Quote: FlexWheeler "Enough water to fill the pacific ocean passed under the bridge between smith leaving and hudds getting good.'"
The three clubs that Tony Smith has coached in SL have all improved markedly under his control. The mark of a good coach.
No doubt many Leeds fans were initially disappointed when the CEO announced a relative 'no mark' was being appointed to one of the biggest (and most pressured) jobs in RL but he was the type of no-nonsense coach Leeds needed after Powell had steadied the ship and cleared out some of the dead wood post Lance - Powell got them close but he just couldn't get Leeds over the line most notably over the top of Bradford. Under Powell 2 wins from 13 - both within a four month spell in '02 - otherwise a barren wasteland over three full seasons, losing the last seven despite often coming agonisingly close.
Smith arrived and in his first act dropped the hitherto undropable Francis Cummins ending his mammoth run of consecutive appearances in the process. I would say that decision was merited and long overdue but I think Smith would have done it regardless just for the signal it sent out - we're all here to work, places have to be earned, no player gets selected on sentiment. Leeds beat Bradford on six of their next seven meetings - the solitary loss coming in the '04 QSF. Even after a fantastic season of entertaining rugby who among us (at least those old enough to remember the previous 32 years) can honestly say their heart didn't sink at the very real prospect of another potless campaign. Not under this quality coach - the demons were slain two weeks later at Old Trafford and Leeds haven't needed to doubt themselves since.
Of course there will always be an element of looking back through rose-tinted spectacles and I'd be the first to say that Smith didn't get everything right from my point of view but did I care that night at Old Trafford .... did I f***