Daryl Powell at Castleford (a smaller club with fewer resources than those afforded any coach at Leeds) has a large turnover of players from season to season including key players in key positions - yet they have not fallen in a heap. His players generally are perceived to perform to their maximum, he appears able to give them a structure to utilise their abilities and to get the best out of them. Why can't Brian?

All the players are playing the same. Why pick out one player? Yet you can't see a problem with the coach. Does that not say more about you? Is it really a bad attitude when all the players are showing contempt for the coach?

I would be quite happy to put a lot of money on it that an immediate change of coach would have a much bigger effect for the positive in this group of players, than any one or two players leaving would.

Of course I have said nothing of the sort anywhere, but you know that really.

Why can't the players tackle? The players, at the very least, share responsibility for this mess. If we were mid-table and just cruising along then it being about the coach not getting the best out of players might be a legitimate point.

Getting hammered at the bottom of the table and conceding simple tries points to different issues than simply the coach. Especially a coach that has so recently proved he could get the best out of the players.

Oh like I've said the coach deserves his share of the blame but the players are just as culpable.

All players are playing the same? Nonsense. Unless you think the efforts the likes of Keinhorst and Lilley are putting in are being matched all around which they most definitely aren't.

We have a small group of guys trying for the whole match. We then have a group of guys who start off trying but heads drop after we go 2/3 scores behind. We also have a group of guys who aren't in it from the start.

Is that Leeds mindset of unconscious complacency you've alluded to still a prevalent issue? If so, isn't the coach responsible for eradicating it?

Maybe it's effecting all of Headingley......20-3 Yorkshire already I believe vs Lancashire

There's a core of players who know they are going to get selected regardless of performance as there are no viable alternatives.

That's fine when all are performing well. When they're not, the lack of competition for places creates complacency that the coach doesn't seem to be able to eradicate - or indeed by his post match comments seem interested in doing so.

The failure of the Academy to produce players capable of challenging the incumbents for first team places is coming back to bite Leeds in the backside. Barrie McDermott's tenure as head of youth is starting to stink the place out.

I would agree on Hardaker but his issue isn't on the field its off it - he tries on the field but he isn't as fit as he should be so he isn't as effective as he should be.

Or even affecting?

Headingley isn't responsible for Yorkshire's decline towards WBCCR this season. The loss of Jonny Bairstow most definitely is.

3/29 now - reporting live from Headingley via a morse code device. Can't utilise smoke signals as its a smokeless zone here.

Make that 4/29

Yorkshire have lost less games in the last 3 years than the Rhinos have lost in the last month - make you cheap jibes but Gillespie's record is pretty impressive. Don't hear him moaning when England take his best players!!

Gotcha I am with you on McDermott but it would not difficult to pull out your posts that say Hardaker is one of Leeds' best players this season, Watkins' performances are hindered by the amount of defending he has to do and Phil Hassan was a much better player than Keinhorst.

Who was Leeds other centre in 1996?

Carl Hall?

There isn't one Sal, so fire away and try and pull one. Leeds best player this season IMO is the one player for me who weakens the team, and needs to be sacrificed. But it doesn't stop him being the best player.

Definitely said Watkins defence is much better than the nonsense posted. But that is much different to best player than Juan put.

Hardaker? At the begining of the season I would have had more empathy with this..more recently he has been a pale shadow of his former self.

One of his strengths last year was his fearless safe near guaranteed diffusing of opposition bombs ..now it is more than noticeable he is more than happy to leave that job to his two hapless wingers. There might be mitigating circumstances behind the scenes...and of course he is not the only one shirking his duties....but it is pretty inexcusable.
As for Watkins again I do have sympathy in that he is being asked to defend like a forward, but he does look as though he is going through the motions on attack and getting back in the defensive line.

The bottom line is I agree this present coach has lost whatever respect he might have commanded from his playing staff. They are treating him with contempt on match day....and ever more so on each and every successive week.

Watkins isn't the only centre who is having to make more tackles as we don't always stack/hide the 2 "halves" on the same side. Keinhorst is doing plenty and Moon in previous years has been the one to have McGuire & Burrow outside him.

I was talking about Burrow.

Ah right....yes he can go for me. Plenty of effort and ineffectiveness in equal measures. Better DH than scrum half but fooling nobody enough these days on attack. The problems defensively have been well documented.

Because the way cricket is organised teams will always lose their best players to internationals. Different to an big extended injury list.

See he still hasn't sorted the problem of last year of a disappointing top order and without Bairstow in middle order there to do the rescue act it's left to the spinner and bowlers to yet again do the heavy lifting with the bat

Burrow has been just about our only attacking threat and for me is the first name on the teamsheet at the moment .

Last year he lost his opening batsman to England so no sure how you compare the two?

Cricket like rugby is a team game - I didn't realise the middle order and the bowlers weren't allowed to score runs!! Perhaps if coach at Leeds could get the team spirit Yorkshire have i.e. Yorkshire lose a few wickets the other players get stuck in, Leeds concede a try and the whole team capitulates then they wouldn't currently be bottom of the table!!

Yorkshire have played the last 3 seasons without their best player - Root - could you image Leeds playing without their best player Sinfield - oh yes we can

Because in cricket you know which players are likely to be with England and plan accordingly....injuries are an X factor, you don't know who or for how long.

Root hasn't been captain and on field leader for over a decade.

Not sure about that...yes he always looks 'busy' but can't think what threat he poses exactly. Making a killer pass certainly doesn't spring to mind; nor any sort of decent kick, high or long. The last (ducking under tackles) clean break I cannot remember either.

He had a good 3 game spell, Hull, Saints, Hudds. Apart from that not much to write home about.