Spiro's article today

[mark_s]

Sprio seems to firing in all directions today.

http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/10/2...s-must-stay-on-as-wallabies-coach/#more-53034

Apart some factual errors (e.g. 2007 wasn't the first time Aus didn't make the semi finals) he is also either reinventing history or shedding a new light on Macqueen's stepping down as Wallaby coach. Its the first time I have heard Macqueens departure describe in this manner and I am dubious. Can anyone confirm or deny the info that Spiro has thrown out there today or is Spiro seeing reds under the bed?

Remove the knives, Deans must stay on as coach

The fact about Robbie Deans and the Wallabies challenge to win the 2011 RWC is that his team made the semi-finals of the tournament, a placing that the ARU had allocated as a ‘pass mark’ before the tournament began.

An additional fact is that some months before the RWC tournament, Deans was given an extension to his contract, giving him charge of the Wallabies until the end of the 2013 season, the year of the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.

The argument that is raging right now in the Australian rugby community is whether Deans’ record from 2008 through to the 2011 RWC tournament is strong enough to justify the extension of his contract.

His opponents argue that he should fall on his sword, and that his lacklustre record as the coach of the Wallabies suggests he should make way for his obvious successor, Ewen McKenzie.

I may as well nail my colours to the mast right away. I am a supporter of Deans........

 

[Sully]

That was news to me! If it's true it changes everything. The entire post McQueen era comes into question.


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[Scarfman]

Is it a waste of a post to say that I don't intend to read what silly old Spiro has to say? Since Green and Gold Rugby came along (and commentators like Gagger, Austin and MrTimms), the bar has been raised on Australian rugby journalism, and clowns like Growden (Hi Greg!) and the Greek Kiwi (Hi Spiro!) simply do not cut the mustard any more.

 

[Dan54]

Does anyone really take Spiro that seriously? I was never a fan when he was so called sports reporter in Sunday News in NZ, actually think he reported mainly on League in those days, maybe why he doesn't remember results in 95 when Aus missed Semis. You wouldn't think it that hard to check his facts would you??

 

[cyclopath]

2 articles this week, both with major factual errors.
The other day he missed the fact that Kepu and Vickerman (and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and Elsom, technically) are Waratahs when he stated there were none in the SF start team. This time, he forgets the 1995 RWC result for the Wallabies.
Either very lazy, or just plain forgetful, but neither quality is great in a journalist for a major newspaper.

 

[Richo]

If Spiro wants Deans to stay then that seals it off for me: fire the bloke ASAP.

Also, never trust a man who can't turn sentences into paragraphs.

 

[Gnostic]

I really wouldn't mind Spiro espousing his man love for Deans if he as a journo provided some facts and results to back up this love. Deans fans continually hark to the World Rankings. They are a farce, how can the number 2 team lose to Samoa, Scotland, Ireland, England x 2 who are all significantly lower than them in the rankings, and that ranking still count for anything. A genuine ranking system would place the wallabies somewhere around 5th of 6th, behind Wales, Ireland, England SA and of course NZ.

Onto the allegations regarding Macqueen. A few points of note for me in determining the veracity of the claims:-

1) Rod did have a few issues early on with the Wallabies player culture, as outlined in Eales Biography. They were sorted however on the Argentine and EOYT in 97, and Eales makes no further mention of any other tensions.
2) This is the first time in a decade that such allegations have been heard. They must be the best kept secrets in Oz Rugby for not even a rumour to get out after all this time, because Oz Rugby is great with keeping secrets.
3) When a scribe resorts to belittling and personally attacking his/her opposition (Bolshies) it shows that have little substance to their arguments. I find it highly amusing that he selected this term as my friend and I have been referring to the ARU and their cosy no critique relationship (or we will restrict your access to players etc) with some scribes being the Kremlin/Pravda like. Spiro was a chief Comrade. Very amusing indeed, Spiro have you been reading my mail again, please get your own ideas. Giteau has always been the perfect Gen Y boy tweeting and facebook when he has a crap so I don't know why anybody is surprised at his comments. At least he is being honest, and I say that from the POV of somebody who didn't and still doesn't support him for a test spot and thought his test career stretched two years too long on merit.

So in the end I think the Kremlin needed a diversion for some of the heat directed at the Master Coach. So being a senior Pravda writer Spiro dutifully did his best for his Comrades. When is your next exclusive with The Master Coach or Senior Players Spiro?

 

[louie]

He wrote a very similar article when Andy Friend was sacked.

Agree with what has been said. 1+ Gnostic.

 

[fatprop]

I would assume there is a bit in it and some exaggeration - like all journalism and journalists there are agenda, Spiro is clearly in the chuck it wide school of rugby, Deans coaches to do just that, so Spiro is a fan.

Questioning a whole article due to a minor factual error, isn't great analysis either from us

 

[Jets]

He also seems to mistake hope from supporters that the Wallabies could win as a reason for Deans to stay. There were quite a few here that questioned our ability in attack leading into the game.

