Re: Where do we go from here : Thu Aug 17, 2023 7:26 pm  

RAPIDO wrote:

Keep buying season tickets people it will get better next season........or maybe the one after or whatever

You do what you like but don't tell me what I should be doing. I'm sorry if I'm not a whinging fairweather supporter that can only get behind my team when they are winning.
I dispair reading on here these days, think I'm going to take a break from this forum

Re: Where do we go from here : Thu Aug 17, 2023 7:40 pm  

LeedsLurch wrote:

You do what you like but don't tell me what I should be doing. I'm sorry if I'm not a whinging fairweather supporter that can only get behind my team when they are winning.
I dispair reading on here these days, think I'm going to take a break from this forum

No need to do that. I'd say 98% of the posting on here is pretty polite even if it encapsulates many different viewpoints. The other 2% (mentioning no names) is downright juvenile. There's an ignore button at the top right of every post. I've only ever used it once but I found it pretty effective in reducing the craziness.

Re: Where do we go from here : Thu Aug 17, 2023 9:20 pm  

LeedsLurch wrote:

You do what you like but don't tell me what I should be doing. I'm sorry if I'm not a whinging fairweather supporter that can only get behind my team when they are winning.
I dispair reading on here these days, think I'm going to take a break from this forum

There's so many guises people will hide behind and those same posters use the same dialect,good for you take a break because the truth is too painful for you, this is a forum and is inclusive to everyone and their opinion is as valuable as the next or are you the doyen?

Re: Where do we go from here : Fri Aug 18, 2023 7:29 am  

Given how the club has gone since 2017 it is hardly surprising there is a down beat feel to this board at present. A club the size of Leeds with the resources available to it should not be turning out the quality of rugby it is and has been for a number of years.

There are obvious issues on the rugby side of the business that cannot be swept under the carpet - poor recruitment, lack of development in the academy, poor coaching options etc. Even the most positive of posters - like Chris - cannot ignore the tangible evidence presented before them.

Re: Where do we go from here : Fri Aug 18, 2023 8:25 am  

LeedsLurch wrote:

You do what you like but don't tell me what I should be doing. I'm sorry if I'm not a whinging fairweather supporter that can only get behind my team when they are winning.
I dispair reading on here these days, think I'm going to take a break from this forum

I think most posters on here mean well ,myself included. The club’s situation is dismal at the moment ,but nothing like the time half the south stand after one game marched over the pitch to hurl abuse at the bemused occupants of the north stand. The directors at that time had steered the club into virtual bankruptcy. Fortunately they managed to give way to Caddick who eventually brought in Hethrington the rest as they say is history. So I am always loathed to put the boot into the club management. However we are in a downward spiral with no signs of a halt to this situation.
I will always support the team but another couple of seasons of the current garbage ,could potentially cause some major financial problems.
As for Smith reluctantly I would let him continue next season, if no improvement is shown then fire him. That may well be even three or four games into the new season. Obviously we urgently need to strengthen the team in key areas, easier said than done. Remember the good old days when you could pick up decent players relatively easy , Moon from Salford a classic example.

Re: Where do we go from here : Fri Aug 18, 2023 8:37 am  

Zoo Zoo Boom wrote:

Given how the club has gone since 2017 it is hardly surprising there is a down beat feel to this board at present. A club the size of Leeds with the resources available to it should not be turning out the quality of rugby it is and has been for a number of years.

There are obvious issues on the rugby side of the business that cannot be swept under the carpet - poor recruitment, lack of development in the academy, poor coaching options etc. Even the most positive of posters - like Chris - cannot ignore the tangible evidence presented before them.

That’s a pretty fair and reasonable assessment of the current situation. Probably the frustration is compounded by the excellent finish last season.
Then we followed up this season with utter garbage, added to the fact no decent players were brought into the club.

Re: Where do we go from here : Fri Aug 18, 2023 11:31 am  

To be fair, it's all been a bit disappointing with Smith.
We literally scraped into the top 6 in the last game last year.
Then, granted, we had 2 very good away wins at Cats and Wigan.
But in all honesty, we were never in the GF. It was comfortable for Saints.
This got everyone excited about a new era, but really papered over the cracks.

This year has been a total disaster.
We've had our near full strength squad available for a lot of games, but have been absolutely dreadful most of the time.
Yeh a couple of decent wins along the way, but pretty much dreadful.
Smith has been exposed at times as unable to get the best out of a team.

FWIW, there's no point sacking him now.
I think we'll do what Warrington did with Powell.
He'll be given the chance to bring in some of his own signings in the off season to mould his team.
Then, he'll be given until July next season.
If we're doing well and have progressed, he'll stay.
If we're still struggling, he'll be sacked.

Having said all that, can't see our board splashing the cash the way Wire have done, but we'll see....

Re: Where do we go from here : Fri Aug 18, 2023 12:06 pm  

I think he is brilliant at bringing young players on but I'm not convinced his a coach at this level

Re: Where do we go from here : Fri Aug 18, 2023 12:36 pm  

Personally, I'm still undecided if hes the right person for the job but I just don't think hes had enough time to be completely judged on whether he is a good or bad coach.

Back end of last season we were great and managed to get to the grand final, this season we have been very inconsistent, sometimes great, sometimes shocking but like has been mentioned before, its not like we're getting hammered every week, just losing by small margins.

Like was mentioned above, i think he has half a season to prove himself and get the team playing consistently.

I also dont believe its right to put all the blame on Smith, some of the players performances, especially senior players, have been shocking.

Re: Where do we go from here : Sat Aug 19, 2023 12:36 am  

Generally with a coach its difficult to judge until the team is really 'theirs'. That's certainly not the case with Smith. He signed mainly project players, with only a few of the first 17 having joined under him, and none in the really important positions, unless you count O'Connor as his pick.

Smith has overseen the departure of some of the players responsible for multiple years of dross. Players who were rubbish under multiple coaches but somehow stayed around as coaches came and went. This clear-out had to happen if we were to really move forward. Hard choices on moving players on had been avoided for far too long, and what could have been managed in a gradual way over multiple seasons has had to happen fast. This has undoubtedly affected morale and while I really don't like results this year, we've not been drawn into the relegation battle and should be in position to move forward next season.

I think its unfair to judge Smith too harshly on this year. He was brought in to turn the club around. The real test will be who he brings in, and how the team performs with his picks in key roles. It will be perfectly fair to judge him on how we go next year. Unless we sign another bunch of squad fillers....