GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
@ said:@ said:@ said:@ said:Did the OP really suggest the only other coach who could get more out of this squad is Barrett? Has to be a typo.
I’m not saying he’s above criticism but more so that the criticism he’s receiving seems unjust.
**He’s assembled quite a bit of the squad, sure, but he certainly had hands tied in regards to our cap situation, signings made prior to his arrival and the club’s standing in the competition at that time.**
Not a typo. For a relatively inexperienced coach I think he’s done a good job with Manly despite the stuff going on around the club and the injuries they’ve suffered.
That is incorrect, as I pointed out in my last post. He didn’t inherit this squad. 95% of it was signed by him. He was blessed to have the cap space he had the day he started. Most coaches have to wait at least a season. I’m sure Dean Pay wouldn’t mind being in Ivan’s shoes. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticising him for this, but there are a lot of revisionists atm who are wrongly trying to claim he inherited a weak squad. Wrong.
GNR, you make a lot of sense a lot of the time, but really, imo you're so far off the mark on this it's ridiculous. It's one thing to sign or re-sign players, but you can only do this with what's available. There was very little available in terms of quality and therefore, to a large degree his hands were tied. Of those he did sign, I'd love to hear who, in your opinion, would have been a better option for him than those that were at his disposal.
I’m not criticising the squad, I think it’s better than a lot of people give it credit for.