First of all, apologies for not being as active as I should have been on the website - no excuses so let’s move on. 2010 Promised so much for the Lions supporters, and I would have never guessed that we would have an 11/11 losing streak… It’s been a sad season, but I refuse to believe that we have been as bad as our record suggests.
Every man and his dog has been blamed for the poor showing. The CEO, the coach and a few individuals on the field have come under huge attack from the supporter’s base. One can understand the frustration and disappointment…and the venting of the anger.
Most of the criticism is emotional and quite cruel at times, but that’s the way supporters are. We expect nothing but the best from our team and do not want to hear any excuses. If the team does not win, we are going to come down on them.
Like most of you, I expected more from the Lions. The Union has been revamped, the coaching staff was replaced and there were a few new faces in the team line up. Not all were happy with some of the acquisitions and changes, but that’s the norm – can’t please all of the people all of the time!
So what went wrong?
I think that the issues are a result of consequences that have been a long time coming. To blame individuals would be unfair, and not considering the underlying issues would also be short sighted (I am not making excuses or warranting individual’s actions).
A huge bomb exploded with the axing of Eugene Eloff and then the mass exodus of players’ midway through the 2009 season. We lost the core of our players and the coach between the S14 and Currie Cup Season and had to start from the bottom again.
The players who initially left for greener pastures were given the option to leave when signing. There contracts all stated that they had the option to accept offers from Europe at the end of their contracts. Most of them were in the twilight of their careers and the hope of achieving higher honors was dwindling.
At the time of signing, it seemed fair that the players were afforded the opportunity to end their careers earning Pounds or Euros. Anton van Zyl wanted to finish his CA articles in Cape Town – and who could deny him the opportunity to secure his future.
The Fourie, Ludik and Alberts fiasco is history – but allow me to remind you what the circumstances were. The 3 players had signed contracts. I still question the intent of the 3 individuals when they signed…and when they were injured for months at a time and being paid by the union, the contracts were never questioned.
The section on the Ludik and Alberts’ contract which caused the dispute was simple, and added as “good will” by the union and in favour of the players. An amount for their renewal salary was not stipulated, but read “TO BE NEGOTIATED”. The reason for this was that on the date of signing, it was agreed that the players’ market value would be re evaluated and agreed upon when re signing.
The day in court, the judge did not give the Lions a chance to present the case – his ruling was that the players want to leave, rugby needs the players and he ruled in favour of them. The contracts were not considered in court.
The 2010 season…I’ve thought long and hard about where the problem might be – is it the CEO, the President or the coach? My answer is none of the above. Manie Reyneke does not run onto the field every week, Kevin de Klerk does not miss tackles and Dick Muir does not drop passes.
Driving to Loftus a week ago, I came to the shock realization that if the Lions and the Bulls had to join forces as in the days of the Cats, it would be highly unlikely that a single Lions player would make the match 22. Not nice to know, but it’s a fact…
Is this not where the problem lies – we just don’t have the squad to compete with the big guns. No matter who coaches the team, if we don’t have the players, we will not taste success.
The more successful teams have internationals on the bench – the Sharks sub Bismark with the Beast, the Bulls have the likes of Wannenburg and Danie Rossouw on the bench…we battle to field the same team 2 weeks in a row.
The next question will be why don’t we buy players – the simple answer is that there aren’t any available. Every available player in the world has been bought. So where to now?
There aren’t supermarkets with players being displayed on the shelves… There is a stringent process when it comes to buying players – unions may not even approach players who are contracted by other unions…
It’s a catch 22 situation. It’s not the fault of the CEO, president or coach. We just don’t have enough top players… The situation has also been worsened by injuries. Parts of the season Kevin Buys, Jano Vermaak, Jannes Labuschagne, Todd Clever, Alwyn Hollenbach, Dusty Noble, Franco van Dr Merwe and Gert Muller are just a few players who come to mind, all missing out because of injuries.
Chances are that we will break the losing streak record, ending the season with a single win. The players must be despondent by now, and self belief must be at an all time low. We missed a total of 8 tackles against the Force, an extremely low count, and were well beaten...the immediate future is bleak.
I cannot help but sympathize with every player, who goes out onto the field giving their all. They are more disappointed than us, their heads have dropped and the motivation must be at a low...consider these factors when airing your views…they are the best we have, and need our support more than ever.
They are our players, our team and play for us…and don’t loose on purpose. The union is not in state of turmoil and is doing everything in its power to turn things around.
I, for one, cannot support another team, and will still be there to show my support at every game. I will remain faithful, and will be there when they need us most.
The Lions will lose again, they will disappoint us in seasons to come, and they will upset the fans…but a true Lion will not turn his back on the team…Will the true Lions stand up – We need you!
Geo |
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No matter what julle is my boys en julle sal altyd bly!!!
Whilst I cannot dissagree with anything that you have said. I am of the opinion that more should have been done during the Luyt era.
At that time, the correct structures should have been put in place and a formal strategy in terms of new player talent and succession should have been rolled out.
I say that Luyt took the money and ran, leaving behind him a half finished job (my opinion).
And in terms of your last question - I say that the starting point was last years Currie Cup.
What you have failed to mention is the fact that the Lions have never been able to hold on to their excellent players - consider the likes of not only the recent 3, but in recent history the likes of Habana, Cockott, Deysel, Jantjes, January, Pretorius - just to name a handful.
What is the cause of this? The Lions Rugby Union are simply not able to look after their players - in both good and bad times!!
Since Louis Luyt's departure, it has been a slippery downward slope, with mass exodus of players every single year.
We will never be able to compete and build a proper team if this problem is not solved - where do we start???
I actually wish that there is something more the fans could do to give the players a boost.
Maybe someone has some ideas...
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