We all know that wont happen... all handshakes take place in the North Stand these days with the Carnegie as a backdrop

Anyway I still think it may be a good appointment. He has had very little in the way of resources down there and year on year he has had a significantly weaker squad to work with.

And it shows. He took over after round 19 in 2006 with Harlequins in 9th.

Harlequins finished that season 7th and since then have gone 9th, 9th, 11th.

This season what do you reckon 12th or 13th?

If this is to be Leeds' next first grade coach I can only presume it's going to be another Hetherington master-stroke.

After next season I presume that work will begin on the stadium re-development. In that case I would suspect funds to be tight on the playing front. Maybe they want McDermott because of the track record he's shown working within a budget and with young English players?

Good that he is at that particular discipline, I wonder if McD will be happy with just that role though. Once you've been in charge, it's hard to go back to playing second fiddle, and perhaps having to bite your tongue.

I'm glad he's back at Headingley, although I've still to be convinced on the wisdom of offering him the Head Coach position when Bluey departs.

Genuine question...is it definitely a 'done deal' that Bluey leaves at the end of 2011 season and Mac gets the Head Coach job? I am not as sure as everyone on here seems to be.

Having been a season ticket holder at Quins/London Broncos for the last 10 years (makes me appreciate the Rhinos more and more each year) I can only tell you that Mac IMHO has done a pretty good job in fairly dire circumstances - fewer and fewer resources and a dwindling fan base. Although he does have a habit of giving half time team talks that generally lead the Quins to lose whatever lead they may be taking into the sheds and get resoundingly thumped in the second half...

The stadium redevelopment, I'm sure, is important to the club and the future. Maintaining a competitive squad with a capable coach is also important, especially when you only have to look a few miles up the road to see the potential consequence of taking your eye off the on-field ball.

Thankfully we are living in an age of salary capped squads and Leeds being considerably wealthier than most with a building contractor as owner and chairman should be well placed to develope and remain amongst those clubs challenging for honours while doing so.

Personally I wouldn't object to the idea of head coach being included in the overseas trained quotas. Should Leeds be looking to employ a British head coach I imagine Mr Hetherington will call for such a move to be implemented.

Yes the Bulls are a perfect example of how you can take your eye off the ball on the field whilst investing in a modern, new stadium and facilities. A perfect example.

I don't think he's done too bad with the players he's had and they have had a few injuries this year.

Would any other coach have done better?

They're a perfect example of how the escalating costs of stadium maintenance can severely restrict your ability to recruit and retain high calibre players though...

You quoted my reasoning behind the fall and fall of the Quins too but ignored it? Yes they have dropped year on year but have you seen what he has had to work with? A lot of people, me included, thought Quins would be bottom this year by a big margin with the players and depth he has to work with. The fact they are not must say something about him as a coach.

No they're not. They're spending virtually full salary cap.

Besides, have you not been listening to Adey and latterly Mick. It's nothing to do with maintaining Odsal, it's all down to the nasty and villainous Leeds with the frivolous Harris lawsuit.

According to today's rag Brian is concerned about the Quinn's chairman having to pump £7m of his own money into the club and fears for their future.

Just as it should be.

If that's your definition of a successful coach, then John Kear must be an absolute genius to have achieved what he's done at Wakefield.

You raised the possibility of a near future Leeds coach having to work within a budget. I presume that budget would be less than the full cap spend allowed now, otherwise your budget point would be meaningless. Marry that restriction to anything less than a quality coach (as Bradford did in McNamara) and you are inviting a likely decline in fortunes on the field which will then likely as not be reflected on the terraces.

That was the context of the comparison made with Bradford, nothing whatsoever to do with Stadium re-development although as Gilder correctly points out the crumbling edifice of Odsal is a financial drain at the Bulls.



That wasn't what Brian Carney was intimating on Boots 'N All this week where figures in the region of 55 to 60% appeared to be tripping off his tongue quite readily.

Peter Hood was asked but declined to comment other than to say mounting/defending a legal action would obviously have an impact on the club's finances in the recent past.

I'll await Adey's or Bullseye's input on the subject. Hopefully not Gleadhills though as that is unlikely to inform the debate