I know these have to be done but even I am getting sick of the same lines flogged out year after year!! m.skysports.com/article/rugbyleague//9496041

I know these have to be done but even I am getting sick of the same lines flogged out year after year!! m.skysports.com/article/rugbyleague//9496041

As you say it has to be done, he's trying to sell season tickets and build hype again after a disappointing end. What else can he say.

But yeh.. it's clearly not true. It'll take something monumentally special to win the double next year.

Well personally, I have been a season ticket holder every year since 1978, and whilst I thank Hetherington for been clear, I think the message sent will do the polar opposite of selling season tickets, It certainly makes my decision a lot easier next year to have a break from buying one.

Who had 30th September in the sweepstake?

Well, surely even GH can't believe the current squad has realistic chance of the treble from next season.

A lot of people think we will struggle to make the play offs, i am not one of them by the way, but i am not delusional enough to think that squad can sweep all before it.Time to face facts that the re build is needed now or very shortly and the cheque book needs a dust off or we will be left in the wilderness for a while.

It has got my back up reading that. If he at least acknowledged that it has been not very good the last few months and that we are at the 'beginning of the end' / 'the start of a new beginning' and to 'have patience while we go through it' I would be a lot more inclined to be a 'single cell organism' (from now on, 'SCO').

You know, 'our target is to get back closer to the top of the table, to be more consistent and to go as far as we can towards the cups and see what happens' rather than the generic 'win each of the cups' without explanation of how exactly.

'Put your trust in our model*'

* This sentence was cut short - it actually said 'model 4x4 electronic wheelchair, perfect for older rugby league players which we will be using over the next couple of years, rather than having a clear plan on replacing them'.

It is garbage bordering on Pardew-standards. And I have been going nuts having to listen for him for the last two years with deluded rubbish.

Is this the earliest we've had any transfer rumours put to bed in living memory? Does this man not appreciate our need to have something to talk about in the winter?

Here's a thought on squad investment. Assuming (safe-ish I think) that the club has the same wad to spend on wages and transfer fees as anyone else under the salary cap, and thus nobody personally would gain by under-spending, how big an obstacle will the Holy Trinity be to recruiting halfbacks, in particular? Let's face it, nobody can really be paying hugely larger sums of cash to their top players, but surely those top players weigh up other things, so the prospect of having to fight 3 club legends for 2 shirts is pretty unappealing. So maybe such recruitment has to be linked to one or more retirements?

GH acknowledging it's a far easier job flogging season tickets on the back of exciting star quality signings than it is via historical appeals to a model of success based upon mediocrity and playing the system.

Playing the system by deliberately finishing outside the Top 4 is no longer an option therefore the target has to be a higher placing next season... Duh! May as well target top spot and the LLS for a change then



My view is that an increasing number of fans of SL are tired of the same crap on offer year after year. The game is a far cry from over a decade ago when genuine star quality signings have been replaced by average no names. No wonder GH is horrified at the prospect of another club signing Todd Carney.

Professional sport requires genuine star quality players to sell itself. One just has to peruse recent SL dream teams or MoS shortlists to acknowledge that countless barrels have been scraped so relentlessly, they've all become bottomless.

He does acknowledge that it'll be the last time this squad plays together. It'll be interesting to see how deeply the axe bites.

Possibly contrary to some poster's understanding of my viewpoint - I basically share the CEO's belief in the model he prescribes but for it to work you need the key positions to be filled with the right personnel and that starts at the top. Many of the key members of the playing squad have been steadily regressing ever since Hetherington rightly asked this pertinent question in 2012: www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-4617053 yet here we are potentially going into 2015 with the majority of those question marked players still expected to carry the team forward. The Leeds old guard of special players all played in that pivotal Wigan game (Sinfield, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Bailey) and three years later we're still trying to squeeze quality performances out of them but the well is almost dry bar from a few efforts a year and Hetherington surely must know with the change of format next year two of his three targets are beyond the current squad.

Possibly contrary to some poster's understanding of my viewpoint - I basically share the CEO's belief in the model he prescribes but for it to work you need the key positions to be filled with the right personnel and that starts at the top. Many of the key members of the playing squad have been steadily regressing ever since Hetherington rightly asked this pertinent question in 2012: www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-4617053 yet here we are potentially going into 2015 with the majority of those question marked players still expected to carry the team forward. The Leeds old guard of special players all played in that pivotal Wigan game (Sinfield, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Bailey) and three years later we're still trying to squeeze quality performances out of them but the well is almost dry bar from a few efforts a year and Hetherington surely must know with the change of format next year two of his three targets are beyond the current squad.

