As a Tigers supporter, I don't suppose my two penn'th will be worth much on the Gloucester board, but here goes.

I have always been against the play-off system in the Premiership - in my view, the decision to introduce the play-offs was wrong; the decision to give the title of English Champions to the winner of the play-offs was, is and always will be wrong. If you finish top, you are the champions - this is not a difficult concept to grasp, afterall it still applies in the round ball leagues, so it must be easy to understand!

The present system is effectivly an insult to the team who finish top on two counts:

1. You get nothing for all of the work that your team puts in put in over the previous 22 games of the season,

2. As Wasps fans are quick to point out, you know the rules at the start of the season and you only need to finish in the top four; this implies that (this year, again) Gloucester have been allowed, by mutual consent of the other high-flyers in the GP, to finish top - and more the fool you for trying!

Unfortunately, the system is not only entrenched as the Grand Finale to the season, but most clubs voted in favour of it (without checking my facts, I think only Leicester and London Irish voted against - I am sure someone will correct me if this is wrong).

After Sunday's game, I mentioned to a Gloucester fan that, if we, the fans are serious about voicing our concerns about the fairness or otherwise of the play-offs, what is needed is a grass-roots petition to the RFU.Sadly, I do not think there is enough support throughout the GP - I am sure we can all think of at least one club who are certainly all in favour of the play-off system!

I don't want to say 'you only have yourselves to blame', but I just did!! The starting point to get the system reversed to 1st passed the post has to be your own club - without that support, you have no chance, and even with it - you will stand virtually no chance.

The only practical thing to do is to get used to it, play the system, take your chances and hope that someday, some semblance sanity will return to the premiership rugby.

The play-offs are big money spinners - "up-hill struggle" does not even begin to describe the task of getting them dropped.

Telling the powers that be that we want the system changed is one thing - they won't listen anyway because it's there to make money, and what sort of business turns money down? The only way to get it changed is to boycott play-off matches, and of course that will NEVER happen.

I can understand Dean Ryan loing some enthusiasm after Saturday particularly after the rest of the season and the previous 2 games in particular. He has taken this squad a long way and then seen it underperform when it matters, that would dispirit any of us who are passionate in our work.

Whether it was wise to be that honest is another question.

I bet he'll be revved up again come pre-season, fired by the anger.

From the first game next season I hope to see the Glaws that played Bath at home not the Glaws that played Leicester. There is no way next season can be viewed as development, now its results only.

I agree with Stopsy, whatever DR felt after Tigers, he should have kept his gob shut about losing enthusiasm. Paying customers are allowed to be fed up, professional coaches are not (in public, anyway). I hope that comment doesn't come back to haunt him.

I would imagine if DR could take a few words back they would be it. Interviewed on Sky he was obviously emotionally wobbling and was not far away from having a Keeganesque moment. I hope to see him at Kingsholm next season, fired up and ready to take on the Rugby world.

Yes, at least it showed he cares and that he had been very fired up and was very p***ed off after the game.

All I hope is he contains the anger inside him and doesnt cause the players to become too inhibited for fear of making a mistake. Glaws play an attractive style of Rugby and I would hate that to be sacrificed and Glaws to turn into Munster lite.

That almost prompts the question: Would you rather win ugly than lose pretty? I have to admit, my answer would be win ugly, with a few pretty wins thrown in.

I would settle for doing whatever it takes to win crunch games. If that is grinding it out for the 80 then so be it but I personally wouldn't pay to watch glorified ten man Rugby week in week out irrelevant of how successful a side is.

I would settle for doing whatever it takes to win crunch games. If that is grinding it out for the 80 then so be it but I personally wouldn't pay to watch glorified ten man Rugby week in week out irrelevant of how successful a side is.

What is remembered is the name on the trophy, not how pretty the game was (unlesss there is an specific incident, say by a diminutive flanker, or the ref gets pushed over by a diminutive flanker... or something )



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008:05:23:18:32:36 by Ian B.

Compare your last 2 seasons to the preceding 5 (sorry but I don't know your stats enough)I suspect that you are on the up, it is a long journey but step by step you are making it.

Gloucester is a fine club with strong traditions and achievements on the past and I am sure you are building for another era of high results.

Look at Bath - how many years did they dominate English rugby? but until this season they have been working their way back up.

Unlike many Tigers fans who regard this season as unacceptably poor, I am just pleased it wasn't worse!

I think its worse to see the trophies but have them just out of reach than to see the prizes but find they are unobtainable. I doubt there is another club that yearns for silverware quite as much as Glaws.

Success in team sport goes in cycles - I'm old enough to remember when Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool etc were crap, Arsenal were boring and teams like Nottm Forest and Derby won the title. Mind you, I am clocking on a bit. The same applis to rugby - Gosforth, Coventry etc etc