He did have a good game then, but I think it was poor choice to be in the England squad.

Is that because England were spoilt for choice for English qualified wingers in 2008 after Gareth Raynor stubbed his toe?

Perhaps if SL clubs weren't so keen to give contracts to average antipodeans the situation may improve.

That's a fair point I suppose

I'm nothing but fair, you can ask anyone around these parts and they'll tell you the same.

hey nothing wrong with calders

Where is he at the moment?

Not seen him for a while is he injured

Another one who chased the £££££ and look where it got him,if only he'd shown the same commitment as the likes of Sinfield,Mcguire,Peacock etc etc and sacrificed that extra few quid he's of had 4 winners rings by now.

Unless you know the deals that players are offered by Leeds you really ought to think twice before castigating those who leave. In Calderwood's case, this forum contained a few rumours around that time and if they were anywhere near the truth (and I've no idea if they were either) then he had little option.

Whats to think about?
I am aware of rumours about him and TS but took those with a pinch of salt.
He himself did an interview in the YEP claiming that he was worth alot more than Leeds had offered and that if they didn't up their offer he was off.
Now personally i have no problem with players getting as good as deals as possible but going to a paper and bigging himself up and demanding more ££ was a very foolish and ill informed move he should of sorted it behind closed doors.
Again if he had "no choice" that's a matter of opinion to me he came across as someone who thought he was better and more important than he actually was.

It's a living to these guys. If the player earnt twice as much and didn't get a trophy, then he's probably really made the right choice.

No problem with that at all mate but like i posted it all should of been done behind closed doors i thought he was a good winger for us but when a player starts telling the world how good he is and how much he's worth i switch off and think "fook em".
If what tvoc has alluded to is true re-having little choice in leaving again i firmly believe the club pay structure is fair and yes for cap reasons we will lose players we'd like to keep but if it's good enough for top class players like Sinfield,Peacock,Senior etc etc it's good enogh for the likes of Calderwood.

IIRC, and if I hear correctly, Sinfield, Burrow and Mcguire all were upgraded from their academy level contracts when they became first teamers, and again when they became internationals, whilst Calderwood was left on an Academy level contract.

The salary cap is really starting to do it's real job now. Look at the likes of Scruton - would have been the number 4 prop here, and paid accordingly, but gets the chance to be the #2 prop at Bradford, and paid as such.

So presumably you know what the pay structure at Leeds is then?

No me neither, that's why (unlike you) I don't know whether it is fair or not.

And I hardly think you referring to the likely top earners at the club being satisfied with their remuneration package can be taken as any guide to the fairness or otherwise of the scale lower down the pecking order.

He was offered a 1st team deal though before he decided to leave and again like i said if players leave for better deals that's not a problem it's how he responded and came across that he thought he was more important and better than he actually was.
If you look at how Mckenna reacted when he was asked to take a pay cut it was totally different.

Do i know the exact £££ of course not but there is a clear structure in place that the majority of 3 championship winning squads have been happy with.
Do you think ALL the squad are "top earners"?
So there are clearly those who are happy lower down the pecking order and it didn't deter Scott Donald signing as his replacement.

Well you should know how that feels.



What I'd be interested to know is whether his alleged replacement (although he was regarded as a left winger in his native Australia and playing in reserve grade) was on a better deal than the one '106 try Calderwood' had to walk away from at Headingley.

What do you think?

No need for that tvoc






What i think is that the club offered the deal they thought Calderwood was worth mate he chose not only to reject it but go public and rant about it which i think showed a lack of class and left a very bitter taste.
Whatever Donald was offered he chose to up sticks and join us and i don't think GH would pay a penny more than he thought someone was worth as showed with the Ellis deal.

Hetherington doesn't get to decide, it's the structure that decides. Please Gary can I have some more money........ pause......... computer says no.



I'm not wondering if you know the exact contract situation with regards to Leeds players I'm wondering if you have any idea at all?

What do you know? That Leeds have a pay structure that they won't break for anyone. Did they not break it to keep hold of Brent Webb, did they not break it to lure Danny Buderus to SL? Did they have to create a new super pay scale to accomodate a SOO and Australian captain?

Without some detail how can anyone outside of the club 'know' that it is a fair system?

If what you are saying about Calderwood's reaction in the press is true then there is one person who didn't think it was fair.

The whole squad seem happy enough with it so i'd say that shows it's fair.
If they "broke" their structure for Webb or Buderus then i think the others would seriously be peeved and i don't think we'd be able to afford so many quality players within the squad.
Yes obviously calderwood disagreed but that's his perogative and other than the money he's earned the club have gone on to bigger and better things.

The squad still here, or Mathers, Calderwood, Ellis, Scruton, Dowes, Raynor etc?

Iirc Ellis and Mathers actually took pay cuts to try the NRL.
Raynor and Dowes were far from 1st choices in their respective positions and with Scruton he was offered a better deal at Bradford but didn't do a big song and dance about it.
Like i said there will be departures because of the cap but i also believe that the club offer the players what they think they are worth.

How do you know any of this?

The results and performances this season indicate anything but a happy camp and who knows what is the root cause of that.

The last 20 minutes against the bulls and Wigan away show the spirits still firmly intact imo.
Don't start the player A hates/punched Player B because he got more pic 'n' mix in his contract etc

Bloody hell TVOC, I know you have watched a lot of terrible Leeds teams over the years and I know you have seem some truly awful management at Leeds. I really can't believe the glass half empty crap you spout about virtually every decision Hetherington makes.

This is Nirvana. Enjoy it FFS. Who knows how long it will last.