If Brad Arthur had any decency he would step down and give Eels' fans some happiness.
What’s The Buzz: Brad Arthur rubbishes suggestions he is set to quit Eels
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur fires up over speculation he is set to depart the club and talk that his players lack the fitness to compete in the NRL.
Brad Arthur is fuming about constant speculation over his coaching future at Parramatta.
We had a terse exchange when I phoned him last week to ask if he would walk away from the job if his team failed to make the top eight for the second year in a row.
“You were on NRL 360 spraying the hell out of me,” he said. “You’re saying I’m not the right person for this job. If you don’t think I can coach, fair enough, but you need to own what you said.”
My comments about his future were made after the Eels’ capitulation in Darwin two weeks ago against an understrength Dolphins side – on a night he himself said “we gave up.”
So I put it to Arthur that there was talk he would quit if the team failed to make the top eight, taking the decision off the club administration.
“I don’t know who told you that rubbish,” he said, “I won’t be walking away from anything. Never.
“I’m not going to walk out on the team. We’ll fight our way out of it. The club can make whatever decision they feel is right, but I’m not walking away.”
Arthur’s Eels have been dubbed the NRL’s 40-minute footy team.
Fox Sports Lab stats reveal Parramatta would be running second in the competition behind the Broncos on a first-half premiership ladder this year. But they drop to 14th for second-half performances.
Arthur denied the players were not fit enough.
“It’s got nothing to do with our fitness or that we’re getting tired,” he said.
“We’re not managing the game properly. We’re beating ourselves with second-half fade outs and we’ve got to fix it. The bottom line is we’ve got to play for 80 minutes.”
The Eels have won just three of their eight games this year.
They have the bye this weekend but then two tough games against the Broncos and Melbourne Storm, both without skipper Clint Gutherson and halfback Mitchell Moses.
Replies
He will destroy whatever legacy he has built at the club if he decides to keep milking the club.
What's he expect from media and journalist? Them to keep going with the he is a good bloke and so on. Obviously Arthur won't walk, but he must see he has stuffed up majorly the last few seasons. We are going backwards, which after 11 years it shouldn't. The team is getting older every season, still playing the same style from 8 years ago.
He is to comfortable, the players are to comfortable and everyone involved with the team. Everyone has backed him, respected him and never really crucified him at some point. After 11 years, going backwards again and no signs of younger talent coming through as improving that, backline is full of reserve graders and forwards look washed up and ready to retire. It's about time he finally copped some heat from media, he has been looked after.
I've backed him for years and years, thought he could do it. But the signs from the last few seasons have been very disappointing. We are on a massive decline. By now our juniors should be pumping, lots of reserve grade players looking to crack first grade wanting to come here to learn off the experienced players. But yeah nothing, some of the contract length and age of the players when they finish is just ridiculous.
Yeah the fact he jumped down him about what he said on NRL 360. As i mentioned above someone like Ricky Stuart would reply the same but that is Stuart, he would do that all the time. Just prove them wrong BA, that is all you needed to do. Shut down the question and move on but he wanted to get into Buzz to relieve pressure.
I think that shows he knows it's only going to get worse. He has no answers, no back up plan. Which after 11 years he would of learned from. The response he gave just dug himself into a bigger hole.
Surely if the board relays the support they've told the media and the media believe they have, they can give him some reprieve and basically make him feel safe. Those aren't the words of a man that feels safe. Makes me wonder if there is more behind the scenes then we are being let on.
As for no answers, he built a team to a play a certain structure. That structure is now really outdated. He doesn't have a plan B, also cannot pass onto his assistants in defence since he has ran everything for 11 years. Plus cannot go to a plan B now as each game is crucial and no Moses to implement a new tactic. So he will continue as is as that is all he knows at this point.
I hope you are right about something going on behind the scenes. Our board still leak and look at Lomax. Media knew what was happening happening straight away. So hopefully something is getting done and they are staying tight lipped about it. We could have a antique sale on some of the players as well.
Bennett is someone who loves controlling the media. It feeds his ego. But if Parra start going hammer and tong over him he would lose interest, it is strange. If I had to lean one way it would be what the media said was true but BA doesn't seem like someone who knows he's safe and has time.
LB, you are starting to sound like one of the angry mob.
All the shit in this blog is just the same rants of the usual suspects,
Frank will tell you I am a contrarian and fundamentally I want BA to finish this season, unless if he left now it would give opportunities to Barrett to see if he is following the bretheren or he has ideas of his own, You saw Hornby change a lot of things at Souths first up and whilst the result and scoreline indicates a failure.....imagine Barrett having the same situation and result....you would have all the angry mob running arounds with their swords out ready to kill anything that moved.
So going back to my contrarian status, I hope BA sticks it up all of you and he gets the last laugh, including my ever changing view.
One thing I do believe is that BA has no monetary drivers in staying here and I think the critics who like to say that do so because of their own failures....I believe that any of the drivers that keep at Parra is his own fierce competitive spirit, something he he gave this Parramatta side on many occasions when down for the count. It is just unfortunate that his competence comes into question in a thinking game that has left him behind somewhat.
If he does coach again whether here or elsewhere it will be interesting to see if he does change to "keeping up with the game" I suspect it is not in his DNA.
As a parra fan I'd love to see arthur turn it around the next few weeks will be interesting.But tbh I just can't see it happening.It starts against the broncos hopefully the players respond.
If BA manages to turn it around, i would be thrilled as it means Parra are winning. I am happy to be proven wrong.
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