Programme Notes 2007/8

Leicester Tigers

A hard-fought victory at Worcester last week brought to an end a run of eight matches without victory. Worcester are never an easy team to beat and their current league position does not reflect the quality of the squad that is being assembled at Sixways since the RWC.  In any case, it was a massive victory for us and hopefully will steady the nerves of supporters, some of who were close to committing ritual disembowelment, Hara-kiri style, in front of the Legends Lounge during today’s pre-match warm-up.

I brought along a friend to the last home game, who described watching Quins as being a very similar experience to watching his beloved West Ham. He was describing the frustrations of a game that we should have put away in the first 30 minutes, before handing it to the opposition, and then launching a courageous fight back, that was too little, too late. This got me thinking back to a comment made by Mark Evans, at a previous Quinssa “Meet the Management” Evening, and I wondered whether other GP clubs could be compared to their footy equivalents.

Of course, our opponents today would have to be Man Utd, a team that most of us hate, but secretly admire for what they’ve achieved. I had always thought of our own Deano as a scowling, arrogant, humourless, “Alex Ferguson” character when he was at Leicester, but now that he’s one of us, I see him more in the Arsene Wenger mould; an intellectual visionary, creating a young, talented team that will take on the European establishment within the next few seasons.

Over the last ten years, I’ve considered Saracens as Abramovich’s Chelsea, however, where the analogy breaks down is that the salary cap prevents them from paying world-class players the salaries they would normally demand. I am sure that in lieu of money, they have been tempted to sample the delights of the Shangri-la that is Watford. However, that baton has since passed to Sale, especially as they’ve started to win things, and Stockport is now seen by young All Blacks as the place to be seen and noticed. Once again, the salary cap ensures only modest compensation! Honestly!!

In view of their success in Europe, Wasps have to be considered rugby’s Liverpool, but without the support. They are indeed the perfect proof that rugby supporters rarely chase success. Bath is Tottenham, a team with a creaking old trophy cabinet that hasn’t been open for many years. Bristol is definitely Portsmouth; a famous Club, with a team of experienced older players that were seen as past their best by former clubs, but playing at a level greater than the sum of their parts.

Well, what about Quins, you may ask? It’s obvious from the above that my hope is that we are rugby’s Arsenal, although in recent years, we have been more the Gunners of George Graham than Wenger. However, we have more in common than you think, i.e. an impressive stadium with passionate supporters, albeit criticised for being a little too quiet for visiting teams, and a successful Academy producing young home-grown players for the first team, supplemented by a bit of unsung class from outside TW2. Knowing that Mark Evans confesses to being a Spurs supporter he might not see it like that, but trust me, he’s in denial. 

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