New Head Coach: Mike Blair

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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby robdinsdale on Fri Jul 23, 2021 6:05 pm

Friday Knight Lights wrote:
We need a forwards coach I think. Lawrie is a bit inexperienced for my tastes.


I'm not fussed about whether Lawrie is inexperienced or not, but we probably need an additional someone in terms of workload with the forwards. I think Cockers was our breakdown specialist?
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby The Feral Goat on Fri Jul 23, 2021 6:35 pm

robdinsdale wrote:
Friday Knight Lights wrote:
We need a forwards coach I think. Lawrie is a bit inexperienced for my tastes.


I'm not fussed about whether Lawrie is inexperienced or not, but we probably need an additional someone in terms of workload with the forwards. I think Cockers was our breakdown specialist?


Think WP does scrum coaching (is it Watsonians?) Maybe a chance for him to step up.

Barclay for breakdown coach :lol: . Serious note I would love to see Richie Gray brought in even short term to work on breakdown if he is avaliable.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby germain on Sat Jul 24, 2021 11:02 pm

dolf_lundgren wrote:Notable there has been no mention of Hodge throughout the past week, I feel for him a bit. I dont necessarily think he is a great coach, but he deserves to be treated with a bit of respect.


Everybody needs to be treated respectfully, including failed players or coaches. I completly agree on this.

That said, Hodge leaving may be a blessing. I hope it will be confirmed. Cockerill and Solomons probably both shortened their times at edinburgh with Hodge as back coach.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby Friday Knight Lights on Sun Jul 25, 2021 12:12 pm

germain wrote:
dolf_lundgren wrote:Notable there has been no mention of Hodge throughout the past week, I feel for him a bit. I dont necessarily think he is a great coach, but he deserves to be treated with a bit of respect.


Everybody needs to be treated respectfully, including failed players or coaches. I completly agree on this.

That said, Hodge leaving may be a blessing. I hope it will be confirmed. Cockerill and Solomons probably both shortened their times at edinburgh with Hodge as back coach.


I don't think that's true though. Both Cockers and Solly had very little interest in a back line. The SRU should've picked a coaching team that suits the coaches rather than give them Scottish guys who need experience.

It's funny we all credit Cockers for van der Merwe going from pretty much retirement to a Lion and world class wing. I don't think Cockers was the one coaching him.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby robdinsdale on Sun Jul 25, 2021 2:38 pm

Friday Knight Lights wrote:
germain wrote:
dolf_lundgren wrote:Notable there has been no mention of Hodge throughout the past week, I feel for him a bit. I dont necessarily think he is a great coach, but he deserves to be treated with a bit of respect.


Everybody needs to be treated respectfully, including failed players or coaches. I completly agree on this.

That said, Hodge leaving may be a blessing. I hope it will be confirmed. Cockerill and Solomons probably both shortened their times at edinburgh with Hodge as back coach.


I don't think that's true though. Both Cockers and Solly had very little interest in a back line. The SRU should've picked a coaching team that suits the coaches rather than give them Scottish guys who need experience.

It's funny we all credit Cockers for van der Merwe going from pretty much retirement to a Lion and world class wing. I don't think Cockers was the one coaching him.


There was also a dramatic improvement in Eroni Sau's ability to play 15-a-side rugby over his two years here. And in recent seasons we've been scoring nicely worked tries off first phase ball, which is training ground stuff. It's the multi phase play where we have been poor.

However, I think Hodge's time is up, he's been at Edinburgh for 5 years and that's probably long enough anyway, and I imagine Blair will take responsibility for the attacking play.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby BigD163 on Mon Jul 26, 2021 9:54 am

germain wrote:
dolf_lundgren wrote:Notable there has been no mention of Hodge throughout the past week, I feel for him a bit. I dont necessarily think he is a great coach, but he deserves to be treated with a bit of respect.


Everybody needs to be treated respectfully, including failed players or coaches. I completly agree on this.

