Wigan will retain their SL crown.

Warrington might retain the CC.

oh no not you again

There's nothing misty eyed at all about it.
You are saying that GH brought Mc in to set up Bluey for a fall yes?


The squad was in decline and no doubts it needs an over-haul but to say that the CEO was actively setting up a successful coach for a fall is ridiculous and absolutely daft.
I've no doubt Bluey thought enough was enough but this is UFO abduction stuff yer implying mate it makes no sense whatsoever and doesn't do any good for anyone involved so what's the motive and end goal?

I will only say 4 words about McMuppet and Piglet boy;

Not fit for purpose.

GH offered McClennan a one year extension for the 2011 season, swiftly followed by the appointment of McDermott as his deputy for one season to take over in 2012. At best, it was an undermining of McClennan's position at the club... at worst, it was a set-up for McClennan to take the blame for the inevitable fall from grace in 2011.

McClennan is no fool so he left.

McDermott is now the fall guy instead and I suspect that's not what GH intended for 2011.

Meanwhile, all the sycophants will fall in line by berating the current coaching regime.

How about Terry Matterson nxt season ???

My view is Hetherington knew the squad wasn't good enough and couldn't/wouldn't get the players in to strengthen. He mistakenly thought he could protect McDermott from the exposure by keeping McClennan in post to take the flack. McClennan has always had Hetherington in his pocket and when he saw he was being set up for a fall and a dint to his reputation he soon stuck two fingers up to GH leaving both coach and CEO in the firing line with what they knew was a poor squad.

That is exactly as I see it.

Why does bringing in McDermott leave McClennan (as head coach) set to take the blame for what happens in 2011 anymore than employing anybody else?

If McClennan was head coach he would be blamed for the team performance as head coach regardless of who was his assistant. In fact employing McDermott as assistant for 2011 does precisely the opposite of what you state in that McDermott as assistant would have taken some of the blame for Leeds performance this season (if we accept your hypothesis that Hetherington knew Leeds would perform poorly this year) and left him with less goodwill and less of a grace period when he took up the reigns in 2012 than had he come in next year with a clean slate.

Your conspiracy theory simply doesnt make sense.

The truth is likely to be much more mundane in the McDermott isnt as good a coach as Hetherington thought he was, and the squad has regressed faster than he anticipated.

Sal/Keith it still doesn't make sense to treat Bluey like that ,what does it achieve and above all why go to all that trouble of even offering the extension to him when you could clearly state we are in transition this year with a re-build planned for next when more quality is hoped would be available.
The whole thing is senseless and there's no reason whatsoever for Bluey to be treated like that.
I think GH has got this appointment wrong big time and also dropped a bollock re-retention but i don't believe the conspiracy fellas.
If Bluey was another Lance maybe but he won 2 titles in 2 yrs and a LLS ,WCC and got us to Wembley why would GH treat him like that just to "protect" or shield Mc from any blame for us being p!$$.

Even though the squad is past its best surely it isn't as poor as the standard of rugby that we keep seeing week in week out. Time to go McDermott

Yes. You can tell a poorly coached team, and that's us, right now.