Leeds with their squad should be comfortably 4th or above imo. If they had Maguire or Smith as coach do you think they would be in the top 4? I do.

One word. Pressure.

Never liked the guy since he tried to stop me going up for a chicken dinner with rice and Broccoli in the players lounge at Quins in 2008.. starving i was!!!

He's hapless at best in the Leeds job!!

Leeds fans on Facebook were calling for his sacking last night........but what if its reverse psychology and Leeds actually beat us??

Then I'd hazard a guess that the players had decided to start playing again and McDermott would live to fight another day. Can't help but wonder if certain players have decided he isn't the right coach and are happy to do their bit to ensure he doesn't last much longer? Looks out of his depth, maybe it's young British coaches that we should be sending to Australia rather than players?

Someone mentioned Potter, he did a fantastic job at Catalans and got a Saints team with no halfbacks to the grand final. He hasn't become a poor coach since then IMO!

really? i don't think their squad is near the quality of Wigan/Wire/Hudds/Saints,

they may have some decent 'names' but it's not impressive any longer

The squad available to McDermott at the beginning of the season:

Fullbacks: Webb, Jones-Bishop
Wingers: Hall, Smith, Jones-Bishop, Hardaker
Centres: Senior, Watkins, Delaney, Smith
Halfbacks: McGuire, Burrow, Sinfield
Props: Peacock, Leuluai, Burgess, Bailey, Cross
Hookers: Buderus, McShane
Back Row: JJB, Ablett, Lauititi, Clarkson, Hauraki, Delaney, Sinfield

No reason that squad, coached properly, shouldn't be competitive with the four sides you mentioned.

Complete bluff. He will have them firing on all cylinders tomorrow and wigan better be on top form.

He is just trying to detract some attention from his team.

Wigan better be aware of the wounded rhino tommorrow

Then he's an idiot just the same. A coach who gives the impression that losing is okay, as opposed to unacceptable, isn't likely to take his team to dizzying heights. If your coach, of all people, doesn't expect much of a performance from you then you may well start believing there isn't much to expect.

Tbh I am sure Madge isn't stupid enough to react to this one way or another.

The team will be prepared as if it's just another round (which of course it is).

Let's hope the players take notice of him.

I agree. I think all that matters tonight is how Wigan play.

No matter how motivated Leeds are or aren't, if Wigan play as well as they can, they should win.

It's that old question though - which Wigan will turn up?

Nothing wrong imo. As Gaskell and others have said, he believes that if leeds begin to perform then results will come. I agree. When Leeds turn up they can beat anyone.

Nothing wrong? Honestly? How would you feel if, in the lead to our away fixture at Wire, Madge said it wasn't about winning but hoped that we came away from Warrington having had a good crack at it? Of course, We know he won't, and that's one of the reasons we're champions. IMO, any coach who gives the appearance of accepting defeat so readily should be asked some serious questions by the fans and anyone else with an interest in the club, and it's one of the reasons I'm so glad we don't have to put up with the apathetic and totally uninspirational Noble anymore.

It's the way he phrased it...

"it's all about the performance, which has been lacking recently. If we put in a good performance, regardless of the result, i'll be happy"

NOT

"we're not going there for the win, it's not about winning"

Once concentrating on how they'll perform, the other is admitting defeat before you start.

To be 100% fair to McDermott, he said what he said in the context of the Bradford game. He agreed fully that Leeds were very poor against Bradfart and with the amount of possession they had, should have won easily. The next question raised by sky's interviewer was about the Wigan game and McDermott answered it by saying that as long as they play well, he isn't bothered about the 2 points. The big thing he wants from the Wigan game is to come away with at least something to build on, which is precisely the opposite of what he got from the Bradfart game. Still a mad thing for a coach to say, even one under so much pressure. Must admit, they do look a disorganised shambles at times, Leeds that is.