KIERAN KEANE’S ABSENCE from Monday’s Champions Cup and Challenge Cup launches in Dublin left John Muldoon and Nigel Carolan to front up about Connacht’s disappointingly slow start to the season.
The Kiwi head coach, who also sidestepped the Pro14 launch a few weeks ago, was conspicuous by his absence as he again dodged the media, instead pushing his assistant Carolan to fulfill the pre-tournament obligations.
Even Steve Tandy, the Ospreys head coach, made it to the capital despite his side’s journey home from South Africa following their defeat to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Friday night.
On the evidence of Keane’s tetchy post-match dealings with Sky Sports and then the print media in his press conference following his side’s loss to Cardiff a fortnight ago, perhaps Carolan’s presence was something of a blessing in disguise. The former Ireland U20s coach always speaks articulately and intelligently and was able, alongside Muldoon, to explain, in their opinion, why Connacht have lost four of their opening five outings under Keane, three of which have been by fine margins.
“Change is always going to be a bit unsettling,” Carolan, who left his post as U20s head coach to take up a role on Keane’s new senior coaching ticket, began.
One of the big attractions for Carolan, he continued, was the 64-year-old’s player-led, outcome-based methods. It’s the same approach he had so much success at underage level with.
“For the players it’s a steep learning and unfortunately the early results just haven’t gone our way, albeit we were close in a few. It’s building, it’s building nicely and how close we got to Scarlets shows it’s on an upward curve.”
The steep learning curve has included reversals to Glasgow, Dragons, Cardiff Blues and, most recently, the defending champions Scarlets. The sole win came against the Kings in Galway but, encouragingly, the performances have steadily improved week-on-week.
“It takes a while to get used to things and it takes a while to talk to some of the players,” Muldoon says. “It takes time to gel and get new ideas across but you don’t want too many results to go against you. We need to kick on now and get a few results on the board as that will help the confidence levels.
“It’s still quite positive [in the dressing room]. We’re still getting used to him and the way he wants things but you can’t be giving away too many results too early. We need to get consistent performances but we haven’t really achieved that as of yet.”
Muldoon, the Connacht captain, suggested some players have struggled to take the new information, strategies and tactics on board, thus leading to a slow adaptation rate and an inaccurate, disjointed and stuttering start to the Keane reign.
“I would consider myself an intelligent rugby player,” the 34-year-old says. “You’ve been around a while and you do a small little bit of coaching. I had a down week last week and I assisted with the coaching of the academy and it takes a while when you’re a kid to pick stuff up but when you’re a little bit older I can pick things up pretty quickly.
“That comes with age and experience. You’ve to go out and live it for a while and we’ve got quite a young team and it takes longer to adapt. We have a young age profile and that’s probably why we’re taking longer to adapt. When you go out onto the pitch you don’t go out to make mistakes but when you become tired and under pressure, you sometimes revert to type.
“We’re changing our type at the moment and it takes a while to embed that in your DNA and like it took time for us not to kick the ball a couple of years ago under Pat. It takes time to come around to the new stuff and some players are struggling a little bit.
“If I was trying to learn algebra again having been away from school for a few years it would take me a while to pick it back up so some players it takes a little bit longer and that’s life. It’s a matter of upskilling as quickly as possible. Everyone is buying into it, it’s just a matter of getting that results-based performance out on the pitch.
“You just need to see improvement every game. I think the most frustrating thing from a coaches and players’ point of view is going out and making the same mistakes every day but five games, we’ve lost four of them and each day we’ve gone out we’ve done different things wrong.”
Defensive errors have proved costly, particularly in that home loss to Cardiff when Keane was left fuming afterwards. His side threw away the points in the final 10 minutes.
“We are a club in transition and we have struggled to put a stamp on our season thus far but we had a cracking game against Scarlets. It is an opportunity to advance for us,” Carolan added. “We want to re-ignite that form of 18 months ago.”
Following that sensational Pro12 triumph under Pat Lam, Muldoon muses that a failure to kick on from that and better themselves last season led to this downward spiral in form.
He takes over: “I sat here this time last year and said for us to go out and be competitive we’d need to go and get better and change things. Ultimately our consistency and a lot of analysis by other teams figured out what we did but it was up to us to change that. If we do the same thing again, we won’t be good enough as you always have to get better.
“What was good enough six months, isn’t good enough now so you need to add more to your game and change and develop quickly. 18 months ago we won a competition playing the best style of rugby but that won’t win you a competition this year. It changes very quickly, you’ve to go out and push the boundaries to get even better.
“We found a niche in the market for a year but that won’t win you a competition now. You’ve got to try things and ultimately make mistakes and mistakes are very frustrating but until you try you’ll never succeed. It’s like a golfer changing his swing, why would Pádraig Harrington change his swing when he’s won x amount of competitions? Because he knows he’s not going to be good enough in two or three years time.
“We haven’t gone away from that DNA and culture that won us the Pro12. We are still the highest passing team, still the most amounts of minutes of ball in play. Unfortunately we are not making our tackles and it is costing us badly but we are still asking the questions of other teams to tackle us. We are still playing an attacking brand of rugby, just a little differently.”
It’s on to Ulster and Kingspan Stadium on Friday, a ground Connacht have failed to win at since 1960. No better time to reverse the early-season fortunes and ignite their campaign.
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Next season will be one of the most interesting seasons in an age. Leicester and Tottenham have money, Liverpool are doing well. United will buy big. And Man City will have to do a clear out. A few new names from the Euros will prob make big transfers. And as for Long, the better he is doing the better for us. For all the bitching people done about Robbie we can clearly see how he dragged us for years
Milan baros…… Supasta
Ye boys working here on the 42 are mad to get Coleman and McCarthy to ‘bigger’ clubs. Their performances this year would leave a lot to be desired I’d be surprised if a ‘big’ club would come in for them. They ain’t Denis Irvin and Roy Keane so get over it!
