Just seen some highlights from 2004.

It's quite a while ago you forget, but holy sh*t how good was our squad and our play?

Bloody marcus bai on kick returns, this guy was like a world class prop forward for making yards, and his finishing ability was just awesome.

mcguire, senior and lauititi in their pomp down the left combining with bai, damn we tore teams to shreds with that combination.

Dave furner! Mcdermotts 10 minute stints off the bench..... the way used to be in a constant mode of attack. Mcguires pace!!!

Man it's depressing looking at our players now and the way we play now. We have declined a long way.

& others have caught up & even overtaken us.

Well warrington are up there instead of bradford.

wigan are obviously better, but saints are worse (yes i know they had a disaster 2nd half of the season that year).

Hull were loads better in 2004 then they are now.

I would argue that Saints are team of the year when you consider the number & length of injuries that they have suffered to key personnel.

I would argue that Warrington are team of the year playing the most entertaining rugby.

I still don't think we got the credit we deserved for the 2004 season. We were outstanding. It's ridiculous that a team that won 4 titles (including the first coach to ever win two in a row, and being the first team to ever win 3 in a row) never received a 'coach of the year' award or a 'Man Of Steel' gong.

......over my shoulder.....

The 2005 season, despite nothing to show for it other than the WCC, was even leagues above the 2004. That team was simply amazing, and better than any side I have seen in the super league era, or infact before that.

Tony Smith.

That is all.

Watching Warrington this year is like watching a 2004 and 2005 Leeds highlight video. Why could that be?

Tony Smith is good, but I'm reliably informed that his coaching record pales when compared to that Garry Schofield.

SL Era (Regular Round) stats:

Highest Aggregate Game Total - 56 - 1996
Lowest Aggregate Game Total - 44 - 1998

Most Points in a season - 1152 - Leeds - 2005
Least Points in a season - 288 - Huddersfield - 1998

Least Points Conceded in a season - 222 - Wigan - 1998
Most Points Conceded in a season - 1227 - Halifax - 2003

Highest Positive Points Difference in a season - 671 - Warrington - 2011
Highest Negative Points Difference in a season - 855 - Halifax - 2003

Highest Avg Points For Per Game in a season - 43.18 - St Helens - 1996
Lowest Avg Points For Per Game in a season - 12.52 - Huddersfield - 1998

Lowest Avg Points Against Per Game in a season - 9.65 - Wigan - 1998
Highest Avg Points Against Per Game in a season - 46.41 - Workington - 1996

Highest Avg Positive Points Difference Per Game in a season - 26.18 - Wigan - 1996
Highest Avg Negative Points Difference Per Game in a season - 31.64 - Workington - 1996

Simple really the best squad with the greatest depth plays the best rugby!!

[iYear - Man Of Steel - League Position of Club[/i
1996 - Farrel - Wigan finished 2nd
1997 - Lowes - Bradford finished 1st
1998 - Harris - Leeds finished 2nd
1999 - Vowles - Cas finished 5th
2000 - Long - Saints finished 2nd
2001 - Sculthorpe - Saints finished 4th
2002 - Sculthorpe - Saints finished 1st
2003 - Peacock - Bradford finished 1st
2004 - Farrell - Wigan finished 4th
2005 - Lyon - Saints finished 1st
2006 - Wellens - Saints finished 1st
2007 - Roby - Saints finished 1st
2008 - Graham - Saints finished 1st
2009 - Hodgson - Huddersfield finished 3rd
2010 - Richards - Wigan finished 1st

Given that the Mos is announced BEFORE the Grand Final (and thus before we know who the "Champions" are) perhaps it's not that shocking to see that over half the time (8 from 15) it goes to the team that finished top.

I've often wondered what the impact on the MoS list would be if it were announced when all was properly said and done. Perhaps Leeds would've faired better. From '02-'08 the award went to the team finishing top of the league, except rather conveniently for 2004 when not only did Leeds finish top of the league by 9 clear points, we also had a 200+ better points difference than our nearest AND went on to win the GF too. For some reason, the trend was bucked that year. Conspiracy theorists eat your heart out.

MOS is nothing more than a player's popularity contest amongst their peer group.

Leeds players should wear that failure as a badge of honour.

Until the infamous Hokey Cokey in the South of France and things turned very sour for approximately two years.

What is it we pay a coach for then?

Before 2008 that was the player's player of the year. Journalists decided MOS.

Agreed and I would imagine it was used a few times during that glorious run as a motivational tool. Doesn't stop us fans commenting on the poor form that is none of our individuals being recognised between 2004 and 2009

Tony Smith would not make Wakey a great side - without the personnel it doesn't how good a coach they there is only so much they can add.

Smith is a great coach - but as he showed the previous 2 years at Warrington he cannot do it without the players.

Even McDermott could have coached the 2004 side to where it finished - oh wait a minute!!

The question is this if the whole of Leeds' success was down to Smith how did things go so wrong in 2005!!

You might be right. At Leeds he had a great bunch of youngsters all coming through at the same time, at Warrington they've bought a great bunch of players.

He still gets credit for making them play together as well as do.

The previous two years when he won trophies in each of them?

When smith took over, both leeds and warrington had excellent squads. He made a few subtle signings here and there and turned both squads from being excellent on paper to excellent on grass.

It will be interesting to see how his time at warrington evolves after he wins the title with them this year. Certainly with ourselves things seemed to go very stale after the first 20months and didn't pick up until that last little hurrah in the playoffs.

It's worth bearing in mind that coaches, as well as players, learn from their experiences. Smith was hardly a vastly experienced coach when he was leading Leeds to the title in 2004, or taking us to agonising defeats in 2005. He won't have stayed the same coach, doing the same things he did then - I would have thought the 2006 downturn will have tought him some valuable lessons.

And for everyone who says he inherited or had bought great squads - of all clubs Leeds know that can mean very little, moreso nowadays in a sport when all the top clubs have identical budgets.

Smith can't prevent himself from making poor signings, or using tactics which other coaches have found ways to counteract. Only hindsight can prevent these things.

Smith strikes me as someone who is quite arrogant. He had to make the same mistakes again, and again......and again in 2006 before he finally changed.

Arrogant? From media interviews I suppose he might sound that way but I think he is someone who is actually quite shy and reserved which might come across in a certain way if you're looking for something to beat him with. But certainly he has a confidence and an authority - the type you probably have to have to be a good coach over a sustained period; and the type you earn. Leeds fans were on his back in '06 but then there are always people who are willing to jump on you when times are hard and always people who know better. Or think they do. I was one of them.

It's not an easy job and it's impossible to be the best every single time. But to repeatedly and demonstrably improve players, create winning teams and to instill confidence within your team and from your team in yourself and in your tactics tells its own story. To take on failing or underachieving clubs and transform them into winners - again, plenty of Leeds coaches could tell their own tales of how difficult that trick is.