Finally you mention the overall decline of the squad. On paper last year we had arguably the best team on paper that Leeds have ever had in the clubs history. G1 wasn’t willing to give them praise until the end of the season unlike most of us on here. He was right!

Damo,
05 Compare 05's squad list to last year's and assess their relative strengths. Which one do you think under achieved ?
06 Absolute rubbish!
07 Some of the games in that season were dire and only at the end of the season did we show what we were capable of.
08 & 09 Bluey is successful over 2 seasons. More trophies than Smith and back to back.
It could be argued that TS under achieved with the squad he had at his disposal compared to Bluey and Brian Mc.

I thought Bluey and Tony Smith won the same amount of trophies?

Just that Bluey did it in less time.

As I said I’m convinced that during 2006 the lads weren’t up for it because of Bradford’s cheating the previous year. I’ve also said that most of the games were dire in (or something along those lines) in 2007 bar the games against St Helens. The lads turned it around for Tony Smith in 2007 and there’s no doubt that 2007 got replicated during the three in a row years.

I think that Bluey was the right appointment to keep Tony Smiths legacy going. But that faded away badly in 2010. He left and now we’ve got Brian McDermott who isn’t doing us all that good!

1972 V St Helens at Swinton (I was there), so that would be 32 years.



1973/74 at Wembley (I was there again), so that would be 35 years.



Coach Smith replaced Coach Lowes in time for the Round 4 fixture V Leeds

They finished the season in 10th place
Played 27, Won 12, Drawn 0, Lost 15, Pts For 649, Pts Agst, 705, Points 24

Anymore questions will have to wait, I'm off to Wickes for a few bits and pieces and I should have been there already.

One thing about Smith he is no fool he has an eye for an opportunity.

Huddersfield - could only go one way - they won a league in which they were the only full time team

Leeds - had the potential for something special given the crop of quality young players that had all emerged at the same time

Warrington - had the money to make something happen

Yes Smith has had to make it happen - he is, along with McGuire the best coach in SL, but it helps if you can be in the right place at the right time.

This begs the question - why the hell did he take the England job!!!

I didn't realise he'd taken it, bit of a sidestep if you ask me, and I'm not quite sure he's fully qualified for the role, or how he'll find the time but that said... surely anybody is better than Fabio Capello so lets give Tony a shot! Bring on Wales!!

Had we not changed from GB to England when Smith took the job?

I suggested a similar analogy in regards to Wayne Bennett’s Coaching career. Especially when he shipped over from the Australian coach to Kiwi coach after the 2005 Tri Nations. He knew who were going to win the world cup and it wasn’t the Australians he was coaching!

Yes we had! There was nothing wrong with your post. I wasn't mocking you.

I was just attempting to be funny, and failing. I'm in a pretty good mood today.

Excellent article Damo. Although I don't agree with all your points it made an interesting read.

To get away from Leeds IMHO! 2007 wasn't a stand out year and as I remember it I don't think many people expected us to get to the grand final, let alone win it.

I can't remember at what point in the season he announced he was off, but I remember the loss at home to wakey (I think it was) when the team got booed off the pitch. There were quite a few games that season when we lost matches everyone expected us to win and I think most people couldn't wait for him to go and get a new coach in. Then he went and won the grand final and everyone suddenly saw him as the best coach in super league!

From the GF winning team in 04 to 07 Smith rebuilt half the side - McKenna, Furner, Poching, Calderwood, Mathers, Walker, Bai, Ward and McDermott had all gone. Of the starting 1-5 in 04 only Senior remained. The 2007 side that Smith built then went on to win two more GFs under Bluey with only a couple of changes.

Absolute cr*p - yet again - that Leeds would have won the GF in 2004 under Daryl Powell. There was and still is absolutely no evidence to back that up apart from some bizarre desire to big up DP's achievements as coach.

Aye. He had his opportunity and didn't nail it. Those fools who suggest otherwise can't see that Tony Smith got that bloody monkey off our back.

Thanks for the compliments pal!

I can’t really make points that everyone agrees to anyhow. But the least I can do is offer an interesting read. Again I just want to say a big thanks to Southstander.com (aka Paul) for having faith in me and hopefully that faith has worked out like he hoped it would.

I think this is the first time I’ve managed to string together two Damo Bits that people have openly admitted is a good article. So I really appreciate it

Edit: Just remembered that the Christmas specials where well received. I've got such a bad memory