
Maybe this is the IRFU retribution after our insolence with having a protest march some years ago!
Keep our guy there and keep connacht rugby under the thumb!
Delivered nothing!
If the IRFU want connacht as a development province then send us more players to develop,so we dont have to go trawling through the 2nds and thirds of the New zealand npc sides.
WE NEED CHANGE!!!
slan
j

Hyperbullet

Get rid of Bradley and let him take Troy Nathan with him on the way out.

stephen_n

Think in fairness with the lack of finance and ambition the IRFU is prepared to show for Connacht you would have great difficulty getting any sort of decent coach to touch the provence with a ten foot barge pole. I still think that it shoud be used as a conveyor belt for young players coming through with maybe 4 or 5 seasoned pro's there for experience!

leeroybrown

For me, I think that's all the blind pre-season optimism that's required to be a Connacht fan used up. That's definitely the earliest in a season that it's ever been wiped out. If we continue last season's trend rolling over like this away from home and giving up games at the Sportsground I'll be seriously considering the wisdom of renewing my season ticket...

I dont hate Bradley like most on here but you would think if the next few games go like this his position will become untenable.

ScrubsfanChris

Randall Nice Vaccine wrote: »

I dont hate Bradley like most on here but you would think if the next few games go like this his position will become untenable.

Hey, Ewen McKenzie and Christophe Dominici got the sack after Stade lost 4/5 of there opening games this season.
So this kind of thing does happen.

ScrubsfanChris

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

Hey, Ewen McKenzie and Christophe Dominici got the sack after Stade lost 4/5 of there opening games this season.
So this kind of thing does happen.

Ewen McKenzie had that coming a long time,I would have fired his ass before the season,his under achieving was ridiculous.

I know Bradley has his bitch in the IRFU but I would imagine he will go if this keeps up.

il gatto

So much for the time Les Kiss put in with defence. What a catasrophe. This season will be long and miserable. I don't think we'll even get the odd big scalp like Leinster and Munster this year. That was a one off. Bradley has to go. I've seen nothing to show any development. In fact, we've gone backwards. At least we used to do fairly well in the ECC. Now Connacht are true whipping boys. It's a shambles.

outwest

if conancht fail to plaY well the next two home games. bradley has to go.
why the fuk did troy get a contract. he is crap.

cant wait to see what gerry kelly says about tihs result

irishbucsfan

Randall Nice Vaccine wrote: »

Ewen McKenzie had that coming a long time,I would have fired his ass before the season,his under achieving was ridiculous.

I know Bradley has his bitch in the IRFU but I would imagine he will go if this keeps up.

McKenzie's a good coach in fairness. Can't wait to see what he achieves with the Reds if he ends up there.

anonymous_joe

irishbucsfan wrote: »

McKenzie's a good coach in fairness. Can't wait to see what he achieves with the Reds if he ends up there.

The Reds are a disaster though. Surely he'd be waiting for the S15 team?

Diabhal Beag

Really annoyed that all Bradley has achieved in 7 years is bottom of the table as previously mentioned.

Its been time for a change for a long time though.

Who would be your replacement be though?

Stev_o

anonymous_joe wrote: »

The Reds are a disaster though. Surely he'd be waiting for the S15 team?

That's Cheika's job AFAIK.

anonymous_joe

Stev_o wrote: »

That's Cheika's job AFAIK.

I always assumed as much, but ya never know really.

johnnyboy4711

Looks like the irfu have a hand in being underhanded for a while now!
Nel had another year to run on contract!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/irish/2981575.stm
Just like Gatland getting the bullet from the Ireland job in favour of EOS!
slan
john

johnnyboy4711

Galway born and bred,played at the highest level and wears his heart on his sleeve.
He gets my vote!
Bye Bye Michael!!!

ScrubsfanChris

Bradley, however, is seen as an Ireland coach of the future, and someone who could further enhance the status of Connacht who are seen as a development province.

Quote of the week for me.

mr_edge_to_you

I know Connacht don't have the same level of funding that the other provinces have but to be honest I think at this stage that most of Lenister's and Munster's revenue is self generated in terms of kit deals, higher game attendence, other commerical ventures etc. Connacht do get some funding from the IRFU but to be honest they have made no progress whatsoever under Bradley in the time he has been in charge. They consistently finish towards the the bottom of the league and have never come near winning the Challenge Cup - this is the truth. I genuinely believe that the time has come from him to move on. Future Irish manager??? If he was a genuine contender for a future Irish manager he would've been whisked off to Munster when DK got the Irish job.

