Well for me he's allowed to talk about the reason he feels the opposition he just played were so poor. That his opinion is controversial shouldn't mean he can't or shouldn't.

People can say it's not his place to talk about it.....but whose place is it to talk about it and will they have the balls to come out publicly and do so against Koukash?

Mac does not do PC thank goodness. You can argue that he should not comment on the owner of another team but his side had just put 70 points past Salford and what he said was on behalf of the dispirited Salford players who he knows did not give their best for off field reasons.

So you can argue that the paying public has a right to know why the game was not a contest which in a way brings the game into disrepute. As others have said he will have inside information as to the off field goings on at Salford and being the honest sort that he is let his views be known.

In speaking up for players and coaches I am sure his own players and other teams besides Salford will respect Mac for saying what he did.

I think you may be reading too much into a match result. Why didn't he speak out when Wire put 80 past Wakefield a couple of months back, didn't that bring the game into disrepute ? There are a lot of mercenaries at Salford that should have been giving 100% for their loyal band of fans that were at Headingley last night, Koukash wasn't wearing a pair of boots and tackling people, he pays the players good money to do that. The players owe it to the fans, let's not look beyond that before we start feeling too sorry for them and their abysmal showing.

I don't it's any kind of motive like that.

I think it's purely based on what he said at the start...."it embarrasses him to be involved in RL" when he sees and hears the going ons at Salford. The other year we beat London comfortably at Headingley by about 50 points in a stroll. He took the opportunity after to have a measured criticism of referee standards on the whole ATM in the game. I don't think it was done with some aim of helping Leeds personally, he was just genuinely disappointed for the sport as a whole that the referee standards were/are poor.

McDermott along with Tony Smith are probably the only two coaches who when the comments on stuff it can be because they're concerned/disappointed for the sport on the whole. It doesn't always have to be about their own clubs interests only.

I also think whilst people say he shouldn't comment on Salford, he did keep it respectable to a degree. He didn't come out saying I've heard this, this and this rumour and start outing rumours he's heard. He just talked about the things we knew about Koukash already with his public showings/way he conducts himself since his arrival so it wasn't like he revealed some juicy gossip.

Maybe he didn't speak up after the Wire/Wakefield match because 1)Leeds weren't involved in that match; 2) Andrew Glover hadn't been calling out his players and generally clowning around in the press for months beforehand.

He isn't paid to take care of Salford's players. It really has nothing to do with him how that club are run. I've no problem if he is speaking about an issue affecting the game as a whole, but individual people and individual clubs? Nah, no need to get involved.

Whether what he said is right or wrong, its still nothing to do with him. A little arrogant and pretty disrespectful to everyone at Salford.

Unlikely. McDermott knows his place in the Leeds pecking order and doesn't have that much power in how things are run and who is signed anyway. It works at Leeds because, like Maurice Lindsay at Wigan back in the day, Hetherington is a very astute judge of a player and knows what he is doing. Koukash simply doesn't - he needs to bring in someone to run the club, unencumbered.

But Koukash is trying to be a loud mouthed version of Hetherington when he should be a perhaps slightly louder version of Caddick or Moran or Davy. He could use his undoubted personality to attract players and positive publicity to the club - instead he is attracting derision, and some of his most recent actions are inexcusible in the modern game.

The reason why I mentioned the Wakey match was in response to posters saying Mac cares for the game as a whole, and a 64 point margin of victory brings the game into disrepute. There is not much difference to the recent tribulations suffered by Wakey and the 80 margin of defeat as a result. McDermott doesn't see direct club involvement in a game to make it necessary to speak out, as witnessed by his slamming of Rangi Chase (Salford again coincidentally) after his appalling tackle on Ferres. You could say it was for the good of the game and the welfare of players, it was just strange this strong support for the good of the game is never reciprocated by other managers when a Leeds player is involved, more recently the filthy attack on Mcguire's leg from the Hull grub. Where were all the other managers speaking out for "the good of the game"? They were keeping Schtum, including Anderson who didn't feel the need to reciprocate Mcdermotts bravery in voicing a non club issue. McDermott is a strong minded individual who is free to speak as he pleases, on this occasion I didn't see the benefit to Leeds as a club. They are my concern.

He gave his views about Salford last night because he was being asked questions about the game they just played in.

He spoke about Chase in the week leading up to our away game vs Salford so again he was asked his opinion on the tackle that had just seen Chase banned for.

We weren't playing Wakefield the week after their 80-0 hammering so I doubt he'd have been asked about it.

It's not like he just brings up the topics off his own accord. He'll give his honest view to the questions put forward to him.

McDermott speaks like a man absolutely secure in his job.....how many more of us would speak 'out of turn' if we knew we were 'indispensable'. Of course I have no idea of his exact employment circumstances, but I somehow suspect the man is to be suitably rewarded with significant long term guarantees of future employment at the club.

Other coaches will be more concerned with 'keeping their heads down'.

As stated I'm not sure it is wise to raise his head above the parapet when it does not directly benefit the club/employer he works for.
The future Leeds Rhinos' visits to Salford ground are hardly going to be favourably accomodated while in the control of the same incumbent's hands now are they?

Different situation at Wakefield entirely as Mac's team were not involved. On this occasion his team were involved and his response was to the specific question "are you disappointed you didn't get a closer game at this stage of the season?" This drew his views as to why Salford conceded 70 points which included his own experience at London and why he believed it was because the players were completely demoralised and shot and why they are better than that. What would you have had him say.... a lie?

I disagree. "everyone at Salford??" The only one who might have been upset is Dr K. I think in fact he was being quite respectful to the players and coaches at Salford. He repeated that they were a good group of players who had performed badly because they have been demoralised by the actions of the owner. He has a right to his view and was answering a question regarding the scoreline. I bet many of the Salford players would have been looking to shake Mac's hand for taking a stand.

It's worth pointing out that McDermott deliberately said the same thing about Koukash in at least two different interviews as well as the main press conference so he was deliberately raising this rather than just answering a question. But you're right, the only person this was disrespectful to was Koukash.

Brian McDermott is entitled to hold whatever opinion on Salford he wants. As it happens, his opinion is one I agree with. Those at the top of the club set the attitude and direction for those below them, including the players. At Salford, that attitude is one of short-termism, quick "fixes" and lashing out whenever things don't go the way the owner wants.

He's also entitled to express that opinion however and whenever he wants, which he's chosen to do. He knows and has worked with a number of those Salford players. He knows, as the rest of us probably do, that they're not seventy points a worse side than Leeds but that the owner is likely to come out in the press and give those players a hammering again. Maybe he feels he wants to be a voice for a group of players who will be too scared to have their own say?

It was good of Koukash however to make McDermott's point for him on social media afterwards, by choosing to tell someone who has forgotten more about how to build a winning rugby league team than he will ever know to "shut up".

Koukash can do what he wants with his money. When he starts running down professionals in the media however, he shouldn't be surprised if occasionally their fellow pros spring to their defence. He should certainly have a better, more appropriate response than to tell anyone who disagrees with them to shut up.

Dr Kockrash got the rounds of the kitchen from Mac

At the end of the day Mac only said what probably every RL player,coach,administrator,owner,fan or journalist wanted to say to him

Dr Kockrash can do whatever he chooses in regards to how he runs "HIS" club as he has put his money where his big mouth is,but I'll bet that there's plenty more 5hit to come out of the club before all this furor dies down

Kockrash needs to take a step back and to employ a coaching team that he trusts enough to stay out of the coaching domain

He clearly didn't trust Nobby or Harris to run things their way so lets see how he leaves his golden boy Sheens to turn his club around,sadly i can't see this working either