Here is a question from our board that most on here should be able to answer;



When TS joined you in 2004 would you say that he recruited a team in, or did he mainly draw on the existing talent and juniors coming through in order to win the silverware ? Obviously he did bring some players into the squad and I remember he was interested in others e.g. Ellis at the the time, but where would you say was the balance ?

From memory, the new recruits for Smith's first season in 2004 were Marcus Bai, Ali Lauitiiti and Chris McKenna.



Think Carl Ablett and Nick Scruton might have made their first team debuts that year as well?



Gareth Ellis then came in 2005, so it's a bit of both really

McKenna played in 2003. Bai was announced before Smith came in. Apart from that you're spot on. THe team was there, it just got adjusted as time went by

Scruton made his debut before Smith came. Away at Wigan I think. Not sure Ablett made his debut in 2004 though.



As for Smith he worked with what he had, which to be honest any decent coach could have taken to the title in 2004. But then he added and improved which took us to further levels.

It's always difficult to say with Leeds as Hetherington has such a big role in the recruitment of players alongside the head coach.

IIRC under Smith we recruited:

Lauitiiti

Ellis

Donald

Kirke

McAvoy

Millard

O'Neill

Peacock

Thackray

Toopi

Webb



And the likes of Ablett, JJB, Smith, Tansey & Scruton came through.

IMO the difference between the 2003 side, and the 2004 was massive despite it being pretty much the same side. More clinical in attack, and tighter in defence. Whether, this was just a result of good timing as the young players in the team matured I'm not sure, but for the first couple of years of reign we were a superb side and a joy to watch.

It went downhill for the next 18 months as we lost a number of players, and the likes of Calderwood, Mathers, McKenna, Furner, Adamson, Dunemann, Ward, Thackray, Bai, Walker, McDermott all left the club by the end of 2006, and Matt Diskin never quite managed to reproduce his 2004 form so we struggled. Smith deserves real credit for rebuilding the side during that time.



Regarding Warrington, he's been superb for them as well, but he's definitely been there a couple of seasons too long IMO.

Make your own mind up......



=#0000FFBEFORE SMITH

=#FF0000DURING SMITH

=#00BF00AFTER SMITH



[uFull Backs[/u



=#FF0000Brent Webb v Salford 11.02.07

=#0000FFGary Connolly v Castleford 26.12.01

=#FF0000Jordan Tansey v Catalan Dragons 15.09.06

=#FF0000Lee Smith v Wakefield 28.03.05

=#0000FFRichie Mathers v St Helens 00.00.03



[uWingers[/u



=#00BF00Ben Jones Bishop v Celtic Crusaders 18.04.08

=#0000FFFrancis Cummins v Hull KR 19.09.93

=#FF0000Marcus Bai v London 22.02.04

=#0000FFMark Calderwood v ??? 00.00.01

=#FF0000Ryan Hall v Bradford 06.05.07

=#FF0000Scott Donald v Huddersfield 11.02.06



[uCentres[/u



=#00BF00Brett Delaney v Crusaders RL 29.01.10

=#0000FFChev Walker v Halifax 13.08.99

=#FF0000Clinton Toopi v Hull FC 04.08.06

=#00BF00Kallum Watkins v Celtic Crusaders 18.04.08

=#0000FFKeith Senior v London Broncos 10.09.99



[uHalves[/u



=#0000FFDanny McGuire v Salford 06.07.01

=#0000FFKevin Sinfield MBE v Sheffield Eagles 22.08.97

=#0000FFRob Burrow v Hull 06.04.01



[uProp Forwards[/u



=#0000FFBarrie McDermott v Bradford 22.09.95

=#0000FFChris Feather v ??? 00.00.03

=#0000FFDavid Furner v Castleford 26.12.02

=#0000FFDanny Ward v Sheffield Eagles 02.07.99

=#FF0000Ian Kirke v Castleford 05.03.06

=#FF0000Jamie Peacock MBE v Huddersfield 12.02.06

=#FF0000Jamie Thackray v Hull FC 04.08.06

=#FF0000Kylie Leuluai v Salford 11.02.07

=#00BF00Luke Burgess v Castleford 07.03.08

=#FF0000Mark O'Neill v Wakefield 26.12.05

=#0000FFNick Scruton v ??? 00.00.02

=#0000FFRyan Bailey v Wakefield 28.06.02



[uHookers[/u



=#0000FFAndrew Dunemann v ??? 00.00.03

=#00BF00Danny Buderus v Wakefield Wildcats 13.02.09

=#0000FFMatt Diskin v Castleford 24.02.01

=#FF0000Shane Millard v Huddersfield 10.02.06



[uSecond Rowers[/u



=#FF0000Ali Lauitiiti v Salford 28.05.04

=#FF0000Carl Ablett v London Broncos 18.07.04

=#FF0000Gareth Ellis v Castleford 26.12.04

=#0000FFJamie Jones-Buchanan v Wakefield 07.05.99

=#0000FFMatt Adamson v Castleford 26.12.01

=#0000FFWillie Poching v Castleford 26.12.02

Essentially,Smith took a squad which already had the main ingridients to be a success and turned it into winners.There was never a need for major overhaul when he was here,just a sprinkling of quality which most players were who came during his tenure.Similar to what he did at Warrington with the string of CC's and top league finishes.I am a little surprised he hasn't been able to achieve the SL title yet with Wire in that time but he's got damn close just not had the little bit of luck to get the job done.

Thanks for the in depth analysis, appreciated.

For my money still the best coach in the league by some distance.

Whilst I can see your point, I think that he has underperformed at Warrington where he had the opportunity to put them at the top of the RL tree. Despite beating Leeds tice this season and being the only team that leeds have not looked like matching, they are still 7 pointe behind having only won 5 of their other 12 games.



My personal opinion is that he has gone as far as he can go with Warrington and both he and they need a fresh impetus

That's a very good point and one I agree with. If any year was to be Warrington's, it was 2011 in my opinion until you lot turned them over in the final play-off round. You may have won the overall comp, and played the play-offs brilliant, but they were the best team in the league that year.



If you don't think Smith is the best coach in the league, then who is?



My bias may come into it, but I think Wane has to be up there. Turned some average players into one's looking way above their 'perceived' level. I also like McDermott, and his record speaks for itself, but a few of you aren't so keen?