That said, Hodge leaving may be a blessing. I hope it will be confirmed. Cockerill and Solomons probably both shortened their times at edinburgh with Hodge as back coach.


Maybe they are waiting to see in Blair wants him as part of the coaching staff. I haven't seen Lawrie mentioned much either.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby germain on Sat Jul 31, 2021 9:24 pm

Friday Knight Lights wrote:
germain wrote:
dolf_lundgren wrote:Notable there has been no mention of Hodge throughout the past week, I feel for him a bit. I dont necessarily think he is a great coach, but he deserves to be treated with a bit of respect.


Everybody needs to be treated respectfully, including failed players or coaches. I completly agree on this.

That said, Hodge leaving may be a blessing. I hope it will be confirmed. Cockerill and Solomons probably both shortened their times at edinburgh with Hodge as back coach.


I don't think that's true though. Both Cockers and Solly had very little interest in a back line. The SRU should've picked a coaching team that suits the coaches rather than give them Scottish guys who need experience.

It's funny we all credit Cockers for van der Merwe going from pretty much retirement to a Lion and world class wing. I don't think Cockers was the one coaching him.


Quite surprised to read that.
Solomons and Cockerill would have been better if they had a better back coach, I have no doubt about that, no matter how forward orientated was their game plan.
Cockers choosed to keep Hodge and he logically paid the price for that choice.
I don't think Solomons choosed Hodge and his arrival just was the beginning of SHC's downfall. SHC who was the key of Solomons' game plan the previous year.
Edinburgh has been a cemetery for backs since Hodge is there. I just hope it will end soon.
And it's not us who credit Cockerill for VDM's resurrection, It's VDM himself.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby robdinsdale on Fri Aug 06, 2021 10:36 am

And Hodge is gone.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby Friday Knight Lights on Fri Aug 06, 2021 10:45 am

germain wrote:
Friday Knight Lights wrote:
germain wrote:
Everybody needs to be treated respectfully, including failed players or coaches. I completly agree on this.

That said, Hodge leaving may be a blessing. I hope it will be confirmed. Cockerill and Solomons probably both shortened their times at edinburgh with Hodge as back coach.


I don't think that's true though. Both Cockers and Solly had very little interest in a back line. The SRU should've picked a coaching team that suits the coaches rather than give them Scottish guys who need experience.

It's funny we all credit Cockers for van der Merwe going from pretty much retirement to a Lion and world class wing. I don't think Cockers was the one coaching him.


Quite surprised to read that.
Solomons and Cockerill would have been better if they had a better back coach, I have no doubt about that, no matter how forward orientated was their game plan.
Cockers choosed to keep Hodge and he logically paid the price for that choice.
I don't think Solomons choosed Hodge and his arrival just was the beginning of SHC's downfall. SHC who was the key of Solomons' game plan the previous year.
Edinburgh has been a cemetery for backs since Hodge is there. I just hope it will end soon.
And it's not us who credit Cockerill for VDM's resurrection, It's VDM himself.


I disagree - Cockers and Solly had a pre decided super functional gameplans. You just need to look at what happened to Cockers and Mauger when he mixed with a heads up attack coach. It was a total meltdown.

The blame is not at Hodge's door for SHC I don't think. SHC has the career arc is of an inconsistent back up. SHC was pretty good Cockers first season - you'll have to remind who the backs coach was then? Nobody at the time blamed Hodge for SHC's collapse in form the thought back then was he got a wee bit big for his boots. Won't be the first young player to explode on the scene and his ego starts cashing cheques his ability can't match.

VdM thanks Cockers for giving him a contract. Fair dues, but Cockers wasn't coaching the back 3.

Hodge had to go and today it is the correct decision. However, a backs coach under two of the most forward dominated HCs currently in Europe is as much use as a chocolate teapot.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby The Feral Goat on Fri Aug 06, 2021 11:17 am

Hodge was "attack" coach rather than just backs coach. Almost certainly did the job under Solomons and Cockerill with one arm behind his back, how much freedom he had to develop any sort of game plan we wont know, find it hard to believe the box kicking forward dominated effort was his master attacking blueprint.

