Quote ="karetaker"All this losing the dressing room thing makes me laugh, seems to be a modern thing in team sport these days. Couldn’t imagine the likes of Clough or Ferguson putting up with this nonsense. Then again without a big pool of talent in rugby league I guess players have the power now.'" Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI

Quote ="karetaker"All this losing the dressing room thing makes me laugh, seems to be a modern thing in team sport these days. Couldn’t imagine the likes of Clough or Ferguson putting up with this nonsense. Then again without a big pool of talent in rugby league I guess players have the power now.'" Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" Probably would of heard him from bottom of Bridge st

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" Probably would of heard him from bottom of Bridge st

Just watched Penrith vs Newcastle Knights; Penrith missing both 1st choice halfbacks & you couldn't tell (and they won), so with a quality squad it can be done...

...just not by us

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" Love that. At the end Maurice Lindsay sneeks in with the sheepskin coat on. Absolutely priceless video.

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" Love that. At the end Maurice Lindsay sneeks in with the sheepskin coat on. Absolutely priceless video.

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI icon_lol.gif'" The camera zooms onto a very young Shawn Wane between 1-05 and 1-23 minutes.

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI icon_lol.gif'" The camera zooms onto a very young Shawn Wane between 1-05 and 1-23 minutes.

I think a lot of Leeds fans would take Holbrook over Smith.
The jury is certainly out on Smith me included.
He inherited a bag of rubbish and has brought in some questionable signings of his own.
But that might be down to him not having the cap to bring in anything better.
Much will depend on where we finish this season and if Holbrook is still available and not at Warrington by then!

I haven't see any mental toughness, nor leadership and organisation on the field, for a couple of months. I wonder if Josh McGuire, who divided opinions regarding punishment on this board, has done the same to the squad. Something has caused a big shift in our performances, and that's one possible answer.

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" This is gold dust. I remember taping it on our Ferguson Videostar. Never recorded over it. From the good old days when international centres were a mile overweight and Granada presenters hadn't yet sampled the delights from Grandma's biscuit barrel...

Quote ="Wires71"Could you imagine what Alex Murphy would have said to the players after Castleford? Something like 2:45 in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpwZX5X6kI '" This is gold dust. I remember taping it on our Ferguson Videostar. Never recorded over it. From the good old days when international centres were a mile overweight and Granada presenters hadn't yet sampled the delights from Grandma's biscuit barrel...

The Murphy clip is funny, BUT with those players, did that improve them individually or as a group?
I really find it laughable and absurd that a significant number of posters think that if the team is playing poorly they should be bawled and screamed at at half time 'Fergie-style'.
It may work ocassionally, and be appropriate ocassionally. What's the common word?

The coach needs to tackle the main issues collectively, and get across any key points to specific players and the leadership group.

I always remember Paul Cullen saying that at half time as a player you can only take so much onboard as you're trying to recover from your 1st half performance and keeping it simple was the key.

Now - who can I have a rant at??

I did post the video tongue in cheek.

Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348

Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348

Quote ="Wires71"Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348'" A few things jump out of there, first being Vaughan. While again he was relatively quiet, his stats are first class. Has he ever not made 100+ meters? Metronomic reliability. Dudson at the other end. Painful. The doom monger within me fears for Thewlis this week. At fault for a try by not catching the kick, and the stats don’t really do him any favours. I hope I’m wrong, and would be livid if my suspicions come true, but it smells like a drop incoming.

Quote ="Wires71"Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348'" A few things jump out of there, first being Vaughan. While again he was relatively quiet, his stats are first class. Has he ever not made 100+ meters? Metronomic reliability. Dudson at the other end. Painful. The doom monger within me fears for Thewlis this week. At fault for a try by not catching the kick, and the stats don’t really do him any favours. I hope I’m wrong, and would be livid if my suspicions come true, but it smells like a drop incoming.

Quote ="Wires71"Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348'" Waste of a salary that bloke. Who's genius idea was it to sign that plodder?

Quote ="Wires71"Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348'" Waste of a salary that bloke. Who's genius idea was it to sign that plodder?

Yep Vaughan is still delivering the goods. A machine. Dudson is woeful.

Just read about Wigan's latest signings. Chan 22, Walters 19 ( I think he's great ) and Leeming 28. Most of our forward signings are over 30 whom we hoped would lead to a GF win. May still do so but makes me wonder if our thinking is too short-term in our craving for success.
w

Of course it's short term - We don't have an academy that produces any players in the number needed to be a successful side, so we have to constantly gamble in the transfer market.

If we had spent the money we have wasted on the many flops of the last 20 years on setting up a state of the art academy instead, we would be in a far stronger place than we presently are.

I don't disagree but we haven't we been told for 15 years+ that our Academy is doing well?

Trouble is other clubs have first dibs over the most promising players due to their pedigree.

Do they really have first dibs, or is it more that we don't put enough effort into our attempts to sign and nurture promising youngsters as Wigan or Saints do?

Personally, if I was a multi millionaire in charge of our club, the first thing I'd have done would have been setting up the best RL academy in the country, with the best qualified coaches and conditioning teams - The only common denominatior in GF winners is that they all have top class, academy players in the heart of their sides - The actual head coaches have all been nothing special, just been lucky to have been at clubs with great youth set ups.

I agree with your view that the teams with performant academies, produce top class players that win GFs.

My problem is this:- imagine a top young halfback playing for an amateur team somewhere between Wigan, St Helens and Warrington. This top halfback dreams of winning GF's, World Club Championships and becoming a regular England International.

Wigan, Saints and Warrington have made offers to sign the player.

Why would this top young halfback choose Warrington?

Totally agree about the youth set-up.

Another issue that concerns me, is who are out talent scouts for sourcing and signing the best players from schoolboy RL?

I doubt if any posters on here know who any of our scouts are (Including me).

We need to focus on this area and improve PDQ.

Because I would be offering them the best RL academy in the country, dwarfing anything that any other club has to offer, and would be looking after them and their family in a suitably generous manner.

Highlights here for those who haven't seen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5pLk2ESIRU

Highlights here for those who haven't seen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5pLk2ESIRU

Same reason everyone signs for Warrington. £££££££££.

Yes this is what I was hinting at. It's the wrong motivation.

I don't mind money as a motivation but at this club it appears to be the only one