JOE SCHMIDT’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY ‘Ordinary Joe’ will be released this month.
The book, which the former Ireland rugby coach wrote himself, will be published by Penguin Ireland on Thursday, 21 November.
‘I was hesitant about putting my memories and thoughts into words but was encouraged to do so by a number of people close to me,” said Schmidt.
“I’m an accidental coach and feel incredibly lucky to have worked alongside great people and to have had the opportunities that I’ve had. Coaching in New Zealand, France and Ireland has been both challenging and rewarding, but the support from everyone and particularly the fans has been phenomenal. It is something I really appreciate.”
Ordinary Joe will delve into the coach’s ‘life and influences: the experiences and management ideas that made him the coach, and the man that he is today. Also including his diaries of the 2018 Grand Slam and 2019 Rugby World Cup, it provides a brilliantly intimate insight into the stresses and joys of coaching a national team in victory and defeat.’
Joe, even though our venture into the 2019 W C ended in disappointment and your last year was poor by your standards, you will always be remembered in Ireland for what you have done for Irish rugby. For achieving in your time a place in the top 3 places in World Rugby which is something we never have achieved before. Our success in the 6 Nations 2018 and defeating the N Z team on 2 occasions . These are unbelievable results for such a small nation, including beating every other major national team in the last 20 months. As a Rugby player, coach since the 1960s I never thought we would ever reach the level you have brought us to in this fruitful period. You have my gratitude and I (we) wish you all the best in with whatever course you may take in the future.
To remind the posters on this page what I am talking about
https://www.thejournal.ie/river/relive-the-greatest-moments-of-joe-schmidts-time-in-charge-of-ireland-2476699-Sep2019/
and to finish
This tournament was mostly wrong and yes 2019 was a very poor year but just because we are comparing it with our last 6 years under Joe . But take your snide remarks elsewhere, people like you are the worst part of sport, desperate to tear down those who try their best but don’t succeed.
@Martin Quinn: agreed. I have followed or played rugby for over forty years and never thought we would beat the All Blacks.
That day last November in Lansdowne Road is one of the highlights of my life.
Would it have happened under a different coach? Maybe. But it happened with Joe Schmidt.
Apart from 2019, Joe achieved a great deal.
@Chin Feeyin: of course it was going to happen, we live in a professional era now, those days of living in the past are long gone, we have been competing with the best teams in the world now with 20 years since the professional era, Since 1987 World Cup, wales have been in 3 semi finals, Scotland in 1, France have been in 3 World Cup finals, we were laughing at England and their structure 18 months ago, hammered us twice this year, they been in 4 World Cup finals and winning one, We can’t win a quarter final at any World Cup, can any of ye explain that to me besides talking about the good owl days the of 1960s?
@Alan Brazil: All very good points Alan. Joe has improved us and I don’t think anyone will disagree. But according to some posters over the last few years he was the Messiah. We should have won more and at least got to a world cup semi final. Beating the All Blacks twice was super but at the end of the day we never beaten them when it really mattered. Best of luck to Joe in the future but we need to be more successful. Hopefully Farrell and co. Will bring us to another level.
