[The Back Row]

Tin hats on... and posted with no commentary as I know we like to be 'professional' on here, and bland is valued above opinion... :P

On other sources the mood shift is clearly now that he has long overstayed his welcome, but this forum is a bastion of patience and optimism regarding the DOR. So...

[Major Bloodnok]

Oh, do grow up...

[SSR]

OK Axe carries the responsibility, but maybe coaches need to be changed. The players coming
in may make the situation different next year. The problem with DOR sacking is it is a start of
a much bigger clearout. If we need to sack him then the new players need to be here first.
I just have this feeling that we are suffering with too many internationals for our
squad size and the call-ups are wrecking any semblance of team continuity.
Thankfully it is a decision I do not have to make.

[AndaleManito]

I mean surely wait to all transfers confirmed/the season's end before assessing?

I get that you want him gone, but who could we bring in to replace? Why would they be any better?

[The Back Row]

Oh, do grow up...

Yes, I mean its been about a month since I last posted a thread on a discussion forum, and from memory have made one comment about Byron since then. Results in the last month have been abysmal. So yes, asking the question is a terribly childish thing to do.

So rather than post an interesting comment/view as the two people below you have, why not just prove my point with comments like this?

[The Back Row]

I mean surely wait to all transfers confirmed/the season's end before assessing?

I get that you want him gone, but who could we bring in to replace? Why would they be any better?

That's fair, and whilst I disagree now would be an odd time. Of course, I think we should have made that decision long ago - 18 months or more. But RIGHT now would be odd.

As for who - not sure as sadly I'm now so disengaged with Prem rugby I have no idea about who is available /interested / decent. But 100% someone with a track record, someone with no track record is not the answer - again.

[Yareet]

from memory have made one comment about Byron since then.

I’m not surprised you forgot this one. Was drink perhaps involved?

Her need TWO try’s with 5 minutes left. Gus wat box kicks.

Get out of this club and take your boss with you.

[AndaleManito]

Think we all saw the bait and let it float past

[The Back Row]

from memory have made one comment about Byron since then.

I’m not surprised you forgot this one. Was drink perhaps involved?

Her need TWO try’s with 5 minutes left. Gus wat box kicks.

Get out of this club and take your boss with you.

Hah! I doubt it as I very rarely drink. More likely typing on my phone whilst simultaneously kicking the cat.

[The Back Row]

Think we all saw the bait and let it float past

Really? Because its got 4x more replies than the last "match report"

[AndaleManito]

Why have you got match report in quotes?

[PACMANPROP]

I would really like to know what is your end game. You seem to be a bit like a DOG WITH A BONE
who doesn't know when to let go. everything seems to be negative, perhaps if you came up with some POSITIVE suggestions you might get some more positive responses.

[AonM]

I would really like to know what is your end game. You seem to be a bit like a DOG WITH A BONE
who doesn't know when to let go. everything seems to be negative, perhaps if you came up with some POSITIVE suggestions you might get some more positive responses.

Agreed, how about proposing a solution to the perceived issue?

[Clutch]

I don’t think he needs a solution. Whether that is now or whenever if you think a coach needs to go then all we can do is wait for it to happen and give a new coach a chance. There’s plenty of talent around waiting to step up. Don’t forget Sanderson was one of those and he’s done a good job overall. 3/5 play offs.

[The Back Row]

I have proposed my solution. Get rid of the DOR, hes useless.

[AndaleManito]

who do you think should lead the club after that?

[AntSale]

Think its a reasonable question to ask and worded reasonably also (maybe doesn't need the follow up regarding bland being valued higher etc)

I thinks fans are entitled to voice that they aren't happy. I would say this season has been a massive disappointment but Sanderson has a enough credit in the bank to take 1 poor season, but we need to bounce back next year !

Exeter is a case in point of allowing a established DOR to rebuild after a poor season.

Recruitment is a concern but have been some good signings and still time left to fill the key gaps (no.9 and a out and out 2nd row IMO) *ignore 2nd row just saw the JJ Scheepers news

[The Back Row]

who do you think should lead the club after that?

