Re: Unsackable Mac : Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:41 am  

Him wrote:

Both Chris Plume and Jason Davidson have significant clout at the club.

I don't see the need for an offensive coach, we have plenty of offensive experience in Sinfield, McGuire & Burrow. I can't think of many coaches around with more experience than them.

To be honest I think we're just going through a period of poor form coupled with a lot of injuries.
I think we're still weak at prop beyond Peacock & Leuluai, and that the halves have only been good in patches this season. But when we get Sinfield & Burrow back I think that will help tremendously. Also Ablett & Hardaker are very important to our attack.

Spot on.

Our slump has nothing to do with not having an assistant coach or a lack of structures. It has everything to do with injuries and loss of form.

Form is an elusive thing and when it turns bad there is no simple cure and there is not much the coaches can do about it. Players often try too hard to turn around a spell of bad form and all it does is prolong it. You play best when relaxed and confident and not when you are aware of how bad you have been or when you can hear the crowd getting at you. When several players lose form together it makes the whole team look poor.

Sinfield is an example of a player who has been so consistent and perhaps has only lost form once or twice in his whole career. But loss of form does not suddenly make an outstanding player a bad one. Take Andy Murray who sailed through the first week of Wimbledon playing tremendous tennis. A couple of days later his shot timing and foot positions were all wrong and he lost in three straight sets. It happens to the best in all sports. Add to this several injuries and you have the position Leeds are in now.

Not a time to lay blame on the coach or right-off proven class players IMO. The players and coaches will be working so hard to correct the errors and I believe as this slump has continued we are one game nearer the return of key injured players and also one game nearer a return to form.

Re: Unsackable Mac : Tue Jul 08, 2014 1:23 pm  

Whilst I do not want Mac to be fired I feel we are not getting the best out of our threequarter line. Which in my opinion is the best in super league.
Hence my feeling we would benefit with the use of a dedicated offense coach,especially as we are rapidly coming to the business end of the season.
If we win any kind of silverware I will have been proved wrong and will be more than happy to admit so.
Even the challenge cup would in my opinion be classed as a success story.

Re: Unsackable Mac : Tue Jul 08, 2014 4:12 pm  

A coach with any pride would have walked after Friday's shambolic performance against a team who let's face it are basically a collection of everyone else's cast-offs including several of Leeds' own - one which Leeds have destroyed twice previously this season.

His pre-match dressing-room instruction to Bailey appeared to consist of which combination of punches to throw and he had a smile on his face before being interviewed on the pitch post-match. Hardly the actions or appearance of a man under any pressure (internally) at work.

It would presumably cost money to replace our distinctly average (IMO) head coach therefore I'd rate his job among the safest in Super League.

Re: Unsackable Mac : Tue Jul 08, 2014 4:52 pm  

Him wrote:

Both Chris Plume and Jason Davidson have significant clout at the club.

I don't see the need for an offensive coach, we have plenty of offensive experience in Sinfield, McGuire & Burrow. I can't think of many coaches around with more experience than them.

To be honest I think we're just going through a period of poor form coupled with a lot of injuries.
I think we're still weak at prop beyond Peacock & Leuluai, and that the halves have only been good in patches this season. But when we get Sinfield & Burrow back I think that will help tremendously. Also Ablett & Hardaker are very important to our attack.

Plume and davidson may as you say have clout at the club, but have they got the skill and talent. We can take davidson out of the equation as he is the fitness and condition trainer. Which on balance we seem to be fit enough so no complaints there.
So that leaves us with plume, looking at his track record on the rhinos site he has no experience of top level coaching.
Surely it must benefit Mac to have some some fresh thinking about the place, even if it just takes a bit of pressure from his shoulders.
It might be that he does not want anybody else,pehraps he feels he will succeed on his own. Once again nobody on this site at the moment is right or wrong until the season end. When we will discover who wins the silverware .
Obviously the wire game is hugely important , this as a benchmark as to our form this season as to performing in must win games. I see in the yorkshire post JP has said he is sick and tired of losing close games this season. So the players are obviously feeling frustrated.

