Newcastle indiscipline annoys Alan Tait
Newcastle Falcons head coach Alan Tait says he is getting very annoyed with the indiscipline displayed by his team.
Newcastle lost 32-8 at the hands of Montpellier in the European Challenge Cup last Thursday. Newcastle conceded six penalties in the first-half that allowed the French side to race into a 23 point lead.
The side is also struggling in the Premiership as the club sits in eleventh place with five points. Only Leeds is beneath Newcastle and the team has to improve quickly if a season at the foot of the table
is to be avoided.
There are many areas that Newcastle can improve on over the coming weeks. Correcting basic errors will make the side much more efficient and difficult to beat, which should see a turn for the better in
results.
Areas to improve in
Newcastle has to be better in confined areas during any game. Too many players make basic handling and passing errors under pressure. This gives the ball away and creates a chance for the opposition to
attack.
Poor timing of tackles and challenges leads to a high penalty count against the team. This has to improve because if a side gives away lots of penalties then any team with a decent fly half will soon kick
Newcastle out of a game.
Communication has to be louder and more evident. It's down to the players to get hold of each other and re-organise when things are not going well in a game. If this doesn't happen then Newcastle stays
dysfunctional and it's easy for the opposition to score.
"I keep saying this week in, week out. We'll have a look at the videos and see if it's individuals, but we've been at the wrong end of discipline again. At least the guys have come out here and felt the
atmosphere and found out what it's all about [against Montpellier]," said Tait.
Creating some confidence
Creating some confidence and charisma among the Newcastle team should be the first target on Tait's agenda. Cutting out the basic errors the team is making will mean conceding fewer points and losing fewer
matches.
Newcastle also needs a lot of luck to go the club's way over the next few weeks. It's impossible to expect a perfect performance from a struggling team and if there is a little bit of luck in Newcastle's
favour then it could mean a tight win, which gives the side a much welcome push.
"We've got seven days to get ready for Saracens, and they don't come any tougher. They're full of stars, and they'll be resting a lot of key players this weekend to play against us next weekend. We know
it's going to be a tough battle, we'll get up for it, and hopefully we'll have a few players back fit and healthy next weekend," added Tait.
Betting advice
Be very wary of backing any side that isn't in form ahead of a big domestic game. Betting in play is the best option with this Newcastle team at the moment. This is because it will be clear within the
first few minutes of the game against Saracens whether Newcastle is good enough to win.
Also be wary of backing Newcastle in European competition. Any bet on the team after the huge defeat by Montpellier will be a romantic punt and nothing more.
The best option is to back the best players in the side until the team starts playing more productively. This means the fly half who will score a lot of points kicking for the posts from penalties and
conversions.
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