That was my first thought actually - I have a perpetual contract with my employer too.

Most of the other contracts (if not all) are fixed term which means that when in the last year of a contract the period of notice will reduce as the months run down. Can be bad for a club as they could have to replace someone at short notice.

With a 12 month rolling contract the period of notice remains at 12 months for both sides I guess. So both sides have the security of 12 months notice.

It shows the confidence the board have in Brian Mac

And here lies the issue for me, and where a lot of people contradict themselves. To follow in those said players footsteps would require an equal development. That is the opportunities that need to be available.

You mentioned earlier not to rush players. Yet you quite rightly use as the argument these players as a model for what can be achieved. Why not follow that model then? Do you think we would have ever had Sinfield in our side had we waited until 20 to blood him? No chance too many clubs would have snapped him off us.

Those are the issues that also need considering in the succession planning. You can't just say bully for them.

Its tough. The holy trinity came into a club who had won very little and many of the Swiss were over the hill or here for the money. Todays youngsters have to try and get a place off multi time champions. How do you get them enough time to develop whilst leaving an international out of the team.

In sporting terms, everything. Hardly anyone in professional sports has an endless contract.

Good to see Brian McDermott given the reward he deserves. He has proven he can get the team motivated and prepared for the big events and has given regular places in the side to Hardaker, BJB, Watkins and Ward while blooding some of the youngsters.

In addition he has shown strength of character and dignity when under pressure from the constant stream of negative comments from the backseat driver coaching experts and it is to his great credit that he stuck to his guns to come out on top.

You are his star struck groupie and I claim the reward I deserve.



His introduction of Hardaker, Keinhorst and Ward over the claims of other more established senior players does make it all the more puzzling over the lack of opportunities given to McShane (last season), Hood, Singleton, Chisholm etc. Guess he must just have his favourites

If he wasn't so damn successful, criticism of McDermott's coaching methodology would be so much more meaningful.

He hasn't beaten the wembley hoodoo yet

I'm sure he will one day, hopefully on 26/08/2013.

This team deserves it.....I hope he does succeed.

I don't know if the players would feel the same, but I would gladly sacrifice yet another GF win for this feather in the cap.

Nah......let's have both

Just a thought, maybe each case/player is judged on it's merits, not one rule for all as some are deemed to be ready and others not due to their ability or position. See, not really that puzzling.

No you don't.
But you may have a lifetime contract such as the one I have with DWP.
Sadly it's not perpetual.
Well, sadly for me at least, if nobody else.

All I have done is pitched my positive judgement of the coach against your negative judgement. And history has shown who made the right call.

With regard to the introduction of young players there is nothing puzzling about it. The coaches have proven that they will introduce youngsters but only when they (and thank goodness not you) think they are ready to step up to SL.

Which coaches "proved" this? And isn't the point here about comparison to what other coaches would do, not supporters?

I have no problems about my own negative views at that moment in time they were more than valid given what id watched and the performances of that time.
Also lets not get too giddy JC he along with the team should be more consistent in terms of competing in regular SL rounds and the rotation policy was found wanting more than once.
Of course im chuffed we have had the success but that doesnt mean we shouldnt strive for better and im happy i was wrong re-sacking him because ultimately that means we tasted some great success under his tenure.
He does have some big challenges inbound with our Props and IF he sees out the next 2/3 years the inevitable departures of Sinfield et al.

Carl Ablett.

2004 1 sub appearance. 2005 5 appearances for London on loan. 2006 6 sub appearances. 2007 13 sub appearances. It was 2008 at 23 yrs of age that Ablett became a 1st team regular. A patient approach that has more than paid off.

Danny McGuire

2001 2 sub appearances. 2002 8 sub appearances and 1 start. 2003 at 21 years of age he becomes a 1st team regular.

Kevin Sinfield

1997 2 sub appearances. 1998 2 sub appearances. 1999 he becomes a 1st team regular at 19 though most of his appearances were from the bench.

Now, McGuire and Sinfield are once in a generation players but both were handled with patience and in a manner that the club has continued to practice with all of it's juniors.