Re: Unsackable Mac : Tue Jul 08, 2014 4:59 pm  

ThePrinter wrote:

And I and most others agree that the attack needs to improve and look more threatening and creative.

It's worth remember though that for all the talk of our attack being poor and our defence currently being very poor (and lacking structure all year apparently) we have the joint fewest defeats in SL at the moment and whereas some of Saints' loses have been quite heavy are losing margins are very fine.....

Lost by 2 points
Home to Hudds
Away to Wakey

Lost by 4 points
Magic vs Wigan
Away at Saints

Lost by 18 points
Away to Wire

So 4 of those 5 defeats are single score defeats, the first three mentioned we actually matched the opposition for tries but fell sort due to goal kicking.

Only the Warrington game we've not had a chance to win approaching the final minutes, that's 1 match out of 22 played this year, think some underestimate how good a stat that is, and even when we've been beaten, teams only just manage it. So whilst we aren't getting everything right, we aren't getting things as wrong as some perhaps think.

THIS

It is madness that people are comparing us negqatively to Saints (and their 40 point margin shellackings) or Wigan (shipping nearly 40 points to Wakey and Cas)

We have a perfect storm of poor form & injuries, and but for goalkicks & the VR feeling slightly saner, we'd have beaten both Wakefield & Huddersfield.

Quit whining and get behind the team.

Re: Unsackable Mac : Tue Jul 08, 2014 5:34 pm  

Top and bottom of it, a coach will never get sacked if he is achieving his goals!

In 3 years BMac has won 2 GF's, won 1 WCC, has 2 CC final appearances, with league finishes of 5th, 5th and 3rd.

In his fourth year we are currently 2nd and are in the semi-final of the CC.

So if someone would please tell me what else the coach has to do to keep his job, I'm all ears?

Re: Unsackable Mac : Tue Jul 08, 2014 5:46 pm  

pokerface wrote:

Top and bottom of it, a coach will never get sacked if he is achieving his goals!

In 3 years BMac has won 2 GF's, won 1 WCC, has 2 CC final appearances, with league finishes of 5th, 5th and 3rd.

In his fourth year we are currently 2nd and are in the semi-final of the CC.

So if someone would please tell me what else the coach has to do to keep his job, I'm all ears?

A different spin IF we went out in the CC semi and don't reach GF would be that two years on trot we have won nothing and not been in the major finals.

You are only as good as your last match, and your next one is the one that counts.

Re: Unsackable Mac : Tue Jul 08, 2014 5:54 pm  

Gotcha wrote:

A different spin IF we went out in the CC semi and don't reach GF would be that two years on trot we have won nothing and not been in the major finals.

You are only as good as your last match, and your next one is the one that counts.

We will cross that bridge in October should it happen.

I'm addressing the 'here and now' as people are talking about sacking him now before the season has panned out!

Re: Unsackable Mac : Tue Jul 08, 2014 5:57 pm  

pokerface wrote:

We will cross that bridge in October should it happen.

I'm addressing the 'here and now' as people are talking about sacking him now before the season has panned out!

I actually don't think one single person has suggested that.

Re: Unsackable Mac : Tue Jul 08, 2014 6:03 pm  

tvoc wrote:

A coach with any pride would have walked after Friday's shambolic performance against a team who let's face it are basically a collection of everyone else's cast-offs including several of Leeds' own - one which Leeds have destroyed twice previously this season.

Perhaps he's waiting for Wane to walk after he lost at the same ground just a few weeks before (and shipped 36 points in the process)

Or Tony Smith after his Wire team lost vs Bradford shipping in 34 points at Odsal, where only London and an Agar-led Wakey have lost this year.

Or Brown for losing away at HKR, Widnes and Catalans with a total points of - Scored 36 Conceded 122.