Yorkshire Carnegie
Arrogance or Apathy from Bath faithful?
Arrogance? At Bath?!?!?
By Andy Brown
April 3 2008
There’s a strange lack of chat on the Bath messageboard about the forthcoming fixture at the Rec. The visit of any team in a European quarter-final you’d have thought would be a hot topic for debate. What team should they put out? Who are the prime candidates for the game? Can they make it past the quarters and get into serious contention for their first bit of silverware in living memory?
But no, there's none of this going on. And the reasons? Who knows?
Perhaps it's plain arrogance. Bath fans have had a reputation for it in the past. After all, the quarter finalists we're talking about are Leeds - minnows of the top division, and soon to be smashed down back to where they came from and good riddance too. Cheeky northern oiks, coming up to the top competition and thinking they can mix it with the thoroughbreds of rugby, and not even having the common decency to buy beyond their means a load of southern hemisphere "stars" playing for a pay-cheque. Is that what's going on in the minds of the Somerset faithful?
Michael Lipman has warned the team not to be complacent. In the local press, the England and Bath no. 7 has called to his teammates and supporters to take Leeds seriously - "They may be heading back to National 1, but they have nothing to lose this weekend [...] they have relaxed in the Premiership now that the relegation issue is all but settled [...]" The obvious implication being that he's worried the Bath team and coaches are talking about the semi-final at the Rec. The journo in that particular piece gives it away somewhat when he writes "Sale tackle Brive at Edgeley Park tomorrow night with the winners lined up for a semi-final trip to The Rec, provided Bath see off Leeds."
Or, maybe the fact that there is so little discussion about it is because they don't care? Currently sitting second in the Premiership table, it seems impossible for them to finish outside the Heineken Cup qualification places for next year, and the only real benefit to anyone of winning the current European Challenge Cup is an automatic Heineken spot for next year. So for the team at least there's no real incentive to do anything other than the bare minimum to get through the fixtures (if you put aside the momentary joy that is winning a second-tier cup competition). Many of the older Bath fans are used to success and thus would not see progression past this stage as anything other than utterly and totally expected.
My own view? I think there's perhaps a small tinge of arrogance in it from a few individuals, but the predominant feeling I get is one of apathy. Just who cares anyway about this trophy when it doesn't do anything for you, and the quarterfinal is against so obviously poor a team as Leeds that the win is pretty much guaranteed? The projection for ticket sales at the Rec appears to be pretty low, and a sell-out at the ground is unlikely for the first time in a while. When there's hard-earned cash to stump up (and the price for tickets at the Rec for what is frankly an astonishingly bad view of the action is dreadfully high), perhaps this is one you'd choose to save your cash on and sort out seats for the Premiership play-offs instead.
It's difficult to argue against.
Article: http://www.mybathrugby.co.uk/news/Leeds-in-mood-to-pla90418147.aspx
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Waiting for the good times ...
..and waiting ....
... and waiting ...
Nah, good article and a valid point. sadly there's a bit of apathy amongst us too - we are experimenting a bit with the side we put out and I don't think even the most optimistic amongst us feel we can do anything down there.
seriously though, i agree there does seem a certain apathy about this cup match, probably born from such an overwhelming expectation of the result. let's hope it's deja vu.
Still a Tyke - whatever the name!
Quote:i'd never have guessed you hail from bristol.
Jeez Merry, are you trying to get me killed?!?!?!
Waiting for the good times ...
..and waiting ....
... and waiting ...
Anyway good artical and i have noticed Bath don't seem bothered.
Going to start a thread on there board about the game care to join me?
Some say he has a Tykes flag with team signatures on.
Others say that he's doing the same to the Carnegie flag,
All we know is that he's called Leeds carnegie signed flag.
Youe boys have a third chance this season to tinkle on our fireworks, having not done so at the first two times of asking.
You should perhaps try the Sale board - they have already beaten Brive in their own heads and are looking forwards to a playing you in the semi-finals...
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I like turtles.
But it's not arrogance about a win. You've been a bogey team to us enough times for no-one to be thinking it's a gimme by any means.
Stuart
Former ed.
Who wrote the article when Balshaw left? That was class.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:04:04:12:37:19 by Wildwillie.
Call it apathy or arrogance, the Bath fans have every right to feel confident of winning on tomorrow. We've beaten Leeds 41-10 and 34-15, scoring 9 tries to 3, this season; we're at home, and Leeds have just been on the end of a 66-7 stuffing. Those are facts, but in this sport you never know! I personally feel confident, but not complacent. Leeds have wee'd on our chips too many times in the past to be taken lightly.
Lets hope its a cracker!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:04:04:18:13:32 by CountryMike.
Have a safe journey and see you tomorrow.
Snow chains out Sunday morning.................
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I like turtles.
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I like turtles.
And... shouldn't you have set off by now? Kick-off is 2:15pm!
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I like turtles.