@Decko49: Here Here Deco, all I’m saying it’s we need to get out of this mentality of us thinking, it’s great to be here, great to be taking part, I thought we’d never beat them, ah sure we are a small island at the edge of Europe, hopefully Farrell and Catt can change that mentality and bring a bit of arrogance out of Us as well for 2023
@Alan Brazil: I genuinely thought we would do well at this world cup. But alas we didn’t. It’s not all Joes fault either. The players have to take their share of blame too. Hopefully we have finally learned enough lessons to improve at the next world cup
@Decko49: It’s either a mentality thing or else the players are too wrapped up in cotton wool with there Provences, Southern Hemisphere players come up here and play here between world cups, then go back for the final 18 months and it’s no surprise they keep winning these world cups, it turned into a bit of a sideshow with joes departure and the long goodbye with best, we looked beaten before we took the field against New Zealand
@Alan Brazil: Jesus Alan you will get called a clown for speaking the truth on here A. Certain poster on here told me earlier he loves to tell the truth. I wonder will he agree with you for telling the truth. Well said Alan
@Decko49: We won the 6 nations 3 times in 6 years he was in charge. Grand slam. We had positive winning rates against every other team with the exception of NZ. We got to world number 1. We beat NZ twice (and for the first time). We won a series in the southern hemisphere. It will be a tough ask for any coach to beat that haul. Only thing that eluded him was a WC SF. Some people…
@greg merrin: we are not taking away from any of those achievements, but you can’t look at it with rose tinted glasses either, both his world cups were hugely disappointing, and that goes from Kidney in 2011, 0 Sullivan in 03 and 07, Something is wrong somewhere along the line that we can’t perform at world cups
@greg merrin: We went into the world cup rated as the best team in the world. We didn’t get past the quarter finals again. We lost to a tier 2 team. Would you consider that a success? Joe had been great for Ireland. But not in the last year. So criticism is going to be levelled at him. And rightly so.
@Decko49: @ Alan Brazil
If there was a couple made in heaven (hell) it was you two :: , people like you are the worst part of sport, desperate to tear down those who try their best but don’t succeed
@Alan Brazil:
“we are not taking away from any of those achievements,”
Without doubt you are :: desperate to tear down those who try their best but don’t succeed.
Suspended accounts :: If you beg them they might let you back in ::hope not because you are a nasty negative poster all the time and when a poster is a nasty negative poster they do it for one reason to get attention and cause a fight === a Troll
@Martin Quinn:
These post are IMO not trying to belittle you (you do a good job by youself.
@Martin Quinn: Martin the only one that’s trolling us yourself.
@Alan Brazil: Alan just mute him. Trust me. You will thank me for suggesting it
@Martin Quinn: You’re even replying to your own comments. Have to mute ya at this stage.
@Mike:
Man if that sutes you :: Just to say I left something out and added in the next post ::But do what you gotta do ….
@Mike: Join the huge list lol
@Alan Brazil:
It is so hard not to react to your posts because they are always sticking a knife into someone in or around the Irish team ::
@Alan Brazil: a lot id say is the importance placed on 6 nations by irfu. No wriggle room for experimentation.
Ordinary Joe with ordinary results at rugby world cup
@Tony Mcgrath: I hope he will tell all about his strategy and tactics for the quarter finals especially picking weak defenders in the three quarter line in the expectation that 1-10 would dominate.
@Tony Mcgrath: great manager. Short memories here.
@James Gorman #FBPE: or just a load of 15 yr olds with phones judging by some comments
Should have focused on managing rather than writing
@Kilrisk Investments: are you serious? He’s probably the beat coach we’ve ever had. Granted he probably could do with a change but he did great things for Irish Rugby.
@Rebecca De Stanleigh: best**
@Kilrisk Investments: Yeah. All those Six Nations titles and Heineken Cups were hindered by putting a few words on a page late at night.
Really looking forward to reading this book from someone who has consistently been one of the best rugby coaches in the world over the last decade and comes across an incredibly hard-working and humble family man.
As a side note, the number of commenters turning on Schmidt here since the World Cup has been incredibly disappointing to see.
Not even considering his outstanding coaching ability on the training ground that has inspired a generation of Irish players and coaches, the level of disrespect shown to a man who has overseen both Leinster and Ireland’s most successful periods as rugby teams is hugely frustrating.
Devastating as the World Cup exit was, we’re never going to progress as a rugby nation if we continually look at failure as a chance to pile on personal criticism rather than a chance to get better.
Schmidt’s story is one worth telling and one I’m looking forward to reading from a man who has contributed a huge amount to Irish rugby.
@EK: Incredibly disappointing is one way to put it. Some absolute disgraces on here going by some of the comments about the best rugby coach to ever work in this country.
