Newcastle Falcons 2013/2014

First topic message reminder :

Manager: Dean Richards
Head Coach: Peter Russell (Leaving at the end of the season)
Forwards Coach: John Wells
Defence Coach: Graham Steadman
 
Current Squad: Underlined are new signings coming in the summer 2014
 
Forwards
Props: Grant Shiels, Oliver Tomasczyk, Keiron Brookes, Scott Wilson, Jeff Hallam, Rob Vickers , Eric Fry
Hookers: Matt Thompson, Scott Lawson, George McGuigan, David Nelson, Rob Hawkins
Second Rows:Scott MacLeod, Sean Tomes, Frasier McKensie, Dom Barrow, Callum Green  
Back Row:Ally Hogg, Will Welch, Richard Mayhew, Andy Saull, Mark Wilson, Chris York, Ben Morris, Semisi Taulava

Backs
SH's: Chris Pilrgrim (Signed for Leeds), Warren Fury, Mike Blair, Andy Davies, Ruki Tipuna
Fh's: Joel Hodgson, Rory Clegg, Phil Godman, Craig Willis 
Centres: Juan Pablo Socino, Jamie Helleur, James Fitzpatrick (Signed for Leeds), Alex Crocket, Adam Powell, Danny Barnes, Gonzalo Tiesi, Chris Harris  
Wing: Ryan Shortland, Noah Cato, Zac Kibirige, Sinoti Sinoti, Sean Brown, Tom Penny, Lee Smith
FB's: Tom Catterick, Alex Tait, Simon Hammersley

Out of contract Summer 2014:
Grant Shiells  
Oliver Tomaszczyk  
Gary Strain
Sean Tomes  
Ian Nagle (Trial till end of season)
Harry Spencer (Trial till end of season)
Chris York
Warren Fury  
Joel Hodgson  
Alex Crockett  
Ryan Shortland

Bit harsh to say he's a disgrace. Struggling in the wind with an uninterested 10 certainly. Given he's your third choice he's not that bad. Unlike Godman your first choice 10 who was dire and missed three kicks he really should have slotted which would have made a significant difference on the scoreboard.

Where is young Hodgson? There was a 10 that looked like he could both get the backline running and kick the goals, admittedly he is a bit lightweight but Godman is hardly imposing in defence.

Hodgson played for Rotherham yesterday Sam.

He's not ready yet and putting him in behind a pack which is struggling might mould him into a kicking 10 which is the last thing we want.

Godman is awful, as is Clegg as his back up. Joel I guess just isn't ready...but even then...I'd rather see him in there over Godman!!

It's just not great stuff...

Teams up for Sale...

Falcons: 15 Alex Tait, 14 Noah Cato, 13 Danny Barnes, 12 Adam Powell, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Mike Blair, 1 Rob Vickers, 2 Scott Lawson, 3 Kieran Brookes, 4 Carlo del Fava, 5 Scott MacLeod, 6 Mark Wilson, 7 Andy Saull, 8 Ally Hogg (c)

Replacements: 16 George McGuigan, 17 Franck Montanella, 18 Oliver Tomaszczyk, 19 Sean Tomes, 20 Richard Mayhew, 21 Warren Fury, 22 Rory Clegg, 23 James Fitzpatrick

Vickers continues to start at 1???!!! WTF is going on. Montanella and Shiels are far better. If i was a club looking for a quality young LH...id be looking at Shiels! Got to be unhappy not getting much gametime behind a hooker!

No Welch, no Shortland...are they injuries?

1 - Ross Harrison 2 - Thomas Taylor 3 - Vadim Cobilas 4 - Jonathan Mills 5 - Michael Paterson 6 - Dan Braid (Captain) 7 - David Seymour 8 - James Gaskell 9 - Dwayne Peel 10 - Danny Cipriani 11 - Mark Cueto 12 - Sammy Tuitupou 13 - Jonny Leota 14 - Thomas Brady 15 - Robert Miller

16 - Marc Jones 17 - Eifion Lewis-Roberts 18 - Henry Thomas 19 - Andrei Ostrikov 20 - Viliami Fihaki 21 - Will Cliff 22 - Nick Macleod 23 - Phil Mackenzie

Sale are in decent form, but we've got to be looking at getting stuck into them.  The back five of their pack has got to be one of the smallest I've seen in a long time.  They are playing two fetchers in the back-row so we've got to try to physically dominate the breakdown, make sure they are cleared well away from the ball.

Scrum could have been a source of joy for us, but with Vickers there I doubt it.

