Gatland has to carry the can

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Now I've defended Gatland on this forum a fair bit over the years but I'm starting to think his coaching methods are severely limiting Wales. And his running of the Welsh camp is coming across as a dictatorship.  
We've now played the same way for at least four years and to say we're predictable in attack is an understatement. There seems to be no licence whatsoever for the players to deviate from the oh-so-obvious game plan. We always attack in the same direction from the rucks and eventually someone  gets isolated and we turn the ball over. Now that sounds awfully simplistic but I don't think it's far off the mark; to say it became irritating against the French was an understatement. Even the Spanish people on the table next to me in Dublin could see what was going on. 

A few observations that have to be addressed if we're to even get out of the group in the World Cup. And, at this point, I can't see us reaching the quarter-finals because the south sea islanders will eat up our attack and constantly turn us over at the breakdown. 

* The centre partnership is all wrong; they're far too similar. Jamie Roberts is being used purely as a basher and, if we're honest, he made no line breaks all tournament. Is he a centre or is he purely playing according to orders? Neither of the centres offers any creativity and any decent international defence will swallow them up all day long. It's happened all tournament. 
* Why do we commit so few players to rucks? I have absolutely no idea why the likes of Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones and the props are permanently cluttering up our backline. Surely they should be smashing into rucks and ensuring we retain the ball? The breakdown against France was embarrassing.
* Mike Phillips needs to be dropped to the bench. He's a great athlete but he's technically very poor far too often. Peel, Richie Rees and even someone like Rhys Webb should get some gametime for Wales so we can pick up the tempo and play a bit more instinctively. So to hell with our rigid gameplan that isn't bloody working and hasn't worked for years.
* Gatland obviously has his favourites and it's well overdue their places in the team had some serious scrutiny. I'd like to see the Western Mail looking at other positions instead of purely concentrating on the number ten shirt. Is Hook an international standard ten? I'm afraid the jury's still out. And we shouldn't have to pick him at ten just because he wants to play there. 

Were there any positives from the Six Nations? Very few, I'm afraid, although I do agree with Eddie Butler that Wales aren't an awful side. What is obvious, even to the layperson, is that our team is far too overcoached and doesn't play with the same passion and intensity of other nations - and it really saddens me to say that.
The only positives I can think of were the form of Warburton and Lydiate and the fact Mitchell seems to be able to just about cut it as Adam Jones' understudy.

There's absolutely no point in getting rid of Gatland now but, if we fail to get out of the group in the World Cup because none of the above has been addressed, then I'm afraid he'll have to go. It's among the most annoying couple of years I can remember with Wales because, while our players aren't world class, they're also not that bad and we should be doing far better. And the coaches have to carry the can for this. 