It’s a results based business but whether Pay stays on or not will depend on a few things for mine. Improvements in our attacking structure, whether players are developing under his watch (ie not going backwards) and his ability to pick the team with the right balance.
If he ticks those boxes and we still can’t make the 8 because of an obvious lack of quality/depth in key positions so be it. But that shouldn’t be too much to ask of him. We’ve recruited pretty poorly imo so you can’t put that all on him but he still has a job to do. He’s getting paid a lot of money to coach this team and he’s been with the squad long enough now where there shouldn’t be any excuses.
I also think saying we shouldn’t let him go because there are no decent replacements a cop out and inviting mediocrity. You can’t tell me there aren’t young coaches out there chomping at the bit for a chance to coach.
Developing players, Meaney has come on in leaps and bounds, Britt (albeit early days) is playing better than we saw at the Wabbits, RFM and To’omaga are maturing nicely, DWZ is playing better than he has for years (proof of motivating players and giving them an atmosphere where they can excel), Okunbor (again early in the season) but he looks far better than previously, Ogden looks fitter and is playing harder, as does Napa, CHN another example of getting the best out of a player with a bit of cold hard truth, Harper, Wakeham etc etc. To me he has proven that he can motivate and develop players.
The last 10 games last season provided proof of appropriate team selections, no revolution required this year just evolution as the players develop. Every professional commentator has decided that we aren’t contenders based on the quality of our roster. That’s the coach’s ultimate test, achieving more with less and exceeding the experts’ expectations.
To me there is simply the requirement to win the games that we should win, not to lose the games that we shouldn’t lose and to win some games that we shouldn’t win.
Go Dogs