@EK: Totally agree, looking forward to reading it. Our most successful coach ever who has had an unbelievably positive impact on Irish rugby as a whole. Incredible legacy.
It’s amazing how toxic our fans are, and a lot of the Schmidt haters on here emanate from a particular province. Why? I don’t know, but it’s quite pathetic. Everything always seems to boil down to provincial rivalries and it’s almost as if certain Irish ‘fans’ are rejoicing in Ireland’s exit from the World Cup primarily because of Schmidt’s affiliation to Leinster.
We claim to be the best fans in the world and often look down on other nations fans as being inferior to ours but the reality is somewhat different if we can’t look past provincial rivalries. Sad really.
@Tase Jansey: This is the annoying thing. You’re accusing those that are critical of Schmidt of ‘rejoicing’ in Ireland’s defeats. You put the word ‘fans’ in inverted commas as if you have to blindly adore everything about him. He did a really good job in certain respects. But in the two tournaments that really matter, we failed miserably. Miserably. Why the hell can’t people accept that simple fact? Wales won a grand slam this year and twas forgotten about a week later. The World Cup is, or at least we bloody need to start realising this, the be all and end all in world rugby. And we’ve yet again stank the tournament up. I like Joe buy how he found time to write his own autobiography in the lead up to a tournament that would ultimately define his tenure is mind-boggling.
@Tase Jansey:
Spot on Tase :: Regarding why a certain province are most of the main poster who are chopping him down ::
Lets image that Joe came to Ireland and was as good as he was but he went to a province down south and then he left to coach Ireland :: So we are at present do you think Jimbiasboy or Decko49 etc. would be sticking the knife in :: DONT THINK SO !!!
If that is right I think it is so sad by so called Rugby men !
@EK: What I find funny is the apparent lack of a middle ground. You can either think he walks on water and did no wrong or that he was a catastrophic failure. And if you’re in the middle you get it from all quarters.
@Mike: best comment on this page today.
@Mike: Hi Mike. Listen I don’t disagree that the World Cup was poor, and that Schmidt had areas he could have improved on. I’m a realist though, we lost 5 or 6 first team players in 2015 vs a very good Argentina side. This time around, the draw dictated we’d play either NZ or SA in the q/f. SA are the now champions, would we have beaten them? Unlikely. Same with NZ. We’re not better than them. Now as for him being ‘distracted’ writing a book – have you ever read a book before bed? On a coach/plane etc? Jotting down a few notes here and there is more or less the same premise so to say this distracted him from a job isn’t true imo. The point still stands that there are certain sets of posters on here who are crowing over & relishing our exit. We won’t get anywhere with this toxic attitude.
@Martin Quinn: Hi Martin. Yeah it’s a shame the abuse he’s getting, eaten bread is soon forgotten as they say. All boils back to this provincial divide it appears. Seems to be worse than its ever been. Can’t believe some are basking in our exit, not really true Irish fans.
@Tase Jansey: Hi Tase, thanks for the measured reply. Joe is a gentleman and he did a brilliant job at Leinster. He had some great days with Ireland too. As I said though, World Cups need to be everything. What is the point otherwise? We are a laughing stock based on our record at the tournament. And, you know, that was ok in 91 and 95 and 99 because, in general rugby terms, we were just plain awful at all levels. Things are supposed to be different now. But it just feels like all those recent victories are hollow ones. What the hell was the good in beating NZ in Chicago in 2016 and Dublin in 2018 when we get absolutely torn apart when it really matters in 2019. And this is far from a vintage NZ side. South Africa were a rabble a year ago. Argentina haven’t won a match since 2015.
