Leeds have never breached the salary cap unlike Wigan, Bradford, Saints etc.

From last year's squad Buderus, Senior, Pitts, Ali, Cross and Burgess have gone and Griffin and Moore have come in.

They weren't over the salary cap last year - it doesn't take much of a leap of faith to see the cost of the outs is significantly bigger than the ins. Contract extensions were given to Sinfield, Peacock and Webb all of whom will have been on reduced monies especially the first two given the length of the contracts offered. There has been some increases to younger players but that is unlikely to be huge and we still had plenty of cap space to take Lunt.

Hetherington has always allowed cap space incase another Ali comes along and they don't come cheap.

Winning the GF last year probably set you back at least one or two years in terms of facing the reality of regenerating the team. (That said, you could argue its a fair swap.) Guys like Macguire are way past their best - he's a great example of a player that doesn't 'age' well, because his game relies so much on pace. Tomkins will tail off rapidly as he nears and passes 30.

A lot of people are now saying 'it doesn't matter where you finish as long as you're in the top 8'. This is daft - last year was a freak result, and will happen every decade or so, that's the point of the playoffs - to give outsiders a hope. I'd still much rather enter the playoffs from #1 or #2 spots.

the problem is the pack. they are battered week in week out. put mcguire behind wigans pack and he would be fine.

i hear a lot of the senior players have turned on him so his time must be limited

Like him as a man but he never should have been given the job.

I think they should sack him and hire another proven coach in either Rob Powell or Richard Agar.

Contrast the reaction of McDermott and Robinson to this week's defeats!!

What Robinson had to say "Disgusting, embarrassing, unacceptable" etc is what you want from a coach I bet the Catalans players will running up some hills this week. I bet the Leeds players will be going through the motions just like they did when they wanted rid of McClennan.

Perhaps its the players that need a shake up and showing the exit?

For me McNamara is the obvious choice

it needs a top class coach and a shake up of the squad. anyone who has watched them week in week out will tell you that

That's the coaches job. If he doesn't shake things up, he'll need showing the exit.

Obvious to everyone except the G-man

That's is OK provided the bosses are prepared to back the coach - Hetherington has let the players dispose of Powell, Smith and McClennan - McDermott will be next

Didn't smith leave as he wanted to take the role of coaching the national side? And mclennan left a year early of his own choice.

The pickle Leeds are in reminds me a little of the situation Chelsea were in in the last wendyball season. Too many ego's in the dressing room that think they know better than the coach and will point at their winners medal collection when the coach tries to take them to task. The term "nest of vipers" sums it up I think. It tends to happens whenever the same group of players remain successful through several coaches. The sooner McDermott goes the sooner things will turn around there I'll bet, although whether the senior players at Leeds are still capable of producing at the required level remains to be seen

Is there any evidence that this is actually the situation?