I say it with confidence because of what I witnessed when Powell was coach. We should've won the CC in 2003 and became the first team not to reach the GF after finishing in the top 2. The difference in attack and defense between 2003 and 2004 was staggering.

Squad that won the 2004 title had Bai and Lauitiiti, replacing Francis Cummins and let's say Chris Feather. How can you make the assumptions that a) any coach could have done what Powell did, and b) Powell wouldn't have continued to take us on the clearly upward curve that we were on in his tenure, and go on and win the title.

Smith was and is an excellent coach. Not knocking that. Maybe Powell wouldn't have taken us on to win the title. Who knows. He was guilty of dropping a bollock by not selecting McGuire in Cardiff, that's for sure. But then 2 years later in the same stadium, Smith drops McDermott, plays a 1/4 fit Senior and goes with 2 props for the full 80 on a hot day.

Looking at where we had progressed from and to under Powell, I think it is unfair to state that he would not have gone on to greater things under him.

Nobody knows.

Last point from me as this is going round in circles. McGuire, Mathers, Burrow, Sinfield, Bailey, JJB, Calderwood and Chev were all a year nearer to their peak in 2004. Then add Bai and Lauitiiti. That team under Powell IMHO would have a very good shot at winning the SL.

Out.

Well said. I'd forgotten Ali came halfway through that year without him bai was what we were crying out for to counteract vaikona/vainikolo and give us a dominant kick returner.

He got a bit unlucky in Cardiff with burrow being knocked out 2 minutes after his introduction. I thinks it was only ever goin to be one of them who played

Don't know about last week as I don't watch games from the Feckw[ii[/it Stand any more. If the two-faced moronity on display in the away end at the HJ tonight is anything to go by then that's a big plus - I'm thinking in particular of the pre-pubescents stood at the back who seemingly can't cope with a three game losing streak never mind a three decade one. The laughable ease with which these tw[ia[/its have revoked hero-worship in favour of taunting and abusing the likes of the former "Super Man", the ex-Sir Kev and even the once-beloved little Robbie is stunning and faintly revolting.

I'm not particularly going to go down any "believist" route as there are clearly some deep-seated problems but I would point out that, papering over cracks or not, this team are the present Champions and World Club Champions. So when the team encounters a tricky patch it's a little pathetic for the self-proclaimed "loyal supporters" to react by violently turning on the same players through whom they have vicariously lived their sad and otherwise unfulfilled lives for the past 8 years.

Yes, there's no doubting the players and coaching staff need to look long and hard at themselves and what they are doing - but too many of Leeds' feckw[ii[/it, know-nothing fans need to do just the same.

Fans pay good money, some of them a sizeable chunk of their disposable income, they at least should see players trying and playing somewhere close to their potential. Winning is not the be all and end all. Lets not forget this is entertainment nothing more - if you went to a concert/play and the star was unable to remember the words you would not be best pleased, so why is rugby different. Surely you should be expecting elite players to be able to tackle, pass and kick competently? Do you expect them to just accept things - never question and just shut up.

Excellent post

Dont see much point in replacing BM until the end of the season (if at all), he's earned that.

It's not his fault that GH has allowed world class players to leave without adequate replacement. I'm all for giving the academy lads a chance, but we've become reliant on them, expecting them to instantly become stars. Maybe we should just accept that last year was an absolute bonus - one last hurrah from this current squad, and that we're gonna have a few years transition whilst the next batch find their feet

Would you care to give us your definition of what a knee jerk reaction is as it seems to differ from mine?

We have been consistently poor all season, and for a majority of last year as well. The opinion that we need a new coach has been formulated over the past 18 months and is hardly a knee jerk reaction.

Daniel Anderson is first choice for next season.

There is one in London you can have!

An admirable old skool rant in some respects but completely missing the point with a ludicrous comparison.

The flexible attitudes of many youthful fans of today cannot be compared to the hardcore loyalist attitudes of yore because the entity formerly worthy of undying faith and loyalty (win or lose) is no more. The club is no longer representative of the community or city we belong to - it represents a product, a brand name - and like any other brand name which no longer tastes good or is no longer cool to wear - when it fails in it's ultimate purpose of providing instant consumer gratification, it's component parts become selectively open to abuse and ridicule as they are perceived as no longer fit for the purpose. Should the product continue not to provide instant gratification in the short to medium term, it risks being ditched in favour of an alternative product without so much as an afterthought.

Being current SL champions and World Club Champions is irrelevant - that is so last year and early doors this season - the product sucks right now (as it did for the most part last year) and that's the only relevant point of reference for many fans today.

It's shelf life is limited.

Anyone for stale cake?

That is utter drivel- Damo would struggle to top that.

Darryl Powell would be great. As you say he put together the team that got the first championship. TS must have thought all his christmases had come at once in 2004!

He may have put together that team, but the difference between what he got out of them and what TS got out of them was amazing.