@Mike:
You are smother in your disgruntled comments ::a bit of he did well mixed with we are a total laughing stock of the Rugby world :: Then you slip a nice “He had some great days” I wonder how you felt last year ::With Coach of the year and player of the year :: But this is where you and Jim differ with how I feel. I don’t believe having a bad W C and a bad year dissolved all the good things : Reading you post, you would not mind if we lost 3/4 of our games until the next world cup but we got a good opponent (an easy one) for our Q/F and we got to the S/F of the W C >> The world is rejoicing Matt and Jim are over the moon:: where I am still down about all the games we lost and all the 6 Nations we lost :: You see matt I don’t believe the WC is be in of all Rugby Games:: I got great happiness for beating all the top teams in the world over that 12 monts and all the success Joe and his team brought to us >> saddened by 2019 but would not give up the 2 wins against N Z and winning the Grand slam against England on St Pats day over in London>> I would not give those occasions up even if you gave us a S/F and then get beaten by England in the next round:: Well that is how I feel and a lot of others ( talked to lads down in my club) and they all wanted the S/F but not to give up all the rest of the times we had watching all those great times …..:: Last question who do you think would have beaten N Z in our Q/F (bar the two finalist) no BS and the answer is none ::
@Mike: Yeah look I can’t argue with you there, in the grand scheme of things test matches and test series aren’t comparable at all to a World Cup and we are probably a bit of a laughing stock now! Just don’t think everything should be pinned on Joe Schmidt. He made errors for sure, but certain players didn’t show up either and they seem to be getting a free pass. Our defence was laughable vs NZ too, and our defence coach has copped zero flack. Anyway, we’ll go again…here’s to France 2023.
Good to see he was fully focussed on his job for the last 12 months
@Jim Demps: I see above you are being blamed for his team selections too. Jesus Jim these Leinster boys will be blaming you for world hunger next.
@Decko49: with all the housing issues at the moment tis a grand thing to be living rent free in the heads of so many lads.
@Jim Demps: Good man Jim. I enjoy your posts. Keep up the good work.
Do you not get embarrassed with these ass kissing cult that follows you around…
@Decko49 has not a single post of his own, it only follows you and your bias point:: sad ::
Not belittling you just IMO
@Jim Demps: maybe he wrote the book during his holidays. Hmmm?
@Jim Demps:
He and his team gave us some of the greatest moments (when we beat N Z in Lansdowne Rd. 1,000.000 whatched it ) Our last year was hard and Joe and his team were not strong enough to face the No, 1 team in the world and get passed them to get into the S/F not much chance .
But take your snide remarks elsewhere, people like you are the worst part of sport, desperate to tear down those who try their best but don’t succeed.
Do you notice that most of the JOE haters are from Munster ::Why ??
@Jim Demps: I don’t imagine he wrote as many words as you have this past year. Would you also claim to be bot fully focussed on your job?
@Jim Demps: I doubt he has written as many words as you have his past year. Are you also not focussed on your job?
@Joe O’Doherty: call me old fashioned but if a guy is getting paid more than the president to do his job I’d be expecting he’d do a decent one and perhaps focus on it rather than writing a book about himself.
@Martin Quinn: I’m not sure why you keep replying to my comments, I can’t see them, muted you ages ago mortin
@Jim Demps: just so you know I have shown your posts to current Munster players and staff and they think you are a clown, i’m not joking here either this is a fact
@Jim Demps: He replys to my comments too Jim and I’ve him muted too. I’ve told him too but he still replies. Says every thing really
@Jim Demps: Yeah crazy. He shouldn’t have even slept or ate either. 24/7 rugby. Nothing else is good enough.
@John Delaney: Are you happy with how the world cup panned out for Ireland?
@Jim Demps: showing off your petty small mind again Jim. Is the man supposed to do nothing else but manage the team? Get a grip.
@Jim Demps:
Other things Joe Schmidt did when he was supposed to be coaching the team 24/7:
- Spoke to his family
- Walked the dog
- Went to the cinema
- Tied his shoelaces
Is there any end to the misery this man has inflicted on us?