Quote ="tvoc"Possibly contrary to some poster's understanding of my viewpoint - I basically share the CEO's belief in the model he prescribes but for it to work you need the key positions to be filled with the right personnel and that starts at the top. Many of the key members of the playing squad have been steadily regressing ever since Hetherington rightly asked this pertinent question in 2012: www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-4617053 yet here we are potentially going into 2015 with the majority of those question marked players still expected to carry the team forward. The Leeds old guard of special players all played in that pivotal Wigan game (Sinfield, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Bailey) and three years later we're still trying to squeeze quality performances out of them but the well is almost dry bar from a few efforts a year and Hetherington surely must know with the change of format next year two of his three targets are beyond the current squad.'" I also agree with his model, yet he contradicts himself in the media release. The model should be stability, and should be gradual changes when required, to have continuously the best squad it can put out. Gradual changes, with new youngsters or outside enhancements should have been made over last couple of years. What he says above, is that he acknowledges that next year will be the last time it plays together and that a lot of changes will take place after that, which contradicts the stability model he states. And that instability is as a direct result of the way the squad has been managed.

Quote ="tvoc"Possibly contrary to some poster's understanding of my viewpoint - I basically share the CEO's belief in the model he prescribes but for it to work you need the key positions to be filled with the right personnel and that starts at the top. Many of the key members of the playing squad have been steadily regressing ever since Hetherington rightly asked this pertinent question in 2012: www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-4617053 yet here we are potentially going into 2015 with the majority of those question marked players still expected to carry the team forward. The Leeds old guard of special players all played in that pivotal Wigan game (Sinfield, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Bailey) and three years later we're still trying to squeeze quality performances out of them but the well is almost dry bar from a few efforts a year and Hetherington surely must know with the change of format next year two of his three targets are beyond the current squad.'" I also agree with his model, yet he contradicts himself in the media release. The model should be stability, and should be gradual changes when required, to have continuously the best squad it can put out. Gradual changes, with new youngsters or outside enhancements should have been made over last couple of years. What he says above, is that he acknowledges that next year will be the last time it plays together and that a lot of changes will take place after that, which contradicts the stability model he states. And that instability is as a direct result of the way the squad has been managed.

Quote ="tvoc"Possibly contrary to some poster's understanding of my viewpoint - I basically share the CEO's belief in the model he prescribes but for it to work you need the key positions to be filled with the right personnel and that starts at the top. Many of the key members of the playing squad have been steadily regressing ever since Hetherington rightly asked this pertinent question in 2012: www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-4617053 yet here we are potentially going into 2015 with the majority of those question marked players still expected to carry the team forward. The Leeds old guard of special players all played in that pivotal Wigan game (Sinfield, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Bailey) and three years later we're still trying to squeeze quality performances out of them but the well is almost dry bar from a few efforts a year and Hetherington surely must know with the change of format next year two of his three targets are beyond the current squad.'" Reading this I imagined a load of lemons - we are trying to squeeze the last drops of juice out of lemons that were ripe a few years ago but have now withered away and need squeezing really hard, just to get a few last drips out of. Instead, you could just get a couple of new lemons that will be ripe in a short while and then will be able to get a lot more juice going forward. I use this analogy partly because I am bought some lemons at the weekend and plan to make a drizzle cake

Quote ="tvoc"Possibly contrary to some poster's understanding of my viewpoint - I basically share the CEO's belief in the model he prescribes but for it to work you need the key positions to be filled with the right personnel and that starts at the top. Many of the key members of the playing squad have been steadily regressing ever since Hetherington rightly asked this pertinent question in 2012: www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... -1-4617053 yet here we are potentially going into 2015 with the majority of those question marked players still expected to carry the team forward. The Leeds old guard of special players all played in that pivotal Wigan game (Sinfield, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Bailey) and three years later we're still trying to squeeze quality performances out of them but the well is almost dry bar from a few efforts a year and Hetherington surely must know with the change of format next year two of his three targets are beyond the current squad.'" Reading this I imagined a load of lemons - we are trying to squeeze the last drops of juice out of lemons that were ripe a few years ago but have now withered away and need squeezing really hard, just to get a few last drips out of. Instead, you could just get a couple of new lemons that will be ripe in a short while and then will be able to get a lot more juice going forward. I use this analogy partly because I am bought some lemons at the weekend and plan to make a drizzle cake

That the club could even consider squeezing a further season or two out of the current incumbents and still consider the squad good enough to target all silverware is more of a telling comment on the dire playing standards which prevail at most other SL clubs.

Had Leeds turned around at the end of 2012 having just won yet another Grand Final, and said they were going to let McGuire and Leuluai go at the end of the year to be replaced by say Matty Smith and Alex Walmsley, can you seriously tell me there wouldn't have been threads all over these boards kicking up merry hell at the coach and CEO?

