What can Glasgow do now?

29 responses

1. One word Glasgow …. Inept. No excuses just come out and say you are cr*p and an embarrassment to the fans. DO NOT say you will learn from this

2. Huw Jones must be really regretting his decision to reboard what is currently a heavily listing ship. Can’t believe he didn’t have any better offers. Wondering if Toonie might spread his net further into the Premiership for this summer’s tour, the Glasgow players must be totally deflated and lacking in confidence after the final few weeks of the season.

3. Dear Mr Wilson and everyone in the Glasgow setup. Please can you watch with the all-Irish commentary offered on URC TV. They were literally laughing at you…’no need for a dummy when Glasgow are playing … hahaha’.

   They don’t know your names, they don’t know your positions, they don’t think you’re worthy of the effort. They have no respect for you at all.

   Why? Every time you go over there you cough up a sh*tshow, you’re simultaneously lazy and overambitous without a functional system.

   Rant over…

4. Before the SA games, I was thinking “give Danny Wilson next year and see if the rebuild is working.” The manner of Saturday’s defeat and the Edinburgh one suggest the players have switched off. Leadership onfield was not apparent. We have good players but 3 of our best forwards (Cummings, Darge, Matt Fagerson) were missing. Kebble, Turner and Zander look off the boil. Dempsey the only forward who looked up for it. We have some very exciting backs but mostly young and not looking comfortable. We are squandering Dobie’s potential.
   Now, I do not think Danny Wilson can turn this around. Ryan Wilson’s days as captain also need to end.

5. The situation is what it is. The question that has to be addressed is do you want to have a team that struggles or a great team? The question can only be answered by the SRU. They have different objectives and that is also very clear.

   It is clear certain players should not have been on the park. Harley is a glaring example of someone who is not of the quality to be playing at this level, and never has been! Wilson as captain is that a joke? Yet, time and time again they are picked and the results are the same. This is the definition of stupidity. Which team in the tournament would even have them in the squad, not even the Italians?

   If Danny Wilson is to be held accountable, can we know for certain he was picking the team? His appointment who will be held accountable? The post match comments of “we are all responsible ” extends to who? Does it include the top of the SRU. This is authority without accountability which spells disaster.

   We hear talk of cash flow issues, but not regarding executive pay. Glasgow have a major issue in the pack and this has been the case for years. Yet, recruit and selection is blind to this. The back 5 have been so weak and this is clear and obvious. Johnny Gray was covering a multitude of ineptitudes, Callum Gibbins brought ambition and drive and Strauss brought go forward. Look at the lock pairing on Saturday and the 3 behind them against Leinster? What result could you expect? Look at the game again, and look at the role the back 5 played in the humiliation.
   So what is the policy going forward? What Gray, Gibbions or Strauss will come? Glasgow need at least 3 heavy hitters to come into the pack. However, that I don’t think has ever been a Danny Wilson call but a SRU one and it is back to what team do you want? Pretty clear not even a half decent one.

6. Glasgows last away win Connacht in January..last before that Zebre in October…includes losses to Benetton, Cardiff and Scarlets, and thrashings by Exeter and Leinster.

   Glasgow travel like an ice cream sundae. That’s one ‘easy’ thing to work on…retaining focus on the road.

7. What is clear is that the recruiting at Glasgow appears to have gone awry (may be not entirely down to board). Edinburgh sign Sam Skinner and a Super Rugby Winger with a 1 in 2 try record… meanwhile Glasgow sign 2 SA locks struggling to play for their own teams, a Tongan who cannot get into a poor Worcester side and Hugh Jones who must now be looking on in horror!

   I wouldnt single out individual players, but collectively there seems to be an apathy, discipline is non existent (that’s just on the pitch), and we clearly don’t have ‘game managers’ who can steer us through tight matches. The squad appears bloated with journeymen and young players who really need game time in a less pressured environment (say English championship, which is higher than our Super 6). That being said, game nous, handling skills and fitness should be professional pre-requisites and if we need to offer ‘shorter term contracts’ now to players (rather than long deals which protect players regardless of their performance and effort) so be it..

