Re: So you want some new players? : Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:50 pm  

We were arguably playing worst last year when we had Buderus, Ali and Senior here and the forwards were a year younger so i don't think new players are the real answer. Any player coming into the team with the structure and game plan McDermott is responsible for is going to struggle. The Acadamy players sound promising but not under McDermott, McShane has suffered under him, he let Pitts and Burgess go (admittingly Burgess was eager to go Down Under but another coach might of been able to convince him to stay abit longer if used more), BJB started off good but seems to be heading backwards and i think the longer Hardaker stays in the centre the worst he'll be for it in the long run. I've said throughout the last few weeks that i still think this squad can compete up in the top 4 at least but not under McDermott who i've finally realised hasn't got what it take to coach a team to be consistantly good week-in week-out.

Re: So you want some new players? : Tue Jun 05, 2012 11:27 am  

ThePrinter wrote:

We were arguably playing worst last year when we had Buderus,

They will be getting the steaks and matches ready. I'd hide if I were you.

Re: So you want some new players? : Tue Jun 05, 2012 1:51 pm  

ThePrinter wrote:

We were arguably playing worst last year when we had Buderus, Ali and Senior here and the forwards were a year younger so i don't think new players are the real answer. Any player coming into the team with the structure and game plan McDermott is responsible for is going to struggle. The Acadamy players sound promising but not under McDermott, McShane has suffered under him, he let Pitts and Burgess go (admittingly Burgess was eager to go Down Under but another coach might of been able to convince him to stay abit longer if used more), BJB started off good but seems to be heading backwards and i think the longer Hardaker stays in the centre the worst he'll be for it in the long run. I've said throughout the last few weeks that i still think this squad can compete up in the top 4 at least but not under McDermott who i've finally realised hasn't got what it take to coach a team to be consistantly good week-in week-out.

I think you are probably right. Last year we were poor even with buderus in the team, largely forgotten about due to a massive turnaround in form at the back end of the season. From what I have seen from the last two seasons he doesn't appear to have what it takes to be head coach.
For balance though we have been declining when bluey was in charge as well in performance.

Re: So you want some new players? : Tue Jun 05, 2012 1:57 pm  

G1 wrote:

They will be getting the steaks and matches ready. I'd hide if I were you.

Why, are the having a barbecue?
Do you mean STAKES?

Re: So you want some new players? : Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:29 pm  

batleyrhino wrote:

We don't need wholesale changes, the players that have served Leeds so well are still here, but have either lost some of their pace, or strength so the biggest thing we need to change is the way we play. Our previous support players aren't quick enough any more and have tried to adapt, but they are not playing to a structure. When your forwards can't punch through the line and offload, you need to run a deeper attack and we are still playing a flat line. In defence, we lose the collision so much that frequently we don't even have 1 marker in place never mind 2, meaning that we are constantly on the back foot. Players are pulled all over the defensive line meaning that the players around them don't have confidence and are pulled into tackles they should not be involved in.

Most of the above lies with the coach, and the CEO for persisting with players who are on a a downward slope, but they would look a lot better with a strong defensive and attacking structure.

Just signing 4 or 5 new players isn't the answer without a significant change to playing style...

What he said.

Re: So you want some new players? : Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:52 pm  

If mcDermott were to be sacked now ( and take Lowes with him )who would we like to replace him (them) both short and long term. would we go for big Barry and advertise the job to see who would be interested? would we let the senior players run the team as they appear to be doing so now with players not wanting to play in certain positions?

Re: So you want some new players? : Tue Jun 05, 2012 4:28 pm  

As a Bull fan looking in, i think the best thing would be to wait and bring the youngsters through. Some deluded fans will throw their toys out of the pram and say they should be the number 1 club every season. It doesn't work like that. Leeds have had unrivalled success of late, but now the players are getting older and other teams are getting in front of them. It happens in sport.

Leeds aren't going to bring 3 or 5 top draw players at once. It just doesn't work like that. What Leeds have to do is look to improve year on year and the way to do that is bringing juniors through.

At the Bulls we made wholesale changes for about 3 years and got worse each year. Now we're bringing the juniors through and yes they were some hammerings, but they were many of them with top players such as Orford, Glen Hall etc.

If we survive our financial situation, i can see us going to the top again with home grown players such as Bateman, Whitehead, Donaldson Burgess etc

Re: So you want some new players? : Tue Jun 05, 2012 4:29 pm  

As a Bull fan looking in, i think the best thing would be to wait and bring the youngsters through. Some deluded fans will throw their toys out of the pram and say they should be the number 1 club every season. It doesn't work like that. Leeds have had unrivalled success of late, but now the players are getting older and other teams are getting in front of them. It happens in sport.

Leeds aren't going to bring 3 or 5 top draw players at once. It just doesn't work like that. What Leeds have to do is look to improve year on year and the way to do that is bringing juniors through.

At the Bulls we made wholesale changes for about 3 years and got worse each year. Now we're bringing the juniors through and yes they were some hammerings, but they were many of them with top players such as Orford, Glen Hall etc.

If we survive our financial situation, i can see us going to the top again with home grown players such as Bateman, Whitehead, Donaldson Burgess etc

Re: So you want some new players? : Tue Jun 05, 2012 4:46 pm  

Bull Mania wrote:

As a Bull fan looking in, i think the best thing would be to wait and bring the youngsters through. Some deluded fans will throw their toys out of the pram and say they should be the number 1 club every season. It doesn't work like that. Leeds have had unrivalled success of late, but now the players are getting older and other teams are getting in front of them. It happens in sport.

Leeds aren't going to bring 3 or 5 top draw players at once. It just doesn't work like that. What Leeds have to do is look to improve year on year and the way to do that is bringing juniors through.

At the Bulls we made wholesale changes for about 3 years and got worse each year. Now we're bringing the juniors through and yes they were some hammerings, but they were many of them with top players such as Orford, Glen Hall etc.

If we survive our financial situation, i can see us going to the top again with home grown players such as Bateman, Whitehead, Donaldson Burgess etc

That sounds too sensible.

Re: So you want some new players? : Tue Jun 05, 2012 5:21 pm  

The sensible plan is to bring the kids through. But that doesn't mean (as Nantwichexile seems to think) throwing them first team jerseys and asking them to get on with it, it means starting them on the bench, giving them minutes and seeing how they do. Amor & Ambler should both be back here next year, and regularly getting bench spots and good spells. But we shouldn't be releasing all of our forwards and demanding they step up straight away.

Peacock should go this year, Leuluai next year. For 2014, Griff will be 33, and OOC, and Bailey will be 30. If we bring in one young prop now (my pick is Kopczak), then we can introduce the two young guns over this & next season so we're ready for 2014, when Singleton (who will only then be 22, lets not forget) can begin the process over again. Similarly in the back row, Dan Smith should be getting bench spots, but not ahead of JJB, Ablett, Delaney & Hauraki. JJB is 31 end of this year, and by the looks of him has maybe 1 or 2 years left in him. Bring in Elima as a big, ballcarrying, impact SR, Ablett to LF (to adjust for the loss of Clarkson) and give Smith bench time.