Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Oct 01, 2023 8:34 am  

Re cap the only thing that's really happened in the top 6 is an ambitious Leigh have replaced a badly managed Leeds.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Oct 01, 2023 8:58 am  

Seth wrote:

See, I completely disagree with that. Not just because of the clear mismanagement of Leeds first team but to say the cap is working as it should isn't true, is it pushing standards up or are we punching down to level the playing field? It's great that Leigh and kr are greatly improving but that's nothing to do with the cap. And on the whole the quality of imports is greatly lower as is the quality of the games we're seeing.

As we're seeing with attendances, revenues and the tv deals the quality on show is abysmal. The cap making teams more equal by making most of the teams poor isn't attracting fans, it's killing the game slowly. We're the only sport that is declining and the people running the game encourage further decline by deliberately stopping potential investment. With the current cap there is zero chance of our sport ever growing. The cap is pointless, it doesn't stop the same teams dominating the division, it just stops ambitious owners from trying to bring quality into the division and scares off any new potential investment because there is zero opportunity to grow your club.

Fans want to see quality, not artificially created competitiveness where 90% of the teams are terrible.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:19 am  

Simmo71 wrote:

Surely, nobody could actually be pleased if we signed Adam O'Brien????
He is a player being released by one of the few teams that finished below us for gods sake.
If we keep doing Castleford / Wakefield level recruitment, guess what?
We finish in Castleford / Wakefield level league positions.

And btw no personal attacks from me. That's completely needless.
Just a difference of opinion, fuelled by frustration.
And Jim, if we do well next season, I will happily apologise and admit you were right...

Likewise I will admit if I’m wrong - to be fair I am not confident yet, not until I see the next 2-3 signings which I think will make all the difference. At the moment we don’t look any batter to the squad that began 2023, we need to break through this glass ceiling into top-half territory.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:22 am  

Seth wrote:

The short kick offs for me are more a problem because of the mindset that seems baked in around short cuts to gain possession and territory. The games (or rather halves) where we played well were based on the core fundamentals of the game done well.

I think RS is very analytical and plays percentages a bit. The thing I feel most of us fail to take enough account of is the effect of fatigue on players. Preserving energy for the right areas of the game is key.

We just need better players and execution - what you can’t do is play the energy game when you’re dropping the ball, not playing the ball correctly or giving cheap penalties away, or failing to apply any pressure on your end of set plays…

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:29 am  

Simmo71 wrote:

Surely, nobody could actually be pleased if we signed Adam O'Brien????
He is a player being released by one of the few teams that finished below us for gods sake.
If we keep doing Castleford / Wakefield level recruitment, guess what?
We finish in Castleford / Wakefield level league positions.

And btw no personal attacks from me. That's completely needless.
Just a difference of opinion, fuelled by frustration.
And Jim, if we do well next season, I will happily apologise and admit you were right...

Have we actually been linked with O'Brien anywhere?

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:51 am  

Seth wrote:

Re cap the only thing that's really happened in the top 6 is an ambitious Leigh have replaced a badly managed Leeds.

Simply put, Leeds have spent plenty of money and probably more than many sides now above us.

We have made terrible decisions on too many players and also failed to produce real stars through the academy.

My view is that RS is generally bringing better taste in players to the club than we have seen for a while, and I see better quality in the Academy for the next few years ahead. So cautious optimism.

For me this isn’t all an elaborate plan to fool us all out of our money while GH sits on piles of gold having yoghurt licked from his body by Czech models. It is a lack of judgement.

Alll the staff, owners and directors at Leeds care passionately about the club, have way more invested in it than any of us on here, and want the club to be successful.

But mistakes have been made, lots and over a long period.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:57 am  

Clearwing wrote:

Agree that it would be possible to put out a side of players currently in SL that were developed by Leeds. It'd be interesting to see whereabouts in the table it finished. Roughly level with a team of Leeds signings from the last decade is my guess.

1. Hardaker
2. Hall
3. Watkins
4. L Sutcliffe
5. Broadbent
6. Walker
7. Gale
8. Mulhern
9. Mcshane
10. Dupree
11. Walters (soon to be)
12. A. Sutcliffe
13. Minchella

14. Singleton
15. Hood
16. AJ Wallace
17. Mustapha

Some liberties taken with Hardaker at fullback and Walker at 6 but it’s definitely doable. There’s probably some players I’ve forgotten too. Halves and 9 probably hardest to fill with recent people that have left.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Oct 01, 2023 9:58 am  

KaeruJim wrote:

I think RS is very analytical and plays percentages a bit. The thing I feel most of us fail to take enough account of is the effect of fatigue on players. Preserving energy for the right areas of the game is key.

We just need better players and execution - what you can’t do is play the energy game when you’re dropping the ball, not playing the ball correctly or giving cheap penalties away, or failing to apply any pressure on your end of set plays…

It can also be a false economy though as when you play with energy at the right time conversely you can earn the right to conserve some too.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Oct 01, 2023 10:20 am  

Barrie’s Glass Eye wrote:

1. Hardaker
2. Hall
3. Watkins
4. L Sutcliffe
5. Broadbent
6. Walker
7. Gale
8. Mulhern
9. Mcshane
10. Dupree
11. Walters (soon to be)
12. A. Sutcliffe
13. Minchella

14. Singleton
15. Hood
16. AJ Wallace
17. Mustapha

Some liberties taken with Hardaker at fullback and Walker at 6 but it’s definitely doable. There’s probably some players I’ve forgotten too. Halves and 9 probably hardest to fill with recent people that have left.

That team would beat our current one

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Oct 01, 2023 10:47 am  

tomlufc wrote:

As we're seeing with attendances, revenues and the tv deals the quality on show is abysmal. The cap making teams more equal by making most of the teams poor isn't attracting fans, it's killing the game slowly. We're the only sport that is declining and the people running the game encourage further decline by deliberately stopping potential investment.

Oh good it's another "the game is dying" post
FWIW attendances aren't down and if you think there aren't other sports struggling well...

"Investment" BTW is just code for "rich owners setting more money on fire". Nobody invests in a Rugby League club to get a financial return.