As I said above: "As for who - not sure as sadly I'm now so disengaged with Prem rugby I have no idea about who is available /interested / decent. But 100% someone with a track record, someone with no track record is not the answer - again."

But it has to change [EDIT to say it doesnt *HAVE* to change, as wealthy men are free to spend their coin how they wish...] given the number of people who are voicing displeasure, or more worryingly disinterest. Admitedly less so on here. But I think we are in for a clear revenue shoch next season if things stay the same based on those saying they won't come or attend.

[dinogyro]

Perhaps it's a cunning plan by the Oranges to weed out the rubbish fans?

[Yareet]

who do you think should lead the club after that?

As I said above: "As for who - not sure as sadly I'm now so disengaged with Prem rugby I have no idea about who is available /interested / decent. But 100% someone with a track record, someone with no track record is not the answer - again."

But it has to change [EDIT to say it doesnt *HAVE* to change, as wealthy men are free to spend their coin how they wish...] given the number of people who are voicing displeasure, or more worryingly disinterest. Admitedly less so on here. But I think we are in for a clear revenue shoch next season if things stay the same based on those saying they won't come or attend.

I think the crux of it is that our opinions as fans matter very little. Mainly because we have idea what the objectives of the team or what constitutes failure.

On what basis are people not attending? Because we’re not top 4 this season? That can be very different next season, they must have had some lean times in the later Kennedy years and it’s a shame (although completely their prerogative) if people are only prepared to support a team during times of success.

We know you don’t like Alex and will use any opportunity to demand his sacking but many of us are prepared to take his Sale career as a whole and give him more slack.

As an aside, I’ve been listening to a podcast about American sport (ironically debating whether franchising should be replaced by promotion and relegation). A former NFL player freely admitted that once it was clear that the playoffs were out of reach, he phoned in his performances a little.

The constant claim among pro rugby players is that being off by a small percentage can make a huge difference. For that reason, I’ll take results since Christmas with an increasingly large pinch of salt.

[The Back Row]

As an aside, the "Acquired" podcast on the NFL is fantastic. Just rereleased and updated. More around the business of sport, as is most of the Acquired.

On the business of sport, the Swiss Ramble is fascinating if you like football, which I dont really but love his analysis.

The UnOfficial Partner podcast on sports, marketing and all things sports business is also mindblowing in parts.

Booooo, Sanderson out, etc!

[PACMANPROP]

Quote from Back Row As I said above: "As for who - not sure as sadly I'm now so disengaged with Prem rugby I have no idea about who is available /interested / decent. But 100% someone with a track record, someone with no track record is not the answer - again."
I am at something of of a loss " If you are so disengaged from Prem rugby, Why don,t you just go away and play with your other toys. Or do you just like stirring the S--T.
Good bye Farewell Auf wiedersehen

[dinogyro]

In life, some people are just moaners. TBR can, occasionally, put up a decent argument, but it has to be teased out of them. Mainly they just like moaning and shit-stirring. He knows the score with Alex, yet he persists. 10/10 for determination, 2/10 for solutions or any kind of argument that we can engage with.

Or TBR may be using the forum as some kind of therapy.

[The Back Row]

Love it when people (Not DinoGyro but the oddball above) get annoyed because I voice an opinion. I have no idea who he is, but I can bet my bottom dollar that over the last 15 years I have been to more Sale games than he has, home and away and in Europe. Then it gets so bad that I stop watching his solutions is to say 'Your voice has no merit, please f**k off'.

Lovely stuff.

[Yareet]

Been to lots of Sale games. Happy to be outspoken. Angry that Alex is our DoR.

Is using @The Back Row as a handle a bluff?

Is that you, Dimes?



Or in the handle more honest and it’s a double bluff?

Alex, you don’t need to fish for support like this

[The Back Row]

I wish had Dimes' cash!

[Yareet]

I think most of it belongs to various disciplinary committees

[The Back Row]

I recall that he is genuinely independently wealthy beyond rugby. So he could probably pay someone to bad mouth AS on here to save himself doing it.

Steve, if you're reading, I'm here for you. Reasonable rates.

[The Back Row]

Not one of you wanted him sacked last week.

