I wish him well, unless playing Quins. He did plenty right at Quins and the fact that the wheels came off a bit at the end, first team wise, shouldn't obscure that. He was trying to build a club as much as a first team and did a lot of good in that respect.

I wish him all the best in what he is trying at Leeds.
Like him or hate him, he believed in the "London R.L. Dream" whilst he was down here & seems to have helped put down roots for our future.

Mac didn't have the tools and was working in what is now accepted as a transition period ie dependence on youth coming through

Having said that and Ive said it before he doesnt have the intelligence to be a top level coach(I accept thats a very derogatory remark)

I found his ability to introduce change in the game was always very reactive and the damage was generally done when he changed things. He also took the speed out of the team.

His plan B at the end of his tenure ie throwing the ball around without setting a platform was awful as has been demonstrated with decent players in the first few games at Leeds-Its noticeable he has now gone to a conservative game plan. Even the most respected critics criticised that approach

He hasnt got the brains to out wit Brown, McGuire, Smith to name a few- These coaches are always talked about as they are always "doing things" differently whether it be in defence, attack on the training ground- Mac is just a middle of the road 70/80's type coach based on grunt

Having to spoken to people who new him well he really felt the pressure of expectancy of the south of England when he was at Quins-I think he is a hard working, genuine guy but sadly missing the bit between the ears that is required as a tactician.

Think I said it quite a few times, maybe its the bloke sat at the side that sets the tactics and attacking defensive patterns! BUT its the players on the park who fail to make the tackles drop the ball and give away free mtrs with penalties.
The bloke on the side can only work with the tools that he has, and if they are not working then he is buggered which ever way you look at it
As for leeds in transition!!!! Loads of people are talking about it, have i missed something here, have Leeds cleared out half there squad and replaced em or summat? They are not that different from past seasons, I think he got dropped in the deep end a bit there.
in answer to the question hope he does well, but not when they are playing us

interesting comment from POD I dont think you know how the miltary works do you!!!! its certainly not committee but its not some bloke stood at the front shouting and screaming you know! that why a lot of clubs go away and train at military establishments to build TEAMWORK
combine that with leadership!!!! and leadership does not have to be umcompromising as you say

I suspect in a few years when his tenure at Rhinos has come to an end, he'll end up with some national youth development role at the RFL.

Not sure that he's a SL coach, but his current employers do, but there is no doubt that he has given a lot of time to help in the development of coaches as well as junior player development in the south.

One day, when a lot of the work comes to fruition, he'll be genuinely recognised for his achivements during his tenure at Quins RL.

If he has success at Leeds he will deserve it, but it is all the more entertaining watching Leeds lose with him at the helm.

While we made strides in the junior development side of things with him in charge, I maintain he ran out of ideas as our Coach and it was erroneous to keep him in charge in 2010 when he had clearly taken us as far as he could. No-one is denying the lack of strength in the squad, but at the same time it was clear for large parts of last season how poor we were and lacking any real direction on the pitch, a result of his lack of tactical nous.

If part one of your master analysis fails or is "wrong" part two will naturally occur. Have you ever considered that a significant part of RL is attrition? Watch teams play analytically and you will see what Im on about. If you want it simplified get the missus to throw a tennis ball to you 10 times then go and run 5 miles very fast on a very hot day and on your immediate return get the missus to repeat the exercise and compare the results.

Surely you're not suggesting that part 1 (the coach) means that the players will drop the ball as stated in what you've called part 2?

Rooster have you posted that from the pub?

erm, might have.


Nah, why?

Have I read it wrong? Weren't you implying that if players naturally go to part 2 if part one messes up. Which could be taken as if players doesn't follow tactics or work on attacking patterns they can drop the ball. That's how I read it.

Well yes, you're right. My military experience consists of firing an air rifle during a school cadet force introduction then deciding I wasn't interested. I wasn't implying ranting like a pantomime sergeant major, more thinking in terms of not tolerating mavericks or giving second chances to anyone who fails to follow instructions. It was odd the way certain players seemed to get frozen out and not picked, often hanging around at the club for quite a while before eventually leaving.