@Kevin: Shur he can do what he wants but releasing a book that he’s written himself 3 weeks after the World Cup would point to him not being fully focussed on the task at hand. I’m sure we can both agree that writing a book yourself is probably a massive and stressful task?
@Jim Demps: You’re losing credibility by the day. Of all the criticisms you might have of Joe Schmidt, not being focused enough is probably the most ridiculous one yet. I have to assume you’ve a quiet afternoon at work and this is a wind up exercise. When I see a guy who has given his all to a cause to the point that his physical appearance has noticeably changed I find it pretty bizarre and nasty that you persist with these cheap shots. If you’re going to go to such a significant effort to get your opinion heard/read, maybe, as you say yourself, stick to the rugby
@Jim Demps: I’m sure writing a book can be stressful but a mans allowed have other ways to spend his time Jim. Even national coaches. It’s not like he just knocked the book out over the last three months!! I agree with some of your criticisms of what happened this year particularly at the World Cup but your off the mark here. As I said it seems petty to me.
@Jim Demps: Jim it’s clear here that Joe is still the Messiah in the eyes of lots of people on here. You can’t criticise Joe on here. When you tell the truth on here see how upset they all get. If Ireland won the world cup nobody would have a word to say about the book. But we failed miserably so questions need to be asked. The book could have waited until after the world cup
@Decko49: i’m sure Jim was just as critical and sly about Declan Kidneys failure in 2011 when a world cup final went begging losing to a pretty average Welsh team
@Decko49: hi
@Decko49: There is clearly a middle ground between thinking that Joe Schmidt is an untouchable Messiah and sticking the boot in constantly about anything and everything. Whatever you think about rugby matters like tactics, selection etc. surely deep down you know that writing a book in his spare time in a ridiculous stick to beat him with
@Wheresmyjumper: a pretty average Welsh team joe could hardly best for the next 6 years
.
@Wheresmyjumper: I’m sure he was. Because like me I want us to win. I’d have loved nothung more than Ireland winning the world cup. But we didn’t. The players have to take their fair share of the blame and so has Joe. If we won the world cup nobody would have a word to say about the book. But we didn’t so questions will be asked. I think you will agree our standards dropped in the last year. Is that a fair comment.
@Jim Demps: keep digging, Jim
@Decko49: that’s fair but criticism about writing a book is a bit too much.
@Decko49: it’s hard to tell where you start and Jim ends
@Kevin: I just feel the book coming out so soon after the world cup is not going to help Joe. I’m not sticking in Joe here. I can see Jim’s point too. As I’ve said before I was a big supporter of Joe. But I think he might have been a bit ill advised here.
@Wheresmyjumper: I’m entitled to agree with Jim just like you are entitled to disagree. Most comments about Jim get personal and insult him and I don’t like that. Some do debate things with him and sometimes make great points. That’s the way it should be. . If people don’t like Jim then mute him. I for one think he’s very knowledgeable. And if you look back I don’t always agree with him either.
@Decko49: he really isn’t, his opinion is no more important than mine or a dog on the street but he has an awful sense of self importance, also like i said i’ve show his daily musings to current munster players and staff and they were not complimentary
@Decko49: fair enough. Timing might be off but I dare say it was planned well before the World Cup with the publishers on the expectation that we would have been relatively successful. Just a shame for all concerned the way things turned out.
@Kevin: he would have been under contract to release the book with his publishers for the Christmas market, but petty Jim is just been petty,
@Wheresmyjumper: it’s Jim being Jim in fairness. Very petty indeed.
@Kevin: Exactly Kevin. Most of us on here so wanted success at the world cup. Such a pity. Hopefully the lessons have been learned for next time. Both Leinster and Munster have some good talent coming up. If only we could peak in 4 years who knows
@Wheresmyjumper: We will agree to disagree on Jim ok? Are you a Munster man? I’m just wondering
@Decko49: good talent in Connacht & Ulster too. As you said hopefully lessons can be learned and we can kick on. Need to start trusting our talent more regardless of age, experience or club.
