I have always been a staunch BA supporter, but 2018 seriously challenged my perception of his ability to lead the Club forward.
I am not a huge fan of the developments post the 2018 regular season either.
I think our roster would struggle to make the 8, irrespective of who coached this year. It's a very underwhelming line up and the responsibility for that mostly falls on BA. People will argue that we lost Hayne in unforseen circumstances, but that ignores the fact Burnie and BA had all but shown him the door and forced him out before he was charged by police.
So what will we accept as a pass mark this year? For me, nothing less than making the 8 is acceptable. Additionally, we probably have to have a season that makes us believe the Eels will genuinely contend for the premiership in 2020.
I seriously hope BA finds the leadership qualities and coaching nouse that saw the Eels almost beat Melbourne in the 2017 finals. However, my instinct tells me that we simply don't have the players to achieve that and BA's contract will either be terminated or not renewed.
Hope I'm wrong - in BA we trust (sort of)!!!
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Not another last placed finish would be a pass mark. Arthur might not sit out the year if by the first 10 rounds the club is down the bottom again. It will be highly unlikely that we see him at the club in 2020.
The only way I see him getting to be coach in 2020 is if the club makes the grand final or finishes Top 4.
Depends on how realistic you want to be. If the team plays the best it can then you couldn't ask more from BA. Unfortunately, the highest we can realistically get to is probably around 9th or 10th. Making the finals would come as a total surprise and overachievment in my view. So do you reward BA with a pass mark for what most fans would discount as an average year in terms of ladder result? I want to see how hard we compete before I make my mind up.
I agree with your views for the most part. However, its BA's team. If 9 or 10 is the best the players are capable of, then we need a coach who can put together a better roster.
The team needs to overachieve to save his job in my opinion.
Agreed. BA's mistakes have got us to this point and he should be punished.
How could any coach put together a better roster at Parra? We have the least TPAs in the NRL. That's where the best roster comes from, not the coach.
Pou, I'm still in Brad's corner; and think that the Eels are one of, if not the toughest gigs in the NRL - not just because of the worst TPA's or our traditionally dysfunctional "tuck shop" of a head office. Our culture is used to losing. We're sporadically competitive here and there, but have a soft underbelly for almost 30 years.
Before Arthur we went through more coaches than Grunts changed underwear, including a few existing coaches like Stuart and Kearney whom were even worse.
Most coaches would mentally crack and perish quicker than Arthur has lasted.
I can honestly only see 2 coaches with the potential to make better inroads than Arthur: Bellamy and Siebold. Both are great teachers. Tough father figures, with high expectations and cutting edge innovative minds. They would also need years to change our culture.
But they'd never come. Even an old wily fox like Bennett is too smart to risk suicide. Why would a great coach want to coach the Eels? Only someone like Arthur, who bleeds blue and gold, or a masochist who enjoys self punishment.
Why do we pay overs? You think Arthur wanted to for fun? It's suicide to pay overs. He tried to bring in some Origin/Test class players in Jennings, Scott, Watmough, Foran. And Moses has potential and some X-factor we sorely need.
Sure Arthur needs to be more innovative, think bigger and probably expect more from the team. And straighten up his damn tie in public.
Sure he has made mistakes, as have all coaches, but he's got potential to get something out of this group as was shown in 2017. Arguably, the 2019 version has as much or more potential than 2017. It hinges on the how the forwards aim up and how the young guys step up. Their enthusiasm and toughness, will to win will be critical and in the team confidence to not accept losing as a way of life.
The confidence in the playing group will decide our fate. Here's hoping...
How do you know Grunta changes his undies? He might be wearing the same ones he wore in Primary school?
TPA's certainly play a big role in roster management, however, it does not excuse some of the decision making. For examples, we were not going to offer Hayne (easily our best player) more than $200k and Moses was a big money buy as a half back when it was not his position and he is not a proven big money player. Then BA compounded that mistake by favoring Moses over Norman. Both those decisions were, in my opinion, silly/wrong.
Lol. What an idiot you really are pau. Maybe if Arthur didn't purchase imbeciles like Watmough Hoffman Evans and Vave, we could have afforded a few decent players.
Its Arthur's team, there's absolutely no excuses
Remember Paupau Escobar was also the lad that claims Newcastle were a better team than Parramatta in 2001 leading up to the grand final and it was no surprise they won.
I think he is the only person I have ever heard say that, not even Newcastle fans I have known personally acknowledged this, they though they were maybe a 25% chance of winning.
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