Is that Leeds mindset of unconscious complacency you've alluded to still a prevalent issue? If so, isn't the coach responsible for eradicating it?

Maybe it's effecting all of Headingley......20-3 Yorkshire already I believe vs Lancashire

There's a core of players who know they are going to get selected regardless of performance as there are no viable alternatives.

That's fine when all are performing well. When they're not, the lack of competition for places creates complacency that the coach doesn't seem to be able to eradicate - or indeed by his post match comments seem interested in doing so.

The failure of the Academy to produce players capable of challenging the incumbents for first team places is coming back to bite Leeds in the backside. Barrie McDermott's tenure as head of youth is starting to stink the place out.

I would agree on Hardaker but his issue isn't on the field its off it - he tries on the field but he isn't as fit as he should be so he isn't as effective as he should be.

Or even affecting?

Headingley isn't responsible for Yorkshire's decline towards WBCCR this season. The loss of Jonny Bairstow most definitely is.

3/29 now - reporting live from Headingley via a morse code device. Can't utilise smoke signals as its a smokeless zone here.

Make that 4/29

Yorkshire have lost less games in the last 3 years than the Rhinos have lost in the last month - make you cheap jibes but Gillespie's record is pretty impressive. Don't hear him moaning when England take his best players!!

Gotcha I am with you on McDermott but it would not difficult to pull out your posts that say Hardaker is one of Leeds' best players this season, Watkins' performances are hindered by the amount of defending he has to do and Phil Hassan was a much better player than Keinhorst.

Who was Leeds other centre in 1996?

Carl Hall?

There isn't one Sal, so fire away and try and pull one. Leeds best player this season IMO is the one player for me who weakens the team, and needs to be sacrificed. But it doesn't stop him being the best player.

Definitely said Watkins defence is much better than the nonsense posted. But that is much different to best player than Juan put.

Hardaker? At the begining of the season I would have had more empathy with this..more recently he has been a pale shadow of his former self.

One of his strengths last year was his fearless safe near guaranteed diffusing of opposition bombs ..now it is more than noticeable he is more than happy to leave that job to his two hapless wingers. There might be mitigating circumstances behind the scenes...and of course he is not the only one shirking his duties....but it is pretty inexcusable.
As for Watkins again I do have sympathy in that he is being asked to defend like a forward, but he does look as though he is going through the motions on attack and getting back in the defensive line.

The bottom line is I agree this present coach has lost whatever respect he might have commanded from his playing staff. They are treating him with contempt on match day....and ever more so on each and every successive week.

Watkins isn't the only centre who is having to make more tackles as we don't always stack/hide the 2 "halves" on the same side. Keinhorst is doing plenty and Moon in previous years has been the one to have McGuire & Burrow outside him.

I was talking about Burrow.

Ah right....yes he can go for me. Plenty of effort and ineffectiveness in equal measures. Better DH than scrum half but fooling nobody enough these days on attack. The problems defensively have been well documented.

Because the way cricket is organised teams will always lose their best players to internationals. Different to an big extended injury list.

See he still hasn't sorted the problem of last year of a disappointing top order and without Bairstow in middle order there to do the rescue act it's left to the spinner and bowlers to yet again do the heavy lifting with the bat