@Decko49: yes i would be but his blinkered view on topics such as “how refs are against Munster” would turn you against the occasional time when he might have a slightly relevant comment
@Kevin: Feck. Should have mentioned Connacht and Ulster. Oops. Yes form is the most important thing. Not reputation. Then we will improve I think
@Wheresmyjumper: Kidney has a better record than Schmidt!
@James F Davis: I just find it funny that 3 weeks after a disaster of a World Cup he’s expecting mugs to fork out 20 notes for his biography. Im not particularly interested in overall titles such as irelands best ever coach, Schmidt’s successes were great and he brought us onto the next level but with those the expectations rose as well. 2019 should have been the year Ireland had a real cut off the World Cup, instead we looked like a team who’d met in the airport before the tournament and in truth we’d have done no worse if that was the case. Ireland failed at the World Cup because the coach got it wrong and the players he backed didn’t execute, simple as that and I don’t think fellas should be making apologies for someone who earned a fortune to fail twice on the world stage.
@Jim Demps:
I don’t give a shit Jimbiasboy:: as I told you I use a pc and cant mute you and you still are a bias poster IMO :: Example ::your total disrespect to a man who brought us to places we have never gone to before you are just desperate to tear down those who try their best for our Rugby Team but didn’t succeed::
Some of your ass lickers can tell you :: I am not belittling you it is just IMO
@Jim Demps: Paul O’Connell ended on failed world cup as well, would you consider everyone who forked out money for his book a mug too? He also earned a fortune and failed on the world stage
@Jim Demps: Jim your language, like calling people who might want to but the book mugs really lets you down. Can’t you not see the timing of the book launch is to do with the Christmas market and would have been selected well in advance of the World Cup. Yes this year has been incredibly disappointing but the book encompasses his whole time in Europe which has been largely successful. Fair enough your biased against him but don’t call people who buy the book names. I don’t like Roy Keane but people who bought his book are entitled to enjoy it and are certainly not mugs who paid €20 quid for a book.
@Jim Demps: You’ve been fairly clear and consistent on why you think Ireland failed in the World Cup. Personally I don’t think the blame lies entirely at Joe Schmidt’s door. (And note I use the word entirely. He was head coach so obviously was responsible for many things). You think it was basically all his fault. Different opinion, fair enough. We’re all making our best guesses and hypotheses on the inner workings of a machine that we haven’t seen the inside of. But having a go for writing a book in his free time and talking about expecting ‘mugs’ to fork out for his book is a pretty clear indication that you have a personal issue with the man. And I find posting like that pretty nasty and unnecessary. You’ve often commented on Declan Kidney getting a bad time when he finished up. I agree. Now you’re at the exact same with Joe Schmidt
@Walter Obrien: at what? Win percentage? World Cup success? 6 Nations titles? Grand slams? Wins v NZ, Australia and SA? Maybe he has a better record collection than Schmidt? Or a better deadlift record? Or a better recording contract?
@Decko49:
Hay little man you dont read them but other posters do ::
@Jim Demps: Have a lie down Jim will you. Seriously immature post from someone who seems to know something about rugby. Begrudger to the last.
@Jim Demps: Keep telling yourself that.
@Decko49: Big deal if it’s not going help him, that’s his problem.
@Paul Mcnevin: What are you replying to?
@PScald:
Did well with 6 Nations and the Grand Slam::
ps
Did they win their next WC game ??
@Walter Obrien: Kidney has a better record than Schmidt
HA HA HA HA HA
@Decko49:
I don’t give a Sh#@ what you do or Jimbiasboy do :: I will always defend our team from Jokers like the two of you (our Team is our Coach as well) People are laughing at your little boy following your Jimbiasboy :: look back there are few like you backing him up because it is about Petty comments ::Move away from him unless you know so little about Rugby you need him (besides being Bias) I will tell you that I am bias but I will always attack posters who hit at our Players or coach no matter what team they play for . That is the difference !!
