![]() |
IMPORTANT Remember to read the rules of the board and abide by them when posting. |
BEN WARD EALING TRAILFINDERS DOR |
Post Reply ![]() |
Author | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No 7 ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 10 Oct 2011 Location: LONDON Status: Offline Points: 1873 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posted: 15 Dec 2021 at 22:17 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ben Ward DOR at EALING TRAILFINDERS has come under criticism from contributors on Rolling Maul recently and in the past. I can not think of any Ealing supporters who have openly viewed any major criticism or opinions on here. I think that is because most Ealing Trailfinders supporters who use this forum are long standing and have witnessed the steady growth and rise to the Championship and the incredible opportunity of this season. We have known Ben from his early days way back in 2004 when Ealing were on the rise from London Division 2. He played flyhalf and was a prolific goal kicker and played the most open rugby I have ever seen. I enjoyed the free flowing rugby and I followed the team wherever they played.
The subject of money and playing budget always gets top priority on here and I agree that without a substantial playing budget it is virtually impossible to compete throughout an entire season. I witnessed Richmond amateur part timers hold Ealing to a 17 to 0 score at half time last Saturday only to be blitzed in the second half ( timed with the presence of Rayn Smid at half time ). This was directly linked to squad size and quality off the bench. I wanted to record at this time in the season / half way, that I believe that Ealing can win the league and that have several major games in the second half of the season that they have to navigate and come away with points. Ben Wards contribution over some 17 seasons is outstanding and he is a key part of why Ealing are currently top of the Championship both has a player and DOR. He is always willing to chat about the team , the goals and ambition . Without him in my opinion we would not be where we are, poised to compete for a place in the Premiership, probably the best rugby union league in the World and all this in Ealings 150th YEAR. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No 7 ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 10 Oct 2011 Location: LONDON Status: Offline Points: 1873 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ben Wards Playing record. ( according to STATBUNKER )
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
oneagainstthehead ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 04 Feb 2015 Location: West London Status: Offline Points: 725 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ok, I’ll be the first to stick my head above the parapet. As a fly half, Ben riled me beyond belief. Kick, kick, kick and kick again, then a walking hole in the defence. For most defensive plays he would drop to the 15 slot. I’m still convinced that the only reason Ealing went for a 3G pitch was so that every player would come off the park with clean white shorts, not just Ben. However, as a coach and DOR he has hugely impressed me, despite his tendency to sign fly halves in his own image. His dedication and commitment to the club are incomparable. Whether he is a Premiership DOR is another matter with much water still to pass under the bridge before that is put to the test (if it ever is, of course).
Edited by oneagainstthehead - 15 Dec 2021 at 23:30 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Speak softly, but carry a big stick.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Halliford ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 17 Feb 2010 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 4215 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He was at Esher before he went to Ealing and we were sorry to see him go although at that age he couldn’t holD down a 1st XV slot. I think he has done a brilliant job at Ealing, particularly his selection of coaches (with the possible exception of Alex Codling) which has been key to Ealing’s success. I see no reason with he can’t emulate Rob Baxter. Good luck to him!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Blues ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Status: Offline Points: 4856 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
An alternative view The biggest budget The biggest squad The best players - they sign dream team players, decent South Africans or Premiership players generally A professional set up with whole back room team beneath him One of the worst DoR’s as it is easy to come 2nd with everything they have Why are Ealing letting him down? They should have an experienced head to help guide and develop him. He has only limited Professional knowledge (most of his experience was in lower leagues) so has been learning on the job, so is far from the finished article. This would improve him and ultimately give Ealing a better DoR for many more years to come for their Premiership mission. They will make the Premiership but will only make it by being the best Championship team rather than taking out the relegated Premiership side. Therefore basically finishing 2nd once again!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
corporalcarrot ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 22 Sep 2013 Location: St Brelade Status: Offline Points: 4724 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I think the half way mark is the wrong time to consider this but my own thoughts are:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dont kick it. Pick it up and GO FORWARD.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bluesman11 ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 13 May 2008 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1102 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I appreciate Ben Ward is an Ealing legend and admire the loyalty to him, but I think that can sometimes lead to being blinkered. I’m absolutely confident they would still be where they are without him and that is not down to him, but down to Mike Gooley.
