Gregor's future

[Scottish Caley Fan]

Now that the 6Ns have finished with us in a very respectable 3rd place on 15pts after 3 wins from 5 I thought I'd start this thread for you guys to discuss the coaches future because, despite yesterday's comments after match his future is still up in the air

I personally hope that he does stay on to continue the progress we've made under his tenure but I also get what John Barclay said yesterday when he says that Gregor "probably already knows what's happening" one way or the other.

I know some fans seem to question a lot of his team lime ups etc and possibly his man management (eg the Finn Russell fall out and the boozegate incident) but I really don't see that as being a valid reason to get rid

[Cameo]

My faith in him wobbled over the Finn Russell thing. Not because I necessarilly thought it was all his fault but because a happy Finn Russell is so crucial to us. There have also been some strange changes in approach and selections I don't agree with.

But I would be happy for him to sign on again. We are good to watch, we win more often than not, and we show signs of addressing weaknesses (even if other ones sometimes appear).

I am also sceptical about the alternatives. If Scott Robertson wanted the job then fair enough but we are realistically looking at someone who is not overwhelmed with offers and doesn't have (successful) international experience. We also want someone who can innovate and put up with a small player base.

Finally, in some ways the year after a World Cup is our big chance in the six nations (along with post Lions years) so I don't really want a massive rebuilding job unless we really think it will lead to something special. This group of players might not have that long.

[Mikey Brown]

My faith in him wobbled over the Finn Russell thing. Not because I necessarilly thought it was all his fault but because a happy Finn Russell is so crucial to us. There have also been some strange changes in approach and selections I don't agree with.

But I would be happy for him to sign on again. We are good to watch, we win more often than not, and we show signs of addressing weaknesses (even if other ones sometimes appear).

I am also sceptical about the alternatives. If Scott Robertson wanted the job then fair enough but we are realistically looking at someone who is not overwhelmed with offers and doesn't have (successful) international experience. We also want someone who can innovate and put up with a small player base.

Finally, in some ways the year after a World Cup is our big chance in the six nations (along with post Lions years) so I don't really want a massive rebuilding job unless we really think it will lead to something special. This group of players might not have that long.

Yep. This seems like a fair summary.

I thought he was appointed too early but he’s done a lot of his learning on the job and it would be just typical to ditch him now without a better alternative. I’m really encouraged by the way he has talked about the Russell situation recently, where they both made plenty of mistakes and he seems to have learned a lot.

I was concerned he was too stubborn and too defensive to adjust but it feels like something has changed. He seemed to have gone in to his shell a bit and become reliant on Tandy/Harris to tighten things up, so I was very happy to see the approach we’ve had recently.

At the very least I’d like to hold to him for 2 more years and have him groom a successor, assuming we don’t have a Smith/Robertson desperate to become Scotland coach. A lot of our best player are at their peak, or just past it, and I think there will be quite a transition phase. Though it’s nice to think the next group of players coming through won’t have had to suffer through Di Rollo, Henderson etc.

[switchskier]

If he wants to stay then I agree that there are no better options on the horizon. I think it would be quite an attractive job to many as a short term gig, but the Diamond appointment has made me risk averse.

I am keen that we finally get some stability in the coaching setup however. Mooar and Horne have worked well together getting the attack going, much better than under Zongdah. Tandy's defense is still pretty good. But the temptation to break up the group and place them, or Dalziel, with the pro-sides will be high when the pipeline looks pretty bare.

[Big D]

The backroom staff is important. Taylor, Wilson and Zondagh were all poor.

He deserves a new deal. Whether he takes it will be interesting.

[Scottish Caley Fan]

I can't get the full article as its subscription only but I see on Mail plus that Callum Crowe wants him gone!! No doubt Rob Robertson will have his say before the official announcement because he was another that thought he'd be off after the world cup.

[General Zod]

I’m happy either way - he seems to have improved recently, though.

If he stayed and got the Lions gig while we got a chance to run our eye over a potential successor, I’d be happy with that.

I’d like to see a specialist line out coach, though. Defensively (I.E. inside our own 22), we’ve been better than I can remember, but there seems to be a lack of nous/ leadership in other areas when the main caller goes off, or we’ve just made a replacement at hooker.

[Big D]

I’m happy either way - he seems to have improved recently, though.

If he stayed and got the Lions gig while we got a chance to run our eye over a potential successor, I’d be happy with that.

I’d like to see a specialist line out coach, though. Defensively (I.E. inside our own 22), we’ve been better than I can remember, but there seems to be a lack of nous/ leadership in other areas when the main caller goes off, or we’ve just made a replacement at hooker.

Andy Farrell will rightly be a stick on for the Lions if he wants it.

[BaldiePete]

The fantasy that some people had that Scott Robertson would be the next Scotland coach is well and truly dead now that he’s got the NZ job. Given that these things seem to be dictated by the RWC schedule, if Toony gets a new contract it shouldn’t be for four years. Make it two years and then look at how things are progressing. If we change coaches with two years to go till the next RWC there’ll be time for the new guy to settle in.

[Cameo]

The fantasy that some people had that Scott Robertson would be the next Scotland coach is well and truly dead now that he’s got the NZ job. Given that these things seem to be dictated by the RWC schedule, if Toony gets a new contract it shouldn’t be for four years. Make it two years and then look at how things are progressing. If we change coaches with two years to go till the next RWC there’ll be time for the new guy to settle in.

Yeah, that was never going to happen. It does leave the Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown combo potentially looking for a move though - not that I'm saying we should go for them or get rid of Townsend now.

I think I agree on the contract length.

[Scottish Caley Fan]

The fantasy that some people had that Scott Robertson would be the next Scotland coach is well and truly dead now that he’s got the NZ job. Given that these things seem to be dictated by the RWC schedule, if Toony gets a new contract it shouldn’t be for four years. Make it two years and then look at how things are progressing. If we change coaches with two years to go till the next RWC there’ll be time for the new guy to settle in.

It does also rule out Leon MacDonald as I'd fully expect him to be one of the assistants so it's all leaning towards a contract extension for Gregor (definitely it will be no more than 2yrs I'd imagine) and by the time that's up then Franco Smith or whoever is Edinburgh coach next year SHOULD be ready to replace him unless Jamie Joseph is available by then, he could easily get a contract extension by Japan too as I can't see any reason they'd want him gone!

I really hope that the situation is resolved within the 2wks mentioned by Gregor but its the SRU so it could be later than that!

[septic 9]

sorted. Extends until 2026