Re: Leeds : Sun Sep 01, 2024 6:16 pm  

That game was there for us but fine margins, and as DC says it comes down to our very average ability to kick points. It was inevitable when it came down to a drop goal- a- thon that we’d lose. Good general effort though and an exciting if error strewn match. I was surprised how mediocre the Leeds team was. Miller is very tricky and a real threat but I thought quite a few seemed to be on auto pilot. As for us I think we may struggle to get past Hull now but in the big picture I don’t think it matters. Being a bit adult about it and recruiting and retaining players for a strong season in Championship is now the priority. If we simply wait until the inevitable call from IMG I fear we will simply be harming ourselves. The truth is the last 5 seasons, including the Covid terminated one we have been poor at home (for me our performance against Rovers in 2020 is still the most inept I’ve seen and I went to the Coleman era games). Poor performances at home kill growth and the ability to get new fans to come back. If we have a sub Coleman era squad for 2025 then we’ll lose our early home games and that, I think, will be that.

Re: Leeds : Sun Sep 01, 2024 6:16 pm  

On the plus side no one was concussed by our drop goal efforts so that’s a plus!

Re: Leeds : Sun Sep 01, 2024 6:19 pm  

the-bearded-lefty wrote:

"that’s the last time you’ll see London in the foreseeable if things stay as they are." Quote from Eccles post game.

Is this it for us or attempting to guilt trip the RFL?

I think it’s a misguided attempt at the latter. Remember though he has an insight into our squad development so it could be searing honesty. In other words- ‘I’ve seen the squad we’re going with next year, only a mug would come and watch them.’ Hope it’s not.

Re: Leeds : Sun Sep 01, 2024 6:28 pm  

Stuck record time from me...Some of the refereeing decisions were very questionable, Miloudi was very questionable, and we must be the unluckiest team in history (drop-goal off the freaking crossbar).

I hope next year turns out better than any of us are thinking.

Re: Leeds : Sun Sep 01, 2024 6:44 pm  

the-bearded-lefty wrote:

"that’s the last time you’ll see London in the foreseeable if things stay as they are." Quote from Eccles post game.

Is this it for us or attempting to guilt trip the RFL?

Hughes trying to bully the RFL. He will realise hes not the big fish in the small pond sooner rather than later, but still too late for the club.
good game for the neutral to watch, but just not enough neutrals watching

Re: Leeds : Sun Sep 01, 2024 6:44 pm  

Benny Profane wrote:

Stuck record time from me...Some of the refereeing decisions were very questionable, Miloudi was very questionable, and we must be the unluckiest team in history (drop-goal off the freaking crossbar).

I hope next year turns out better than any of us are thinking.

1- Don’t forget Leyland’s extra points miss against the posts - not a bad effort but I’d like a higher success rate for non routine kicks.
2- I’m not a fan of Miloudi but I thought he worked hard today.
3- I’m thinking next year’s going to be really bad.

Re: Leeds : Sun Sep 01, 2024 6:48 pm  

[quote="orangeman"]Hughes trying to bully the RFL. He will realise hes not the big fish in the small pond sooner rather than later, but still too late for the club

Yes it’s not really landing - the decision’s already been made and too many of the other clubs are too vulnerable to come rushing in to support us. Ultimately we signed off on the IMG plan and whilst we may have been wrong footed by being seeded 24th we can’t surely have expected to be in the top 12. Did we think moving to Plough Lane with a weakened side bottom end Championship side would move us close to the 12 and then with a bit of lucky and spend we’d get in? I assume we did. Which was foolish I’m afraid.

Re: Leeds : Sun Sep 01, 2024 6:54 pm  

BigTime wrote:

1- Don’t forget Leyland’s extra points miss against the posts - not a bad effort but I’d like a higher success rate for non routine kicks.
2- I’m not a fan of Miloudi but I thought he worked hard today.
3- I’m thinking next year’s going to be really bad.

All fair points. I offer an apology to Miloudi if he ever visits this forum! As Jon Wilkin was driving me to distraction when he messed up Croft's kick (was it Croft?)

Rourke's disallowed try for offside was an absolute joke.

Re: Leeds : Sun Sep 01, 2024 6:57 pm  

BigTime wrote:

Did we think moving to Plough Lane with a weakened side bottom end Championship side would move us close to the 12 and then with a bit of lucky and spend we’d get in? I assume we did. Which was foolish I’m afraid.

David Hughes though...
David Hughes!
No surprise there.

Edit: Just watched Eccles' comments, I'm hoping he's saying "that's the last time you'll see is in Super League in the foreseeable".

Re: Leeds : Sun Sep 01, 2024 9:13 pm  

Finding this hard to say, but I'll say it anyway.
2002 was my first Broncos game and I was hooked immediately. From that day (cup loss, Feb 24th 2002) I was an absolute Broncos fan, but at no stage have I ever been happy with the way the club was run or marketed, Jesus.....Chris Warren was as much use as a chocolate teapot, but he'd be like the 2nd coming now!
We went to the wall on 2005 and were pretty much rescued by Hughes and Lenegan. Hughes always seemed happy to be "at the back", never wanting to be seen as "the owner' but when the powers that be decided IL couldn't own both clubs, Hughes was left holding the baby.

Something he was wholly unqualified to do!

Not his fault and there is a fair amount of blame to be laid at the feet of the RFL and other SL owners, but still, he can not be cleared of blame. Bad decision on top of worse decisions. poop appointments, name changes, ground hopping and countless other wrong turns are all to be laid at his feet, but .....and I really can't believe I am typing this, he really did it all thinking he was doing the right thing.

IMG shafted London. In no other universe do we sit outside the top 15 clubs, but by grading us that far down the list, they essentially Killed the club. We could win SL and we were still going down, so I don't blame Hughes for any of his decisions this year, or for walking away (if he does) at the seasons end. Thank you Mr Hughes. I really can't believe I just typed that, because everyone who knows me understands that I think he is 100% the reason we're going tits up, but I'll say it again. Thank You!

A rich mans folly is always easier to handle if you're a rich man, and Hughes is that, but a folly? There WAS so much potential there. 2006/7/8/9.....but bad decisions and zero backing (of any meaning) from the sport have led us to this.

Thanks again Mr Hughes. If only you had listened to a few old whiners on the internet, it may have been different, but even if we now had 10,000 ST holders, IMG would still have marked us down the ladder, because they aren't being paid by London. They're being paid by the old boys up north and they want their money!