What can GH do?

The root problem is one of confidence - both individually and in each other. That may or may not affect the players' view of the coach, but the conspiracy theories are a doubtful starting point (and the mock outrage from the trolls, the simpletons and the Twitter bore can be safely ignored in the same way they were when Leeds were winning). The players just don't believe in themselves and there seems to be no way of easily turning this around - every week they start brightly, look OK for about 10 or 15 minutes before conceding a try and their heads going down. The coach sends them out as best he can, after which the outcome of the game is largely in the players' hands - or in the players' heads.

Paradoxically, what to do about the present situation may actually need some simplistic action to resolve. I have a huge amount of time for McDermott and really don't hold him individually responsible for the present situation. I think a combination of factors have made this season a disaster which almost any coach would struggle with. Look at the way the team performed earlier in the season - if just a couple of the closely-lost games had been won the situation probably would never have spiralled like it has now.

Sadly and unfairly however the easiest way to effect change at a poorly-performing sports team is to replace the coach. After Friday night I have unwillingly come to the conclusion that this would be the best option. It's expedient, of course, and it places blame that I don't want to place on the incumbent. But since we can't change the squad much at this stage it is the only big lever we have available to pull. It isn't fair and doesn't feel right but we are in a position where there is probably no option if we want to quickly turn things around.

Who could we get? I say immediately Brian Smith, because I know he is available and I know he would take it. I'd give him only to the end of the season, a bit like Wakey did (for somewhat different reasons). I don't think he is the long-term answer but I do think he would be the kind of person who could come in and give everything and everyone a fresh start.

I suspect there is limited room for manouvre in the salary cap, especially since Ferres was unexpectedly signed late in pre-season. A few could be moved on and there may be better championship players or out of favour NRL players who could play the 2016 roles of Nathan Picchi or David Hulme. Other than that we go with what we have and hope that a new coach can effect a shock to the system that we need.

The consequences of relegation are not palatable. The team would not, of course, have to go part time, but the financial impact could be severe in damaging the core of the business that Hetherington has built. It would not be a remotely happy experience - if we were confident in bouncing back after one season the club could, to a degree, breeze through it, retaining much of the scale of the organisation as it stands and taking the player and financial losses on the chin. But just as the current setup means that we are protected from going right down, getting back up again would be challenging to say the least. Caddick would be supportive for a short while as he has done well out of Leeds but subsidising losses of say £1m for more than a year would probably not be something he wants to have to do. It's the wider impact I worry about - the club subsidises all sorts of community work and I worry they would be forced to cut this if they started appraising budgets for areas to prune. Fortunately the ground redevelopment works are mostly self-funding (although the pile of cash we have will be used up and the Meanwood element has predictably run into NIMBY opposition but that's another matter).