I really reckon we could get something from this one and if we do I reckon we could almost be safe for the season.

Fraank destroyed Sale at the beginning of the year. 

#Vickersout

Godman has missed two kick-able penalties and Sale have just scored a try.   

If we're playing to this game plan, surely we at least need an accurate kicker.

Vickers off and Montella on after 27 mins, if that in't an injury you have really got to question the team selection...

Do my eyes deceive me? We've actually scored a try!!!

Godman misses the conversion.   

Sinoti looked impressive the other night, as did Macleod.

I think SS will give us some go forward in the backs although he doesn't seem too keen to pass. 10 is still the big issue, hopefully we'll hear some news soon.

9. Blair
10. ?
11. Sinoti
12. Helleur/Powell
13. Tiesi
14. Shortland
15. Tait

Not too shabby on paper

You can have Ryan Lamb. I'll drive him up there for you as well.

Only if you'll take Godman in exchange

Only of I can drop him off to Nottingham on the way, Championship is his level.

You're being too kind Sam

Notts currently have two 10s who make Godman look reliable, spoilt for years by the excellent journeyman Arlidge they are in bother now he's retired to the noble profession of accountantcy.

The deal is still on as long as there's a night in between for me to head to Low Newton on Sea for dinner and a beer (or three).

Im worried that nothing is being done about 10. I appreciate one player doesn't make the whole backline which is bad enough...but 10 is a huge position and our options are despairing.

If Dean had visions of Godman doing an Andy Goode style job then he's been proven wrong and needs to put his hand up and admit it....

Time to bring in a genuine quality Fh now. Get him in now and he'll have the second half to get used to the league...ready to hit the ground running at the start of next season.

I don't think it's as easy as that GF. Northern Hemisphere 10's will be tied up till the summer at least.

That narrows our search to the Southern Hemisphere which can be problematic at this time of the season. It can't be a short term fix or we could find ourself in a similar position to what we are now.

I'm hoping Deano has noticed the lack of quality at 10 is looking to bring in a quality long term replacement, not a quick fix.

I'm 90% sure we're going to stay up this season, if we beat Worcester at home I'll be even more confident. Time to start building for next season I think. Sonati looks like a good signing despite my initial reservation, hopefully we'll get a few more lined up for next season.

Hodgson!!!! Wahoo!!!

Well thats the team for brive...interesting.

Zac, Catterick and Joel all given a shot...great to see, but why the FECK are they not being given a shot in the prem. IF we show well in this game...he will have to give them a chance.

Vickers continues at 1? And Jeff Hallam as replacement LH!!?? Not sure whats happening with Shiels and big Franck.

Slight change in that Ally Hogg drops out and Chris York comes in to start.

have you been on the unoffy? Wow some serious dissatisfaction being announced on there...which is exactly what im hearing all the time.

We have been awful GF, performances and results.

It seems we're trying to throw it around a bit more but Godman hinders us massively.

I'd love to see us stick with Hodgson for the remainder of the season. Let's see what he can do and if he fails to deliver we've lost nothing as Godman is dreadful.

Good to see Scott Wilson in there, lads, how has he been going? Did I imagine it or has he been out injured for some time?

Yeah i know mate, i ve been to some of the games and managed to see most of the others live on TV or belatedly. It really is woeful stuff.

I agree give Hodgson the shirt and say right prove to us you can manage a game and create at this level. He's got a good pack ahead of him so he wont get constantly hammered.

As it was mentioned Godman was playing for London Scottish for a reason...thats his level.

Who knows ASBO, the Falcons fans genuinely hear nothing about injuries, who was dropped etc etc...we just have to sit and wonder why the likes of Rob Vickers a hooker is starting all the games at LH at the expense of Franck Montanella a cracking lump of a French LH, or young Shiels who also has shown huge promise in that role.

He's been playing for Tynedale. He's had the odd run about and looked good when he has. He's not ready to overtake Brookes/Tamohawk yet.

80 minutes for the A team and Tynedale is better than 10 mins off the bench for the first.

When i went to the Visions and Values thing last year he said he wanted to Scotty to understand the game more before he was ready.

80 minutes for the A team and Tynedale is better than 10 mins off the bench for the first.

When i went to the Visions and Values thing last year he said he wanted to Scotty to understand the game more before he was ready

Your absolutely right there Driver he is dual registered with tynedale and again correct he's at the age where playing regular full games are vital.

But you know about somethings...like injuries, team selection etc...just a little bit more communication would be nice, not just silence and tumbleweeds....