The difficult thing is it’s hard really to assess how well he’s done as a coach. He’s achieved the absolute bare minimum you would expect him to by consistently finishing 2nd. If any of those seasons they had finished top (or made a serious challenge) there would be scope for saying he’s done a good job. If any of those years they’d finished 3rd, he would probably be in the firing line. So his performance review is really just “met expectations”. I really think near enough anyone remotely qualified could’ve finished 2nd with the resources at their disposal relative to the rest of the league at Ealing. This year was the first year there’s been serious pressure. The whole format has been set up to promote them and they should be making a statement and blowing away the opposition. I fully expect them to still finish top, but the fact they have lost twice already and let Pirates and Jersey be serious contenders doesn’t constitute much praise imo. You can forgive one loss (terrible conditions, opponents play a blinder), but there is really no excuse for them to be losing any more than that. When you look at what Cattle/Paves achieve at Pirates I think you’d be hard pushed to argue that they couldn’t have done more with Ealing’s resources
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Championship Prediction League Winner 11/12
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
oneagainstthehead ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 04 Feb 2015 Location: West London Status: Offline Points: 725 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Very hard to argue with this.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Speak softly, but carry a big stick.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
corporalcarrot ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 22 Sep 2013 Location: St Brelade Status: Offline Points: 4724 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I expect Ealing are confident anyway but they have a wonderful record on their own pitch and the only side in the top 5 they still have to play away from home is Jersey. The chasing pack have a habit of beating each other - Donny have to visit Jersey who in turn have to visit Pirates who have to visit Donny! I suspect Ealing can afford to lose another couple of games and still end up top overall by about 10 points - unless the chasing pack can win a few matches at Vallis Way.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dont kick it. Pick it up and GO FORWARD.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
gerg_861 ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 11 Jun 2017 Location: Ealing Status: Offline Points: 2615 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ben's enthusiasm and commitment to the club can't be questioned. I have seen a lot of growth over the past couple of years. In particular I used to see Ealing go into the half with a big lead, and then the opposition would come storming back after the half time. Now, for example at Richmond, you can see that Ealing is also able to make half-time changes to their benefit.
Ealing is extremely closed-mouthed about the injuries, which makes the selection policy a bit difficult to understand at times. I do worry that Ben can get a bit too cute with chopping and changing the selection too frequently, but once again not clear how much is injury driven. A lot of folks are saying that Ealing should have turned over the relegated Premiership sides, but a lot of years were relatively close, especially considering that the budget of the Premiership sides was still likely double or triple Ealing's budget. This year in particular, I'm a bit disappointed by the outcome of the recruitment. I can't point to anyone making a splash like Simon Uzokwe or Bobby De Wee have over the last couple of years. Still, I think that investing into the facilities is the right long-term decision.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WEvans ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 08 Dec 2016 Location: London Status: Offline Points: 1456 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I really wouldn't rely on any stats from that particular source.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
dumbape ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Status: Offline Points: 864 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I have seen Ben at work on and off the pitch for nearly 20 years. In a game like ours maintaining performance over two decades is pretty tough and Ben has had more success than most as a player and a coach. Winning is always a team effort and if we were to look at his stats with Ealing I am pretty sure that what we’d see is right up there with the very best.
Now cynics might say it is easy when you have the money, but anyone with any experience should realise that it isn’t having the money that is important it is what you do with it. Luck will play a part of course and don’t forget with all this talk of coming second that the clubs that won were those relegated from the premiership with fully pro squads and parachute payments to boot. It’s never even been close to being a balanced continuum from the championship to the premiership. MG is a great asset to the club no doubt, but his support has been based on his relationship with Ben and the broader management team. In the years that I was directly involved the quality of this was outstanding with smart committed people working together to build their club. BW was an important contributor, perhaps at times critical, but the point is the management team of the club top notch. This is based on not just on First Team performance, but the evolution of the club from Sudbury to the Championship. Maybe beyond. Obviously, many tough decisions had to be taken and no one gets it 100% right, but the energy and belief transformed the Ealing Club into a great local club with Trailfinders playing a critical role as a important partner. Ben was pivotal to this as were a few others. Whether BW is upto the premiership is the wrong question in my mind, a better one is how will the club manage if it makes it to the premiership. In some ways it is a contest for the soul of the game. Can smaller clubs get to the very top and importantly stay there! If we can then so can others and perhaps this will convince some folks that ring fencing is a terrible idea for the game. Finally, Ben is a great example of what a club man can do with a lot of work and effort. Anyone that has followed Ealing will have seen a lot of exciting rugby with sometimes a few mistakes Horne of a passion to play and play to win. While I don’t doubt bolstering the coaching team will be necessary Ben has earned the right to take Ealing to the next level. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
kempstonblue ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 20 Jun 2020 Location: Kempston Status: Offline Points: 522 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Without doubt it will be interesting to see how Ealing get on in Premiership.
Hopefully the increased gate numbers will be from locals, not just away supporters. Then it will be keeping the converts coming in week in, week out. Good luck to Ealing the eyes of the Rugby World might be focusing on you a lot next season.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The older I get, the more the RFU leave me confused.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
dumbape ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Status: Offline Points: 864 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For all the right reasons I hope. I don't want too count any chickens yet though as there are teams that can and may beat us over the coming months, but hopefully we'll pull it off. Visit to Bath next season would be something wonderful to look forward to. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Scrumtime ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 26 Aug 2020 Location: London Status: Offline Points: 845 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For a side that has everything
Against a lot of sides that have nothing Be very interesting how this pans out I for one would love to see Donnie for the North Or Cornish Pirates for the South west do it If only to show that money does not buy you success and also to spread the game, Yorkshire and Cornwall both need a Premiership side and bloody good luck to both of them although they won’t be getting any help from Twickers |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No 7 ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 10 Oct 2011 Location: LONDON Status: Offline Points: 1873 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE: for a side that has everything...........Except a 10, 000 seating capacity
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Post Reply ![]() |
|
Tweet
|
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions ![]() You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |