we are worse than last year. gone backwards at a rate of knots. I agree with the right recruitment and coach we will be fine. I have no faith in either

Leeds remind me of where St Helens were when Cunningham was in charge. That all changed in one season when Holbrook came in.

Leeds are too big of a club to be where they are now and it won’t be long until you are back challenging.

Good luck for the rest of the season

The standard of the league debate isn't really relevant. It is what it is and I doubt the fans of Leigh, Catalans, Salford and Hull KR would agree. If you stick Iestyn Harris in the current Leeds we win a lot more games. Smith does not have the luxury of such a player. How many games did the 98 and 99 sides win without him? Murray was a great coach and a charismatic leader, but my point is that real talent on the field generally sets teams apart. Not much of it currently on show in the blue and amber.

I disagree on the cunningham comparison, at least we’ve shown we can play attractive winning rugby, saints were just dire all round under cunningham IMO.

Also did Holbrook coincide with Ben Barber signing who totally changed that side

I did say when leeds signed sangare that I just don't see a top level prop in him and I stand by that, I certainly don't think he's earned an early extension.

I was thinking this last night, with Newman being injured all the time we are totally lacking an X factor player, most if not all the sides above us have one or in Wigans case 2

The point I was trying to make is that things can change quickly and you won’t be where you are forever. You are too big of a club

Yep, tinkering around with the squad will only deliver incremental gains at best. We need one, even two great players. Look at the difference Croft has made to Salford and Hastings before him. Great players make average ones far better.

Completely agree. Even one class player lifts the whole show.
A Ben Barba, Hastings, Field or French type of player much needed ++

Just looked at the recording of last nights game. Several passages of play with ball in hand just passing along the line. No dummy runners , very little drop off ball. Certainly nobody attempting to put players through a gap in the line. The league table highlights the fact we have played for most of the season like a mid table side. And that unfortunately is our position in the league.

Are you saying because we beat Saints and Wigan previously that is the basis for your not so far off? I agree about wholesale changes there simply isn't the quality of player available to replace 6/7 players.

We need to concentrate on the spine - we need a FB, one half back at least and a quality hooker - if that is all we did I would happy with that. I don't understand the signing of the Frenchman - unless there are players leaving e.g. Bentley. Tetevano surely will never play again.

Maybe I am misreading the situation but we always seem late in for NRL players and then overpay for what we get. Is it that Leeds are not seen as a competitive side and players can only be coaxed into coming by the money?

Our attacking philosophy seems based on keeping the ball alive, any pass will do, hoping the opposition over commit for us to attack the space that's left.

Totally agree

You’ve answered your own question regards Goudemand.

I’m looking at results and the closeness of some of them and if you read my posts I actually agree with you on the spine, that’s my whole point, we’re a few signings away from being back up there, not that the whole set up needs changing.

I was surprised your pack didn't dominate last night. Saints starting pack would normally be, Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Sirronen. Batchelor, Knowles. With a bench of probably Paasi, LMS or Matautia, Bell and Lussick. Not counting Lussick cause he's gone 7 of those were missing.

I’m not, we’ve lost to worse teams than that St Helens one last night. That’s not a criticism of you, it’s just a marker of where we are at the moment.

We didn't let Walters go.
He's just gone to a club with much more ambition.
Can't really blame him.

Im not surprised either were a ridiculously unpredictable side in an unpredictable league, there’s been loads of games that on paper should go the way you think for it to go the exact opposite

Leeds pack should have dominated but lacked intensity and effort. Knowles and Lees both well over 100m each and 35 tackles apiece plus hit the line hard. Our 5 props added together only marginally achieved the same numbers as the 2 above. That's not good enough notwithstanding our woes in the spine positions.

Let's not confuse this with being entirely a positive thing though, it frustrates me how RS thinks it is.

unpredictable league? excuses excuses excuses. give it a rest we are crap. 8th place, 50% of games lost, trainers cheap option close

believe christopher

I admire your positivity bud, really do. It’s clear you love the club and get a lot out of supporting home and away.

Jeez, calm down it was a general comment on the whole league not really our situation. It wasn’t excuses excuses.

There wasn’t anything particularly positive in my post you quoted

I didn’t say it was a positive thing per se, it was just a comment on the league this year.

However take our situation out of it, an unpredictable league surely is a good thing isn’t it?