   And as for filling Scotstoun next year… Good luck with the prices being touted

8. Wilson sacked!!!

   1. Correct decision but difficult time to recruit as many coaches will be waiting for post-RWC merry go round. Could see a care-taker coach of some description.

      Hope the SRU are ambitious in attracting the best coach possible . I don’t think Glasgow’s squad is nearly as bad as some make out even if it is nowhere near a title winning squad. But there’s plenty of headroom for improvement for an ambitious coach to work with.

      1. ‘I don’t think Glasgow’s squad is nearly as bad as some make out’ – there are a few player past their sell by date (e.g. Ryan Wilson, Harley, wee Dunc and so on) and others who are journeymen (Zander, in my mind is one of these). Time to clear out the dross and get in decent players and a couple of leaders

      2. “Zander is a journeyman” is a pretty odd and terrible take.

         A journeyman is a typically an average-good pro level player who can fit in well but never excels (think Lewis Bean).

         Zander is a very talented athlete who’s excelled a lot but who plays frustratingly rarely up to his potential. Some of his performances for Glasgow and Scotland across 2019-21 were genuinely the best we’ve seen from a Scottish tighthead in the pro era. What he needs is a coach that can get the best out of him (and to get his head out his arse and stop thinking he’s a hardman).

         Agree on the rest of your point. Weir and Wilson (Ryan) need to go. Miotti needs to show what he can do or also be cleared out.
         Richie Gray needs a kick as well as he’s been very average. I’m not sure Fraser Brown cuts it any more either.

         The rest of the squad has some really good young players to build around.

      3. Don’t disagree with you Tryhard but my reference to Zander is that he doesn’t hit the highs enough and when he doesn’t he is, in my mind, a journeyman. I feel he should not have been selected for the Lions and was, in a way, shown up during the tour

      4. Oh I see. Think you’ve got the wrong definition of journeyman but we’re on the same page on Zander and his performances.

         I was on board for him being selected at the time for the lions but yeah he was a massive disappointment.

         He’s responded well to a change of coach in the past – his best performances came with Petrus Du Plessis stepping up at Glasgow and Pieter De Villiers at Scotland – so here’s hoping something changes next season for him.

9. Danny Wilson’s sacking is spot on. I didn’t agree with his appointment in the first place and his playing style has been dubious and he doesnt get the best out of his players. Some players need to be released too. There are too few of Jim Telfer’s “Honest Players” in the back 5 of the scrum. Prima donnas like Ryan Wilson who seems more interested in his hair style, winding up the opposition and giving away penalties than putting in the hard graft should be out. That he was made captain is embarrassing because his attitude in no way reflects what GW should be trying to achieve. We need honest, hard working, belligerent forwards to win fast ball to set loose our exciting, but young and inexperienced, backs. The front row of Zander, Turner and Kebble need a break over the summer and a full pre-season. Cummings alone cannot do all of the hard carrying. We need a solid second row to join him. Maybe Hunter-Hill or Cameron Henderson or neven Swinson to return? Dempsey needs to be nurtured and, with Darge and Magerson back uninjured, we can build a solid set piece with attacking capabilities. Injuries have hindered progress this year, highlighting our lack of depth. It is noted above, the paucity of some of our new signings. Is the Super 6, providing a platform to nurture players in a semi-professional environment? Step one of removing an inept coach has been made. Next steps include clearing out dead wood in the existing player base and recruiting wisely.

10. Need to find a game plan that works in what both Tuipulotu and Jones offer from 13. Think Tuipulotu isn’t as different from Jones’ style as he was made to look like, often just trucking up route 1. And Steyn getting injured ended any rotation for keeping him fresh. Jones should benefit from how deep Thompson usually is but could do with Sam J being allowed to distribute more like when they were at their prime for Scotland.

