I’m not one for booing or slating players at the match, and I don’t see that changing. But for the first time I can remember, I went to Friday’s game not really caring whether we won or lost. How has it come to that so early in the season ? I walked up the hill after the game with a feeling of resignation, not anger or hurt. Is there something inside me wanting this to get a whole lot worse because that’s the only way things can realistically get better ? For me it feels like the season is already over if we carry on with the same manager employing the same tactics. The next two games don’t give me the feeling they are fixtures to “build confidence”, they are an easier way to gain two points than other fixtures, simple as that.

Sadly it’s crossed my mind that the Hull match may not be a nailed on win. Face value shouldn’t be a problem, however Hull will be up for this game plus Myler will know exactly our strengths and weaknesses.

Yes, Sutcliffe will no doubt be amongst the scorers, with a section of our support suggesting he shouldn't have been allowed to leave. At least one loss in the next two games feels like it is on the cards.

Smith won some admirers in his brief time at Bradford when the team played some nice rugby but it unraveled in the big games when his tactics fell short. He was gone when we went into admin. He's been around the scene in Australia at a few clubs but never seemed to get a mention when an NRL job was available. I heard that his nickname was "the myth". So when he turned up at Leeds I had some reservations but the side did well initially and it looked like a decent appointment.

Unfortunately things have gone backwards since then and that's not a good sign. Usually you expect a bit of a bounce at first then a short period of recalibration before more improvement as the coach builds a roster of players he wants and a good culture.

He's a tetchy personality (like Tony and Brian) and I'm not sure that he's got the substance to get away with that. Recruitment doesn't seem to make sense to me. Why sign the injury prone Fusitua, allow Hall to leave then bring him back aged 37? Why not prioritise signings in the pack? It's all very well signing halfbacks and wing threequarters but without a platform they're not going to shine. You need a platform first.

That sort of approach seems to be mirrored in the way Leeds play which to me looks very "loose". There's a lack of intensity or consistency or any recognition that you need to roll your sleeves up and do the dirty work to earn the right to play the fancy stuff. This is just my impression. You lot watch them more than me.

Leeds need a coach who can inspire players and who has a track record. Someone that players want to play for and work hard for. They don't need a matey approach and they don't want someone who plays mind games.

Bang on Bullseye.

Really? Not sure Myler knows anything about Leeds weaknesses or strengths as he always seemed to play his own game for his own benefit under the auspices of his partners father who had much clout in the Boardroom. I cannot see what value Myler will bring to a troubled club like Hull who need help.
I might be wrong but if he does have any hidden talent at all why didn’t the mighty Hetherington onboard Myler to the Rhinos board?

Just a question not a request for persecution from the rat pack on here

Presumably he trained with the squad, so he will be aware as to how smith wants teams to play. Blake Austin made some relevant remarks on social media regarding how Smith wants his half backs to play.

I agree with a Bradford fan.
RS really has crossed a line this time

You are right but unfortunately there is a very true saying. “ NO ONE IS AS DEAF AS THE MAN WHO DOES NOT WANT TO HEAR”

Hetherington does not want to hear because he is arrogant, thinks he knows better than everyone else but most importantly knows the club is never going to be under financial threat because the owners are wealthy and have deep pockets. If he was given an objective to increase customer satisfaction that results in 10% season ticket growth year on year without reducing prices or giving season tickets away he would be dismissed after one year. The man is a joke and a has been. No other club in SL has a Buffoon leading an incompetent Ie Smith

One thing the club could have done better with Smith (with the benefit of hindsight) is the size of the contract he was awarded. Perhaps giving him until the end of the 2023 seasons with options to unlock performance related extensions would have been better? I guess that GH saw it as a post that needed scope for longer-term changes... Could those bigger picture details have been the responsibility of a Director of Rugby, with a coach focusing primarily on the first team's performances? But that kind of arrangement could have complicated matters, since they would need the coach and DoR to share the same vision and what that looked like in terms of personnel and tactics (etc).

I'm not sure about performance related bonuses like extensions. The coach shouldn't need an incentive to be successful. As far as DoR etc is concerned I'd be looking to mirror the setups of the really successful sides. What do Melbourne Storm or Penrith do? I'd be speaking to people at Brisbane and asking how they managed the transformation from basket case to contenders over the last 4 or 5 years.

Looks like Hull are after Paul Rowley. If we are waving goodbye to Smith, Rowley would be my choice. Not a great fan of Watson, Rowley is probably the only decent British coach who would come to Leeds. A big bonus would be working with Croft again.

Not sure whether coaches who did well for clubs with relatively low levels of resource are guaranteed to cope or make it with bigger clubs.

For every Tony Smith there's probably a Daryl Powell. Ian Watson has hardly turned Huddersfield into GF contenders yet, despite Leeds finding a way to gift them a win on Friday.

Surprised Hull are not pulling out the stops to bring local boy McNamara back to Humberside... Maybe he's saving himself for the task of bringing Bradford back to SL, after setting them on the path to relegation back in the day. In fact it's a small miracle the guy is still in coaching after having won so little, after the likes of Wane, McDermott etc won so much more but got booted out.

Hull FC have reportedly offered Rowley the head coach position for 2025. If the board are starting to think in terms of exiting Smith, you would think this might lend events a degree if urgency.

He may well have been given a bit more time , JJB stuck his oar in and got his best mate to get rid of him though

Given Hethrington lauding it up how rosesy the garden is regarding academy etc I'd be really interested to know how much input the head coach has had in this area and what other platforms he has put in place with the whole talent pool identification and pathways, while he is failing with the senior squad perhaps this is where he exells?

have you seen how poor the juniors have been????
excel at what exactly?
he's a fraud

He's staying at Salford, apparently

would you go to hull?

Don't get me wrong, Rowley's good at what he does. But he's not really had to bring through youngsters to the first team. He's just signed established players. Different ball game trying to bring players through a system I'd imagine.

Yes, but he gets the best out of mostly average players and cast offs.Smith cannot get the best out of quality players.
Look at Croft, showed some nice touches but seems half the player he was at Salford so far.

Hanging in till the Leeds job is available?

maybe.
hopefully it's available monday

That crossed my mind.

We need to see how the team and Smith performs against weaker opposition, when we are being stressed a little less.

Most of the criticisms about passive defence etc. have not really been evident in the last two losses. It still may well be the case that Smith ends up losing his job this year; the problem is that you lot complain about anybody and anything. Brian Mac go so much stick despite being the most successful coach ever. Same people using arguments about "only results matter" also bag BM....

My own frustrations are around some strange decisions around player retention, one or two signings and some in-game decisions which baffle me. I really think Newman and Fus should have been off the field when they got injured; Newman could have had treatment and gone back on later if he pulled up fit; Fus was clearly knackered yet again. They were both liabilities in D, I just don't think the selection that day allowed for injuries to both those players, which is bad luck to a degree.

People still trying to blame RS for a decision Miller made which was clearly wrong, and also blaming him for bagging him in the post-match. A thousand percent RS doesn't coach that kind of decision, and that player in particular has been prone to brain farts from pre-season through. Yes he's great going forward, no complaints, but RS needs to find a way to wind in his excesses/have another player make those kind of kicks.

I don't blame the coach for individuals making those kind of errors, but there comes a point where you can blame him for still selecting those players, or putting them in positions where their weaknesses shine.