To ask the dour, sarcastic and highly sceptical Ulster supporter to have faith is a bit like waving a red rag to a bull. Finger pointing and conspiracy theories sits so much more comfortably with us (if you only knew half the drivel I have to discount each week when I write my, er, drivel) that faith in the ability of those in charge is as rare as a Celtic shirt on the Shankill, but that is what’s needed. One only has to look at the ignominious departure of Mark McCall, one of Ulster’s most successful sons – on and off the pitch, to see where our lack of faith has got us. The same should not happen with current coach Matt Williams and shame on us if it does!
Normal service has resumed after last week’s aberrated attempt to be funny. Some things haven’t changed, as for consecutive weeks Dewi continues to invoke debate with his frontline pieces on Ulster’s performance on the pitch. I wish to take our inestimable editor to task this week, all in the best possible taste of course, in an attempt to stimulate or should that be simulate debate given the lack of response from the ‘dour, sarcastic and highly sceptical supporters’. For weeks running up to the Cardiff game Dewi’s match reports have been questioning of the Ulster performance on the pitch and the sayings of our coach off it. I’m surprised to find he has suffered an almost volte face with a rallying cry to Ulster’s fans this week to get behind the coach and UR.
I do not agree Mark McCall was one of our most successful sons, in fact I think his appointment as coach set Ulster rugby back years in development because of the lack of control of the dressing room that became ever more apparent as the seasons slipped by. His departure was indeed ignominious but that could have been avoided had someone in authority bit the bullet and fired the coach earlier. I met Mark McCall on a few occasions and he was never more than sincere with the supporters and you would not question his commitment to Ulster rugby. As a person he was beyond reproach and I wouldn’t for one moment seek to rubbish him in that way. What I do question is the appointment of an inexperienced coach to a provincial team. Until he coached Ulster, McCall’s head coach experience was with Ballynahinch, hardly a solid grounding for the rigours of Provincial coaching I would suggest.
With Solomons putting in place a solid foundation for the progression of Ulster Rugby it was some surprise, to me at any rate, that he was not allowed to fulfill that quest and Ulster Rugby, led by Mike Reid appointed an inexperienced coach. It would be fair to say winning the Celtic League was the highlight of McCall’s coaching tenure but one must also say he struck lucky and in the main, the momentum of the Solomons era frittered away, finally ending in the ignominy of dressing room squabbles and lack of authority.
We are still making up for lost time and I do agree with Dewi we must show faith in the current coach. Rome, to coin a cliché wasn’t built in a year and I’m pretty optimistic that in a few seasons we will be challenging at the top table. Depressing as the Cardiff loss was, it is startling to think that after Paddy Wallace went off our backline featured from the scrum half outwards players of the following age – 23, 21, 21, 22, 24 plus the vets Danielli and Schifoske. Our back row, 23, 23, 22. In the tight five there was no one over 30. Of course Williams bangs on about the youth of the players but he has a point.
A footie cliché springs to mind which has a ring of truth about it. Alan Hansen once famously said something along the lines of youngsters don’t win championships and was confounded when Manchester United did win it. In general he’s right though and we lack a few older heads in there to steady the ship when the pressure is on. In particular we cannot simply play 8, 9, 10 and 12 with an average age of 22. It is too many youngsters in key positions without the necessary experience. If we are looking for a 10 then so be it, he needs to be a wise old bird who will bring experience to bear on youthful heads. Likewise down the spine of the team there needs to be a backbone of experience.
Arsene Wenger remarked something along the lines that he was a coach to his players but he wasn’t their friend and that perhaps is something Williams has brought to bear in the current set up and friendship probably was the undoing of Mark McCall. A certain ruthlessness permeates all successful professional coaches and at least one believes Matt Williams has that attribute. He needs time and as Dewi rightly points out support from us the supporter. One feels though he needs support, unreserved from Ulster rugby and its Chief Executive if we are to grow as a club.
Watching Munster trip up against Leinster, the thought of another sporting cliché rang out loud which was that when you are at the top it is the time to start planning for future success. Where Ulster’s team is laced with youngsters, Munster’s is full of old heads that must be replaced sooner rather than later, especially in the pack and at outhalf. If Munster Rugby aren’t planning replacements for Hayes, Wallace, Horan, Quinlan and O’Gara right now then I think we are witnessing the decline of a truly outstanding rugby side. Leinster seem to have a nice blend of youth and experience, foreigner and home bred star but one cannot avoid the feeling that if they go out with anything less than 100% commitment they will crash to the top teams. Munster undoubtedly played below their best though that is not to detract from the Leinster performance.
Last week I mentioned the Lunsters and surely there are a few less of them after Saturday. Of course the UAFC caught up with me yesterday when a well known poster mentioned Ulster folk wearing Munster shirts and not Ulster ones, the suggestion of this poster was that Ulster were unattractive, not so much from a rugby perspective but political. This has become a rather tiresome refrain in my eyes as anyone can support this team or that and if they are making a political point in not supporting Ulster, then let them get on with it. As ever flags came into it but as on Saturday all those Munster and Leinster rugby flags fluttering in the breeze made me wonder why some get hung up on the flag issue when it comes to Ulster rugby. It may sound over simplistic but why not buy an Ulster rugby flag, if such a thing exists and fly the bladdy thing, It may be possible there’ll be a few detractors and whingers about it, but it’s a no brainer, if Munster and Leinster can fly their provincial rugby flag then so can we.
Finally I attended a poorly attended URSC barbecue yesterday. For a fiver there was good food, company and a Heineken semi to watch. Disappointing there were no players in attendance though some of the UR girls/women turned up. Myself and my daughter paid our fiver in and bought ballot tickets. For the first time in a decade or more I won a ballot and briefly had 2 international tickets to a match at Lansdowne Road. That was until Kimble informed me I wasn’t a URSC member and wouldn’t be getting the tickets. Not too overly concerned at losing the tickets but at least the URSC could have awarded me another prize. Not making clear the rules beforehand was poor form but denying me and the daughter any kind of prize at all having won the ballot was irredeemable. All fine and dandy, we all know each other in respect of the URSC but I wonder had some other guy turned up and been treated like this would they have acquiesced so easily.
The lack of membership attendance at URSC events is a cause for concern, certainly it would appear so to Lord Kimble and rightly so given the hundreds in the membership it is mysterious why so few bother their ass to get off it and attend. Seems we non members as happened on the recent bus trip to Dublin make up the numbers.
As BJ Botha might suggest whilst scanning the shelves at Homebase, chat soon.
Corrections, comments or questions?