.....players injuries.....players errors... players lack of discipline.... players past those past their sell by date..... players not up to standard.


So many posters are looking for a simple answer to a more complex set of problems. Understandable anger and dissapointment lead many to blame it all on the coach and make “off with his head” remarks. Our basic problems are not new and there was evidence of a squad in decline even before our poor form last season.

Without McGuire last season IMO we would have finished 7th or 8th. He on his own won us matches that otherwise we did not deserve to win. Other games were won in the last seconds due, dare I say, to a high risk throw the ball around style. For most of the season we played dull, one up rugby with no plan B. In weeks 8-12 we were in 9th position and conceded an average of almost 21 points per game over the full SL season. So there were cracks appearing in our defence all year which fully showed itself in the embarrassment in the CC Final at Wembley.

So the new coach inherited some serious systemic problems which have been further exacerbated by a prolonged run of injuries that have depleted his options. Maybe he is not the man to solve these problems but as they are not of his making it is far too soon and most unfair to pronounce judgement against him.

I have not been on the coaching field to see his methods or the structure he is asking them to perform, neither do I know his game plan and I guess his critics are no more knowlegable than I. But what I do see is the players making many basic errors and missed tackles, fumbling on the first pass of a penalty tap near their line, giving away possession and field position with silly penalties. These are the responsibility of the players and nothing to do with an attacking style or a possible flawed defence pattern.

Remember when Noble first went to Wigan he took a long time to get them off the bottom of the table.

So before we can apportion blame and recify the problems we have first to identifiy them. IMO the following factors have been responisble for our current situation.

1. Bad recruitment & contract management from GH & co.
Our club management must take the main responsibility for a lack of quality recruitment (youth, SL & Overseas) and a big lack of succession planning. A failure to realise that certain players had peaked or that others would struggle to recover from injuries or that we had no reserve strength for certain key positions where we had an over reliance for success. We still have never fully replaced Ellis who was such an important forward for us and have no reserve specialist half backs. Too many of our players contracts run out at the same time.

2. A prolonged run of serious injuires
This is part and parcel of the game but Leeds have suffered more than most in the last couple of seasons. Remember it took McGuire almost 2 seasons to recover from his previous serious injury. Diskin, Burrow & Webb have never fully recovered from their injuries. Ali has not been fit for 3 seasons. Buderus missed most of his first season, Watkins, JP & McGuire last year. This year still without JP and McGuire and new injuires to BJB, Smith, Delaney, Burgess, Bailey, Kylie, Hardacre and all.

3. Players past their sell by date
Superleague is in the entertainment business and there should not be too much room for sentiment. Players such a Ali, Senior and possibly Burrow, Webb, Kylie, Kirke and Bailey should have been replaced to make way for a mixture of both youngsters and better quality new blood.

It is noticable that Warrington, Wigan, Huddersfield and Saints have been better than Leeds in succession planning.. So much of our success was down to the luck of having so much outstanding young talent available at the same time from the academy without having to recruit. This made us complacent.

4. Failure to adapt to a changing game
Our defeat in the WCC last year signalled a change in the refs interpretation at the ruck which we failed to adapt to. The deliberate slowing down of the PTB by refs who also allowed extra players to join in an already tackled player, which is purely a tactic to further slow down the PTB, resulted in Leeds having no answer to this new development. Not only did we fail to match Wigan, Huddersfield, Warrington and Saints at the ruck but we did not seem to have the right players physically or mentally to adapt.


So what do we do?

The first thing is not to panic but to be planning for the future even if it means missing out on trophies again this year.

We have to bring back the loan players to improve our options, drop a couple of players who are badly out of form and give some youngsters a chance. The most obvious to rest are Senior and Hauraki. We also have to pick our best tacklers, cut out the penalties and inprove our kicking game.

Changes to the side may help restore some confidence. This lack of confidence has seen us losing our attacking style which at least has been one of the few positives this year. This needs to return.

We have to not retain players who are also rans. They may be cheap for the salary cap but they block the way for youngsters.

We have to be recruiting now otherwise it will be the bottom of the barrel again.

On the positive side we have two of our most influential players set to return although we should not expect them to return in full form. Also with the SL being wide open this year it means anything can happen at the end of the season so we just have to hang on in, give some youngsters a go and hope that the players regain some form soon.

