I await the threads next season about how Bluey would have done much better than McDermott.....

FWIW I think Bluey did a fantastic job in not attempting to completely reinvent the team when he took over. He worked with a bunch of very confident players and probably got the best out of them that anyone could for two years. In a way he's a victim of his own success. This year the side was clearly off the pace when it mattered, and it seems clear that fairly fundamental changes are required.

I reckon that based on the end of the season GH had a change of heart about the rebuilding required, and brought it forward to next year instead of 2012, as the signs were that this side may fall further if no changes were made.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned Bluey is clearly right up there with the all-time best Leeds coaches. Just slightly behind Smith......

So that would be the club with the most fans and your Derby rivals showing the most activity. Hold the front page.

Spot on, on all accounts.

Personally I am pretty excited about next year now, where I wasn't before, and I actually think the changes made so far will improve our chances dramtically from where we would have been.

I agree.

I still believe next season should be one of low expectations, but that's fine as long as we can see the 'difficult' changes being made: it does now appear that the apparent sentimentality is rightly giving way to commercial interests and pushing the club more healthily into the future.

Losing the entire coaching team from your most successful era in one 3 week period will improve your chances dramatically? You've replaced them with a bloke who's just finished 12th in the SL and will start pre-season with no assistants at all and with your 2 best players on the long term injury list?

You came on here and wrote off our 2011 chances - why don't you want me to react to that?

Oh and you can stick your condescending tone, it does you no favours.

Gotcha - the poster with more holes than a sieve.

Like I said grow up. Your comment was something to do with an agenda, how pathetic.

I wrote off our 2011 chances early in 2010 when I said "If changes are not made", then when we resigned 7 players to new contracts whom some I felt we shouldn't have, I said "If changes are not made to this team then it will struggle to make the top 6 in 2011".

Changes have been made, not enough, but have been made, and on this thread I came on and said that IMO our chances had now improved. Some posters, probably you included, if we do not win things next year will be blaming the coach. My comment on the previous page was that 2011 was always a rebuilding year and therfore we should accept it, i.e. give the coach a chance, and look forward to 2012.

Whilst I don't think enough has been done (although we may still see further changes) to challenge Wigan and Saints for the big one next year, I do think we can at least be better placed to challenge than what IMO we would have been.

Gotcha - the poster with more holes than a victim of Khmer Rouge's death squad.

I'm not going to argue you with you. You want to be childish, then your problem, i'll leave you to it.

Your tone is the problem, so condescending it's cringe-worthy.

Gotcha - the poster with more holes than a Hugh Hefner, afternoon, orgy.

This article by Riley (already referred to eslewhere on this forum) seems to me a sensible take on what has has taken place, but of course I don't know anyone at the club or drink with friends of friends or relatives of folk who walk their dogs near GH's home. www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/georgeriley/ ... ans_g.html PS I hope I've hit the correct link this time.

This article by Riley (already referred to eslewhere on this forum) seems to me a sensible take on what has has taken place, but of course I don't know anyone at the club or drink with friends of friends or relatives of folk who walk their dogs near GH's home. www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/georgeriley/ ... ans_g.html PS I hope I've hit the correct link this time.

Didn't or couldn't?

Let's not forget here's a coach whose experience of the day to day running of a club side was limited to a park standard competition in New Zealand.

Just shows with the correct quality of player you don't need to be Wayne Bennett to succeed? ask Tony Smith or Brian McClennan