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       #Post#: 48899--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Gustard Out
   DIR By: never sleep
       Date: September 8, 2020, 3:53 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote from: Quinston Churchill link ---
       >
       > OK, so from this XV, which of the players that have left do
       you think would improve our 23?
       >
       > 3 at the most IMO - Ibitoye, Boyce and Crumpton.
       >
       > AFAIK, we did not want to lose any of those. Boyce got a
       decent amount of game time for us but decided he’d prefer to be
       Obano’s understudy for more money. Gabs, we’ve covered at length
       elsewhere and Crumpton was a retirement.
       >
       > None of the rest are really good enough to be regular
       Premiership players. Yes, Saracens signed Sloan and big Josh,
       but I think that’s in the knowledge that they’ll be playing in
       the Championship next season.
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       The point was that these were developing players.  Hence being
       in the A-team.  They could become good in another couple of
       years. We should be developing them through the Prem Cup, then
       bench spots for the league, etc.  Maybe some of these guys are
       not going to develop into full England international class
       players and will only be squad fillers.  But, I would rather use
       these as squad fillers rather than recruiting squad fillers from
       other teams.
       But, specifically - to answer your question.
       Harry Sloan, Henry Cheeseman, Gabriel Ibitoye, Lewis Boyce, Josh
       Ibuanokpe and Stan South
       Also, I would rather have Swiel rather than Herron.
       #Post#: 48900--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Gustard Out
   DIR By: Quinston Churchill
       Date: September 8, 2020, 4:24 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Your point about the development might be valid if any one of
       them had shown any obvious sign of improvement since leaving. I
       don’t count Boyce or Ibitoye because I don’t believe we had any
       real choice in letting them go.
       Tim Swiel has barely played since he left. Vintage Swiel yes,
       the 2020 version - no thanks.
       Big Josh just isn’t very good. Whenever he has featured for
       Saracens, he’s been just as ineffectual and anonymous as he was
       for us. He’s not that young and I think he’s probably reaching a
       point where he’s ‘found his level’ and that  level is a 3rd or
       4th choice tighthead.
       Sloan would have been filler in a position we already have
       decent depth. He would have been useful in the injury crisis we
       had, but that’s the only time I could have seen him getting
       anywhere near the side. We also have Lennox Anyanwu coming
       through (because we’re de eloping players through the academy)
       who has a higher ceiling than Sloan.
       South had potential, but has not been seen since joining Exeter.
       I’m not sure if he’s still there or not?
       Cheeseman is now semi-pro I believe.
       It’s not like our loss is another club’s gain. If anything, I’d
       argue that our decision to let them go has been proved correct.
       As I already said - Boyce and Ibitoye are entirely different.
       Both left for money, not development and we didn’t have much
       choice in the matter.
       #Post#: 48901--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Gustard Out
   DIR By: A222Quin
       Date: September 8, 2020, 4:31 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote from: never sleep link ---
       >
       > The point was that these were developing players.  Hence being
       in the A-team.  They could become good in another couple of
       years. We should be developing them through the Prem Cup, then
       bench spots for the league, etc.  Maybe some of these guys are
       not going to develop into full England international class
       players and will only be squad fillers.  But, I would rather use
       these as squad fillers rather than recruiting squad fillers from
       other teams.
       >
       > But, specifically - to answer your question.
       > Harry Sloan, Henry Cheeseman, Gabriel Ibitoye, Lewis Boyce,
       Josh Ibuanokpe and Stan South
       > Also, I would rather have Swiel rather than Herron.
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       In an ideal world, yes. I'd be much happier if we were padding
       out the squad with academy products. I'd also be asking why some
       of them didn't kick on as much as they should.
       I think there's also an element that they were offered more cash
       and greater likelihood of first team rugby elsewhere? South got
       an offer from Exeter, Boyce from Bath, Ibitoye from Agen at a
       point where salaries were being cut across the board. Always
       felt Sloan had potential but was ruined by the Quins centre
       injury curse.
       #Post#: 48904--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Gustard Out
   DIR By: Quinston Churchill
       Date: September 8, 2020, 5:14 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       South initially went to Coventry and then got picked up by
       Exeter when Will Witty got injured. He left for game time rather
       than money.
