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#Post#: 153126--------------------------------------------------
Re: My sit down with Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple
DIR By: Yareet
Date: April 20, 2026, 4:19 am
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--- Quote from: TomBuckQuin link ---
>
> I've always really liked LD as a man and as an advocate for
the club - I do genuinely believe he wants the club to succeed
and off the pitch he's seemingly set us on a course to a
sustainable financial footing. The guy deserves a lot of credit.
>
> But my main question on the backing of Gilmore is this:
>
> What happens if we get spanked for the remainder of this
season and lose the fight we showed in Bath this weekend?
Knowing the Quins of this season as we do, that's quite a
plausible scenario - and it would surely make more than just
Gilmore's position start to look untenable just as he's been
given a public long-term backing... Unless the owners are
expecting us to lose every remaining game handsomely? And if
that's the level of ambition, that explains a lot about why
Quins have never backed up a Prem trophy.
>
--- End Quote ---
FWIW, I think this weekend disspelled any notion that a lack of
relegation has no impact on a player's mindset.
The 4 teams who are out of the top 4 hunt managed to score 49
points and conceded 248
#Post#: 153127--------------------------------------------------
Re: My sit down with Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple
DIR By: Nico Wilson
Date: April 20, 2026, 4:33 am
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MQ - thank you. I've no doubt that it took a fairly significant
amount of your time both to do the interview and then to write
it up, and I appreciate that.
#Post#: 153129--------------------------------------------------
Re: My sit down with Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple
DIR By: Portquin
Date: April 20, 2026, 4:48 am
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Interesting read. I think if we lose our first two games in the
Prem next season it gets negative v v quickly. Better hope for a
kind injury list and a nice fixture round 1/2 at home. At least
finishing 9th puts us into the Challenge cup with a few winnable
games and an actual chance of silverware perhaps...
At least when Ex went through this you could see a long term
plan (no idea what ours is and I think that' the problem)
#Post#: 153131--------------------------------------------------
Re: My sit down with Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple
DIR By: Bucksquin
Date: April 20, 2026, 5:08 am
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--- Quote from: Portquin link ---
>
> Interesting read. I think if we lose our first two games in
the Prem next season it gets negative v v quickly. Better hope
for a kind injury list and a nice fixture round 1/2 at home. At
least finishing 9th puts us into the Challenge cup with a few
winnable games and an actual chance of silverware perhaps...
>
> At least when Ex went through this you could see a long term
plan (no idea what ours is and I think that' the problem)
>
--- End Quote ---
It's a three-year plan! We know that. But because it was into
its third year, and failing, Wilson did a runner. The new
three-year plan starts next season ...
#Post#: 153133--------------------------------------------------
Re: My sit down with Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple
DIR By: JammyGit
Date: April 20, 2026, 5:53 am
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--- Quote from: Yareet link ---
>
> FWIW, I think this weekend disspelled any notion that a lack
of relegation has no impact on a player's mindset.
>
> The 4 teams who are out of the top 4 hunt managed to score 49
points and conceded 248
>
--- End Quote ---
Why are people acting like this is the first season without
relegation or where clubs have had nothing to play for? That's
been the case for several years. Even when relegation was
'real', 90% of the time it was a foregone conclusion which club
was going down months before it happened.
I think the big secret as to why those 4 clubs got hammered this
round is simple: they're rubbish, and they're stretched
extremely thin with injuries to boot.
#Post#: 153135--------------------------------------------------
Re: My sit down with Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple
DIR By: Rugbycat
Date: April 20, 2026, 6:12 am
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--- Quote from: JammyGit link ---
>
> Why are people acting like this is the first season without
relegation or where clubs have had nothing to play for? That's
been the case for several years. Even when relegation was
'real', 90% of the time it was a foregone conclusion which club
was going down months before it happened.
>
> I think the big secret as to why those 4 clubs got hammered
this round is simple: they're rubbish, and they're stretched
extremely thin with injuries to boot.
>
--- End Quote ---
No one has been promoted since 2021, Saracens and a weakened
Saracens won their playoff against Ealing very easily.
More about injuries and internal issues in the clubs losing
heavily, and let’s not forget that there is promotion this year,
but the only champ club that could be, won’t even make the
playoff’s.
The Franchise system means when additional clubs come, they will
be financially survivable and have an academy and a reasonable
ground, and be vaguely competitive.
No present champ club can meet all of those expectations.
#Post#: 153139--------------------------------------------------
Re: My sit down with Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple
DIR By: KentQuin
Date: April 20, 2026, 7:13 am
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--- Quote from: Portquin link ---
>
> Interesting read. I think if we lose our first two games in
the Prem next season it gets negative v v quickly.
>
--- End Quote ---
This. It has the potential to unravel quickly, although I'd say
more linked to the manner of performances then results
necessarily. Let's just hope that they've got it right, we get
some reinforcements in and Gilmore works some magic in
pre-season.
#Post#: 153142--------------------------------------------------
Re: My sit down with Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple
DIR By: JammyGit
Date: April 20, 2026, 11:45 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: JammyGit link ---
>
> Why are people acting like this is the first season without
relegation or where clubs have had nothing to play for? That's
been the case for several years. Even when relegation was
'real', 90% of the time it was a foregone conclusion which club
was going down months before it happened.
>
> I think the big secret as to why those 4 clubs got hammered
this round is simple: they're rubbish, and they're stretched
extremely thin with injuries to boot.
