Edinburgh squad 2020-21

[bignose]

I wasn't only focusing on Hodge. The inevitable is RC getting punted and Hodge would need to be made of Teflon to survive another head coach departure. The game plan isn't his but I haven't seen the side excel at anything that could potentially fall into Hodges remit.

As soon as Cockerill goes then Hodge has to follow.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the SRU revealed that he's been on furlough for the past few years.

[doedin]

Whilst I agree with many of the comments about our attack I don't think anything will happen with coaching team this season. As I have said before, the pandemic has wreaked havoc with our season, more so than almost all the other teams in the Pro14 bar the Italians or indeed England and France. We only have 2 pro teams in Scotland and as a result we lost about a dozen internationals, the core of our team, for almost the entire season. Very few teams have lost their core of experienced and best players for such a long period during the season. It completely disrupted our season. Coupled with injuries to experienced players, not re-signing Scott due to covid related budget issues and losing our replacement 10 due to visa problems left us with a very bare bones squad in key positions for most games. We then had disrupted pre season and a stop-start run of games with no continuity to build our team or our gameplan. We can argue that we could and should have done better, I have some sympathy with that position, than we have done but I do think it would be incredibly unfair to judge any of our coaching team in the circumstances above.

Next season will be equally difficult given changes in Pro14 etc but I reckon with a full squad available from the off, a good preseason, some new signings coming, some young guys having games under their belt and crowds back in our new stadium then we might recover the lost ground. Will we see a change or development of our game plan? I think we will but I like others are not sure if the coaching team have the capability to deliver it.The end of next season will be the crunch point.

[BigD163]

Coupled with injuries to experienced players, not re-signing Scott due to covid related budget issues and losing our replacement 10 due to visa problems left us with a very bare bones squad in key positions for most games. We then had disrupted pre season and a stop-start run of games with no continuity to build our team or our gameplan. We can argue that we could and should have done better, I have some sympathy with that position, than we have done but I do think it would be incredibly unfair to judge any of our coaching team in the circumstances above.

Scott going was a coaching decision. If they really wanted to they could have kept him by making concessions elsewhere.

Part of the reason that Chamberlain is considered "very bare bones" is down to coaching and the absolute refusal to use him unless it was necessary, In his four league starts including Ulster, Leinster and Connacht away Edinburgh won 50% of the games. Maybe trusting him earlier in the season rather than 8 or 9 unused sub appearances may have made a difference.

Cockerill has built this squad however he has wanted. Often even during the internationals the pack contained enough players with international experience, or internationals in waiting to be better than they were. Cockerill hasn't been willing to compromise on his forwards when we have seen Glasgow pick "weaker" forwards and manage to dig our results.

Darge couldn't get more than 10min for Edinburgh and has been outstanding for Glasgow. How many of the Edinburgh youngsters are being hamstrung by coaching and lack of opportunity?

Those wanting change are not judging the coaches on only last season. Hodge is being judged on 6 years of evidence and Cockerill based on what we have seen before at Leicester and now here. Basic game plans and when the forwards begin to age or lose effectiveness there is no willing/ability to modify the plans.

[Croft_No.6]

Lang starts at 10 v Sale tomorrow. Will be interesting to see how he goes. Quin's resting a few prior to play off games.

[The Chiel]

Lang starts at 10 v Sale tomorrow. Will be interesting to see how he goes. Quin's resting a few prior to play off games.

For anyone who has only seen the result, Lang failed a fitness test before kick off. Not seen anything to say what the injury was.

[macdone]

Coupled with injuries to experienced players, not re-signing Scott due to covid related budget issues and losing our replacement 10 due to visa problems left us with a very bare bones squad in key positions for most games. We then had disrupted pre season and a stop-start run of games with no continuity to build our team or our gameplan. We can argue that we could and should have done better, I have some sympathy with that position, than we have done but I do think it would be incredibly unfair to judge any of our coaching team in the circumstances above.

Scott going was a coaching decision. If they really wanted to they could have kept him by making concessions elsewhere.

Part of the reason that Chamberlain is considered "very bare bones" is down to coaching and the absolute refusal to use him unless it was necessary, In his four league starts including Ulster, Leinster and Connacht away Edinburgh won 50% of the games. Maybe trusting him earlier in the season rather than 8 or 9 unused sub appearances may have made a difference.

Cockerill has built this squad however he has wanted. Often even during the internationals the pack contained enough players with international experience, or internationals in waiting to be better than they were. Cockerill hasn't been willing to compromise on his forwards when we have seen Glasgow pick "weaker" forwards and manage to dig our results.

Darge couldn't get more than 10min for Edinburgh and has been outstanding for Glasgow. How many of the Edinburgh youngsters are being hamstrung by coaching and lack of opportunity?