I think the important thing to remember is no news is good news.

annonmattyt on the fantasy game on here seems to think Bristol are in talks with some of our players.

Thanks lads

I never turn a Falcons game off, but for Frak sake.

Gawds,Newcastle were dreadful!Zero behind the scrum.From 9 to 15 they were useless.The pack should beat them up in the changing room.Should have won that one.

Joel looked alright, points kicking was a bit dodgey though. Catterick looked good at 15. Now if you could teach you centres and Cato to catch the ball...

Awful game for the neutral though. I only watched it because there was nothing else on and I was to knackered to go to the gym.

It's simply poor poor stuff. Infact it's appalling.

And I just don't see where we are heading...what future progression in ability or style??!

I thought Joel played well but Fitzy killed everything off in our backs at 12.

How do we fix this then...who are you happy with? Who needs to go?

Generally i think the pack is good...Brookes etc has been fantastic, Lawson generally what we need (McGuigan pushing him now) back row etc all good. I think we miss a huge carrier in there somewhere though.

Backs...where do we start? Would you keep any of them?

If i was to let players go it would be.

Mayhew , Fitzy , Godman

If i was to sensible and sign players they would be

Taulava (worcester) , A bruising 6 , Andy Fendy (Can't buy a game at Irish)

Mayhew has been one of our best players, I'd def keep him.

Clear out would be long.....

Tomes, Hogg, Pilgrim, Fury, Godman, Clegg, Fitzy(100%), Cattrick.

We need a big carrying backrow, I said this pre-season. Loads of workhorses but no line breaker. To sign:

6 - Big bruiser
8 - Again a big carrying option
9 - backup, get rid of Fury/Pilgrim and get a good option in
10 - big signing, spash the cash.
10/12 - The Rotherham Arg lad perhaps
12/13 - We need somebody who can pass
Wing/FB - More quality, actually like Sonoti

Driver...what happened to the Fijian FH Luyanvili or whatever his name was? Was he just released?

Yeah i think i'd be looking to get rid of the following, and obviously replace them with better...

Godman - appalling
Fitzy - Physically superb...but no rugby skills whatsoever...
Tiesi (Only on loan till end of season), Sinoti (Only on loan till end of season)
Matt Thompson - Mcguigan and Nelson both young big physical hookers coming through.
Scott Mcleod - Need younger blood to replace him - Witty coming through...England U18's
Warren Fury - Woeful SH
Crocket - Past it.

Worryingly...both the 9 and 10 id get rid of are pretty much our starting half back pair...

Well we're along the same lines i guess Sarge   

He was released buddy, It's a shame really as he looked pretty good when he turned out last year. Real buzz to his pass.

I think if we're going to be serious the players i'd keep would be

1.Montella
2.Lawson
3.Brookes
4.McKenzie
5.Borrow
6.New Guy
7.Saull
8.New Guy

9.Mike Blair
10.New Guy
11.Zac Kirbridge
12.Jamie Hueller
13.Gonzalo Tiesie
14.Sinoti
15.Tom Catterick

16.George McGuigan 17.Grant Shiells 18.Scott Wilson 19.Carlo Del Fava 20.New Guy 21.New Guy 22.Joel Hodgson 23.Alex Tait

Tait not starting? I thought he was one of your best players over the seasons?

Driver,

I think thats looking very useful indeed.

I think McGuigan could look to make that 2 spot his own aswell...and that would be a huge powerful and talented front row...

Im not convinced Tiese or Sinoti will be there, but i think we need some power and explosion out on the wing.
Im a big fan of Catterick, and yet to contradict that, im not sure he's the answer to our issues at 15...likewise im not sure Alex Tait is either.

So who out there at the moment would fill those positions -
6,8,10...and ill say 13, 14 aswell...

Yea Tait has been one of most consistant performers, he'd start.

I'm unconvinced with Catterick personally.

You only don't like him because his ginger!

I think they signed Tiese and Soniti on 'trial' loans. If they produce the goods i can see Deano snapping them up.

Of what I've seen of Sonoti he looks great, has a real physical edge that we've missed.

I wonder if we need to bring in an out and out attack coach. Russell does a more skills coaching than anything i'm told so maybe we need someone to give our backs direction.

Well Sinoti might ad a little of something we've been missing...its one to watch I guess...

As an Edinburgh fan, can we apologise for Phil 'Good' God'man.

To be fair though, we did try to warn you.

He's utterly appalling.

Was playing for London Scottish and that shows his level...he should be sent straight back there.

Though to be fair none of the other rivals for the spot are putting their hand up either...