Didn't look too out of place to be fair to him, moved the ball well, fast pair of hands, defended well and even backed up on the occasion.

Nobody went at scrum half, that's our big problem. We'll never get anywhere unless we solve it. People fill in as best they can, but that's it. OTOH to get the team we had to perform like it did against Leigh was a monumental credit to Smith's coaching ability. It was obvious that the players believed. You can't buy that, and it puts a whole different complexion on the remainder of the season.

You can complain about limited attacking ploys but given Smith has no 7, and then lost our best creative player, Gaskell, for the big game, he worked miracles to achieve us matching Leigh for tries.

And I know there is a big connection between confidence/belief and good defence, but it was remarkable how much of a turnaround there has been in such a short time in our defensive patterns. Both teams displayed some excellent and tenacious defence.

I had been dreading what Leigh would do to us for weeks, which was weird given the sort of players we have, but the way they had been playing ... Yet Smith had us back in some shape, looking like we can actually play the game.

Well we only just missed out on taking the points from this game despite the fact we we lacking any half backs.

If Smith can solve that problem, then we might just go that one step further at the end of this season than we did last.

I am surprised FA has not noticed the typo (or is it a brain fart rather than a typo as neither option make sense!) in the Bulls website article "Smith Proud of Bash Performance". Its either an empathic or an emphatic oversight by the Headmaster of RAB Grammar old Skool. On balance empathic aint his thaaang, so emphatic it is.

And Rohan should be, when you consider what he had to choose from. In the circumstances we were in, a change was needed, and Rohan is not just a perfunctory change of coach, he has got a big buy-in from the squad. What he could do with a fully fit and complete squad is a mouth watering prospect.

I was really impressed and proud of the team yesterday.

I thought the forwards actually performed better than Leigh. I think the total meters made during the game had the Bulls 200 meters ahead.

The only time I was dissapointed was when the Bulls were within 20m of the Leigh line. I never had any confidence that we could shift the ball well enough to get over the try line. With a recognised 6 & 7 in that team, we should be able to push on to a much higher level.

During the game, I couldn't help but feel that Leigh were not performing at the same level in which they played last year. I thought their game has dropped, and they were playing more at out level.

Personally, i'm full of enthusiasm for where the team goes from here. I have no doubt that we can make it into the top 4, but even on yesterdays showing, I still think both Leigh and Bradford are some way off the pace of Leeds, Huddersfield, Hull KR and Salford.

As mentioned by numerous posters, the current format of the game (promotion/relegation) means that any team in the championship is hugely handicapped in what they can offer to the middle 8's.

After one game, I suspect Smith will be that rare thing, like Peter Fox, someone that can make a team play much better than people would have suspected it could from its individual parts.

I agree with you there. We are way off last year's pace, in the way we were playing the game - although we were well and truly found out, using that 'style' in the Qualifiers. Ironically, our forwards are better than last year - the first 65 minutes at Odsal were typical of how they have performed. Yesterday, they didn't take anything out of your pack though, and your 'metres gained' stats prove what we believed to be the case - that you were making more ground than us. Our backs (who were so good last season) are struggling this time around. We are missing McNally, big time, despite having a good deputy in Lee Smith. Also without McNally and Brierley, our pace has gone. Half back has been a problem, firstly with Brierley's ill-timed departure, and then with Chase's 'will he play, won't he play' farce. We are definitely a better team with Ridyard in it, although Drinkwater made three huge contributions yesterday. He should improve, when he gets used to our plays. I also reckon Reynolds is a more rounded player than Brierley was.

If I were a Bradford fan, I would be very optimistic about the rest of the season. There was a lot more enthusiasm about your play yesterday and you were much better organised. If you do find a good organising half back, and get Gaskell and others back to fitness, I wouldn't be overly optimistic about our chances against you - providing you can maintain yesterday's levels. Mind you, we still have McNally, Tonga, (if he ever does play!) Ridyard, Moimoi, Dixon and Patterson to come back - plus maybe even Beswick and Barlow too - so perhaps we still have some improvement in us? We'll also have a much rested Hock, Acton and Higham to return after lengthy enforced absences, following this week's Disciplinary meeting!

