As I was charging across the concourse at London Waterloo this evening after a day of meetings and a spot of training at BBC Broadcasting House (yes I did get stuck in the office due to the bomb disposal unit’s work on an suspicious vehicle) I saw a notification arrive on my iPhone highlighting the fact that Matt O’Connor and Leicester Tigers have parted ways.
‘Goodness’ was my first reaction. Now, I’m not naive to the fact that Leicester’s round one performance was far below the standard that they would have wanted or expected. But, I didn’t expect to see such an announcement quite so early in the season. I, like most people I guess, thought that the management structure would remain in place for a number of rounds yet. If things didn't change then calls for a shift would have grown and if things weren't rosy leading into the season, then you'd have expected changes to have been made over the summer. No?
Of course all of us are not privy to the inner workings at the club. Our positions outside of it mean that while opinions may be cast, only those within the four walls of the Tigers know about the climate and the intricacies of the outfit. I’m always conscious of that fact and yes, it may sound like I’m shirking away from giving a forthright opinion, but my perspective on this stems from my time as an athlete. In the teams and set-ups that I was involved in, there was always more detail to decisions than those outside of the bubble were aware of. As a result this makes me conscious of casting assertions without intricate knowledge of environments.
The Tigers’ Round 2 meeting with Newcastle Falcons was already going to be an much talked about occasion, given the context of their Round 1 outing, and this news has just taken it up a level or five. With the match not being one of the televised games of the weekend I expect plenty will be tuning into BBC Radio Leicester or turning up at Welford Road to see the encounter for themselves. Will this news spark a performance from Leicester that is unrecognisable (in a good way) from the one that we saw in Round 1? Potentially yes, but that may have arrived anyway.
Now of course, conversations will be had about a permanent replacement for Matt O'Connor and there's no doubt about the fact that Geordan Murphy will put his best foot forwards at turning his interim position into a permanent one. He knows the club inside out and back to front from his years as a player and he'll have learnt plenty more from his time as a coach. The head coach role at Leicester Tigers is a coveted and prodigious one. The talent house in the squad is vast, their fans are ardant and knowledgable and Welford Road is an incredible place to call home. Jake White's name will fly across social media (in jest) and more serious candidates will be discussed at length. Now, it's a case of watch this space over the coming days and weeks.
Now of course, conversations will be had about a permanent replacement for Matt O'Connor and there's no doubt about the fact that Geordan Murphy will put his best foot forwards at turning his interim position into a permanent one. He knows the club inside out and back to front from his years as a player and he'll have learnt plenty more from his time as a coach. The head coach role at Leicester Tigers is a coveted and prodigious one. The talent house in the squad is vast, their fans are ardant and knowledgable and Welford Road is an incredible place to call home. Jake White's name will fly across social media (in jest) and more serious candidates will be discussed at length. Now, it's a case of watch this space over the coming days and weeks.
