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Message: [QUOTE="Bigpetunia, post: 1995262, member: 1772"] Orangutan, I have always enjoyed your presence on our forum and appreciate your thoughtful insights, so I'm compelled to ask, do you see, as I do, a big difference in competitive fire on this Irish team compared to Muffett's squads of the past? Over a long period of time, I consistently credited Muffett with being the second best coach in the game, always emphasizing her ability to develop an absolute warrior mentality in her players, a refuse-to-lose kind of defiance. Once Madison Cable graduated, I no longer see that kind of competitive fire left anywhere on this team. I think, to give credit, Allen shows a fair amount of it, but doesn't get much help. Arike is hugely talented, but tries to do too much herself and therefore has become wildly inconsistent. Turner, who once looked like such a huge talent, plays with what looks to me a kind of tentative fear ever since she suffered that injury...never looks truly dominating any more. Westbeld seems to have become consistent, but, alas, on the liability side of the ledger. I dunno, something seems to have gone out of the equation for the Irish despite what looks like almost unbeatable talent on paper. Thoughts? [/QUOTE]