Re: 2022 | Head Coach talk : Tue Apr 12, 2022 8:48 am  

It's perfectly sensible for GH to have travelled to Australia in-person to meet coaches there first. It's a statement of intent that he is taking the matter seriously, rather than conducting proceedings via Zoom (etc). It would be also foolish to completely shut out options from the UK , so it makes sense to interview people here even if there is a preference for Aussie options. No doubt all candidates would have been told that Leeds will make a decision after completing all the interviews; this is pretty standard in recruitment even if you have a preferred choice in mind. No doubt all the candidates will have been asked how soon they are able to take up the position, and to keep the club updated in case these realities change in the meantime.

I don't expect any of this means we're destined to get a UK-based coach, or that an Aussie can only be in place for next year. These things take time, so we need to be patient.

Re: 2022 | Head Coach talk : Tue Apr 12, 2022 9:00 am  

Bullseye are you that desperate, or are you John Keats agent.
HaHa

Re: 2022 | Head Coach talk : Tue Apr 12, 2022 9:35 am  

christopher wrote:

Marty, it's a week, this appointment will take a bit of time, I've given you some practical reasons why they may have been done this way round, I may be totally wrong it could be that GH is incompetent and he just wanted a nice jolly to Australia.

I honestly think the fact they have been done this way is a total none story and people are getting worked up over nothing and reading far too much into it without any knowledge of the situation - I don't particularly mean you more some of the comments by fans on twitter etc.

Chris I would say you havent come up with practical reasons more like excuses. As I say this was a likely outcome a few weeks before Agar quit and the club was aware of that and clearly didnt prepare as it could.

Yes its only a week but its a week with 3 vital games. Two of which are at home. Lets not forget weve a 6 week period with no home ganes approaching. What a great start that coyld be for a new ciach.

Maybe taking our time will open a door somewherwe we will see. Australia was never a viable option really to me at this time.

Gary isnt incompetent hes just out of touch.

Re: 2022 | Head Coach talk : Tue Apr 12, 2022 9:41 am  

Marty Grrrrrrrrrr! wrote:

Chris I would say you havent come up with practical reasons more like excuses. As I say this was a likely outcome a few weeks before Agar quit and the club was aware of that and clearly didnt prepare as it could.

Yes its only a week but its a week with 3 vital games. Two of which are at home. Lets not forget weve a 6 week period with no home ganes approaching. What a great start that coyld be for a new ciach.

Maybe taking our time will open a door somewherwe we will see. Australia was never a viable option really to me at this time.

Gary isnt incompetent hes just out of touch.

They weren't excuses at all, how can I excuse something I know nothing about?

They were some reasons as to why the interviews might have been conducted this way round, if you disagree fine, but you've not actually given any reasons as to why you disagree or that hey couldn't be reasons.

Having a coach in place after 3 weeks after one resigns is and never was going to happen and if it did Id suggest there wasn't a lot of due diligence taken place, I know you would then argue that there hasn't been in the last few years, and I would 100% agree, however that needed to stop ad rushing in a new coach now would not do anyone any favours.

Re: 2022 | Head Coach talk : Tue Apr 12, 2022 10:15 am  

The whole situation is a shambles when you consider Agar was never going to be our coach next year and was on borrowed time from the start of this season.
GH must surely have lined someone up to take over next season knowing Agar was moving upstairs.
So the fix for this year was always going to be a temporary one albeit sooner than planned due to the poor results and Agar resigning.
I asked before why wasn`t Long preferred over JJB?
Surely putting Long in charge with JJB as his assistant or Danny Ward in charge until the end of the season would have been better.
Then if GH has done his job properly the new coach steps in for 2023.
It`s called contingency planning.

[Bullseye]

Re: 2022 | Head Coach talk : Tue Apr 12, 2022 10:31 am  

Steves wrote:

Bullseye are you that desperate, or are you John Kears agent.
HaHa

Steves someone at the club told me that John is taking over as Director of Rugby at Leeds on a 10 year contract. He's looking forward to bringing JJB on as head coach over the next decade. JJB will have able assistants - Ian Kirke and Joe Vickery have signed 5 year deals - Joe has been recruited personally by GH on his trip to Australia. Malcolm Clift provided a glowing reference.

