Yesterday was a watershed for me and crystalised some thoughts I have been having for a while.



The nucleus of this team has been together for 5 years - if you take the Ferguson model it is about this time that he would be breaking it up.



Whilst it is commenable both financially and for the game as a whole that we bring the majority of our players through the academy we should not be so rigid as to let this policy get in the way of the quality of the side long term.



Taking this season as a whole we have not played to the levels of the same period last season and the drop in standard is alarming.



Squad strength is an issue you cannot be a top side and claim that Lee Smith is going to be one of your two starting centres simply because you failed to sign an adequate replacement. Buderus looks a pale imitation of the Aussie international and SOO player - has GH been once again duped by an older Aussie. Not replacing Toopi, Scruton or Ellis has left the squad bereft of quality in key positions. If Smith is also on way that leaves the squad with some big holes.



Are players such as Kirke, Burgess, Allen and Hall in the side because they are the best that have come through the academy or because they are of a suitable standard to play in a top side.



The other alarming sight is the disappointing form of the following: Diskin, Webb, JJB, Sinfield, Burrow, Donald and Kylie. Is this just a temporary thing or is this something more permenant?



Webb is a worry to me spinal injuries are terrible things to even normal citizens never mind elite sportsmen - he looks to be struggling with pace and movement. Diskin is another who has been blighted by injury and simply cannot function at the standard he once could.



I personally like McClennan as a coach and a man his humanity is to be admired - however questions must be asked of him as to why the team is playing so poorly - compare the well drilled crisp skills of the Saints side to the numb plodding Rhinos!! Is it down to the charges he has to use or he his own inability to extract the best out of the players under his command. In reality it is probably a bit of both.



For me some huge changes need making in the summer with the exodus of some well known and well loved faces at Headingley - the problem Leeds have is CEO whose love for the game overides his love for the club.

i agree smith will never be a centre and for the life of me i cannot understand why we persist with makeshift centres.



kirke i like and it is great to see a top side looking to sign a player from the lower leagues and improve him.



burgess drives the ball in far harder than bailey yet you choose not to mention him. burgess every time. he will only get better.



buderus cannot be judged now.would be stupid to do so.



with regards to form that is tempory.burrow,sinfield et al are class and will get back to a good level. it's the lack of enthusiasm that worries me. yesterday sinfield watched a salford player,who was a couple of feet away,put in a dangerous attacking kick and never even tried to close him down.

that is more worrying for me. last season he would have bust a gut to get to him.

i agree about GH. it seems he is more interested in the game than leeds. while this is commendable he shouldn't forget who pays his wages and there are two questions i would like answering.

1-who decides on player recruitment?

2-who decides if the coach is allowed to spend the full cap?



are the coaches hands tied?



does the coach get a free hand?

We lack real quality in the back line and we're a top player short in the 2nd row.. I feel like we've stood still and not moved forward and it's caught us out. GH has a history of doing this.



It comes as no surprise regarding Buderus... although he needs a good few games yet. It was bad news when he got injured after his first game here as Aussies have a bad track record when coming to SL with settling in and playing to there potential.. Matt king, Clyde, Mullins, Donald (dreadful first season), Mark O'neil, Pat Richards etc.. Kiwis on the other hand tend to settle quicker..

Player recruitment is hardly ever down to the coach. They're employment is so short term and so insecure, they could not take the long term view of what is best for the team when a run of poor results could see them sacked at any point.

Sure, they have an input, but you can't give personnel decisions to someone who is only likely to be around two or three years.

Another possible view on this is that this is the worst run of form we've had in quite a while. In sport all clubs have poor runs of form at some point, you can't put it off forever. I'm not suggesting the club don't need to look at what is wrong at the moment or do something about it, but I don't believe it's time to be hitting panic buttons. If looking at the situation leads to tohe conclusion that there are available players who could be brought in, so be it, but if those available players (or those who could be persuaded to become available) are not going to be both a significant improvement on what we have, and a sound long term investment, I'd rather not see mass panic.

Oh yes agreed mate - but we're not as strong as we could be which is frustrating. Your right there's no need to panic and i don't think there is but the squad must be strengthened this season otherwise we'll fall short. Saints are looking odds on for the double at this rate... but we've been there before

Wouldn't it be nice for us to be in that situation for a change though...

Although our attacking presence has been somewhat lack lusture, another vital aspect of the game has been somewhat shambolic... our defence.



Time and time again the players are tackling around peoples shoulders, or trying to get big hits in, and allowing players to turn and get an offload off.





I don't know how any of the coahing staff are missing it, and why they think its acceptable to tackle so high, as I'm sure if you ask any player where they were taught to tackle.... they'll say around the legs.



Buderus is a crock, and his arrival has completly unsettled diskin, as well as rumour has it the remainder of the team!!

Yet another GH blunder.



Apart from McGuire, Burrow & Donald, our whole backline needs reshuffling and some serious recruitment.



Webb doesn't look a patch on what he was, and as sad as it is to say having suffered a serious back injury, i doubt he will get it back either



Need a serious replacement for Toopi!! Ablett, isn't a centre... let alone a winger where he played yesterday, Gibson isn't yet what he once was, and smith isn't a centre either. Watkins is one for the future, and shouldn't be rushed.



In additon to that, this could well be Senior's last season.....

Or perhaps the defeats to Saints hit the team hard? You prepared well for the Saints games with almost full strength sides and still came up short. It's bound to knock the confidence.

They were poor even before the Saints game to be fair.

Agree completley with those. Obviousley we need to work in the salary cap but surely there is room.

I should imagine there is plenty of room but with the recession i think Heatherington wants to hang onto his money.



After we got knocked out of the CC there was an interview with Heatherington in the Yorkshire Evening Post, basically talking about the financial implications of been knocked out so early on. He seemed like a man that wants to keep hold of his money at this current time.

I have to say I'm really surprised at Leeds dip in form lately. Up to the Saints Leeds league match I thought you looked easily the best team in the league and way better than us. I was moaning about our lack of recruitment and thinking Leeds would walk away with all the trophies this year. It's not over yet though, plenty of time for Leeds to find some form and for the wheels to fall off at Knowsley Road - I wonder when/what this season's Knowsley Road scandal will be - Leon Pryce probably.