Connacht are now the whipping boys of the Magners League. The had a great opportunity last year to lift themselves above Ulster - they had beaten Leinster and Munster and then they were well beaten by Ulster. 2 steps forward and 3 steps backwars. How can the IRFU justify giving them a bigger budget?

Connacht need to bring in a manager who can get more out of the same bunch of players. DK won a Grand Slam with the same players as EoS. Trappatoni has the same players Staunton had. I think there needs to be new voice in the Connacht changing room. They should still be able to compete and last night's result would suggest they are not able to compete at this level. They have to force the IRFU into taking notice and justify giving more resources.

I know I'm slightly biased on this point but give Athlone a stronger look in in the setup. I genuinely beleive with a decent run and a bit of confidence Connacht would be better playing their games in a tighter ground like Dub Park. The place in Galway is an awful venue. Crowd too far away, get them up close and get them involved. Even Munster switch between Cork & Limerick (Cork - less so now, but it is still acknowledged by the branch as an important part of the province's success).

irishbucsfan

anonymous_joe wrote: »

The Reds are a disaster though. Surely he'd be waiting for the S15 team?

Paper down here is saying its McKenzie's job. I don't think it's a coincidence that Reds have just fired their coach now despite saying he was there man only a few weeks ago. I think they pulled the trigger after talking to someone involved with McKenzie or the man himself.

Reds could be a decent team. Have some good young players. Just need a new direction.





Also, this is getting very very off topic now, but I can't see Australia getting the 15th team. South Africa are more deserving. The ARU needs to look at consolidating the WF (who aren't looking very good at all) and the Reds before they expand it out further in Australia.

siltirocker

mr_edge_to_you wrote: »

I know I'm slightly biased on this point but give Athlone a stronger look in in the setup. I genuinely beleive with a decent run and a bit of confidence Connacht would be better playing their games in a tighter ground like Dub Park. The place in Galway is an awful venue. Crowd too far away, get them up close and get them involved. Even Munster switch between Cork & Limerick (Cork - less so now, but it is still acknowledged by the branch as an important part of the province's success).

Seeing as 90% of Connacht's attending support is based in Galway City moving to the east would be devastating to attendences IMO.
But Christ there is enough Bucs, Westport and Sligo heads, so they should really set up a shuttle bus service and pull out there thumb.

pisslips

Seriously only hope is dragon's and glasgow at home, Connacht are gonna finish last by a mile!

The other teams have done nothing but improve drastically over the past few years, while connacht are the same, maybe slightly better and they were the worst team in the beginning.

No hope whatsoever, Like you'll have to get the best combination of the leinster, munster and ulster A teams along with a few hard nosed ****ers to stand a chance.
They'll have to do that.

il gatto

siltirocker wrote: »

Seeing as 90% of Connacht's attending support is based in Galway City moving to the east would be devastating to attendences IMO.
But Christ there is enough Bucs, Westport and Sligo heads, so they should really set up a shuttle bus service and pull out there thumb.

Their not making an effort to advertise match times, results or anything. They're creating no interest. They seem content to stay in Galway and be whipped in front of a handful of long suffering fans.
I actually think EOS would be perfect. He's the sort of technical coach who'll train the naive defensive mistakes out of them. He'd probably wrangle a few extra quid out of the IRFU and he has lived in Galway for years so has a vested interest in the province. I don't think he could've been given the job straight out of the Ireland job as it would've looked like a retirement package. Give him another year in the states though, and who knows. Well two years, post WC. Actually, we can't be left at Bradley's whim for that long, can we?:eek:

nerophis

Has anyone seen the national media calling for Bradley's head on a block? It just shows that Connacht are of no interest to the other provinces- barely a by line in either in the Independent or Times. If Ulster, Munster or Leinster were so ill steered by a coach then it would be big news. It's obvious that the many casual rugby supporters that have swelled the coffers of particularly Leinster and Munster in the last ten years have been attracted by success. With a system designed to ensure failure by Connacht the IRFU are in my opinion being incredibly short sighted in a time where rugby has never been so much in the public consciousness. In fairness who'd be rushing to the Sports Ground to see that sort of hammering from visiting teams? An utter and shaming failure in management from the IRFU.