In fact, the club is doing exactly the opposite of what you say. Stevie Ward was given more games last year at 18 years of age than Sinfield, Ablett and McGuire got collectively in their debut seasons. Watkins got 5 games in his first year and 14 in his second.

I'm not entirely sure what your point is. That probably makes two of us.

...make that 3 of us. Some good points there.

My comment was in reply to a specific point made by nantwich who was "puzzed" that certain players where not given enough chances. As BM has given several other young players a regular place it would suggest he considers nantwich's selections not yet ready for the step up.

I am not interested in speculating on what other coaches may or may not do because as the coach of twice running SL Champions and World Club Champions he has rather proven his credentials and management rather well.

You said.....
[i"He can't move away from what we currently have. Or at least it appears that way".[/i
....which is not correct as he has given regular spots to the ones I mentioned.

To suggest replacing our best and Champion players for some promising juniors is not the way to win trophies. Having said that I am sure BM will give the best youngsters a chance when he is sure they are ready.

Nice to see you have come around to realising we have got a very good coach.



We all watch and form different views and judgements. If getting the call right about our coach equates to being giddy what does getting the call wrong equate to?

I am sure BM will be planning to get more consistency this season and I feel sure he can achieve it. (I have tipped us for a top of table finish)

I have to admit in his first season I wasn't a big fan and was fairly vocal in my critisism of our coach, ending up with egg on my face! Last year and learnt my lesson and gave him the chance he deserved. Yes week in week out form was scratchy but we got the only thing that matters, trophy's and finals.
I have actually grown to like McDermott. And judging by Fridays game can see weekly form improving.
I am friends with one of our pack and he tells me they try there best every week last year but sometimes they were just knackered.

Which goes along with my own experiences from when I competed. I was in the GB team and it was all about tapering at certain times to be at your peak when in mattered. At regional level I was sometimes being beat by people who shouldn't have been beating me. But I was in heavy training and peaked at internationals when it matters.
Something Leeds have done very well at over the last few years

McDermott is worthy of some respect....but please don't ever make the mistake of revering somebody with an extreme of blind faith: believe me it's not healthy

To be honest, I wasn't keen on him in his first season. He seemed awkward in interviews, came out with strange comments, played with rubber gloves and stood over at the floodlight at Odsal.

But I thought his post match interview after Wembley 2011 when he passionately defended the players he really started to grow on me. He's seems more relaxed in interviews and seems to have a decent dry sense of humour at times.

The only time since then I went a bit back on my opinion of him was when he criticised the players for the home loss to Saints last year. They were plenty of games when the players were to blame but on this occasion when he failed to bring Lunt on and gave Griffin and Clarkson small cameos I think he really dropped the ball trying to win a game with only 14 men.

And that is really my only lasting niggle with McDermott, his use of the subs bench. He got it wrong way too many times last year, both Lunt and Clarkson showed what they could do when given decent time against Catalans and Wigan in the playoffs off the bench, but too often subs are limited to very small minutes.

I'm quite happy that he usually picks what he believes to be his strongest 17, i'd rather see that than be at Warrington watching a team missing 4,5,6 first teamers who have been rested, especially when the reason for resting them (saving them for a possible GF appearance) didn't pay off.

Not sure what you are trying to demonstrate here, or which point you are making. Assuming your facts are correct, you have just backed up my point exactly, so thank you.

In fact you went further, by even showing in the one post, the alarming shift in the development stages of academy products at the club over the years.

Could I also ask why your facts were not extended? What about Burrow, Calderwood, Bailey, Diskin, Morley, Ward, Scruton? we could go on, but you know the players yourself.

To emphasise my point again, the key is to give players opportunities early in career to understand what they need to work on further, and to give them the further focus of taking over those shirts.

An important point to note is that when the current crop were coming through Leeds weren't all that great. The juniors over more recent years are trying to take the place of very successful players yet they're still coming through and getting opportunities, non more than ward at 18 years of age.

I cannot believe the development of academy players would be a concern for any knowledgable Leeds fan. Yes if Sinfield hadn't had any opportunities before he was 20 another club may have tried to lure him, but he was, because he was deemed ready, and that's the point! He also went on to prove he's a bit of a one off.