I don't think Sinfield is coaching the team. You can see in games, Agar is the one reacting to everything.

If Agar isn't going to be the long term coach, we could do a lot worse than Tony Smith. HKR aren't the best side, but some of their execution was very slick and well timed. Their set moves caused us huge problems all evening. He's a back to basics coach and players seem to be a bit scared of him too!

I'd just make the point that the club has undergone unprecedented change in the last 12 months. I certainly have seen nothing like it.

My view would be that beyond the next few signings and possibly the coach, everything else needs time to settle and gel. The process of change itself is unsettling and for the club to make progress we need to dig in and focus on incremental gains.

Combinations do take time to gel and culture takes time to settle if you want a real team spirit.

More changes will probably be needed at the end of 2020 but we need to get back to a steady 10-20% staff turnover level rather than the 60% we've been witnessing. Leeds had it right when they were going for stability before, but they took it too far and got too cocky in the belief that their wonderful environment would make champion players out of championship players.

We also need to avoid knee jerk signings, but after so many changes we still look poor in a number of positions. That back division vs kr was pretty much first choice with nobody pressing for a spot behind them.

'We could do a lot worse than Tony Smith'! As though you can wave a magic wand and he'll turn up in an instance!! From all the soundbites and inferences he'll be at Rovers for the long term if and when survival is confirmed. Hes loving it at Hull KR and there's very little chance to zero he would leave for the current basket case that is Leeds. (Only if we were relegated and I would still think he wouldn't take the Leeds job)

I'm really glad Smith's back in the game. He coaches teams to play a nice style. We missed the boat and its time to move on. Good luck to kr with him though.

Hes brought enjoyment and a positive smile back to the faces of many a Rovers fan . Some of the style of play you see these days is beyond tedious yet Smith goes against the script .
I think Leeds would 'do no worse' than James Ford of York. That's the type of coach that could suit your club for the long term future.

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/r ... -1-9876417 “So Kevin is responsible for all the budget control in the rugby department and all player recruitment, retention and remuneration. He’s also taken on other responsibilities and eventually he will assume responsibility for all aspects of the rugby league department. As chief exec of any organisation, I still have a role to play but that role now is more one of a supporting one. I will always give Kevin my opinion. But at the end of the day the judgement call has now been transferred to him. It would have to be something very exceptional for me not to back Kevin Sinfield’s recommendation.” So Agar picks the 17 and gets them ready for the day, but Sinfield does everything else. And Agar has to deal with whoever Sinfield wants to hire/fire, as its up to Sinfield and not Agar.

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/r ... -1-9876417 “So Kevin is responsible for all the budget control in the rugby department and all player recruitment, retention and remuneration. He’s also taken on other responsibilities and eventually he will assume responsibility for all aspects of the rugby league department. As chief exec of any organisation, I still have a role to play but that role now is more one of a supporting one. I will always give Kevin my opinion. But at the end of the day the judgement call has now been transferred to him. It would have to be something very exceptional for me not to back Kevin Sinfield’s recommendation.” So Agar picks the 17 and gets them ready for the day, but Sinfield does everything else. And Agar has to deal with whoever Sinfield wants to hire/fire, as its up to Sinfield and not Agar.

I think it's put to bed any hope we had of installing a high profile head coach. We'll be using the continental football method of Director of Football / coach arrangement.

It's always been like that Les KS is just taking over the duties from GH did.I'm sure who ever comes in as coach will also have some say.

Tony smith will be going nowhere at the season end if we stay up,loving it with us,trust me.

Especially with James Ford turning down the chance to be his number 2, and learn the ropes, so to speak. Think he will stay on now

GH said in the article that KS is closer to the rugby department then he’s ever been. I really can’t envisage a high profile name coming in and being happy with working under a director of rugby.

Nowhere does it say that at all.

FWIW people are making far too much of all this - there's not many clubs where the head coach is the only person who does all the scouting, new player signing and contracts etc. That's a very odd view of how things work. At Leeds historically however Hetherington has done more of this than you'd see at other clubs, partly because his background is at the coal face of the sport unlike most other CEOs but also because he's such a good judge of a player. But there's always, and will always be, an agreement between the head coach and the person doing the hiring/firing/scouting that determines what we want and then who we want. There is no reason to think this will be any different under Sinfield.

cant remember hetherington sat next the coach on match days sticking his beak in. or in the dressing room before and ar half time. he left the coach to coach

Exactly. Hetherington was in charge of all recruitment previously.

I think people are getting way too wound up over the title of DoR.
It’s obvious what’s going on. GH is slowly handing more and more over to Sinfield until eventually Sinfield will be CEO. You just can’t have 2 CEO’s at the same time. It’s by far a better way to do it than just handing everything over at once. But Sinfield is taking no more control than Hetherington did previously.

Also Hetherington was often seen in the dressing room pre or post match, especially if the performance was poor.

Absolutely correct. This is about business continuity, nothing more. Sinfield has always said he wants to be on the administration side of things and this is the way that they “train him up” whilst handing over the reins.

It’s hard being a Leeds fan at the moment, especially if you’ve only been supporting the club for the last 15 years or so, but we will come through this and people (probably me included) will realise that they’ve been overreacting to the current poor situation.

Good posts, yes. I'm really happy with Sinfield as DoR. He is very smart, he knows how Leeds should work and he's totally focused. You can't please all of the people all of time and all that.

What I want to see from him now is good judgement in recruitment. McLelland, Walters, Mellor, Ava, Martin I'm OK with. Lui I'm not sure, and I didn't think Merrin or Hurrel were the positions we needed to strengthen in all honesty - although things being equal I'd retain both now.

Some of the other names we've been liked with (J Thompson, Hastings) are the right ball bark too.

The next three players and the coach appointment will be really critical to whether we have a bright year next year. I've said before but the test of KS is when he has some time and the funds to make considered choices - we've seen some panic buying so far and he's had hands tied with salary cap and long-term contracts with dead wood players.

Hetherington said that Sinfield is in charge of recruitment and retention. How else do you look at that other than Sinfield is in charge of who says and goes? Furner has said he wanted to get new people in/get dead wood out but Sinfield wouldnt let him too.

Maybe; I doubt it is simple as that. The club obviously have their hands tied by the dead wood having signed long-term contracts, whether Furner, Sinfield, or anyone else likes it or not. Sinfield may well have made the call in retaining JJB and Ablett - a gamble that definitely hasn't paid off with the benefit of hindsight.

It's going to take awhile re building this club and I hope Sinfield succeeds ,I hope his legacy comes out intact

As it should be - coaches have a limited life span - you need to build the best squad and the coach needs to coach it as best as he can

Hadn't thought of it like that actually. Fair point. Sinfield is going to be around (hopefully) longer than any coach you have.

I remember Graham Murray saying saying very similar when asked if he thought his squad was good enough he replied my job is to coach the players and make them better.

And it works the other way too of course. I’m sure McDermott had input to recruitment but Hetherington seemed quite clear that he was responsible for recruitment, contracts etc. previously.

He made some inspired signings early on with the likes of Delaney, Peacock, Ellis, Donald, Leuluai, Senior etc and you’d have to give him some credit for the golden gen too. Something along the way has scuppered his judgement, and I’m voting for him being flat out too tight with the playing squad once success was regular.

GH would often say we are in the market for new players but they have to be affordable.