Ulster lost this end of season match with an uninspiring display only too typical of too many matches this season. Yet again, it was poor ball retention and poor handling that let them down with everything just a little bit too snatched and too hurried. Looks like it’s going to be a long summer in the paddock for most of the team!
The only amusing incident in the game was the thought of Ballpark’s head exploding as the announcer called out Gareth Thomas, one of the infamous Toulouse Two, as Man of the Match. I swear I could see the steam rising over on the terrace side after this gem.
As the thirty minutes of extra time dragged on with Ulster not looking likely to bother the scoreboard I was distracted by Raging Raven stabbing his I-phone with his pudgy fingers as he tried to get through to Ulster Rugby to tell them to tear up his season ticket renewal cheque! However, such heat of the moment reactions are not what Ulster needs if they are to get back to the top of the European tree. Quite frankly, I thought as I looked across at the new stand rising out of the rubble of the old terrace, what Ulster need is lots of supporters with a bit of money and a bit of faith!
To ask the dour, sarcastic and highly sceptical Ulster supporter to have faith is a bit like waving a red rag to a bull. Finger pointing and conspiracy theories sits so much more comfortably with us (if you only knew half the drivel I have to discount each week when I write my, er, drivel) that faith in the ability of those in charge is as rare as a Celtic shirt on the Shankill, but that is what’s needed. One only has to look at the ignominious departure of Mark McCall, one of Ulster’s most successful sons – on and off the pitch, to see where our lack of faith has got us. The same should not happen with current coach Matt Williams and shame on us if it does!
Now as most of my readers are civil servants, students, teachers, bankers and yummy American college girls I’ll try and keep the next bit deceptively simple!
As the new stand requires a solid foundation and structural support work, so does the re-building of the team. By all accounts Matt Williams has laid a solid enough foundation and the support work is in place, he just needs time to see the project through to completion.
With recent results, it looks as though some of the rebuilding work may have went off plan, but when this happens you assess your options, check your budget and look to complete as effectively as possible. This is exactly what Williams is doing, assessing what’s available to him within budget, and once that’s complete we should see the basis of a solid team structure from the start of next season.
What the true/real/loyal (delete as appropriate) Ulster Supporter needs to do is supply the budget. It’s a pretty critical time now for Ulster Rugby and if we are going to compete with the big boys we need to have the budget to do so. The prices for the new stand are roughly equivalent to adding the ticket revenue of another 4,000 punters to the previous maximum capacity, taking it up to the equivalent of 16,000 and putting us where we need to be to compete.
Few of the readers of The FRU are going to have the wherewithal to buy corporate boxes and £800 season tickets but us true/real/loyal (delete as appropriate) Ulster Supporter’s need to make sure that we keep the rest of the ground full.
Now I hope that the above doesn’t come across as a patronising statement of the obvious but if we all weigh in as best we can it could be us complaining about our Heineken Cup ticket allocation for Croke Park or even worse at the new Aviva Stadium in the next season or two. All it needs is a little faith!
Agree, disagree or just a lot of patronising bull? Leave your comment below!
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