Gradual replacement is fine, but it's reliant on two things.

Players of a suitable quality being available, affordable and willing to come to the club. If you're going to be releasing a player, his replacement needs to at least have the potential to be as good or better otherwise you're weakening the club for no good reason. You wouldn't trade in an old Ferrari for a brand new Skoda.

The player you're replacing being on a gradual, consistent path of decline. Not just a couple of bad games here or there, but a consistent downslope in terms of performance. There have been a few players at Leeds who have looked to be in that situation in recent years, but have then gone on to produce a run of games (including in very big games) where they have defied that trend. Think of the 2011 and 2012 playoff series for example.

It's hard to look at a player who is say 31-32 and say "you'll be finished by the time you are 34, so we need to replace you now". In a salary-capped sport, it's no longer possible to sign a player "just in case" and leave him sat in the stands for a year while the incumbent proves you wrong, in the way Wigan did with the likes of Nigel Wright.

And had we done that we would be in better position going forward than we are now, so instead of getting moaned at we would be praising GH.

But that is all in hindsight. Problem now though is that the mistake has been made, and instead of accepting that and looking for a way to improve the position quicker, he is trying to hide it and give the perception that it is all right, and expect us top go along with it.

As I’ve said in the past, when you post your genuine opinion it’s hard for me to disagree. When we compare the standard of SL 2004 to SL 2014 they’re a mile apart. This is probably due to a number of contributing factors.

The never-ending recession (although we are apparently over it now!!) means, on a whole there has been a lot less investment in the sport over the last 10 years, therefore attracting less youngsters.

The GBP to AUD has fallen massively over the last decade and with the increase in the NRL salary cap, playing in ESL is far less attractive now which means top quality antipodean players are no longer available.

As the overall standards slip there is less need to be as good as before – an ever decreasing circle so to speak. You don’t need to be as good to be as good… if you get my drift?

All these factors contribute to the sliding standards of SL and personally I find it a little offence from GH, telling me that 2015 is going to be the most exciting year to date and we have the most exciting squad to compete. Also that the older players can and will do a better job than they did 5 years ago!!!

Our squad was exciting 7 years ago, competitive 2 years ago and showing signs of its age this year. Next year it will be far from exciting or competitive.

I might be made to eat my words come seasons end next year, and I sincerely hope I do, just can’t see anything more than an average team finishing mid table.

All good points...but will you still be buying a season ticket (thus helping to vindicate the status quo)?

Still undecided, going to HQ once a fortnight isn't just about the Rugby for me - there is the social side to it as well. I'll have to weigh up the pros/cons before parting with my hard(ish) earned. As it stands right now there are more cons than pros.

The standard now is significantly better than in 2004 in my opinion. Take a look at the defences in some of those games we played, they're awful and even London in 2014 would've done alright against them.

And we did that with such plodders as Wayne McDonald, Chris Feather, & Franny Cummins.

Skoda Superb surely?

The superb always felt too big to fit comfortably in my garage so have stuck with the Octavia instead although I now drive electric wherever and whenever possible. Saving studiously for one with a bigger battery - hopefully 2017/18 ..... if I'm around that long.

I also got my email from Uncle Gary this morning, which on reflection makes me even less likely to buy a season ticket next year. Basically he is saying "come and see the legends before they retire" well thanks but we've seen them for years. That bit will only appeal to people who've never seen them before.

He also says that we will have the best squad ever assembled, so does he believe that all the aged players will be better next year than this year, or that the coach will drop them for younger players coming through who will be better? I know he kind of has to make these "marketing statements" but this one is pretty embarrassing.

Either way, I can only see his email having quite the opposite effect to that intended and that it will see less ST holders than this year.

I will get my prediction in first for next year, Leeds will finish 5th.

Isn't GH's "target" the same as every other SL club's "target"? Meaningless words....but I guess there will still be sufficient SCO's (and Fatboys) who will fall for the weasel words/buy for 'other' reasons contrary to the on field expectations.

I'm not even sure I will renew my sky sports subscription at this stage (I always suspend it after the GF). The number of exciting competitive matches appear to be getting fewer and fewer. The game does desperately need some exciting new talent injection: for Sutcliffe to be listed in the top 3 for an award is rather indicative. What exactly has [ihe [/idone this season for such considerion??

I did wonder how long it would take for one of the SL Moonies to turn up extolling the virtues of the current SL product and playing standards.

SmokeyBro must be pedalling his Moonie stuff on the VT instead.

The Octavia I had a few years ago was superb enough for me: probably the best car I've ever had and that includes cars supposedly in the class catergory above.

As for driving electric....with a 'bigger battery'.....please don't tell me you're one of those purportedly doing it for the environment?