After today’s performance I can sit at home happy safe in the knowledge that I was the only one sensible enough to vote for the first option.

I’m now left wondering just how low does he have to sink before you lot see beyond your own bias?

[RinTin]

I have never seen anyone relish in the downfall of the club they support quite like this. Within an hour and a half of final whistle you have jumped from your sofa and posted on 3 different chains about how you were right and we were wrong.

As it happens I agree that something is rotten at the club, but this summer brings the reset.

Axe must offer his resignation to the Oranges following the last few months if he has any dignity. If they choose to accept it or not is their call.

[The Back Row]

Much as I hate to burst your fantasy about me. I turned the game off after 20 minutes. Then I watched the last 70k of Amstel Gold, whihc was far better sportign theatre than that game of rugby was ever going to be. Whilst doing soem personal admin on my laptop I dropped on here and posted a couple of messages.

Rather than 'Relishing' this, I think you will see from my posts I have been far more frustrated and annoyed than almost all of you, and for a longer period of time. But welcome to the party - nice to see you conceding it is a 'Downfall' of our club.

I cant claim to be the most outraged through, a look on some of the other sources of social media will find a lot more outspoken than me, and increasingly many of them.

[SSR]

As I said previously, getting rid of the DOR usually means a change of support staff as well.
Who knows what the actual problem is. Axe's post match piece on RugbyPass almost reads
as denial of reality, but what do we know ?
More importantly, who is there that can improve it all? Plenty of clubs scurrying around trying
to find someone decent . Van Graan is my favourite, but not a hope in hell of prying him away
from Bath. It looks like the Botolami appointment was intended to boot Axe upstairs and get
him to add something new as Head Coach. That was a sh*t show.
I agree that something drastic needs to happen, but what that is I really don't know.
I am starting to think that there is something about to happen behind the scenes that we
don't know about, that is making everybody at the club feel a bit insecure.

[dinogyro]

TBR, I've often argued against you, but after Sunday, I now agree with you. Sure, we've had injuries and I was willing to cut Alex some slack, but Sunday's display just was not acceptable and someone has to carry the can.

[The Back Row]

Welcome to the club. We have badges and hold a tea dance every third Sunday of the month.

Seriously though. The demise is endemic. It’s every part of the club, and more specifically everything about the team. Every last part. Which is why it HAS to be the DOR that carries the can.

Sundays perfect example, which I draw out because it reminds me of a game about 5 years ago where we hammered Tiggers at home. Late Diamond or Early Sanderson I can’t recall. Glorious sunny day. We got a couple of pushover try’s and demolished the worst Leicester team ever. So weak were Leicester that they got a penalty just outside their own 22 and had so little to offer that the fly half (A Mr G Ford - what became of him) decided the best option was to do a Garryowen to land about half way. Dan Cole chased it enthusiastically. They didn’t recover it but they’d made 20 meters. We laughed. We stood as a group and took the p*ss. Imagine being so bad that this was the only tactic. No guts to give it a go. (Artistic licence and the fog of time allowing - this actually happened)

We have taken that low point and made it a feature of our game.

We not only captured it. We enhanced it. We saw on Sunday the ‘Spiral bomb’ from our own penalty in our half. EVR missed the chase. Two members of our patented hard tackling defence missed one up tackles. Mario Itoje outpaced the rest of the defence and laid on an open goal for a player who is being lauded as the next big thing to go under the sticks untouched.

No one batted an eyelid, because that was part of the plan. An aimless Garryowen with a heavyset backrow chasing, in our own half, whilst already two (?) scores down. Kick it away.

If that 15 seconds of rugby doesn’t convince anyone then there is no hope.

Tickets for the tea dance are £4. BYOB.

[AndaleManito]

Agreed. Much like Calvin Candie, TBR appears to be an abysmal winner, but he is right.

Taking 85 at home, regardless of any circumstance, AS should be at offering his resignation. Okay there were a few kids in the mix, but that was hardly an academy side. We've also offered much weaker on paper line ups against better opposition before, away to the big French teams no less, and not been pumped like that. Just dire stuff. Just embarrassing.