>
--- End Quote ---
Just to add some meat to this.
This weekend, Quins got well beaten by Bath, who scored almost
exactly the same number of points against us at the Stoop in
round 1. A couple of late tries for us added some gloss to our
own score, but given it was the first match of the season and we
were at home... I don't see a significant difference between
this weekend and the opening weekend. And we also conceded 66
points to Saints in early January, got hammered 38-0 by Exeter
in round 4, then in December 14-40 by Bristol and 43-17 by Sale.
Doesn't hold up.
Sale got thrashed by Saracens. This was worse than the thrashing
they received by Saracens last time out, but it was still an
absolute capitulation then, too (65-14!). That was back in round
four with everything to play for. Add in a pair of heavy defeats
to Saints, and that absolute spanking by Toulouse, and again, it
doesn't hold up.
Gloucester got thrashed by Bristol, who put 53 points on them.
In their previous meeting at the Shed back in round 4, Bristol
put 49 points on them, but it was slightly more competitive. Big
whoop. That match was bookended by heavy defeats to Bath (38-17)
and Exeter (39-12) and then in December - with still all to play
for! - they got smoked 31-3 by Munster in Europe and 45-14 by
Tigers in the Prem. I think they're just not good. Their
performance on Friday was par for the course for this season,
really.
Newcastle... smashed 62-3 by Tigers at the weekend. Not as bad
as the 73-14 to Saracens in January, at least. This is their
list of losses this season in the Prem: 17-39, 38-15, 57-5,
19-36, 51-14 (Quins!!), 17-39, 14-50, 36-27, 73-14, 28-27,
14-38, 62-3. That 62-3 is not exactly an outlier, nor is it a
sign that the lack of relegation has made an impact on their
desire to play. Their best loss of the season came in late March
against Saints! Otherwise, they've been getting annihilated on a
regular basis. They've conceded over 45 points on average when
losing matches in the Prem.
Bad sides getting beaten heavily by teams that are way better
than them, in ways that are not suprising or out of kilter with
performances and results from earlier in the season, do not lend
any weight to the idea that the lack of relegation is to blame.
#Post#: 153148--------------------------------------------------
Re: My sit down with Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple
DIR By: Yareet
Date: April 20, 2026, 4:36 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: JammyGit link ---
>
> Just to add some meat to this.
>
> This weekend, Quins got well beaten by Bath, who scored almost
exactly the same number of points against us at the Stoop in
round 1. A couple of late tries for us added some gloss to our
own score, but given it was the first match of the season and we
were at home... I don't see a significant difference between
this weekend and the opening weekend. And we also conceded 66
points to Saints in early January, got hammered 38-0 by Exeter
in round 4, then in December 14-40 by Bristol and 43-17 by Sale.
Doesn't hold up.
>
> Sale got thrashed by Saracens. This was worse than the
thrashing they received by Saracens last time out, but it was
still an absolute capitulation then, too (65-14!). That was back
in round four with everything to play for. Add in a pair of
heavy defeats to Saints, and that absolute spanking by Toulouse,
and again, it doesn't hold up.
>
> Gloucester got thrashed by Bristol, who put 53 points on them.
In their previous meeting at the Shed back in round 4, Bristol
put 49 points on them, but it was slightly more competitive. Big
whoop. That match was bookended by heavy defeats to Bath (38-17)
and Exeter (39-12) and then in December - with still all to play
for! - they got smoked 31-3 by Munster in Europe and 45-14 by
Tigers in the Prem. I think they're just not good. Their
performance on Friday was par for the course for this season,
really.
>
> Newcastle... smashed 62-3 by Tigers at the weekend. Not as bad
as the 73-14 to Saracens in January, at least. This is their
list of losses this season in the Prem: 17-39, 38-15, 57-5,
19-36, 51-14 (Quins!!), 17-39, 14-50, 36-27, 73-14, 28-27,
14-38, 62-3. That 62-3 is not exactly an outlier, nor is it a
sign that the lack of relegation has made an impact on their
desire to play. Their best loss of the season came in late March
against Saints! Otherwise, they've been getting annihilated on a
regular basis. They've conceded over 45 points on average when
losing matches in the Prem.
>
> Bad sides getting beaten heavily by teams that are way better
than them, in ways that are not suprising or out of kilter with
performances and results from earlier in the season, do not lend
any weight to the idea that the lack of relegation is to blame.
>
--- End Quote ---
Jams, that is (with respect) using some selective scorelines as
evidence of the point you want your make.
I could just as easily say that before January we were within 5
points at The Rec with 3 minutes to go, lost by a point at
Welford Road and by a point at home to Exeter. Add in a 2-point
loss at Ashton Gate and a 5-point loss to Glasgow and the idea
that we were a bad side getting beaten heavily looks less
concrete.
#Post#: 153149--------------------------------------------------
Re: My sit down with Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple
DIR By: Lock5
Date: April 21, 2026, 1:49 am
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--- Quote from: FishQuin link ---
>
> Wow, this comment got reported? For abuse of a member of
harlequins staff?
>
> Come on now, can we all be grown ups?
>
--- End Quote ---
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Quote from: FishQuin on Saturday 18-Apr-2026, 21:42
Probably just that empirical evidence has shown him to be
completely incompetent and devoid of any rugby knowledge.
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Quote from LD... "Having been a fan of the club for 25 years".
Hardly makes him incompetent and devoid of any rugby knowledge.
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