 

[Hawko]

I used to go on the Roar full time but I gave it up when I found G&GR, mainly because I found Spiro's articles to be running a separate agenda. He doesn't like the Tahs however they play, he doesn't rate teams who build their game on a tight five who do set a platform (except NZ) and he is so pro-NZ that anything or anyone who presents a threat to them is treated as an enemy and trash-talked accordingly. Deans represents no threat, therefore he is a hero. Blind Freddie can see he represents no threat to NZ so lets talk him up as the best coach for Australia for the next four years, despite him having the worst win/loss record of any Australian coach.

There was a period from about 2001 onwards where a group of senior players assumed they could run the place and the teams suffered accordingly, both Brumbies and Wallabies. But the pendulum has swung so far the other way now that we have the situation where a head coach has been given god-like status despite his failings and he is so wise in the ways of backs coaching that he doesn't even have a backs coach. (What other national team has no backs coach?) He chooses poor assistants because they are no threat to him or his dictatorial powers. Despite his success with the Wallaby pack, scrum especially, Foley had to go because he wasn't prepared to accept Deans' total control. Deans keeps making the same mistakes (especially in selections), which is a further indication of his inner belief.

There is now a sense in which "if Spiro says it, it has to be wrong"; which is a shame because he was once a reasonable rugby commentator.

 

[wamberal]

Anybody criticising the Australian scrumming performance against Ireland needs to read the article in the UK Daily Telegraph, quoting three former English props who roundly castigate the refereeing in that game.

 

[Blue]

2 articles this week, both with major factual errors.
The other day he missed the fact that Kepu and Vickerman (and AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) and Elsom, technically) are Waratahs when he stated there were none in the SF start team. This time, he forgets the 1995 RWC result for the Wallabies.
Either very lazy, or just plain forgetful, but neither quality is great in a journalist for a major newspaper.

For a bit of fun send him an email about it. He seems to love getting into Email argie bargie. Even when he is wrong.

 

[Slim 293]

How long until we see Brumby player power named as the reason for Robbie Deans demise?

I'm surprised Alan Jones hasn't used that excuse to explain his departure?

 

[mark_s]

Anybody criticising the Australian scrumming performance against Ireland needs to read the article in the UK Daily Telegraph, quoting three former English props who roundly castigate the refereeing in that game.

is there a link?

 

[barbarian]

Spiro is a strange one. I never used to mind his articles in the SMH, made a pleasant break from the usual cast of clowns they have there.

Then I sat next to him at the Waratahs/Rebels game this year as part of a junket in one of the corporate boxes. We chatted for most of the game, and I ended up thinking the guy was a bit crazy. Eg. Luke Burgess put up a box kick in about the 10th minute, and he got under it and it went about 10m. Spiro then proclaimed Burgess should be hooked! After ten minutes, because of one dodgy kick! I tried to reason with him, but he stuck to his guns. There were many other instances like that. He has a very weird outlook on the game, one not entirely grounded in reality I came to see.

But he was a pretty nice guy though so I won't get too down on him. He said he reads G&GR so that makes him a hero no matter what...

 

[Gnostic]

is there a link?

I posted it in the Scrum Collapse thread yesterday. About halfway down the front page now.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rug...w-changes.html

 

[Cardiffblue]

For a bit of fun send him an email about it. He seems to love getting into Email argie bargie. Even when he is wrong.

Can't believe his take on SA game. He seems to be turning the whole of question of Deans into a conspiracy. His opinions seem to be more and more erratic. I've never read such a strange article form a journo before.

 

[cyclopath]

I would assume there is a bit in it and some exaggeration - like all journalism and journalists there are agenda, Spiro is clearly in the chuck it wide school of rugby, Deans coaches to do just that, so Spiro is a fan.

Questioning a whole article due to a minor factual error, isn't great analysis either from us

I disagree. Continually making basic factual errors suggests that other aspects of his claims must be questioned also. Why accept as true one part, knowing others are plain wrong, meaning he either researches poorly, or is having a lend? It speaks to his credibility.
And anyway, as Gnostic said, why do we hear of this for the first time in 10 yrs now? Who knew rugby circles kept secrets so well?

 

[Athilnaur]

Opinion has been divided on Deans since day 1. No surprise the critics are baying now.

But in saying that I find myself agreeing that the Wallabies under performed. While I loved seeing their character and defence vs Boks, no one could be so deluded as to think that game showed all black beating form. The Irish game was woeful, and the second half of the Russia game an embarrassment.
I've seen so many different views as to why they were outplayed on Sunday. Many here say it was a stifled attack. Others, a poor tactical plan. Others an outplayed forward pack. Some even blame Quade.

Spiros' view is they're a young (read: inexperienced at RWC) team.

I think he has a point, but I can't help wondering how McQueen or McKenzie would have prepared the team for last Sunday.