I also don't understand the logic of saying we're not playing people who are leaving, but then playing Rob at 15. Aaaand why was Tom Curtis not involved?

Stats-wise, 3 of our 4 biggest defeats ever have come in the past year or so, with the only one not under AS's tenure back in 2000 (Wasps 58–5 Sale Sharks). If the club doesn't care, why should we?

I also think taking on Joe Ford reeks of nepotism. I don't see what he's offering or why we've taken him on. He's not got a great track record and a club with top 4 ambitions shouldn't be giving "jobs for the boys".

I do believe the buck ultimately stops with AS. Interesting that even though Forsh has come back, our defence is still the worst I've ever seen it in 20+ years following the club. I don't think Forsh has suddenly become a poor coach...

I was willing to give AS until next season, but I honestly can't see how we could play any worse that this tripe. All the same, I don't see who we could bring in and who's available...

-------------

One saving grace at the moment is the academy, which is certainly churning our quality players across the board, but I'm not in-the-know enough to understand whether that seed is sown before AS came aboard.

[RinTin]

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/alex-san ... cens-loss/

He's either remarkably positive or is deluded. It is hard to tell at this point.

[dinogyro]

Never mind betting his mortgage on a response (it's Quins FFS, second last in league), what about the fans who paid good money to witness that display?

I hope he can turn things around, but it's not looking good. The team sheet on Friday will be interesting.

[The Back Row]

We should be beating Quins easily based on results this season and thier performances which are arguable worse than ours... arguably...

However they have done what I'm told is impossible, and taken a mysteriously well liked and respected failing leader and jettisoned him.

[Yareet]

We should be beating Quins easily based on results this season and thier performances which are arguable worse than ours... arguably...

However they have done what I'm told is impossible, and taken a mysteriously well liked and respected failing leader and jettisoned him.

Sigh. OK I'll bite.

Assuming you mean Evans (I'm not sure Wilson would ever have been described as well-liked), so far I don't think there has been any suggestion as to whether he jumped or was pushed. The comms from both club and coach have all been pretty neutral on that front - albeit fulsome in their mutual praise and thanks.

All in all, not dissimilar to when Byron left us.

[The Back Row]

Ah fair enough (See we can be civil) I thought he was their head coach, not attack coach.

As for the 'Leaves with our best wishes' you do know that is sure fire HR tosh indicating a settlement agreement? But Still, your point stands.

[Clutch]

Not sure the up and under is the best example. It is a free kick not a penalty in our own 22. Doubt many teams would be running that, so it is either kick for touch or go in the air. The bigger concern was the rubbish kick (no excuse when thats our primary tactic) and the rubbish chase. 

I'm resigned to the give him 3 months at the start of next season argument. More in hope then expectation, but he's made play offs 4/6 seasons so there are strong arguments in giving him a shot with a new squad as long as

He is good to his word in playing more expansively, not sure I believe him
Ford is capable of coaching a more attacking game plan - jury is out
Forwards coaches are capable of coaching pack to generate quick, clean ball. Though half of that issue is down to Warr's issues at getting the ball out quickly unless it's laid out on a platter for him.

The reality is he's here for next season, so best thing for fans to do is accept that, mentally write off this season and see what happens next year. I, like most fans will be very intolerant and if the above 3 aren't clearly happening within the first 2-3 games, then I'm sure there will be widespread calls for him to be replaced. Obviously, the argument against that is we will be DOR less for a season, whereas we can find someone between now and next season if we move quickly. 

There's also an argument for bringing someone in over Sanderson and demoting him. He's clearly v capable in some areas, so perhaps there's a work around. Not like there's a load of DOR positions for him to walk into!

[Yareet]

Ah fair enough (See we can be civil) I thought he was their head coach, not attack coach.

As for the 'Leaves with our best wishes' you do know that is sure fire HR tosh indicating a settlement agreement? But Still, your point stands.

Of course I agree with your second paragraph but compare Byron leaving with Bortolami.

I tried to find what the club said about Marco and (unbelievably) the page has been removed from the official site.

https://www.salesharks.com/?s=Bortolami+