Robinson to have crunch talks with Mr Dodson

STV understand that Andy Robinson will hold crisis talks with Mark Dodson on Thursday, so i fully expect his future sorted out by then and i agree with Doddie Weir in today's paper where he said the SRU should be smart and sack AR and appoint a Martin O'Neill type of guy to replace him.

Link to STV article: http://sport.stv.tv/rugby/301753-andy-robinson-to-meet-sru-chief-executive-on-thursday-to-discuss-his-future/.

Link to Weir opinion: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/rugby-news/2012/03/27/andy-robinson-should-be-replaced-by-rugby-version-of-martin-o-neill-says-doddie-weir-86908-23803269/.

Thoughts?

Is there a rugby equivalent to Martin O'Neill?

He's gone

I can feel it in my bones

Knowsit17 wrote:Is there a rugby equivalent to Martin O'Neill?

Eddie O'Sullivan, I reckon.

Just replace him with somebody, anybody!

I'm really pleased that they're dealing with this so quickly. I mean taking nearly two weeks to schedule a meeting. Wow!

When are Mr Dodson's crunch talks?

As for a rugby equivalent of Martin O'Neill, I'm not sure there is such a thing.

I'll keep saying it, we should be on the phone to Nick Mallett on a daily basis, threatening to send Schizoid to pay him a visit if he doesn't sign up!!

C'mon, not Schizoid! Mallett would go deaf from all the shouting and won't be able to communicate properly with the players

But I do agree, Mallett would be who I'd be gunning for if I was the SRU. Someone suggested EOS, I'm sure he'd be alright too. Bradley could be an outside bet I suppose.

Martin Johnson anyone?

I don't think Robinson will be kicked out of the SRU, too much of a PR nightmare, he'll be shifted to some role where he can do as little harm as possible. I hope this doesn't mean we're stuck with Scott Johnson as our head coach, this is my main concern right now!!

Nick Mallett won't take the job.. not in a millions years.

He had his time trying to get blood out of a stone with Italy... he won't want to start again with us. He currently lives here in Cape Town with his family... the only reason he applied for the ENG job was because he wanted a crack at the RWC one last time... he ain't going to realistically get that with us.

Whats he going to do... put all his effort into us and say 'I've succeeded as I got Scotland to a QF place in 2015'???? Not a chance... if that was the case he would have stayed in Italy.

Robinson is contracted... I doubt he will leave without being compensated.... not great given our union is and has been for a long time, on the rocks.

Can we afford a big time coach? Not really.

The fact that Doddie can't even suggest 1 name means that their is no one of note worth mentioning that we can afford or who would be interested.

John Kirwan would be available.... but he has done little or nothing with Italy or Japan to suggest he could succeed in turning Scotland around.

Personally I would keep Robinson. I rate him as a coach but something is missing, the players are down and have been for a while. They need to believe in themselves, in their abilities and not be afraid to chase victory, not to avoid defeat only. That is something a coach cannot do and therefore with a good coach already in place I would stick with him.

Why wouldn't Mallett be open to it? He took charge of Italy and I think they came below Scotland every year he was in charge.

George Carlin wrote:

Knowsit17 wrote:Is there a rugby equivalent to Martin O'Neill?

Eddie O'Sullivan, I reckon.

I thought EoS was rugbys equivalent of Judas not Martin O Neil.

Knowsit17

It would be like groundhog day for him... different players, same scenarios every 6N and into the RWC.

This is a guy who is highly highly thought of... was rumoured to have interviewed for both the bok job and the ENG job.. 2 of the top coaching jobs in the world.

If so then why would he be interested in a team with limited players and limited potential for success????

As I said earlier he has done that underdog thing with Italy and his job will be just as tough.. although I doubt you will see him put Richie Gray in as starting 9

He will only take big jobs from now on.... ENG, FRA, SA or a S15 role here in SA perhaps.
Given he didn't get the SA role and he looks not to have got the ENG job I doubt he will coach for a while. He looks very comfortable doing his commentary work.

I'm an expat scot in Cape Town and believe me... weather wise its a lot to give up.

True but no less than he would have been giving up had he gotten the England job in terms of the weather.

I'd pay good money to see Gray at 9. Or maybe Sean Lamont is the answer for Scotland at 10

It is unlikely granted. But weren't Wales ranked below Scotland when we got Gatland? Not impossible that he'd at least consider it imo.

The only difference is that Gatland had very limited international experience when he took over with Wales. He wanted a international job.

Mallett has already spent 8 years coaching the boks and then Italy.