We do need one Championship team to get through the Qualifiers this time!

With just one caveat - and that is, that it's [relatively] easy to do that as the new broom and sustaining it, which is the key, is a little more difficult.

If it carries on though, I may find myself being enthused and not just turning up from habit! Smithy is beginning to look like the real deal though and that's all he [ican[/i do, this early in his reign.

If there's one thing I've learned over the years, caveats are useless. If there's another, so is damning with faint praise.

I should think most went to Blackpool with trepidation as to what would happen, especially once we saw the squad, and I for one am not going to make the mistake of dismissing that performance as "relatively easy" for him to have masterminded. I don't think it was, not at all.

Sustaining it is not the key, having that rare ability to raise the level of performance that much in the first place is the key. All of a sudden, we looked like a team that is coached, with a game plan.

Lol.
One thing I've leaned over the years is that there are always caveats.... and who is damming with faint praise?

As I said, I was pleased, in fact, more than pleased not only with the performance but also with the result which was much better than anticipated. I'd suspect that everyone putting in an extra effort to impress a new boss was pretty normal human behaviour, in any walk of life, to be honest, but then such observations can always pass people by. That isn't to denigrate - or damm with faint praise - anything, btw, just saying how I've noticed, through a lifetime, that things tend to be.

For sure, having that ability too get the best from each individual and to mould them, Peter Fox like, into a solid team is a great asset, but maintaining performance levels over a period is absolutely the key and is how any coach or manager is ultimately judged. Results, like the names on the teamsheet, can [and will] come and go over time and the 'new' boss will become part and parcel of the squad's daily life, so keeping some consistency, even in the inevitable defeats, is definitely the essence.

Great start, and forward with confidence, imo.

Ok, ok, I just imagined that our defensive patterns and organisation were vastly improved, or that the system we played matched Leigh, despite our lack of halfbacks. Just trying to please the new boss. Nothing to see here, they'd have done the same for Dale Winton.

Only seen the highlights but think the one thing it does show is that so far this season the team has been performing well below its best and its capabilities. If Rohan can get the team enthused enough to bring their best game to the table, plus secure a reasonable half back we should at lest be able to be in contention once the play-offs arrive.

This. Very interesting reading Smith comments about his selections. I must admit when i saw the line up i thought they were baffling. But reading Smiths reasoning, and the performances that backed it up, fair play. Smith scouted Leigh the week before and he is a coach that will pick a particular team to win a particular game. If we need to go big, we'll go big. If we need a fast team, he'll choose a fast team. Whereas Lowes, i always felt tactically he just wasn't good enough. He had a list of who he thought were his best players then his favourites and went with them. The line up never really changed (hence our best player couldn't walk by time the middle 8s came) We relied too many times last season on our best players getting us out of poop and when it came to the middle8s, we were found out tactically. I don't think Lowes really studied the opposition and just seemed to hope our good players would play well ad rely on that getting us the wins..

Smiths comments last week after the Sheffield game were what gave me hope. Instead of Lowe's standard "we didn't do what we practiced" Smith said specifically what we were poop at. (Kicking game and defence on right hand side)

Weirdly i felt much happier after that agonising loss than i did after we pinched it after playing at home. We look to have some structure to us.

After watching the full game now on Bulls TV (forgot how naff Sky's commentary still is) A good a game as the Bulls have played for a while but with a proper playmaker and Goal kicker (Addy does not impress and pressure kicks do get to him)the Bulls probably would have won the game. Though I think Clare not committing to tackling Higham cost us the match.
Some good stuff but still need to defend better and also take a tackle without getting pushed over the sideline so often,(when the Bulls tried it was woeful, so something else to work on)
There has been marked step up in attitude and intensity since Smith took over and it's not just the usual impress the new Coach syndrome, I feel we should be a more confident going into the 8's even without finishing in the top 2, but getting a proper playmaker is a must, even Higham at his age showed what we were missing.

could have won this game if you had any half backs on the pitch IMO. No play options, last play option was poor also, so to still have been in a position to win the game says a lot IMO