Do you think if it was that bad (which people have said for most of McDermott's reign) that he'd still be in the job? GH isn't a fool and if players were coming directly to him and going over McDermott's head continually and had little to no relationship with him that GH would just let him carry on his role (the longest spell for a coach under GH) knowing the "glue" in Sinfield was departing? I very seriously doubt it when you've seen how ruthless he's been with other coaches.



Yet he continually defends his players regardless of performance. Players who apparently he has next to no relationship with and who go over his head with complaints. He really didn't have to defend the effort or lack of it that they put in vs Castleford but he refused to rip into them like some other coaches would.

On the one hand we have McDermott portrayed on here as the most stubborn man you'll meet who has to have everything his own way, especially in terms of his staff and how the club is setup through the ranks and won't pick certain players that he doesn't like and it has to be Mac's way or the highway.

On the other hand he wants this player sold or that player getting rid of but is told he can't and has to play them and in some cases has to make them captain when the first choice one is injured. He's turned down for this player and that player that he wanted to sign and gets lumped with some signings he didn't ask for and apparently he just buckles under and does what he's told and continues to defend the players (has he every said a negative word about Burrow?) and club every time without failure.

They're fundamentally completely opposite personalities used to describe the same man.

If you believed all the stories you've heard about McDermott over the 5 & half years at Leeds then something would've given a long time ago.....either GH would've got rid, or McDermott would've left and gone to a club where he wasn't told he couldn't sell someone and had to play them.

If Burrow had gone to GH demanding more playing time following a season we won the treble, I imagine he would have heard nothing but a guffaw.

Why do you think yo'll beat Wakey but not Warrington when Wakey have just beat Warrington.?

Your wrong there. He instead blocked McDermott signing who he wanted, and backed Burrow.

So GH said that after the triple winning season (which nearly petered out in part as a result of the injury to Aiton) that he would tell BM to give Burrow more minutes despite signing another hooker?

Ignoring how on earth you'd be made privy to any of that, whilst GH is quite likely to be on top of BM during this season, I would fully expect him to leave pretty much all decisions bar new signings to the coach after the success of last year. He will undoubtedly have held discussions on the team and possible changes, but I doubt very much he would push BM on in-game management before the season starts. And to be frank if he did, BM would have had every right to tell him to get stuffed. At least before the disaster that is this season unfolded.

I think the problem there mate is you are looking at the wrong position. Look at the season planned start, then you would see it clearer. Burrow wanted out unless he was guaranteed more time, he was not happy last season until Aiton's injury. McDermott wanted to clear the salary cap space and sign an experienced scrum half. Hetherington told McDermott what he was doing. This is well known across the game, and actually it was Burrow's wife that let the cat out of the bag.

Burrow wasn't guaranteed game time though heading into the season. If Falloon stayed fit and was a success then Burrow could've been sat on the bench for 60 minutes most weeks.

Again, looking at the wrong position. What you think might have happened, and what GH asked to happen are two different things. Things might have transpired differently, but not because of players fit to fill the roles.

So who was the experienced scrum-half then, out of interest?

I suppose McDermott would know that. I have not even hear a name mentioned, just the position he wanted. He was right though to be fair to him, at the time, and shown since, for all his other faults.

There is still a long way to go for Wakefield so we are all being cautious about gloating with anyone, however, the days when you can look down on Wakefield are slipping away fast Gotcha. Maybe now you'll understand our reaction to some of your comments now you feel the pain of being at the bottom and watching a team with no confidence get beaten every week.

I didn't look down on Wakefield before. I looked at them with the same view I do now. They are a poor quality side with a bit of momentum due to changes made with a coach. That momentum will stop, with the harder games to come, and they will then be in their usual results level.

By contrast, Leeds are an even worse side this season so far, but who after the next couple of games, have the luxury of playing equally poor sides on a run which should see them pick up points they currently do not.

The difference for us, is that you will be back there next season, the season after, and the season after that, continuing until the game finally realises it needs to cast off the poorer clubs from the top division. Once Leeds realise their problems are bigger than floods, SPOTY, a game against New Zealand, and injuries, they will then recover back to what they have been for the last thirteen years.

So he was going to play in the halves then after all the noise the club made about playing Sutcliffe? What assurances would Burrow have that come season start and time to hand in team sheets that McDermott wouldn't stick two fingers up to him and say he's starting Sutcliffe and Burrow will be on the bench.

I am not dissagreeing with you. I am telling you what McDermott wanted, what Burrow did, and what Hetheringtons response was. Yes, he could have started what he wanted in the end, but he didn't get Burrow off the payroll in order to sign the player he wanted, and Hetherington gave Burrow assurances. I think the fact that Burrow got the captaincy in McGuires absence, who is the most unlikely captain you could have in a team, tells you all you need to know.