The Academy is there to support the first team squad at the club, supplying a constant flow of new blood. However that doesn't absolutely mean that external signings are never required, which appears the logical conclusion you maybe heading towards.

In the Championship winning seasons of 2004, 2007 and 2008 Webb, Bai, Donald, Toopi, McKenna, Senior, Dunemann, Leuluai, Peacock, McDonald, Thackray, Furner, Adamson, Poching, Ellis, Lauitiiti and Anselme were not products of the famed Leeds Academy production line but they still had their part to play in the squad's ultimate success in those seasons.

It's all about having the correct balance and when the quality is lacking internally then it has to be an acceptable alternative to look outside the club.

Hence the second point about squad quality.
It isn't that lack of quality that's hurting us, and bringing in another player to also play well below his potential isn't going to help, and if it's a short term signing it may well hinder our long term success.

I think it is the lack of quality to some degree - especially in the forwards. I think there are a few forwards that have been terrific over the last few years but are not quite where they were last year or the year before. I believe with the loss of Ellis (and Scruton to some degree) this has had a cumulitive effect which is what we are seeing now. There are also some players who have not kicked on as we would like so far this year. I don't want to go through individuals, but it's an overall effect for me.

anyone can beat anyone on there day

A mid season signing wouldn't necessarily need to be short term. From the Leeds experience Lauitiiti, Thackray and Toopi all arrived midway through a season and none of those were short term signings. The only short term mid season signing I can recall recently was Anselme and that was a loan deal to cover several back row absentees.

No-one is unavailable at the moment (Smith apart) but the squad is struggling to perform to an acceptable level consistently. Why is that and what are the options available to the club?

By short term, I was thinking more along the lines of it being a player to fill in a right centre for example, likely meaning one of Smith or Hall missing game time and not developing.

On the squad not performing, was it this thread or the other, where I had said that one players level of performance changing is down to the player, lots of players level of performance changing is down to the coach.
Our coaching staff need to be looking at what they're doing with the team, not looking at bringing in new players (to play below their potential, too)

So is that a change to the coaching methods or a change of the coaching set-up that is required?

McClennan (contracted until the end of 2010), Cummins, Poching and Gross. If they devised a plan they thought was right at the outset will they be able to change direction mid season or is it just a matter of small adjustments to get the squad firing again?

Someething in that area.
I doubt we would sack a GF winning coach the season after, and nor should we. Although Saints do seem to have been more ruthless with their coaching staff over the years...I think.
Something is obviously not working - current form is too poor to be simply a case of holding back our form to peak later in the season.
We have had times under Tony Smith when every player seemed to underperform, and the team seemed to have no plan. He turned it around, no reason to believe the current setup can't do the same.

Yep rating's. www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/l ... 5206407.jp

Yep rating's. www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/l ... 5206407.jp

Unreal - it is precisely that this is hurting us the lack of quality - perhaps if we brought a right centre in who played to his potential might help - who is to say he will play below his potential.

This is a pretty weak squad - no longer the dominant force it was - teams like Huddersfield have strengthened both with overseas and youngsters, Saints have an abundance of youngsters and we have a weaker squad than last year - could be why we are struggling a bit.

The wins in 2007 and 2008 covered up much of what had been a gradual decline in squad quality - 2009 has seen this decline really being exposed

We have a great player to play right centre. Unfortunately, he's had to play fullback at the start of the season, and is currently out injured. He'll fit in fine there once back. Of course, that won't cause the team to suddenly pick up form.

Our squad is significantly better than the likes of Wigan, Huddersfield, Hull and Warrington. I know you're a pessimistic defeatist Dave, but that's ridiculous.

In this salary cap era, it just isn't possible to have the kind of depth that means you can leave out the likes of Burrow, Webb, Senior, JJB, Kirke, Diskin and bring in reserves of equal quality. That's the whole point of the cap - that richer teams don't stockpile the talent, and then keep it in reserve.

The fact that Saints worked around their squad limitations and beat us with their equivalent of JJB at scrum half imagine your criticism of our squad depth if we played JJB in the halves!) just proves that it isn't the squad depth that's the issue, it's how they play.

Well, why would he be any different to the rest of the Rhinos squad?

No Saints played the equivelent of Sinfield at scrum half - Wilkins is their stand off - you are the only person who thinks otherwise - not a second row forward - this is what you do when your arguement has been found out - do you think their would be much uproar if Sinfield and McGuire played in the halves - it was like when you compared the squads you moved all the players round to suit your arguement - pathetic.

Do the comparison with Huddersfield and see if you still agree and with Wigan - but don't move the players round and see if you arguement still stands up!!