Bailey is no chris hill, however he has been one of best defensive props in SL for over 10 years and has won 6 titles and on one year deal on low money. Given wire fans have watched Roy asotasi do next to nothing on very big wages in recent years - the hysteria on this board is hilarious.

If smith gets his head right - perhaps bailey can help this side do what no wire team has done since 1955.

To try and cheer you up - Jon Wilkin can't stand him - so he can't be all bad

John Wilkin is a sensible professional player.

For someone on clearly a small wage he hasn't half generated some interest. Had we signed James graham I doubt there would have been as much input. I'm beginning to love him already, I hope he continues to annoy Wilkin (provoking more of the arm flapping football mentality the scousers seem prone to) and proves everybody wrong...sod it I'm getting his name on my kit for Xmas.

You are right about the level of interest is unreal. As Eddie waring used to say " he's attracting a lot of attention". Let hill, sims , dodds, Clark and the halves play the game and get the opposition after bailey and you will be laughing. Even if he just does 30 minutes of good tackling will be better than asotasi

Exactly. Quick, messy play the ball where bailey is attracting attention due to being an irritant will suit Clark down to the ground. If, as some have said, he is simply a cheap shot wind up merchant then with his medal collection he must be the best at that that super league has ever seen. If fit and focused he tackles well and by various means attracts attention away from where it should be...as leeds fans have pointed out about the grand final. He does a particular job and over his career so far he's clearly done it very very well. There have been PLENTY more reprehensible humans who have donned our kit over the years.

Crediting Ryan Bailey with Leeds' Super League wins is like crediting me with our Challenge Cup wins.

One year

You know, I'm actually starting to come around to the idea now you've pointed this out. Possibly it's just me trying to look on the bright side, but assuming he doesn't cause any problems off the field he probably will cause problems for the opposition, as a distraction if nothing else.

Like it or not he REPEATEDLY found himself in those grand final teams. He was a starting prop for the best team in super league over the last decade and in leeds' most successful team EVER. Whatever you think of the man he clearly isn't/wasn't rubbish and did the job he was tasked to do with great effect....all this whilst having his own off field issues. At the very least he's also a bloody character in a game quickly becoming devoid of them.

Off the top of my head I can name a dozen players who have done far worse things on the field than Bailey, and a dozen more who've done far worse than he has supposedly done off it. A couple of them are former Wire players. The hysteria around the guy is so OTT its not true.

No one at Leeds truly credits him with those GF wins, it's just something to get under the skin of opposition fans......and clearly has worked. Truth is he was a sub prop, a role you'd never associate with being the key man to a Final success.....just someone who did a role within those wins, and he did on a number of occasions. One that Sinfield, Peacock and JJB have praised him for and one that Smith, McClennen and McDermott have picked him for, but I suppose those on RLFans know better than those 6 title winning men.

I just can't help thinking in a few months he'll be gone and we'll be looking back and thinking "Did we really have a 22 page thread on him"?

You may be right. But if he is truly the crappy liability some on here make him out to be, yet ends up playing regularly, you will need to think seriously about finding another scapegoat as it'll mean there are even more serious failings in your other squad members.

You may have a very good point Clearwing as Bailey sees this as a fresh start and is intent on making a go of it, as a bench prop he will slot in well with Smith having a roll for him but I can't see him outshining the rest of the pack.

Bailey is not the only player to niggle it goes on, this season I've seen Hill and Atkins to name two pointing and gesturing to opponents after being niggled who at the time were away from the area it goes on, I've said on another post that under the circumstances I can live with it, he had a hard time wining over some Leeds fans the same will apply at the HJ only top performances will win the doubters over, I'm sure he knows that.

Lillyman fell through because of his wage demands. He thought he was good enough to be our marquee player.

As a counter to all the "like it or not he won loads of medals with Leeds" shouts, then:

Like it or not he's been in a bit of a RL wasteland since leaving Leeds too.....

When Cas signed him most just shrugged their shoulders & said meh. He lasted as long as I expected him to. His reputation, good & bad is grossly exaggerated., the hysteria on here is comical. I'm not sure he has the brain & maturity to dedicate himself enough to do the travelling, otherwise a steady signing.

two years ago he turned down an offer from the NRL to sign for Leeds again for two more years and a testmonial

Thanks for England good luck with Bailey

Cheers for that Paul2812 nowhere could I find the reason for it not going through only thinking his club matched our offer, so a similar situation to Ukuma Tai, perhaps the club has recently learned a lesson about a props worth and value for money.

That's ok, hes shat as well.

And how did that testimonial go...?

OMG this forum has gone into meltdown over this signing,Some of you guys need to give your heads a shake over this

Bailey is no more of a waste of space than Asotasi ever was whilst he robbed your club of a very tidy pension top up fund for doing exactly what?
At least Dick Turpin wore a mask

Cantona Moment

He had a pretty good 15 mins at Langtree Park in the "dead rubber".....