Those wanting change are not judging the coaches on only last season. Hodge is being judged on 6 years of evidence and Cockerill based on what we have seen before at Leicester and now here. Basic game plans and when the forwards begin to age or lose effectiveness there is no willing/ability to modify the plans.

I thought Darge was motm against Leinster, he's outstanding. Ross Thompson is another Edinburgh player we should have kept. R McLean too. If we're sending players along the M8 we should be asking for the same back - it's 7 of their current squad and Berghan about to join them this summer. I'd take Dobie for starters.

[Friday Knight Lights]

To be fair Thomson is in the academy at Glasgow as he's at university there and I'm pretty sure the same is true of McLean who is at Strathclyde.

Anyway they wouldn't have played here. It's not the quality of youngsters that's the issue. It's that they don't get any gametime. Glasgow in two weeks didn't train up Darge to be very good. He was very good when he left Edinburgh.

[Tichtheid]

Darge is an excellent player and I hope he continues to do well along the road, it was the right move for him and Glasgow, his competition here wasn’t Bradbury, Mata, Kunavula, Ritchie, Watson and Crosbie, he was in competition with Miller, Boyle, Muncaster and now Morris. Ok Morris is a young pup, but there is a possibility that we could be without all of the six big guns in November, that ludicrous depth is suddenly looking less so.

The problem is the old chestnut of having only the two teams, keeping them competitive whilst supplying Scotland (and Fiji!) and there is no quick fix.

[disco]

Coupled with injuries to experienced players, not re-signing Scott due to covid related budget issues and losing our replacement 10 due to visa problems left us with a very bare bones squad in key positions for most games. We then had disrupted pre season and a stop-start run of games with no continuity to build our team or our gameplan. We can argue that we could and should have done better, I have some sympathy with that position, than we have done but I do think it would be incredibly unfair to judge any of our coaching team in the circumstances above.

Scott going was a coaching decision. If they really wanted to they could have kept him by making concessions elsewhere.

Part of the reason that Chamberlain is considered "very bare bones" is down to coaching and the absolute refusal to use him unless it was necessary, In his four league starts including Ulster, Leinster and Connacht away Edinburgh won 50% of the games. Maybe trusting him earlier in the season rather than 8 or 9 unused sub appearances may have made a difference.

Cockerill has built this squad however he has wanted. Often even during the internationals the pack contained enough players with international experience, or internationals in waiting to be better than they were. Cockerill hasn't been willing to compromise on his forwards when we have seen Glasgow pick "weaker" forwards and manage to dig our results.

Darge couldn't get more than 10min for Edinburgh and has been outstanding for Glasgow. How many of the Edinburgh youngsters are being hamstrung by coaching and lack of opportunity?

Those wanting change are not judging the coaches on only last season. Hodge is being judged on 6 years of evidence and Cockerill based on what we have seen before at Leicester and now here. Basic game plans and when the forwards begin to age or lose effectiveness there is no willing/ability to modify the plans.

I thought Darge was motm against Leinster, he's outstanding. Ross Thompson is another Edinburgh player we should have kept. R McLean too. If we're sending players along the M8 we should be asking for the same back - it's 7 of their current squad and Berghan about to join them this summer. I'd take Dobie for starters.

The deal is, broadly speaking, that you send us unproven kids and players who can barely get a game and we turn them into Scotland players; in return, we send you experienced PRO14 players and internationals and you completely waste them.

[The Incredible Shug]

The deal is, broadly speaking, that you send us unproven kids and players who can barely get a game and we turn them into Scotland players; in return, we send you experienced PRO14 players and internationals and you completely waste them.

A nice way to spin you handing us your castoffs... They're all second-string players! Townsend didn't want Bennett (who's done well despite a string of injuries), Pyrgos was being phased out for Price, Bhatti was playing for Ayr most of his final season, Weir had a horrific injury. They may be "experienced Pro14 players and internationals", but so were Phil Godman and Simon Danielli. It's a distortion of the truth to fill a Weegie narrative.

You've just signed and releases massive swathes of players. Half your exciting new youngsters are from overseas anyway! The second we got some decent recruitment - for the first time in a bloody blue moon - the Glasgow fanbase was pure foamin with allegations of favouritism. Yet you feel that getting great young prospects is the rough end of the deal???? Nack off wae that nonsense.

Darge playing well for you isn't a miracle you should pat your backs for, it's barely been a month he's been there. Instead point your finger at Edinburgh's coaches, a matter the fans have no say in. THEY could pick these exciting players, and we want them to. But they don't. It's foolish to tie that to club identity, not that you'll care so long as you can jab at Edinburgh with a pompous tone like that.