What he yearns is RWC success... its what both he and Jake White said was the appeal to the ENG job.. in that the players had the potential to mount a challenge to winning the RWC.

If it happened it would be amazing... but its not even close to being plausible IMO.

fa0019 wrote:The only difference is that Gatland had very limited international experience when he took over with Wales. He wanted a international job.

Mallett has already spent 8 years coaching the boks and then Italy.

What he yearns is RWC success... its what both he and Jake White said was the appeal to the ENG job.. in that the players had the potential to mount a challenge to winning the RWC.

If it happened it would be amazing... but its not even close to being plausible IMO.

Three years coaching Ireland getting their first win in France in decades, giving BoD his first caps, coming second in the six nations is limited international esperience?

Main thing is to get rid of Robinson. Then consider things. Give Lineen a go with the tour and see how that goes ?

Please SRU get rid of this dunce now!

TycroesOsprey wrote:

fa0019 wrote:The only difference is that Gatland had very limited international experience when he took over with Wales. He wanted a international job.

Mallett has already spent 8 years coaching the boks and then Italy.

What he yearns is RWC success... its what both he and Jake White said was the appeal to the ENG job.. in that the players had the potential to mount a challenge to winning the RWC.

If it happened it would be amazing... but its not even close to being plausible IMO.

Three years coaching Ireland getting their first win in France in decades, giving BoD his first caps, coming second in the six nations is limited international esperience?

Agreed. If that's limited experience how do you describe Lancaster??

Knowsit17 wrote:Bradley could be an outside bet I suppose.

Absolutely not. His record with Edinburgh in the league needs to dramatically improve before he should be considered for any sort of promotion.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

Knowsit17 wrote:Bradley could be an outside bet I suppose.

Absolutely not. His record with Edinburgh in the league needs to dramatically improve before he should be considered for any sort of promotion.

+1 (for a change)

Edinburgh are dangerously close to coming last.

A sackable offence if ever there was one.....Edinburgh are not a development side.

In fairness to Bradley, the gap between his first XV and the rest of the squadis wider than a very wide thing - just saying ...

The Scotland job would be a great job for a hungry coach wanting to get a few steps up the ladder quickly or someone looking to reinstate thier reputation - currently 12th in the world, unlikely to go lower (hopefully!!) the only way should be up? and with some decent talent coming through, i think it's a great job for someone.

WelshinEdinburgh wrote:The Scotland job would be a great job for a hungry coach wanting to get a few steps up the ladder quickly or someone looking to reinstate thier reputation - currently 12th in the world, unlikely to go lower (hopefully!!) the only way should be up? and with some decent talent coming through, i think it's a great job for someone.

+1 Loving your positivity, WinE

All of a sudden the freeing up of Sean Lineen makes sense...

Joking obviously, the Lineen/Townsend saga was a true farce.

Fact is though, there is no one around that immediately springs to mind as a replacement. Maybe the crisis talks will end with Robinson still in charge but some kind of agreement between the SRU and him to do something or other (basically they would just fob it all off and keep going as usual).

Robinson to DoR and Chalmers to Head Coach - you heard it here first ...

they probably wouldn't promote Chalmers to even celtic league for fear of him getting hammered and subsequently running on to the pitch and headbutting one of the opposition because they pulled a punch on our lads

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:In fairness to Bradley, the gap between his first XV and the rest of the squadis wider than a very wide thing - just saying ...

It gets wider when you select players out of position, and pick Godman at 10.

NeilyBroon wrote:they probably wouldn't promote Chalmers to even celtic league for fear of him getting hammered and subsequently running on to the pitch and headbutting one of the opposition because they pulled a punch on our lads

Frankly, I'd take that over Robinson's continual pacing and Gruffalo impersonating.

It's got to be Sean Lineen for me, unless the SRU are willing to spend the big bucks and gene-splice William Wallace, Chris Hoy and Gary Tank Commander into a futuristic super-being.

I have a feeling that we'll be stuck with him for a while. The Director of Rugby position is looking more and more likely. At least that'll take the pressure of selecting the squad off his shoulders, and he'll no longer have a yes man in the form of Townsend agreeing with his decisions.

What about Redpath - got Gloucester into a great position with limited resources - has a few Scots there already and seems to pick on form...

It remains we still have to get of Mr Bean. Dodson FFS do the right thing !

Hmm, now theres reports of a training ground rift with Robbo :O.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/scotland/9172271/Andy-Robinson-set-for-informal-chat-with-SRU-as-reports-of-rift-with-Scotland-players-emerge.html.

