M j M

Brian Glanville, sport journalist. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/may/18/brian-glanville-obituary

The Kevin Walters who was a complete disaster last time he was Catalans coach? Maybe if everyone in Perpignan has had a memory wipe.

Some of the analogies on here are starting to get absurd. The RFL is ultimately a members organisation, albeit one with much wider responsibilities than just to its members. The members wanted to make a change to what was quite obviously weak leadership from an ineffectual board. You can question when they did it, possibly even if it was needed (it was) and obviously who they turned to for new leadership. But it's not a junta or the Nazis or a coup and people using those terms just look unhinged.

Big promotion for that barmaid but in Gausch we trust.

I think Leeds need to be a bit careful, obviously if he was appointed and it went well immediately that would be fine. But I've not spoken to a Leeds fans yet whose initial instinct isn't "no". McNamara would get cut very little slack if he were to get the job. The fans shouldn't have much say if Blease thinks he's the best person for the job. But from a practical perspective you do need to take them with you on this sort of appointment. I suspect Rob Oates will be more aware of this than anyone else.

I honestly can't imagine watching a Leeds team coached by Mcnamara. I don't rate him that much as a coach, or the way he presents himself and don't particularly care for the way his teams play.

That's the worst analogy I've seen so far of this situation.

Mazey escalated after someone was abusive to him; he should have known better and should be better than that. But from a power point of view he has no significant influence on what happens in the sport and pretending he does isn't useful.

I've generally got very little sympathy for Mazey and he has shown himself to be quite an unpleasant individual at times. The only slight mitigation is that when some ###### is being a dick to you on social media it's easy to respond. But as someone with a position of authority in the game he shouldn't have bitten and certainly shouldn't have escalated in the manner he did.

Sezer was pretty unsparing of Newman for most of that game with constant sledging. My view is that Newman holding it together until after the game is better than when he used to let it boil over during it.

On the latter point -

Putting Mickey Mouse and Eric Perez in the same two sentence post and not linking them together is quite a remarkable feat.

15,602 for Leeds vs Hull FC. So 1,300 lower than the Leeds vs Hull KR crowd three weeks ago but that was entirely due to fewer home fans than it was away ones.

It's possible to think that the old board was totally unsuited to the task and also believe the current situation is also pretty bad. The game desperately needs leadership. It certainly wasn't coming from Johnson and his board and I don't imagine there are many properly involved in the sport who are sad to have seen them go. But Sutton is the person who should have been leading before and certainly should now. But he is mostly invisible - and when he isn't you swiftly wish he was again.

The absence of these is a defining characteristic of our sport. I've no idea why we've begun allowing them.

I think the Board as it was composed was totally ineffectual. It might sound great in theory but Rugby League isn't big enough to have a Board which is that hands off and detached from reality.

Whilst some board members have been short-term appointments (like Child) who could have been very good if retained the main people to make way are the very ineffectual Simon Johnson and most of his board.

Caplan is unwatchable, unfortunately I encounter him quite a bit as he's often in the media talking about Leeds and writes the match reports for League Express. Agree that Child is excellent and would be a great person to have working somewhere in the media for the sport. Or working anywhere for the sport.

Is this the end for McNamara?

Exactly. It's nothing to do with away fans, whatever that was supposed to mean, it's to what degree any club will volunteer to give up one of the 13 main income generating events each club gets each year. It's a tough calculation and Hull KR evidently felt it was worth it. To be honest Leeds probably thought they'd get invited anyway so didn't have to make that offer.

No idea why you think it highlights anything of the sort.

Most cars are exempt, aren't they? Yes, it's a tiny proportion who have to pay it. To be honest if a vehicle is such a banger that it's captured by ULEZ I'd be more concerned about it surviving the journey from the north of England than by incurring a small fee that is paid by hardly anyone in London.

Gay rights is a "minefield"

They essentially already do this. The first target is to sell out the lower bowl and then then they sell TV-facing ones in the upper tier with the ones opposite on the upper tier never going on sale. Same approach is being used for the First Test.

50 posts now, you're halfway there.