In his credit
- we have had some nice first phase strike moves, shows he had some creative attack plans.
- I assume he helps coach kicking and VDW and Chamberlains place kicking is pretty good. VDW in particular improved significantly from when he first arrived.

Agree coaches largely not to blame for SHC, for me SHC form dropped when he was selected for was it a 6N or RWC then never used. He was playing really well and deserved the call up but then went weeks without playing. Never seemed to get his best form back be that due to mentally not being at races or other.

SHC and Kinghorn similar for me clearly very talented and have a high ceiling in terms of ability but lack the concentration/consistency to take them to the next level...perhaps that is where coaching has not been good enough be it skills or sports psychology support.

Thanks to Hodge for what he did do but time to move on and excited to see what Blair can get out of our squad.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby BigD163 on Fri Aug 06, 2021 11:33 am

The Feral Goat wrote:Hodge was "attack" coach rather than just backs coach. Almost certainly did the job under Solomons and Cockerill with one arm behind his back, how much freedom he had to develop any sort of game plan we wont know, find it hard to believe the box kicking forward dominated effort was his master attacking blueprint.

In his credit
- we have had some nice first phase strike moves, shows he had some creative attack plans.
- I assume he helps coach kicking and VDW and Chamberlains place kicking is pretty good. VDW in particular improved significantly from when he first arrived.

Agree coaches largely not to blame for SHC, for me SHC form dropped when he was selected for was it a 6N or RWC then never used. He was playing really well and deserved the call up but then went weeks without playing. Never seemed to get his best form back be that due to mentally not being at races or other.

SHC and Kinghorn similar for me clearly very talented and have a high ceiling in terms of ability but lack the concentration/consistency to take them to the next level...perhaps that is where coaching has not been good enough be it skills or sports psychology support.

Thanks to Hodge for what he did do but time to move on and excited to see what Blair can get out of our squad.


Agree on SHC.

Disagree on Hodge though. Set piece attacking moves are the easiest to come up with, any attack coach should be able to do that. Most regional club coaches can create moves off 1st phase ball. The lack of attacking plans on the occasions we did get it wider showed a lack of creativity even within a limited framework.

When he was Scotland assistant coach it was uninspiring and immediately bettered by O'Halloran when he joined that group.

His niche might be kicking coach but can't see him getting an attack coach gig at any decent level.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby joe soap on Fri Aug 06, 2021 2:56 pm

its likely that Hodge wasn't the answer, but that hypothesis has never been properly tested. Blaming Hodge for the Edinburgh failings in the backs is like blaming Townsend for the lack of scintillating backs moves by the Lions. Or like blaming Mauger when Cockerill was at Leicester.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby Pitfitter446 on Fri Aug 06, 2021 3:02 pm

wasn’t Mr. Hodge in complete charge a few years back? Didn’t set the heather alight if memory serves.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby Friday Knight Lights on Fri Aug 06, 2021 3:36 pm

Pitfitter446 wrote:wasn’t Mr. Hodge in complete charge a few years back? Didn’t set the heather alight if memory serves.


No he didn't. But his attack was a lot a lot different from the attack under Cockers and Solly. I'm guessing that's a more accurate reflection of his philosophy.
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Re: New Head Coach: Mike Blair

Postby robdinsdale on Fri Aug 06, 2021 3:44 pm

Friday Knight Lights wrote:
Pitfitter446 wrote:wasn’t Mr. Hodge in complete charge a few years back? Didn’t set the heather alight if memory serves.


No he didn't. But his attack was a lot a lot different from the attack under Cockers and Solly. I'm guessing that's a more accurate reflection of his philosophy.


If anything, we tried to be too expansive from what I remember.
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