John says he's looking to help Leeds get back to basics on the field. 5 drives and an aimless kick to the corner has worked wonders for the Bulls and now he's going to unleash that at Headingley. I can't wait.

Re: 2022 | Head Coach talk : Tue Apr 12, 2022 11:36 am  

chapylad wrote:

The whole situation is a shambles when you consider Agar was never going to be our coach next year and was on borrowed time from the start of this season.
GH must surely have lined someone up to take over next season knowing Agar was moving upstairs.
So the fix for this year was always going to be a temporary one albeit sooner than planned due to the poor results and Agar resigning.
I asked before why wasn`t Long preferred over JJB?
Surely putting Long in charge with JJB as his assistant or Danny Ward in charge until the end of the season would have been better.
Then if GH has done his job properly the new coach steps in for 2023.
It`s called contingency planning.

I've said it several times myself, the time to replace Agar was the end of last season and move him upstairs. We were making decentish progress last season, it would have been a good time to bring a top level coach in as Agar was not the long term appointment. We're now paying the price for being complacent, Hetherington is under real pressure to get this right now.. if i was a major shareholder i'd be asking serious questions

Re: 2022 | Head Coach talk : Tue Apr 12, 2022 2:15 pm  

christopher wrote:

They weren't excuses at all, how can I excuse something I know nothing about?

They were some reasons as to why the interviews might have been conducted this way round, if you disagree fine, but you've not actually given any reasons as to why you disagree or that hey couldn't be reasons.

Having a coach in place after 3 weeks after one resigns is and never was going to happen and if it did Id suggest there wasn't a lot of due diligence taken place, I know you would then argue that there hasn't been in the last few years, and I would 100% agree, however that needed to stop ad rushing in a new coach now would not do anyone any favours.

You make fair points that we don’t know what’s going on and personally the key for Me is who we end up whatever the process.
However, many of us I think are raising concerns given there is a lack of evidence that the club is currently being well run.
The loss of Sinfield, the Gale saga last year, our relatively weak squad and the fact GH said we need a person with special qualities and we are starting with a blank piece of paper all give the impression there is little good stuff happening. And as chapy said no contingency planning for Agar going. Given Agar has had 3 years in charge and was sold as a temporary fix, having a blank piece of paper to replace him is a pretty damning admission.

The more I think about it the more I Am leaning to Tony Smith or Sinfield. I think Furner was a bit stunned how poor we were and any Aussie coming in cold might be the same. Smith would have insight of who he wants from the GB game as “plodders” he could polish up. I think guys like Flanagan and Morris would struggle to get past the Shakespearean view that you can’t polish a txxd.

Re: 2022 | Head Coach talk : Tue Apr 12, 2022 2:25 pm  

Trebor1
Ive said it several times myself, the time to replace Agar was the end of last season and move him upstairs. We were making decentish progress last season, it would have been a good time to bring a top level coach in as Agar was not the long term appointment. We're now paying the price for being complacent, Hetherington is under real pressure to get this right now.. if i was a major shareholder i'd be asking serious questions.
……………………………………..,,,,
The problem is there are only two major shareholders and Gary is one!!!!
Let’s see what happens but if it ends up a European based coach only two stand out to me (might be available) Tony Smith and Steve McNamara and would be happy with either.

Re: 2022 | Head Coach talk : Tue Apr 12, 2022 2:48 pm  

Steves wrote:

Trebor1
Ive said it several times myself, the time to replace Agar was the end of last season and move him upstairs. We were making decentish progress last season, it would have been a good time to bring a top level coach in as Agar was not the long term appointment. We're now paying the price for being complacent, Hetherington is under real pressure to get this right now.. if i was a major shareholder i'd be asking serious questions.
……………………………………..,,,,
The problem is there are only two major shareholders and Gary is one!!!!
Let’s see what happens but if it ends up a European based coach only two stand out to me (might be available) Tony Smith and Steve McNamara and would be happy with either.

McNamara... He might, or might not, be a decent coach but... nope. There's not many things which would drive me to stop going but that comes pretty close.

Smith would be fine.

Someone mentioned Sinfield above. Really? We need someone with proven coaching ability; like last time Sinfield is not the answer.