Leicester Tigers fans were eagerly listening into last week’s Podcast episode of “The Good, The Bad and The Rugby”, as Leicester legend Geordan Murphy was the main guest on the show. No doubt many fans were hoping to hear Murphy dish up some juicy gossip about the circumstances of his leaving the club, or maybe give an insight as to what had happened over the last 2 years. Instead, Murphy, being the ultimate gentleman that he is, kept any powder dry and was very polite about the club and how he left. However, the bit that jumped out to myself from what Murphy did say, was almost a throw away line, buried amongst the conversation. So buried as to almost miss it.
Amongst the discussion about Geordan being the Premiership’s most decorated player, it was stated that Murphy had won the Premiership, a ridiculously impressive 8 times. In his reply to Mike Tindall’s quip that he should have let others have a chance, Murphy’s riposte was that he had lost the Premiership final 5 times as well. Whilst this may seem an innocent comment, consider this. Geordan joined Leicester Tigers in 1997, and stayed on as a player until his retirement 16 years later in 2013. This means that Murphy either won the Premiership or was a runner-up in 13 out of the 16 seasons he was a player. Even more incredibly, that means that there were only 3 seasons where Geordan and therefore Leicester, were not involved in the winning of the league, or involved in the end destination of the trophy. Only 3 seasons that Tigers could be considered “average”. However much I try and rationalise it, that is an absolutely insane period of dominance of club sport, let alone club rugby. How’s this for a stat, of all the Premiership games that Murphy played in for Leicester, he walked away with a win percentage just shy of 80% at 78.29%. Over a 22 game season, that equates to 17-18 wins.
Of those 3 seasons that Tigers were out of the running for winning the league – 1997-98, 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 – Tigers finished 4th, 6th and 5th respectively. Other clubs and players would dream for those finishes to be the worst moments of their career. To go along with that long period of league dominance, Tigers won 2 European Cups, and were runners up in another 2, with another losing semi-final to boot. In the cup, before it lost its shine, the Leicester & Murphy show won the trophy twice, were runners up once, as well as 3 losing semi-final places. The numbers are simply mind-boggling. To do that over a 5 or 10 year period would be impressive, but to keep coming back for more, each time, for 16 years straight is just a sensational effort for any club – let alone one that had decent competition for most of that period from teams around them.
Stating those numbers isn’t to demoralise us or to remind us of what we were and what we have been over the last 2 seasons, and to highlight how we have fallen. It is actually quite the opposite. It is to remind ourselves that what we were is almost a one-off. We shouldn’t be sad that it is over but happy that it happened. That Leicester Tigers era of 1997-2013 should absolutely be spoken about as one of the greatest sporting dynasty’s that’s ever been – Tigers should be spoken about on the same terms as the likes of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United team, or the Australian cricket team. All teams that absolutely dominated their respective fields and their rivals. Certainly when you look at Tigers, which other rugby club has come near over such a long period of time in the professional era? Sarries, Wasps and Exeter are probably the only 2, and neither really can compete over such a long period. Exeter, have done well given their starting position and that should not be sniffed at, but theirs is not a period of dominance. Whilst Sarries’ numbers are impressive, their financial numbers as we now know were in fantasy land, which provided a significant leg up on their rivals. Tigers were that dominant for 16 years legally. Wasps were the coming men for a period of time, but again, how long was that period? That fizzled out after 6 or 7 seasons of being the team to beat.
The point I am making is about the new-look Leicester Tigers, that is being rebuilt and remoulded, and the expectations that we as fans should have regarding what that will look like. A lot of talk has been made about taking Leicester back to what they were. An ambition that we and myself all share and hope for and want to happen desperately. I myself, cannot wait to see Leicester back on the big stage at a Premiership Final. However, the aim of being what we were - is this a realistic aspiration? Are we setting ourselves up for disappointment? What does success look like? As I have stated above, what we were is a one-off. An almost freak-like team of superb endurance, dynamite dominance and sheer bloody-mindedness to keep coming back year after year for 16 years and be the best or the team that everyone else had to beat to win the league. As we have seen since 2013, winning the league or being finalists at least, is not a walk in the park. We cannot just rock up there, just because we’re Leicester and we have more fans than anyone else, these things have to be earned.
I am not saying that we will not become what we were, nor that it is wrong that we are aiming for that level. We absolutely should, and I love that we’re not backwards in coming forward in our intent and ambition. We should be puffing our chests out and stating that we’re wanting to be title contenders, but I am mindful of the fact that doing so is bloody hard, we are going to have slip ups. As Gary Neville has stated, winning a league once is almost easy, the hard bit is to back it up a year later when everyone is desperate to beat the champions week after week. Let alone doing that pretty much every year for 15 years. So as fans, we need to have patience, and just enjoy the ride for what it is rather than what it is not. To want the club to win the league each year is realistic, to expect it or demand it? That I feel, is not realistic, and an attitude that can quickly fall into a football mentality of baying for blood, whether that be players, coaches, board members if something does not go our way. 12 teams start off wanting to win the league, nearly half now, have a legitimate claim of being title contenders. If we “only” finish in the top 4, then that is not a disaster. The last 2 seasons has shown us what real disaster looks like. Wanting and expecting something are two entirely different concepts - we should be the former, not the latter.
It is also an appeal to the club. Let’s not go back to the attitude we had 10 years ago, of win the league or you’re sacked. The expectation of being winners did help get us towards success yes, but it also turned us into a desperate, short sighted club, that could only think or look ahead for the next 12 months only. It meant too many signings were inadequate and not good enough long-term, it led to huge squad churn year on year, it led to promising youngsters leaving the club and plying their trade elsewhere as they were not getting game-time at Tigers. Considered too “high-risk” to be played as they were youngsters, and we were a club in a hurry, but in fact one on a road to nowhere.
Let’s now reconsider ourselves as a club – one that looks ahead 3,5, 10 years and decides what is an acceptable success in that time period. Winning the league once in every 3 years for example? That is acceptable, even if we all want to win it every year. Huge numbers of good teams, full of quality, world-class players have not won the league once, every one of them would have dreamt of winning it every 1 in 3 years. Let’s make sure success is not only in trophies won, but in young players developed and an ongoing improvement of style of rugby played. League position and trophies are important and what we should be aiming for, but let’s not go back to what we have been from 2013 onwards.
Geordan Murphy and his Leicester Tigers team of his era, should rightly be considered one of the greatest sides ever. We are absolutely right to target this and try and emulate it, but let’s not get too caught up in disappointment if we don’t. It’s an exciting ride back to the top, let’s enjoy it!