Best coach Ireland have ever had, left us in a better state than some of the others before leaving too. I’ll be reading it.
Can’t wait,such a gent,why do we always look at the negatives,he was phenomenal for Irish rugby,his legacy is assured, SUAF.
@Sally Maher:
In Ireland it sometimes appears like a national trait to begrudge the succcessful and to gloat on those who fall short, a despicable attitude usually from those who never give it a try themselves.
Some pretty shameful comments here. When you look at his tenure he has been a great coach for Ireland. 3 6N titles out of 6, series win in Australia, two wins against the AB’s. If that is failure I’d like to see success.
@John Maguire: at the end of the day john all the talk over the last two years were Ireland building to win a world cup. This year we have failed and failed miserably and unfortunately alot of that will fall on JS shoulders.
@John Maguire: Few if any people have said Joe was a failure. But the World cups are the biggest test for Ireland. We failed miserably in both. Saying that his other successes were great so he done well. But lots of people felt he should have done better with the players he had at his disposal. In my opinion I think he done very well with the exception of the world cup just passed
@Decko49:
Backpedalling my boy
I think the sparkle has gone off Joe to some extent. He had a really good / excellent crop of players and total control but in the end not only could he not deliver a 1/4 final win, he lost heavily to a NZ side who were then thumped by England. We ‘looked’ really good last year but other teams now seem to have used that time (mid world cup cycle) to drive big improvements. JS didn’t do that and I think that will go down as a failure on his part.
@lambda sensor: Joe will struggle to find a top level position in NZ.
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: Yeah, nah, he won’t.
Id advise a lot of those Irish players who have intentions of playing at the 2023 World Cup to leave the provinces for the next couple of years and play abroad outside Ireland and return within 18 months of the next world cup Like the South Africans did, I feel our players are too wrapped up in cotton wool and stuck in a bubble, let’s hope the New England management team of Andy Farrell and Mike Catt can bring that English arrogance and in still it in those Irish players for the next World Cup, as for joes book I won’t be buying it
@Alan Brazil:
Account suspended
@Martin Quinn: Martin for your information my account is private, and if you don’t like what I have to say, you know where the mute button is
@Alan Brazil: No it literally says “account suspended”
if this is out for this Christmas it seems like he was focusing on that not ireland rugby. from people I know that have written edited books it’s pretty time consuming.
really surprised at this. makes me think Joe dropped the ball completely this year. very disappointed.
Maybe now we know why Joe lost his edge in the last year.
Takes a lot of time and energy to produce a book, especially one that’ll be out in 2 weeks.
@Stanley Marsh:
people like you are the worst part of sport, desperate to tear down those who try their best but don’t succeed
@Martin Quinn: Which part of my comment was an attempt “to tear down those who try their best but don’t succeed?”
The bit where I point out that Joe lost his edge this year? Would you dispute that?
Or was it where I factually pointed out that it takes a lot of time and energy to write a book??
Spoiler Alert: He bottles it in the final chapter.
Yay. Happy Christmas reading.
Hard to beat this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5rusvpfCpU
Seems a lot of people posting here seem to be suffering from long term memory loss!!!!
Joe is a devalued currency since the shambles of the world cup.I hope his effort isn’t as bland as the dreadful Brian O’Driscoll book.
@Robert Dungan:
“s the dreadful Brian O’Driscoll book.”
One was coach of the most successful Irish Rugby Team ever( (just not the S/F) and coached LEINSTER to 2 H Cup
And the other was the greatest Irish Rugby player also the same as in LEINSTER
What do they have in common === LEINSTER (we hate all things leinster)
@Martin Quinn: O’Driscoll’s book was as boring as himself.A super player but his book was just awful.He’s a terrible pundit too.Boring and predictable.
