Re: What scenario keeps McDermott in his job? : Mon Dec 12, 2016 7:50 am  

BrisbaneRhino wrote:

With that pack you'd want a stellar spine to be right up there. As it is we look to have average forwards, an untried/high risk spine and very good threequarters. Its hard to see anything other than a rocks or diamonds season. Personally I think unless we get some kind of alternative hooker we're in for an almighty slog just to make the top 8, never mind top 4. I would love to be wrong.

Exactly how i feel. Saving grace is that SL at the top end is not as strong as it was..can you imagine our squad now up against the Wigan, Saints and Bulls squads of early to mid 2000s!? On the flip side the mid to lower teams have got stronger so to make the 8, like you say, won't be cut and dry.

Re: What scenario keeps McDermott in his job? : Mon Dec 12, 2016 8:14 am  

This current Leeds squad with those pack options and that spine should to be nowhere near the Top 8. Fortunately for them, the rest of the SL competition ain't up to much.

The days of GH announcing 'Leeds best ever squad assembled' are over, surely?

Re: What scenario keeps McDermott in his job? : Mon Dec 12, 2016 8:49 am  

Amazingly there are still posters on here who think this squad is a match for any team in SL - bizarre

Re: What scenario keeps McDermott in his job? : Mon Dec 12, 2016 8:56 am  

Sal Paradise wrote:

Amazingly there are still posters on here who think this squad is a match for any team in SL - bizarre

Only because the other sides are poor as well.
WE, so you expect GH to admit we've got a poor or at best average squad?
I'm sure you don't & fully expect lots of inflated puffery in the new year.

Re: What scenario keeps McDermott in his job? : Mon Dec 12, 2016 9:44 am  

GH will come out with we have completed our recruitment - we believe this squad is competitive with lots of exciting youngsters on the threshold of greatness.

A repeat of what he said last year - another year like this year will test the commercial team!!

Re: What scenario keeps McDermott in his job? : Mon Dec 12, 2016 10:34 am  

Mc.D already confirmed the 2 "Project signings" will start at Fev & interestingly says "Everyone will be ready but maybe not fully fit" to face ST's in Feb.

Re: What scenario keeps McDermott in his job? : Mon Dec 12, 2016 10:54 am  

RHINO-MARK wrote:

Mc.D already confirmed the 2 "Project signings" will start at Fev & interestingly says "Everyone will be ready but maybe not fully fit" to face ST's in Feb.

Over the last few years I've felt that McDermott got a lot of unfair stick from some of our fans. His use of substitutes is baffling and we always lost out on a few easy 2 pointers by underestimating teams in the lower half of the league but the amount of trophy wins speak for themselves.

However a statement like that clearly proves that his time as the Leeds head coach is up. A month ago he was claiming he learnt his lesson on playing unfit and injured players and more time should have been spent getting those players up to speed and now he is stating that injured players will be played on the opening week! I admit he has been dealt a rough hand as Sinfield and Peacock are irreplaceable and thanks to the RFL Super League is too weak to attract any genuine stars from abroad but he seems to be refusing to acknowledge the mistakes that were made last season and we seem to be heading down the same path that landed us in the middle 8s.

Re: What scenario keeps McDermott in his job? : Mon Dec 12, 2016 11:32 am  

RHINO-MARK wrote:

Mc.D already confirmed the 2 "Project signings" will start at Fev & interestingly says "Everyone will be ready but maybe not fully fit" to face ST's in Feb.

That does seem to be a bizarre statement to make.
Clearly, Galloway will not be fit, are there any other players who went under the knife in the off season or who were injured at the end of last season & who are still in recovery?

Re: What scenario keeps McDermott in his job? : Mon Dec 12, 2016 11:44 am  

Sal Paradise wrote:

Amazingly there are still posters on here who think this squad is a match for any team in SL - bizarre

Amazingly they were posters on here before the 2015 season saying we had no chance of being top 4 as we wouldn't beat the top teams in the league.

Re: What scenario keeps McDermott in his job? : Mon Dec 12, 2016 11:57 am  

WF Rhino wrote:

However a statement like that clearly proves that his time as the Leeds head coach is up. A month ago he was claiming he learnt his lesson on playing unfit and injured players and more time should have been spent getting those players up to speed and now he is stating that injured players will be played on the opening week!

Has he actually said injured players will play that game? I doubt he's already decided his 17 for the game. More a case he means some players may not have got as much pre-season fitness/games under their belts, happens every year that you usually get a couple who don't feature much if at all in pre-season because they've had operations. Sutcliffe an example last year. Every team will have a player or two in their opening day 17 who won't have got any preseason games under their belts.