Thoughts on Michael Bradley

I know it is early days, but what are Edinburgh fan's thoughts on Michael Bradley so far? Of course we haven't had any rugby yet but he's had a lot of interviews so be good to hear what people make of him.

So far I think he has said all the right things - he definitely knows his rugby and he seems to have the players' backing. Saying that they aren't exactly going to say he's rubbish in public!

There seems to be a good team spirit this year too with the players having bbq's at Portobello beach and going on nights out together etc - which is very important.

I am liking the talk of making Edinburgh more of a "rugby club" as well - this is night and day from Mckie who basically used it as the Scotland feeder team, leaving it with no identity. There seems to be a desire within the SRU to make Edinburgh and Glasgow more individual as well and give them a bit more freedom which is fantastic.

So all in all I think it is a positive start for Edinburgh both in a rugby and a business sense, and I can't wait for some games to come along to see how they are playing.

But as they say, talk is cheap......



p.s. I know he's looking for a good tighthead, but please please please can you also get another 2nd row???

There was a great article in the Scotsman about Edinburgh training with a Scottish Royal Marine Commando regiment in Arbroath. Tim Visser, Jim Thompson and a few other Edinburgh Tweeters made some comments as to how brutal the training was.

Despite not playing a game yet MB is saying all the right things. Keeping Edinburgh's free flowing / off loading game type prevelant but also using some of our bigger boys to increase the physicallity when going forward and defending.

If Edinburgh get another couple of Locks I really expect them to do very well at the start of the season, and with a bit of luck the Players who do travel to NZ with the Scotland team will come back better and more experienced and improve Edinburgh further.

Wouldn't classify myself as a legitimate Edinburgh fan, altho I like to see them doing well (can only be good for the national team). I'm somewhat less optimistic about MB's performance so far - it's difficult to judge his recruitment without knowing the size of the budget given to him, but I've been surprised that he's not indicated the need for at least one bruising lock, which seems like an obvious and glaring omission to me.

I might be corrected on here, but my view on Bradley is that he tends to build a good mentality in the squad and his teams produce performances that are usually greater than the sum of the individual parts. I think the problems down the line will be that the SRU might be thinking they have picked up a coach that will do big things with little money while Bradley is looking for a role to allow him to do bigger things with decent money. With it being a new club, a rwc year, I reckon it will be the following season before you can really judge what he is trying to do.... but will he get that time?

He's not done anything so far which gives rise to criticism in my book, assuming the decision to axe Alex Blair was taken before his tenure and without his blessing.

Personally I don't think he's the best man for the job, and there are other candidates out there which in my view have better CVs and better talents. That said, I wasn't involved in the process and as it was done completely behind closed doors, I have no idea what the shortlist looked like and who may have turned us down.

I will of course be giving Bradley the benefit of the doubt and my full support.

As you say, I'm fully behind giving Edinburgh and Glasgow more identity and they should be run as entities distinct from the Scottish national side, albeit that ultimately (being SRU funded) they need to make a tangible contribution to Scottish rugby (so no average journeyman non-Scots please). I also think that forging team spirit and a club ethos is also extremely important. It's what makes McGeechan such a great coach, and by all accounts Bradley is another coach from the school of thought that places great emphasis on creating the right sort of environment.

Obviously we should judge him on results. He doesn't really have a great track record of success to speak of, so this is really a great opportunity for him. Edinburgh are not that badly hit at the WC (the backs are particularly strong), so he really should be making a good start to the season.

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Wouldn't classify myself as a legitimate Edinburgh fan, altho I like to see them doing well (can only be good for the national team). I'm somewhat less optimistic about MB's performance so far - it's difficult to judge his recruitment without knowing the size of the budget given to him, but I've been surprised that he's not indicated the need for at least one bruising lock, which seems like an obvious and glaring omission to me.

I always find it hard to fully grasp how recruitment works at the Scottish sides. Clearly the funds are low, and generally speaking there aren't a great number of quality 18 stone plus locks out there. Clearly finding one should be a priority, just not 100% sure how much blame to attribute to Bradley for the lack of success so far. If he thinks Edinburgh don't need at least one new lock, then that's a big worry, but if he knows that they do and has been trying albeit without success, then I'd be willing to give him more leeway.

In all honesty I was quite concerned with Bradley's appointment when initally unveiled. I felt he was not the right person to take Edinburgh forward.

However as time goes on (and ignoring the issues in the boiler room) I am strating to think his appointment was a rather astute move by the movers and shakers at the Burgh.

From what a lot of the prolific tweeters are saying he is building a fantastic atmosphere behind the scenes at Edinburgh, the team is geling together well and the comeraderie between the guys seems to be strengthening.

As others have pointed out this is the area that Bradley excels at and this season could be a very important one for Edinburgh. Moffat made some baffling decisions last year but in a way his weird decisions have allowed some very good young players to emerge Denton, Laidlaw, Jones and Kelly. Edinburgh did have a poor season last year but someone like Bradley does seem to have a plan and an ethos that will make Edinburgh good and hopefully the team will have a consistancy that was sorely missed last year.

