You assume correctly. Your definition of success and failure appears far too black and white for me. To reach the final of any sporting event represents success to get to all the finals in one season represents quite a deal of success. To get to the GF for the 2nd year running with the handicap of a 5th place finish is certainly not a failure. Do you apply these same judgements of success or failure to your everyday life tvoc? Do you judge yourself a failure because you have a boss?

Once we get to kick off time the coaches work is all but done. They have prepared their teams both physically and mentally, they have rehed their games plans and tactics and they have motivated their charges. Once the whistle blows it is down to the players to do their bit with very little more the coaches can do......as in the regular rounds.

If the players fail to deliver or were beaten by a better side on the day or were unlucky does not mean total failure. Neither does it have to mean the coaches were at fault.




Maybe because on these odd occassions they are swamped by your negative default setting.

Why should he. You never do and you always demand proof.

You made the allegation and therefore it is upon you to prove it. You have put forward on more than one thread your idea that McDermott is overruled by player power. You stated that "Sinfield's wish to =#FF0000only play in a certain position..." You inferred that Noble had said the same.

The key word in "only" implying a take it or leave it attitude on behalf of Sinfield. Not only is this a slur on Sinfield's impeccable reputation but an intended slight at the coach too.

I too do not believe that anyone said he would "only play" in his prefered position and even if there were any quotes, this would only be heresay and could not be taken as proof that he said it. So take out the word "only" and you have no argument at all.

Good pi55ing contest this.

What was Tony Smith's attitude or prejudice towards Sinfield when he dropped him for the Semi Final of the World Cup against the Kiwis in 2008?

Sinfield is Head Coach in all but name.

Didn't Tony Smith also pick Paul Sykes at centre and Martin Gleeson at stand off during that world cup?

Only in the group game which didn't count for a great deal against NZ (which we lost 24-36 after leading 24-icon_cool.gif as England were already guaranteed a passage through to the Semi Final courtesy of squeezing past PNG.

For the Semi Final a week later, he played Gleeson at centre with McGuire and Burrow at 6 and 7. Sinfield was dropped from the team.

Co-incidental significant changes in playing tactics and selection policy as we have changed coaches then?

We were total e and he wanted to change the team?

Sinfield out!

Be well weird if his name was "Head Coach" though wouldn't it? 'Specially if he wasn't head coach.

[url=http://www.tubechop.com/watch/577859[uThey weren't able to piece it all together[/u[/url

Winning in the final represents success - losing represents failure. Sorry if that's too Hull for you but it's just the way I see it. How many sportsmen and women are proud of their runner-up medals?

Reaching the Challenge Cup Final can be a lottery. Going out to the eventual winners in the 4th round or losing to them in the final amounts to pretty much the same thing if the only difference is avoiding them (and/or other better teams) with a favourable draw. Same rules for everyone but it's rare to find a CC winner that has defeated all the other seriously competitive clubs on route. The last Leeds win in 1999 would qualify, IMO.

The coach can control certain aspects but I've yet to see one who can influence a random draw from a velvet bag.

You are clutching at straws to try and denegrate our coaches run of success. To make out getting to the final is not more successful than going out in an earlier round is stretching it even for you. By the way we won another final yesterday with Brian Mac as coach

You don't agree that the Challenge Cup draw is a lottery and outside a coach's influence ?

I remember we demolished the League leaders Wigan in the semi-final with a well coached performance. Is that the draw you were thinking of?

I was man enough to apologise to Brian Mc today for doubting the team after the Huddersfield game

He accepted my apology

Leaving aside any wider arguments you may be having, i think that makes a lot of sense.

It will have meant a lot to him.

He accepted my apology and smiled

Man of the match and another GF win from stand off. Good job we give in the demands TVOC pretends that Sinfield makes.

Back to slagging him off in six months time?

For the semi-final draw this season Leeds had a two in three chance they would be drawn against a team sat comfortably above them in the league.

You've chosen to highlight one game in isolation - Any particular reason for that ? What about the other seven random draws under McDermott. What's wrong with Celtic, London, Hull, Castleford, Wakefield, Salford and Leigh ? Every one a contender ?

_____

If an eleven point win in a semi-final is demolishing an opponent how would you describe a seventeen point defeat in the final ?

IIRC at the time you declared yourself satisfied with Leeds' performance whereas McDermott said only yesterday that Leeds "didn't really have a crack at Wembley."

Based on that it appears McDermott was closer to my assessment than yours.

Nice intro to the interview with Clare Balding.

Zak Hardaker looks silly in that wig though. No doubt given to him by some drunken idiot, but wouldn't have thought he'd put it on.