THAT'S the deal. Less broadly speaking, of course.

[BigD163]

I thought Darge was motm against Leinster, he's outstanding. Ross Thompson is another Edinburgh player we should have kept. R McLean too. If we're sending players along the M8 we should be asking for the same back - it's 7 of their current squad and Berghan about to join them this summer. I'd take Dobie for starters.

Why would we want young players back when they will not be given meaningful game time?

[BigD163]

Darge is an excellent player and I hope he continues to do well along the road, it was the right move for him and Glasgow, his competition here wasn’t Bradbury, Mata, Kunavula, Ritchie, Watson and Crosbie, he was in competition with Miller, Boyle, Muncaster and now Morris. Ok Morris is a young pup, but there is a possibility that we could be without all of the six big guns in November, that ludicrous depth is suddenly looking less so.

The problem is the old chestnut of having only the two teams, keeping them competitive whilst supplying Scotland (and Fiji!) and there is no quick fix.

Maybe the bit in bold is the problem. Why couldn't he be in competition with Crosbie and Bradbury? Darge has moved along the road and instantly stood out. That isn't him being improved through coaching, it is him being given an opportunity. Although these are glorified friendlies his performances have been better than those of Crosbie and Bradbury this year (granted Bradbury isn't a direct position equivalent).

Muncaster and Boyle look real prospects but are probably seen as 4th choice in their positions. With game time these guys are easily capable of covering when the internationals are away. The problem is Cockerill clearly doesn't want to give them that opportunity during the season.

But all of the above comes down to squad and resource management. It isn't always necessary to stockpile internationals in positions. Particularly when there are some very talented youngsters available.

[Croft_No.6]

I hope (though heaven knows with Cockerill) that we see a much more blended approach this coming season with the youngsters. Need to see them getting meaningful game time in conjunction with the senior players. Watching on Saturday and there are certainly some decent young players that didn't look out of place.

[Tichtheid]

Darge is an excellent player and I hope he continues to do well along the road, it was the right move for him and Glasgow, his competition here wasn’t Bradbury, Mata, Kunavula, Ritchie, Watson and Crosbie, he was in competition with Miller, Boyle, Muncaster and now Morris. Ok Morris is a young pup, but there is a possibility that we could be without all of the six big guns in November, that ludicrous depth is suddenly looking less so.

The problem is the old chestnut of having only the two teams, keeping them competitive whilst supplying Scotland (and Fiji!) and there is no quick fix.

Maybe the bit in bold is the problem. Why couldn't he be in competition with Crosbie and Bradbury? Darge has moved along the road and instantly stood out. That isn't him being improved through coaching, it is him being given an opportunity. Although these are glorified friendlies his performances have been better than those of Crosbie and Bradbury this year (granted Bradbury isn't a direct position equivalent).

Muncaster and Boyle look real prospects but are probably seen as 4th choice in their positions. With game time these guys are easily capable of covering when the internationals are away. The problem is Cockerill clearly doesn't want to give them that opportunity during the season.

But all of the above comes down to squad and resource management. It isn't always necessary to stockpile internationals in positions. Particularly when there are some very talented youngsters available.

I overlooked Haining, too. Though like the other 6/8s he isn't a direct positional comparison with Darge.

I've decried the young guys not getting a look in as much as anyone, but I'll have to disagree about Crosbie, he had a terrific first half of the season - one of if not our best player, then he had a couple of games where we wasn't outstanding, then he came back into his previous form.

IIRC, Darge was on the injured list for a fair bit, along with Boyle, and he only signed his first pro contract around this time last year, so it's not like he's been a professional tackle bag holder for years, and he's not like Chamberlain, making the matchday squad but sitting as an un-used sub for weeks on end.

There will be the November test and the 6N next season, that's around ten weeks where we will be without definitely Watson and Ritchie, maybe Crosbie, Haining and Bradbury. Mata will be away for all of November, maybe Kunavula too.
Factor in rest weeks and injury and there will be game time for Muncaster and Boyle, I'll eat my hat if they don't play six or more league games a piece.

However, I still want to see more of the young guys playing modern rugby, whether we can get that with the set up we have is the question.

[The Feral Goat]

Need to remember Ritchie, Crosbie and Miller are only 24, Bradbury 25 it is not like Darge, Boyle and Muncaster were losing out to 30ish year olds it is guys 3-4 years older than them that they need to be competing with.

Edinburgh backrow is tough to break into, what is good to see is the likes of Muncaster and Boyle playing well (and Darge at Glasgow) when given a chance. Perhaps this season training and S&C full time with ER squad rather than playing Super6 may be of benefit going into next season and beyond.