@Robert Dungan:
Your opinion :IMO: put this in your next post IMO
@Robert Dungan: Agreed. His book was terrible.
A fair mixture of comments here. As a life long Rugby fan I am delighted by what he did for Irish and Leinster rugby. We had unprecedented success under his stewardship. But there is no doubt that considering the pool of players we had available during that time we should have won more. More than one Grand Slam and possibly further than a World Cup quarter final. In 2015 we lost several players to injury for the Argentina game and the replacements didn’t have enough experience. For 2019 he built squad depth but didn’t trust the squad when his main players were out of form. Its also no coincidence that our form dropped when he announced when he would retire. But overall he brought us on from where we were.
Anyway. Missed out on the chance to call it ‘Let’s get Schmidtfaced…’
I’d say that will be in a few stockings this year!
Best of luck to him. Best manager we have ever had and despite an atrocious world cup he has raised the bar for Irish rugby.
@Tom McGirr: I agree totally with you there Tom.
@Tom McGirr: mick doyle was better.
The last chapter would be sh## reading
Who’d have thought that a guy writing a book would be such a contentious issue. I hope the book is a honest self reflection of his career so far rather than the bland puff piece that so many sporting biographies are these days. Schmidt seems like a guy who spends a lot of time thinking about his decisions and rugby in general so it could be fascinating to get an insight into his thought process. It’d also interest me massively to hear how much of a role he had in stuff outside of team selection during his time with Ireland. Seeing as he’s unlikely to work here again I’d love to hear him give his honest thoughts on what he thinks we do right here, what we do wrong and what changes he’d have like us to make. I’m not holding out much hope though going on how little he gives away in interviews etc but you never know.
If its anything to go by it’ll be the same chapter over and over and over again. First few reads will be amazing and slowly decline from there LOL
@Gar Eth:
Another Cork man another shot
Why are people saying beating All blacks at a honour you can pin on the wall. They are a country like everyone else. Most nations have beat them a few times I think its a measure of how low a standard we set ourselves that people celebrate this. Move on it was a win but no more than that. All blacks got beat in. Semi final and its a national disgrace if we had have got to semi final people would be looking for open top bus.
Really unintelligent comment.
@Doug Storms:
Sorry Doug but I just went through a lot of people with short term memoirs and who are being disrespectful to our Team and coach : But you are right so I will apologise for the unintelligent comment. When other sports posters come across to here just to get a dig at OUR TEAM I react to it ::???
“From hit to Schmidt”
“When the Schmidt hits the fan”
Good for him…I will definitely buy. A great person and the best coach Ireland has ever had. Despite a bad RWC JS has brought Ireland and Leinster rugby to heights we have never achieved. #Respect
Changed our rugby culture forever in Ireland. Thought so much to those that thought they could learn no more!!! So I heard from those that worked with him. Cant wait for the read. Best sports coach in Ireland bar none!
I love true crime stories….
Ireland did not perform well at the World Cup but to blame Schmidt totally would be myopic in the extreme. I am fairly sure that he doesn’t instruct his hookers to throw crookedly into the lineout, tell his out half to miss touch from penalties, order his centre to decapitate his opppnent in the tackle, advise his other centre to knock on easy passes, he was fit BTW, coach his winger to catch a high ball that’s on the line with nobody near him. Individual mistakes have no doubt let the coach down. Also IMO there is this myth that we have great strength in depth; e.g..take the back row, we have only two provinces producing BRs up to or near International standard ,Leinster and Munster. Even these two only produce really world class BRs every ten years or so.
Wonder did he get tips from Heaslip!
What a page full of getting your shot at Joe and his team :: or defending them :: It shows where people stand re the support for our team or the joy of us failing (surprising, so many) which got to me :: posters who are happy that we and Joe and our team failed in the W C ::,mostly lead by some known posters who have a known agenda ::
All human life is here ::the good the bad and the disloyal :: I will buy the BOOK::
…..its called getting your retaliation in first!!!!!