Coleman had plenty of interest when he made the team of the year in 2014 and McCarthy has been inquired after by the likes of Spurs before, even though it might not have gone anywhere. I think this shows they should have been more ruthless and grabbed their chances with both hands. It’s a short career.
McCarthy to Spurs could be a good move for both parties. He can provide an extra holding midfielder with Dier and Dembele and for McCarthy will have chance to play CL.
I think Shane Long is great but there is no doubt that he is wasteful in the premier league and does miss a couple before he scores but this season he has done well. Hope he pushes on for the euros and stays at Southampton!
I agree I think the author has got a slightly over board here !
As a gooner I just can’t see the immediate future improving at all. Bit harsh maybe to protest against Wenger but it’s time for a change. Fair fooks to Leicester though. The most exciting story in football since Denmark won the euro’s in 92. And as a diehard Ireland fan I dream of Ireland doing something similar
Funny you should mention it, if Ireland hadn’t fooked up in Poland they would have been a serious team at Euro 92. The team were at their peak that year.
I was only 2 when Denmark won the euros but leicester’s success surely has to be so much more exciting and impressive. Denmark won three games to win the Euros! I don’t need to tell ye what Leicester did!
They won more than three. 6 at least.
They won 2 in normal time and one on penos. There was only 8 teams in the Euros back then. Not that spectacular of an achievement. Greece in 2004 would be closer to what Leicester did but still miles away.
Would love to see Liverpool and Atletico win their European cup finals. I reckon they both have fantastic chances.
Have a wee bet on for that, so I hope so too!
Don’t agree with it being the
Minority that want Wenger to stay. I’m a Arsenal fan and want to him to see out his contract. It’s the media that’s made the hype surrounding Wenger. The protest game had just as many fans chanting FOR than against Wenger. Man is a legend and deserves our respect and deserves to see out his contract.
You’re definitely right. Be crazy to sack him. Although they will have to put in a long term plan replacing him – he is probably the only manager now who has control over the whole club. If they don’t plan they will end up a mess like United and forced to spend hundreds of millions to get back to top 4. And that’s coming from a Spurs fan!
So you want him out then
Spot on Sideshow. It would be mad to sack with out a proper long term plan in place. I’d expect him to still have a big role at the club which would be amazing for any manager who comes in to have that experience to draw from. I don’t think it’s a matter of his style of football that has some fans screaming for his head but more that he hasn’t brought in that world class striker to lead the line which admittedly he is partially to blame for alright. You get the sense that he knows he has to spend big and bring in that big name this summer but to call for his sacking is a bit much IMO. I doubt any manager (with the exception of Fergie) could have managed CL quali for 18 season in a row and that alone deserves massive plaudits for keeping Arsenal a “big club”
PS. If you lot could lose tomorrow that’d be great. Cheers ;)
Ye’re gas, I just don’t get the calls for this big name striker, vardy was hardly a big name, Aguero is a big name but he still didn’t guarantee city the league, besides Giroud has one of the highest goal to minutes played ratio in the league, Sanchez is class, and ye’ve loads of attacking players, it’s at the heart of the defence is ye’re biggest problem, look at any league winning side from living memory and they’re all built on solid defensive foundations, no side would have ever won the league with an aging per mertesacker at the heart of its defence
Barca would say otherwise. Haven’t been Defensively sound all year. If it was the premier league they played in they’d leak goals. Its that front three of MSN made the difference so I say yes, a big name striker is of massive importance for a team to win a league. Leicester was a freak occurrence that we might never see in our lifetime again. Giroud is a solid squad player. Good footballer and great to bring off the bench but leading the line id say no. He scored last weekend, his first goal since March 4th. Says enough for me
How many minutes of football did Giroud actually play in that space of time, and no vardy isn’t a total aberration, look at Martial for instance – plucked from relative obscurity. By your logic the Barca defence is no better than arsenals defence, I’m sorry but I’d take pique and mascherano any day over mertesacker, even koscielny is decent but gets muscled out of it in the air a lot. So unless ye are going to go and buy three of the best attackers in the world then no I don’t think one more striker will win the league for ye. How many times have I seen mertesacker vacate central defence and then fail to get back in time, it happened against spurs and again against city. Huth and morgan have shown whats needed to win titles.
“plucked from relative obscurity” – Ya, but for how much money?
Fancy Liverpool next year.
Showbiz
Rumors abound that Klopp will see Sturridge, bring in Goetze and make Firmino his main striker. It would be some statement from Klopp if he were to do that.
Top class? No. Has played better this season with an extended run of games but one season does not make a player. Now i might have the bar too high but top class for me would be lukaku and higuain while world class would be suarez, ibrahimovic. Messi and ronaldo have their own special class. Am I being too restrictive?
Lukaku and Higuain are Europa class at best whilst Ibrahamovic is merely a flat-track tosser!!
Suarez surely has to be in a class above Ibra? He’s proven himself at Barca while Ibra floundered there
Only took him 8seasons….
Long might be great with klopp?
Shane Long is an all round striker but I’m surprised no one has given Connor Salmon a mention , given his recent performances he ought to be given a place for the Euros next month
And starting as lone striker of course!
Shane long is far from being a Top class striker. He is John walters with A bit more pace but doesn’t hold the Ball as well as Walters does. Thats the decision O’Neill must make a mediocre striker that can Run in behind of One that can hold the Ball up to involve others in the play.
With no European Football to distract, Chelsea under Conte should be a good bet next season for top 4.
‘hon the ‘hoe. G’wan the Long fella