11. I think bemoaning signings at Glasgow is a massive red herring. Dempsey, McKay, Tuipulotu and Cancelliere were all good signings at the start of the season – Miotti should have been but not idea why he’s barely played. The problem was the team was poorly coached to be less than the sum of their parts. Besides, Glasgow will never be able to spend their way to success as their pockets aren’t deep enough.

    I think they have weakness at 10 and need some better squad depth in the backrow (Fagerson, Darge and Dempsey is a cracking starting unit) but otherwise they have enough quality throughout the squad if it was well drilled, organised and motivated. I hope SRU breaks the bank for the best coach they can get instead of squander it on a marquee recruit who probably sink in a malfunctioning team.

12. disappointing season all round for Scottish rugby with Glasgow and Edinburgh having mediocre seasons and a poor 6N for National team (women struggled too). Hope Glasgow can appoint someone who can turn things round quickly, as for me Glasgow and Edinburgh need to be strong in order for national team to be strong

13. There is no obvious successor and with no European Cup , not much to attract a new coach with ambition. Glasgow fans don’t want another interim.

    I think the SRU need to do what they should have done when they appointed Danny. Pay out for a good coach.

    Now they will need to pay a lot more because the cupboard is bare and no one will want to touch a side who lost by nearer to 100 than 50 (Exaggeration, I know , but not much, factually they were over halfway to the ton up) .

    I hope we were not skimping on the budget to pay loads of money to Fund Edinburgh (worth every penny) or Toony. After all, what did we really get from the 6 nations? But this will keep us distracted for a wee while , till we get the summer tour underway.

    Loads to talk about there lads. It is never boring being a Scottish rugby fan.

14. Glad to see something has generated interest on this forum. I thought it had gone into abeyance, with the lack of comment! Mind you a lack of good news in Scottish rugby does make even committed fans look elsewhere. How to improve? Inspired leadership would be a good start – and not just at team level.

15. Can someone explai the apparently well know fact that the Irish teams have significantly larger budgets than EDI/GLA? Is it crowd sizes or what? Id love to go for a Lancaster or Mcfarland. Above all, its winners / bloody-minded mentality we need in scottish rugby more than anything. I think we have decent talent. Can we afford the coaching to drive the mentality change?

    1. According to Rob Robertson in Daily Mail the SRU have targeted Stuart Lancaster for the role. I don’t think there is any chance of them getting their man tbh but I like the size of their ambition.

       1. Maybe it is time for GT to return to Glasgow and re-boot.

          Lancaster to Scotland for a chance of international redemption – plenty of connections there.

       2. Scottish Rugby cannot afford to have a semi quality coach at the warriors. If Scottish rugby is to compete at the top then money will need to be spent in bringing in a high calibre coach.

    2. I cannot give you a certain source but I have heard that there are certain tax breaks available that effectively increase net remuneration and mean that the Irish teams can give a good overall remuneration package so they appear to have a significantly larger budget. Happy to be corrected if someone more knowledgeable says I am writing rubbish!

16. Todd Blackadder named in press as leading candidate for Glasgow job.

    On balance I’m in favour, maybe not the big winner that many crave but an inspirational figure, highly experienced, coaches Glasgow-style rugby and likely to attract better quality recruits. I don’t personally think the fact he’s not won stuff in the last means he’s not good enough to win anything in the future, and besides Glasgows ambitions are probably not quite that lofty yet.

17. Oh dear god No!!

    1. You’re right, he doesn’t have the calibre of Danny Wilson does he? ;)

       1. No, not even close.

       2. I think you have a touch of the Cassandra Theory going on Sam. I think the news that a known name in world rugby is interesting will enthuse Glasgow fans, enough, to buy seasons. Will he land it ! How long will the contract be for ! There is a long way to go on this one.

          Commiserations to Danny , being sacked is not nice and I suspect he had the impossible job. But on the upside he has Sam’s shoulder to cry on.