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
Didn’t say they are. Simply said they were BA supporters. Most are now turning on him and he has that safety blanket now taken from him. Of course you now feel under the pump.
But as Buzz said, the board are a big problem with how comfortable they are.
Exactly, thanks LB.
The players keep saying they love arthur a d bristle up when media bag him.How about instead of talking shit to the media saying it's up to us its our fault get out there and rip in for the 80minutes or piss off.
Geez the next two games are going to be interesting broncos and storm.I hope the team rip in and get a result but I just can't see it happening.
They love ba because the senior group knows they aren't going to be dropped or anything like that and are comfortable. They will just keep traveling along until the fans riot the leagues club.
He does have a point re our first half of games. If we were really that bad we wouldn't be leading games at half time. We just need to play smarter and stop giving away possession.
Unfortunately the game goes for 80 minutes mate. We are tactically and psychologically bereft.
Another apologist....
Who's apologising? What, because I'm not in on the group wank that you guys are having over sacking the coach?
I couldn't believe that stat when I saw it. Even when you look at the games early in the year and we start slow, except for Penrith rd2.
But, it is his job mostly to get them ready and prepared for 80mins. Look at Dolphins last night, started slow, point for point and Dolphins held on with an 80min performance.
Yes pretty much.
What are you doing over here anyway - you're missing the daily BUKAKE PARTY over at TCT.
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