CaleyShaun wrote:Hmm, now theres reports of a training ground rift with Robbo :O.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/scotland/9172271/Andy-Robinson-set-for-informal-chat-with-SRU-as-reports-of-rift-with-Scotland-players-emerge.html.

Shaun, I read that - sounds very odd. I wonder if it's related to the 'match' they played against the U20s, which I understand didn't go very well?

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

CaleyShaun wrote:Hmm, now theres reports of a training ground rift with Robbo :O.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/scotland/9172271/Andy-Robinson-set-for-informal-chat-with-SRU-as-reports-of-rift-with-Scotland-players-emerge.html.

Shaun, I read that - sounds very odd. I wonder if it's related to the 'match' they played against the U20s, which I understand didn't go very well?

I guess we'll never know Asbo but I think that we all heard the rumours about the teenagers running the first XV far too close for comfort.

If Robinson really has lost the dressing room then that may be fatal - it was for Matt Williams.

I am reminded of Jim Hamilton's quote during the 6N that constant changes to the team were unsettling. And how could they not be?

That article appears to be gone. Link doesn't work and i can't find it on the DT website. I call shenanigans! freedom of the press and all that!

I would like to point out a few things!

1. the SRU does not have the money to sack Robinson!
2. these are not "crunch" talks. It is the scheduled meeting to reveiw the 6N's

I'd say the result of this meeting will be for the SRU to say "we have continued faith in robbo" and everyone to wander off into the sunset holding hands and singing a merry wee tune

I'm kind of relaxed about it now.

As an England fan & knowing the almost infinite ineptitude of the RFU, I was concerned they might have decided he should have nanother crack at England

tigertattie wrote:I would like to point out a few things!

1. the SRU does not have the money to sack Robinson!
2. these are not "crunch" talks. It is the scheduled meeting to reveiw the 6N's

I'd say the result of this meeting will be for the SRU to say "we have continued faith in robbo" and everyone to wander off into the sunset holding hands and singing a merry wee tune

...with a high incidence of line breaks along the way.

I have been bed ridden with the dreaded lurgie and have stumbled to the PC coughing my guts up and found this thread. Every cloud has a silver lining.

well England have picked Lancaster, mistake in my opinion but who's complaining! perhaps if the SRU throw enough money at Mallett he'll come to bonnie Scotland!

He has a chance for a world cup with us if he strategically food poisons teams!

On a more serious note I think we have more potential than Italy when he coached them but I don't know if he'd be happy with being stuck with the bottom rung again.

Neily

We'll agree to differ on Lancaster, but on a serious note, if I was Mallett I'd seriously consider Scotland. They're not far away from being a good side.

I think England have chosen well this time as Lancaster seems a decent coach. Something we need and soon to replace the dunce that is Robinson.

Robbo has agreed to stay as head coach after "positive discussions" with Dodson.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Well, that's it then.

Sorry boys, you're fecked

Oh FFS

thats the end of Scotland as a tier one nation. Just what does he have to do to get sacked? he is a disaster for Scotland.

You have just witnessed the begging of the end of Scottish rugby

It's true; from planetrugby.co.uk:

Scotland stick with Robinson

Scottish Rugby Union have retained Andy Robinson as head coach of the national side following Thursday talks with SRU chief executive Mark Dodson.

Robinson has a contract which runs until after the 2015 World Cup but said he would consider his position after Scotland lost all their games in the recent Six Nations Championship, ending up with the wooden spoon.

But a statement released by the Scots, it has emerged that Robinson will continue in the top job.

"Mark Dodson and Andy Robinson met today for discussions following the RBS 6 Nations," he said.

"The discussions were positive and concluded that Andy will continue to lead the Scotland national team with the support of his revised coaching structure."

Do the honourable thing and walk, man

Let's hope it was all Townsend and Stedman's fault, now it has been announced (I don't like it anymore than you do) we might as well hope he does very well with the new coaches and the younger players; if he does I'll be happy and will give him credit, yes up to now he's failed miserably but seeing as he seems to have the SRU in the palm of his hand we might as well hope that we kick on as we should have done after last year's autumn tests.

Maybe revised coaching structure means they lock him in a cupboard during all international periods.

That might work

Well these SRU morons are not getting another penny from me while that giant feckin erse is there. Hope he and his wee yes man pal Townsend turn up at M'field a week on Saturday and we can give them a real Scottish shiracking. An absolute disgrace. Dodson/Lowe/MacLaughlan should go also as they are a cowardly disgrace to Scotland and rugby.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/17556567