I know it's a bit sad but I check the Edinburgh website on an almost hourly basis to see if there's a new 2nd row signed yet.

What's your thinking on the lock combination if no signings are made? Cox and Turnbull with Gilchrist on the bench - or Gilchrist ahead of Turnbull?

In terms of how they measure up:

Cox is 6ft 5 and 17st 8lbs.

Turnbull is 6ft 7 and 18st 4lbs

Gilchrist is 6ft 8 and 18st

Partly depends on how Gilchrist goes in training when gets back from NZ, I would say?

When he flew out, he was quoted in the Scotsman as saying that next season at Edinburgh will be a big one for him, so it sounds as if he'll have been training out there very much with a view to coming back and making the team.

Hopefully he can make more use of his size than Turnbull, who doesn't really influence proceedings like a player comfortably over 18st should.

There's Lozada too who isn't exactly huge but looked an ok squad player. Not sure I believe the stats on turnbell - I've seen him in a shopping centre and he doesn't actually look that big!

I reckon he'll go for cox and turnbell - gilgrist is very young.[quote]

I would be tempted to take a punt on Gilchrist, richie Gray is pretty young too and look at the stir he has created.

My starting lock pair would be Gilchrist and Lozada, Turnbull on the bench.

It does depend on what Gilchrist is like when he comes back from that training programme.

Alba gu bràth!

I was assuming Lozada would be with Argentina at the World Cup, or is he not on their radar these days? He certainly has the capability to be a useful 5, but I didn't see enough from him last season. Hopefully he'll be better this year.

Gilchrist is the same age Richie Gray was at the start of last season. Given the options, or lack of, at Edinburgh, I think they'll have to ignore his age and just judge on merit. I've not seen him play, but from what I've heard, he's going to be some player.

I took the stats from the Edinburgh website. As you say, Turnbull's were surprising. Perhaps he has heavy feet!

I'm hoping cox will come good - he's pretty experienced from the AP and you have to be pretty battle hardened as a front 5 to cope with that.

Also on reading Cox's profile he represented England right through the age group sides, which means he must have been a player of some promise, and as you say, he does have experience.

He's widely derided in Ireland, but Edinburgh ate now being tipped to win HC group 2. Coincidence?

Bradley stayed too long at Connacht and it went stale. Like EOS with Ireland. Good to see him doing well.

He's going well in the HC, but it's not been a good season in the Rabo12. I like the style of play he's coaching, and I think I can see what he's trying to achieve, but more consistency is now needed.

IMO he is going the right way for Edinburgh.

Concentrate on Heineken Cup. Use the Celtic League to develop players.

Let the Edinburgh 1st XV be a match for anyone in Europe. The rest will come in time. The fans will want to be a part of the big match days, the Pro 12 players will want to force their way into the 1st XV, Edinburgh stand a better chance at recruiting top class players if they can show themselves worthy of being in the HEC knockouts. Its a ongoing cycle and one Edinburgh need to get in on.

Its an excellent system by Bradley but the question over second rows continues to be asked. I would have no problems with him coaching Ireland someday I think he did a great job as caretaker coach in 2008.

One of the most intelligent players on the pitch and a great leader. Known as being a very good coach. Connacht was a bag of worms completely due to politics, money and players at his disposal (as Eric the great is now finding out).

A probable Irish coach in the future (Plus he is married into the Murphy dynasty so plenty of political clout there).

Yeah he was on a hiding to nothing at Connacht and stayed in the job too long (only a guess but I'd say he was hoping to get the Munster job when Kidney left),did a decent job as caretaker manager for Ireland and looks to be doing the business with Edinburgh.
Good luck to him and I hope he can come back and coach in Ireland again at some stage with one of the provinces.

If we didn't have Anthony Foley waiting in the wings I'd be happy to see him oust McGahan.

How about Foley and Bradley together...possibly the two most cerebral rugby players of their generation?

No problems with that at all DOD. Both were highly intelligent players lets seem them in tandem together.

It is vital IMO that Munster keep home coaches who understand the ethos of the province.

I think Edinburgh are doing well and Bradleys system utilises the fact Edinburgh are guaranteed HEC rugby brilliantly.

To be honest I don't really give a crap that we're not doing well in the Rabbo - since we have had such an incredible HK campaign, and he's given us the most exciting game coming up that Scotland club rugby has ever seen, I don't care where we end up! As long as we are above Airioni, Connaught, Dragons and preferably Trevisio!

Nor should you RDW - as I said in my post above its a cycle and Edinburgh have finally got the wheels spinning.

My opinion of him was based on Connacht fans complaining about him when he was there, so I thought he was rubbish. But Elwood has done no better there, and Bradley has gotten Edinburgh to a home HEC quarter final.

Feckless Rogue wrote:My opinion of him was based on Connacht fans complaining about him when he was there, so I thought he was rubbish. But Elwood has done no better there, and Bradley has gotten Edinburgh to a home HEC quarter final.

Was he in charge for their good run in the Amlin a few years back? (up till they met SBW with Toulon I think). I think there is plenty of limiting factors at Connacht that can impact the ability of the coach.