yes why not!?

he has the great knack all great coaches have of making average players into good players and average teams in to very good teams. look what he did at the roosters and the cowboys. his players would run through walls for him, he gets the best out of them, a great motivator and tactitian.

The only leaving under a cloud bit was the perception by GH that Murray was messing the club about by announcing he was going off to North Sydney and then not staying with Leeds when North Sydney were kicked out of the league.

On the other hand, he was more than happy to take Murray when Super League were paying a chunk of his salary after the SL War down under (see also why we got Dean Lance, when the smart money recommended Millward to the board)

Whilst I'd have had Murray here just after Easter, GH will have to eat a bit of a lump of humble pie to get him back, however Muzza has made no secret that if he had the chance, he'd be back at Leeds in a shot and given that one of the reasons for going home to Oz in 1999 was the age of his children and their education, that's certainly not going to be a worry now.

IMO, the reason that the '99 campaign ended when it did was that the steamrollering Leeds pack at the end of the season, were just about dead on their feet. This was coupled by Terry Newton copping a ban in the run up to the playoffs and we were on our bare bones. It could be argued that after the biggest Wembley pay day in Leeds history, the club again played it safe by merely bringing in the available Keith Senior, but did not spend any more than they had to of their resources on a couple of extra players to bolster the pack.

Jeez, why pick them as an example ?

He made Andy Hay look test class ... What more do you need for the great man's credentials ?

The 'great' coaches make average teams look better than the sum of all their parts. Murray at Leeds, TS at Huddersfield etc.

Let's put it this way, I wouldn't like to predict the reaction if we go in behind against Hull KR at home next Sunday ....

From what I hear, those could be as soon as the Hull KR game next Sunday, if things don't go well in the first half and we go in behind ....

All together now : "Foxy, Foxy Foxy ... OUT ! OUT ! OUT !"

Murray would be my choice but can't see it happening. Surely other SL clubs would have made enquiries by now if he was really interested in coming back? Leeds may be a bonus factor for him though if GH can swallow humble pie who knows? (camel & eye of a needle spring to mind)

I maintain that Leeds should have gone for Mick Potter. A lot of Saints fans hated him because he didn't buy into their 'entertainers' style but he still got them into a top 2 finish and GF appearance last season, even without Leon Pryce and a few others. He did a pretty decent job at the Catalans before Walters stuffed everything up. Seems like someone good at managing transitions - although there is much to be done at Bradford.

We were pretty (although not as bad as now!) at the end of Murray's time here. It was right to change at that point.

Oh dear. That brings back some unpleasant memories. Didn't we avoid relegation on points difference that year?

As a few have mentioned earlier, Daniel Anderson could be a good shout. Apart from his record at Saints which wasn't too shabby, anyone who can coach two notoriously underachieving NRL clubs to Grand Final appearances must have something going for him.

The bulk of that team never had any long-term life in it. Poor Dean Lance starred in the former-day McDermott role with comedic consequences. What planks did Murray lay for the future?

1999 is also a reminder of the difficulty of a team peaking at the right time - Warrington beware... That year we were off with a bang on the first day of the season with 12 men vs Wigan in the cup at home, then dominated the league after Wembley until Russell Smith intervened vs St Helens in July IIRC.

Hopefully Richard Agar may be available soon!!!! You want him

Is Guus Hiddink available?

Not as Head Coach I wouldn't.
However, he seems to have done a few simple but effective things with Halifax's defence that Leeds would do well to emulate.


Definitely worth thinking about.

jeez, i could have picked fleary, farrell, marvin golden, andy hay and to a lesser extent daryll powell who was thought to be washed up and murray got the best out of him and extended his career, the reason i picked the roosters was because they had always been the glamour club that under achived that was until murray took over. i know andy hay personally and he say's the whole squad who played under murray at leeds would run through walls for the man.

He's the best Leeds coach in my lifetime. (Unlike Smith he's also achieved outside domestic British RL). Murray with Harris or Dunneman as assistant and a three-year succession timetable would be my dream scenario, but as I said up-thread Daniel Anderson would also be a good choice for now.

I can't see a certain poster jumping onto the roof of the dugout to scream that at McD though, can you?

Might do if it gets any worse!

Just out of interest, is the man coaching the exiles (and proven superleague winner) not a suitable caretaker boss?

A Grand Final loss, a CC win and a playoff exit with a home defeat to Cas, and a team left in no state to improve.
You rate that ahead of the achievements of Smith and McClennan?

I'd like the idea of him grabbing hold of our pack and bringing back the snarl.

I would agree with that Anderson would sort the discipline out for sure.

Murray was given a squad that evryone knew had no future even Hetherington has admitted as much. It was at this point that the development of the youth kicked in - it took a further 5 years for that to reach fruition. Not sure you can blame Murray for a club without a short/medium term plan?

I didn't say he was the highest-achieving Leeds coach. But taking a team and a club that had underperformed for 20 years, with what was by no means its best squad in those years, and turning them into a formidable force was in ways more impressive than coaching the most impressive group of club-trained players (few of whom were signed or debuted under Smith's watch) to GF victory. Do you think Murray would have won Grand Finals if he'd been in charge of Leeds from 2004?

And I'm not sure he left the team in no state to improve: Dean Lance and GH screwed up. Bell & Barnhill for Godden & Glanville. Lawford for Newton. And then there was Lance's man-management. There are parallels today.

Add to that Murray's coaching at Illawarra, Roosters and N Qld, and Smith's record with GB then I'd say yes, in my opinion Murray is the better coach.

I think it's looking too far in the past for my liking, dont get me wrong he's a fantastic coach (or was) we shouldnt go even more backwards so to speak


Who would I suggest?! Anyone who can give a gameplan to the team....

I think he saw this coming and got out, not sure he would want to come back