Re: Cross & Burgess... Get us out of here : Fri Jun 17, 2011 12:59 pm  

tvoc wrote:

Peacock and?

Obviously you can't be including McGuire in that statement as he played in all but the final 80 minutes.

Burgess?

McGuire missed the last 7 seconds of the Wigan away play-off and all of the Headingley one. Doesn't get more "business end" than that.

Re: Cross & Burgess... Get us out of here : Fri Jun 17, 2011 1:02 pm  

Remarkable_Rhinos wrote:

I don't dislike him. I just think he's overrated. Very much like U2 (the band!). They're a band. Good on them. Occasionally do something fantastic. But mainly, just a half decent band. Not "THE GREATEST BAND IN THE WORLD!" We need bands like that. Sure. Just like we need players like Smith. I just think he seems to get FAR more praise than he deserves.

Maybe sometimes I go a bit OTT on the criticism, but that's only to try and redress the balance of all the love he seems to get. He's fine. But that's it. Just fine. Massively overrated.

I don't think I've ever seen a thread on which a large number of people have rated Lee Smith as highly as you seem to think. Perhaps I just missed them. Most people seem to think he's a decent player, and one who finds big plays in big games.

Since you bring it up, I haven't liked anything U2 have done since that one they did for the Batman Forever soundtrack, and would happily feed Bono to starving children in Africa. With a side-order of Chris Martin.

Re: Cross & Burgess... Get us out of here : Fri Jun 17, 2011 1:09 pm  

1st team squads usually roughly comprise 20 elite players + 5 progressing through the system.

Say the usual contract duration for the majority will be between two and three years I guess a club would expect to have around 8 senior players coming out of contract in an average season. This season Leeds had 10 having extended some contracts by 12 months last season.

Some of those extensions were pretty uninspiring and have added to the current situation I guess.

Re: Cross & Burgess... Get us out of here : Fri Jun 17, 2011 1:15 pm  

Its certainly going to be interesting how GH does his recruiting over the next 2-3 years and how many of the present squad are still here next season

Re: Cross & Burgess... Get us out of here : Fri Jun 17, 2011 1:32 pm  

In fairness, if you look at eh spine of the multi-title winning side, I can't remember seeing any team (Leeds or anywhere else) where so much of it came through the club's academy quite so close together. Having so many players in key positions come through so close together was always going to create a fairly unique challenge as they all, inevitably, retire or pass their prime quite close together too.

You could argue that it could have been managed better, but there aren't loads of precedents for this.

Re: Cross & Burgess... Get us out of here : Fri Jun 17, 2011 1:38 pm  

El Diablo wrote:

Since you bring it up, I haven't liked anything U2 have done since that one they did for the Batman Forever soundtrack, and would happily feed Bono to starving children in Africa. With a side-order of Chris Martin.

I haven't really liked anything that Smith has done since he leaned forward and duped the VR into thinking his feet were behind McGuire, and would happily feed him to the people of Wakefield. With a side-order of Ben Cross.

Re: Cross & Burgess... Get us out of here : Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:06 pm  

Pleasing to see the sense being talked by Andy Gilder and Bullseye on the previous pages.

Is it any coincidence that they are of the same generation as I, have watched Rl the same length as I and clearly have a better and balanced perspective as a result? I think not.

As mentioned, the club had already achieved the unheard of when it won 2 GFs in a row. Then it did 3. Did everyone expect or demand 4 and 5?

As also mentioned, GH has put the club on a footing where it is not reliant on on-field successes going forward.

I actually can't believe, even though I am not surprised at, some of the drivel directed to GH by the usual suspects. I guess they have been building up to this through three or four years of frustration for them but success for the club. Now is the time to release. Ooooh, It must feel soooooo good.

If I had to pick a CEO to run my sporting organisation would I pick Sal, Gotcha or GH?

Re: Cross & Burgess... Get us out of here : Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:10 pm  

Remarkable_Rhinos wrote:

I haven't really liked anything that Smith has done since he leaned forward and duped the VR into thinking his feet were behind McGuire

There was no duping .... Smith was clearly onside.

At first I called it as offside too but was happy when that initial view was proved incorrect.

__________

G1 wrote:

As mentioned, the club had already achieved the unheard of when it won 2 GFs in a row.

Hardly unheard of considering the feat had already been achieved by St Helens during the SL Era.

The third Championship was unique though.

Re: Cross & Burgess... Get us out of here : Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:14 pm  

tvoc wrote:

Hardly unheard of seeing as it had already been achieved by St Helens during the SL Era.

The third Championship was unique though.

but I think 2 in a row let alone 3 was exceeding our dreams at Leeds after our record in the 80s-90s

Re: Cross & Burgess... Get us out of here : Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:14 pm  

You could hear those branches snapping 10 minutes ago. It was like thunder as it got nearer and nearer and nearer and nearer. Then became an anticlimax.

I too would have GH as CEO of my sporting organisation before Sal or Gotcha, it's a no brainer. But I certainly wouldn't be sucking his purple helmet even when he's put in a poor 18 months performance.