As supporters we have to accept that there are several better sides than ours now and until we get back our injured stars we will struggle. So get off the coaches back, stop blaming the attacking style and start to enjoy it as it may be the only thing you get to cheer about this year!

Enjoy it?

Did you watch last night?

What was to enjoy about Mcdermott's brand of attack last night?

We're not the best team in the league but we'd be far more competetive (and entertaining) with competent coaching.

I'm with you in that I have absolutely no idea what he is trying to achieve. However, after 10 games shouldn't we have been able to work it out? I can't because its a complete, directionless shambles. I honestly believe that the players either don't understand what's being asked of them, or they don't believe in it. Thats what it looks like.



You are joking? Enjoy it? I would suggest the stadium half emptying with 10 minutes to go last night indicates what thousands feel about the dross served up at the moment.

Read what I said. The attacking style some of you have been so critical of was missing last night so you cannot blame that now for the poor defense.

You still don't get do you. What you saw last night was a succession of players errors all of which were their responsibility - so you blame the coach!

If, if, if - dream on - this team has a cultural problem that starts with the captain, that needs a resolution - awarding a 4 year contract to a 30 year old is simply madness.

So you think that missed tackles, penalties that give away field position and lead to tries, fumbles on the first pass after a tap penalty, punching etc are all part of the coaches game plan do you?




The attacking style which has produced some great tries this year and our only highlight was missing last night. So many have blamed this style as the reason for losing so many games this year. Well my point was to welcome and "enjoy" this attacking style as it is all we may have to enjoy this year and IMO is not the reason for our poor defence which was obvious last year.

OK, ignoring last night then. I do not enjoy seeing us lose 30 to 42 every week. You might, I don't.

Was it the player's fault at Harlequins, or Warrington when Lowes was in charge there?

Talk to Wire fans and ask them the difference between a quality coach and Lowes. Heck, read the posts on this very forum from the quins fans.

If I don't get it I am afraid I am not the only one.

Especially when it takes the gloss of blessed Danny eh?

Nope.

But I don't know what it is we are trying to achieve, do you?

For example, he gave a bizarre press conference earlier in the year starting that completion rates are over-rated. The team seem to be playing with a complete disregard for completion rates, building pressure, and creating repeat sets that everyone understands leads to success.

Is that part of his plan? Its a pattern thats been there through the year and its getting worse.

What is he trying to get them to do, because it looks fundementally flawed and it puts a shakey defence under even more pressure.

Sinfield has been head and shoulders our best player all year. You said so yourself. In a better team he'd be talked about as man of steel material.

Nowt wrong with hope. But you're right and I am realistic.

McGuire is an excellent player and I am not unhappy at having him, Burrow and Sinfield resume their golden triangle for the foreseeable future. Why do you think we'll have another 4 years like last night's game rather than 4 years like the previous weeks of the season David? Tell me, how do you think McGuire might have fare last night? If McGuire would have looked as bad in such a shambolic display, as surely he would, would we have a "cultural issue" with McGuire and would we need to be rid of him?

To build pressure you need forwards that win the arm wrestle and half backs with a solid kicking game - Leeds don't have a pack of forwards that can do that, nor do they have half backs with the requist kicking skills, so their only alternative is to go round teams from their own half - which is ok if you have speed - something Leeds don't have either.

Oh dear, we don't have anything do we. Lets just shut the place down and have done with it.

Do you honestly believe that the whole squad is useless, or are you just having one of your moments?

To be head and shoulders the best player is not saying much - even you have to agree?

He is the captain/leader - do you honestly think he is leading taking his troops with him. You only have to look at our discipline to see he has no control of his team mates. I bet if Peacock told you to do something you might be more inclined to take note?

I think he is actually doing the opposite - I think he doesn't rate McDermott and wants a change, he did it to the last 2 coaches and he was the prime reason Noble did not get the job at Leeds. His influence rightly/wrongly cannot be ignored and he has to shoulder some of the blame for what is going on.

Let's face it he has a hand in 3/4 out of every 6 plays - he cannot be immune from critic at the lack of attacking prowess shown in recent weeks. He throws more hospital passes than any half back in SL.

McGuire is a one off - he is instinctive and has a better read of the game of any player in that squad - he plays as an individual in a team sport not unlike the majority of real elite athletes - Rooney is another. They make things happen - Sinfield and Burrow make work as a pair but the idea of a golden triangle is a fallacy.

I think we will struggle this year and will continue to do so until there is a significant change in personnel/culture at the club.