       The recent departures I wish we’d kept aren’t necessarily
       academy products. I regret Wallace leaving and I think he would
       have been very useful right now and I think we should have kept
       Ben Glynn. He definitely wasn’t a superstar, but he was useful
       and generally did pretty well for us. I’d also definitely have
       preferred keeping Hidalgo-Cyne, but I think we’d already
       committed to signing Landajo.
       I know a lot of people are against signing ‘journeyman’ players,
       but I’m not sure it’s completely fair criticism, given a number
       of the recent ones are only short term signings in an unusual
       set of circumstances. Presumably we will only keep van Dyk,
       Thomas or Stafford if they’re seen as real contributors to the
       squad.
       Players like Els or Mak Wilson are in a different category for
       me. Both are young and we believe they have the ability to
       develop in to future first team players (again - they might not
       be from our academy but we’re investing in their development).
       Almost no-one was excited about signing Dombrandt and now he’s
       pretty much our undisputed first choice at 8. Who is to say Els
       might not be Marler’s successor?
       #Post#: 48905--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Gustard Out
   DIR By: never sleep
       Date: September 8, 2020, 5:30 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       You could be right about Els or Mak Wilson.
       But - one advantage of academy players is that they quite often
       develop a very close bond in their early years. E.g. they often
       share houses.  This makes it easier to make them into team of 15
       players, rather that just 15 players.
       I know that Care wasn't academy, but I am sure that Care, JTH
       and Ugo used to house share. This made a close bond.
       It could be that Els and Wilson are still young enough to make
       those bonds.
       #Post#: 48908--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Gustard Out
   DIR By: Quinston Churchill
       Date: September 8, 2020, 5:47 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       I don’t doubt that, but it’s not like younger, incoming players
       can’t build those bonds too. I’m pretty sure James Chisholm,
       Will Evans and Tom Lawday live together for example.
       I still don’t understand why you think we’ve ‘moved away from
       development’ when there’s plenty of evidence to suggest the
       opposite.
       #Post#: 48916--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Gustard Out
   DIR By: never sleep
       Date: September 8, 2020, 6:08 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote from: Quinston Churchill link ---
       >
       > I don’t doubt that, but it’s not like younger, incoming
       players can’t build those bonds too. I’m pretty sure James
       Chisholm, Will Evans and Tom Lawday live together for example.
       >
       > I still don’t understand why you think we’ve ‘moved away from
       development’ when there’s plenty of evidence to suggest the
       opposite.
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       maybe just a feeling that isn't backed up with any evidence.
       i will have a scan over joiners and leavers over the last few
       seasons and see what it shows
       #Post#: 48941--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Gustard Out
   DIR By: Carbonm
       Date: September 8, 2020, 8:14 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Gustard is only in his second year as a head coach. I was
       dissapointed initially when he was appointed as I wanted us to
       bring in someone with a proven track record like Shaun Edwards.
       Saying I feel he should be given a fair crack to prove himself,
       I don't feel he's out of his depth, and should have at least 1
       more year to prove he's up to it. He had a repair job on his
       hands to start with so lets give him a fair amount of time to do
       it, if it fails then get someone else with a proven record in
       next time.
       #Post#: 48948--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Gustard Out
   DIR By: Quinston Churchill
       Date: September 8, 2020, 9:38 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote from: never sleep link ---
       >
       > maybe just a feeling that isn't backed up with any evidence.
       > i will have a scan over joiners and leavers over the last few
       seasons and see what it shows
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       So basically, I’ve given you the evidence to show you’re wrong
       but not willing to acknowledge it because you feel we’ve ‘moved
       away from development’ ...
       We’ve pretty much listed most of the leavers and joiners and
       with the exception of Boyce and Ibitoye and the unfortunate
       retirements of Clifford and Crumtpon, I’m really don’t get where
       your feeling is coming from?
       People have criticised signing the likes of Aaron Morris as a
       ‘journeyman’ but he was 23 and had had a fair bit of time out
       injured. I believe we signed him feeling that he had potential
       and might develop. How is that different to Saracen’s signing
       Big Josh?
       Our academy is still producing a pretty steady stream of talent
       that we clearly are developing and giving opportunities to. If
       we have to bring players in who aren’t from our academy, I’m
       happy to sign players on potential as we have done with several
       young signings recently.
       I don’t get your point.
       #Post#: 48951--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Gustard Out
   DIR By: never sleep
       Date: September 8, 2020, 9:49 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Okay - point taken
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