Given the recent squad changes this one is going to be an interesting game. Myler out for the season, Austin gone out on loan, no sign of anyone coming in.

Handley
Olpherts MacDonald Martin Tindall
Johnson Sezer
Oledzki O’Connor Walters
McDonnell Bentley
Smith

Sinfield Lisone Holroyd Sangare

What on earth is going on?!

Austin should not be gobbing off in public, whatever he thinks GH and RS are his bosses

Whats the full story on that? It looks really poor that the club havent been able to answer those contract questions privately with Austin too. Whatever Austins said, and ive not heard or seen the GH comments, theres something strange about how players seem to have been handled re either contract extensions ie Austin and Walters, and Leemings sudden walk out (not that ive missed him). It just seems like theres some internal problems.

It could be the other way round, maybe those players just have a bad attitude?

Others have been happy extending their contracts remember.

Why should the CEO be responding to a player gobbing off in public, they've shown their response by saying off you pop then.

We've needed strong leadership for a while.

It all looks very unsettled at the minute, performing poorly, the only on field announcements are of players leaving, honestly Christopher I hope youre right and their are big plans afoot. With Austin requesting this it doesnt point to anyone coming in, and with Myler out I think we can revisit our messages earlier in the week and fully invest in the project with any expectations now gone.

Leigh Leopards (H)

The situation is certainly a gift to Sky. Cue Wilkin and his faux-insights into the failings of our club.

Not sure why anyone would pick Handley at full back. This should be a chance for Hooley. If he has a mare fair enough but he really hasn't been given a proper shot yet.

yep. hooley has to sink or swim. nothing to play for anymore

Anyway my prediction.

Leigh won't actually rest that many players (mainly because they have got a paper thin squad)

All this BS with Austin will have upset the camp and like the Cas game after Leeming left we'll serve up a load of rubbish.

The club is at as much a low point as its been for a long time and thats saying something. I too expect a poor showing sunday, and i dont expect the fall out to end there. What a disgrace the way the club has been managed for too many years. Christopher your longterm optimism deserves a medal, it only looks bleak from where im standing.

I'd agree. Were it not for having a season ticket I doubt I'd go on Sunday. All the indications are that GH has acted purely out of pride and left Smith and the rest of the team very exposed. Fair enough, gett rid of Austin, but leave it till the end of the season. GH better have something special up his sleeve or things will finally start to turn ugly at HQ.

I would agree. Another low point… and there has been a few over the last few seasons.

The bleakness for me comes from the fact we’ve been here so many times. End of the McDermott era, end of the agar era, Sinfield arriving and then leaving, youth development. I’m surprisingly still not in the RS out camp but many due to having little trust in getting anyone genuinely better! I think RS will probably make a decent coach, I just don’t think that we should have gone with someone so inexperienced in the first place!

The more I think back to the golden generation, it becomes clearer for me that the players loyalty was totally with one another and not necessarily the ‘Leeds Club’. Perhaps JJB aside.

To be fair Seth your doom and gloom just cancels out my positivity



I'm not even sure it's optimism, I think Ive just learned over the years that it's just what following a sports club is like, everything tends to get blown totally out of proportion because that's what we fans do.

I don't think its as low as battling for relegation a few years ago when Sinfield came in and Lowes was head coach, nowhere near as low, we still do have a chance of the playoffs, look at our points difference that shows you that a few of those games tip in our favour and were up at the top.

As I say it's just part and parcel of following a sports team, we're not going to get relegated, we still have a chance of the playoffs, there's a bit of off field drama and plenty of on field drama. Ill enjoy going on Sunday I hope the weather holds up cos I am sick of the rain!

No where near as low as losing to Bradford in the cup!

Im not sure, it depends how you view any 'progress' over the last 3 years. We're sat in 8th and still seeing sht like this happening.

Its poor losing Austin in this fashion, if we was going to get rid wouldn't it make sense to find a replacement 1st, I already have tickets for Sunday otherwise I would have watched on tv! We was already looking rudderless in attack and letting Austin leave won't improve us I fear.

Nah, I think you’re letting the emotions of the Austin thing clouding your judgement a bit, we were in a far worse position when Bradford beat us in the cup.

I don’t think this Austin situation was in any way planned for, it seems to me Austins agent got a speculative call from Cas, Austin has gone to see GH about it snd they’ve had a bust up, this isn’t all down to GH, Austin has played his part

He’s more than played his part, he’s agitated for a move since GH didn’t put a 2 year deal on the table. We are right to let him go, but my god it’s been handled badly to get to this stage when we now only have 1 senior halfback at the club.

The context is the additional 3 years since then and the 'investment' in a plan to turn the club around. To be where we are now 7 games to go is just awful progress.

Absolutely, I don't care about Austin now he's gone. But it should be alarming to everyone how all this has been managed. And that's where my fear of more of the same next year comes from because GH is still here.

You are Nostradamus , collect £10 on your way out

To be honest RS seems to have sympathy with Austin in his interview. It appears they had made no decisions on whether they would offer him a contract or not for next season and that 'he was still an option' how can that be at this stage and with players needing some certainty on their personal futures. Blake youre still an option until we can find better, but they're turning up nothing on their search for a half back, and now he's made the call on his own.