"Thorough Review" Promised...

[Tommygilf]

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/thorough-review-pledged-by-leeds-rhinos-chief-gary-hetherington-after-record-super-league-defeat-4339145?fbclid=IwAR3LUKVHOroipxeZEtN2Z_o7X1sCh1oyL0bflYhzJ5gVP0Hv7RyAyqACfP4

It all seems a bit desperate to be honest. I suspect the crowd against Cas will be both small and hostile (especially if we start to lose). Fans can only vote with their feet and despite this plea, I see very little other than exasperated pleading from GH for the fans to get behind. Whether renewals are affected next season will be interesting given I suspect there was a boost due to how we finished last year.

The end of season walk around will be interesting too given the reports of what happened between a certain player and some travelling fans in Perpignan.

[Tommygilf]

"While one heavy setback could be put down to a bad day at the office, two in a row is more of a “challenge”, Hetherington admitted.

Reflecting on the 10-try humbling in Perpignan, Hetherington said: “It was a performance well below what the Betfred Super League competition could and should expect and it has left us all feeling embarrassed and bitterly disappointed.

“While the team have not excelled this season, they have been competitive in almost every game so it’s hard to give a rational explanation for the past two results which have been unacceptable.”

But “despite our disappointment and frustration”, the chief executive urged everyone involved with the club to rally round ahead of Friday’s final game of the campaign, at home to Castleford Tigers.

He said: “It’s times like these when we need the players, staff and fans to come together, show their true colours and battle though in the best possible way.

“We now have just one week and one game to restore some pride and repay the support of our fans who have been terrific all season.

“The players and staff are hurting and I know they will giving it their best this week and on Friday and I hope our fans do the same.

“We will then continue to undertake a thorough review"

Edited September 18, 2023 by Tommygilf

[wiganermike]

Heavy defeats happen to all teams, we (Wigan) lost 62-0 at Wakefield a few years ago and won the grand final that year, Leeds got a similar spanking at Cas in 2017 but went on to win the GF that year. Any internal review should have been going on long before the last two results and I expect it will have been. If it wasn't then some people at Leeds just haven't been paying attention as this downward trend has been in motion since at least the end of the treble winning season in 2015. It perhaps had begun even before that given some of the mediocre regular seasons during Brian McDermott's tenure. Leeds much like us in the mid 2000s have failed to properly manage the transition from an ageing squad that was competing at the top end into the next generation.

They have also displayed the same trend, of having an upturn in form late season and a playoff performance record that to an extent disguises the deficiencies that were on display through most of the season, that we did in the first half of the 2000s. The club as a whole then falls into the trap of thinking "we got to/ came within a whisker of the GF there" and comes to the conclusion that not much needs changing. They change little or continue with the tack they had been following and the downward slide continues. For Wigan this culminated with the 2006 relegation battle after which under new ownership (which probably helped with the change in thinking and process) we stabilised and rebuilt to a position where we have been competing regularly for honours again since 2010.

The shock moment for Leeds came, or should have, in 2016 with their bottom four finish but the occasional good campaign since then such as 2017 (2nd and GF winners) and last year's late surge to the GF (which was almost achieved by Salford too) have seemingly allowed the club to forget the turmoil, deficiencies and issues that had gone before. Those issues have then gone unresolved and the gradual slide has been able to continue. Had they got two or three more victories Leeds could have scraped into the top 6, won a playoff game or two and thought everything was rosy again. Maybe missing out will be a good thing longer term if it wakes the club up about the issues at the heart of the slump.

Edited September 18, 2023 by wiganermike

[Chrispmartha]

7 minutes ago, wiganermike said:

Maybe missing out will be a good thing longer term if it wakes the club up about the issues at the heart of the slump.

100% agree with this, the two hammerings, which as you say do happen, we've just happened to play the two best sides at the worst possible time (injuries, players leaving etc).

They could actually be a massive blessing for the club, scraping into the playoffs would have been pointless for Leeds this season.

Smith and GH aren't daft, they know this has to be a turning point, I do think they did realise things needed to change last year and that's why they brought Smith in to clear the decks and start integrating the younger players.

Edited September 18, 2023 by Chrispmartha

[M j M]

2 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

 I suspect the crowd against Cas will be both small and hostile (especially if we start to lose).

Not sure we need yet another Leeds thread but on this point sections of the crowd may well be hostile (that doesn't take much) but there will still no doubt be a comfortable 13 to 14,000 there.

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

36 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

100% agree with this, the two hammerings, which as you say do happen, we've just happened to play the two best sides at the worst possible time (injuries, players leaving etc).

They could actually be a massive blessing for the club, scraping into the playoffs would have been pointless for Leeds this season.

Smith and GH aren't daft, they know this has to be a turning point, I do think they did realise things needed to change last year and that's why they brought Smith in to clear the decks and start integrating the younger players.

I think this is the key point people need to bear in mind, there are reasons for these results. Next season, and I mean the full season not some panic after 2 or 3 games, is the time to judge the new regime and plan. Any other thoughts from the fans at this stage won't help the cause, need to rally round the team and coaching staff you have. 

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

5 minutes ago, M j M said:

Not sure we need yet another Leeds thread but on this point sections of the crowd may well be hostile (that doesn't take much) but there will still no doubt be a comfortable 13 to 14,000 there.

Yup, a problem I'd love Hull KR to have. Leeds, Saints and Wigan are the model clubs over the mid-long term, I know Rovers' objective is "be more like them" in many aspects, people need to be more patient in transition. 

[Damien]

31 minutes ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

I think this is the key point people need to bear in mind, there are reasons for these results. Next season, and I mean the full season not some panic after 2 or 3 games, is the time to judge the new regime and plan. Any other thoughts from the fans at this stage won't help the cause, need to rally round the team and coaching staff you have. 

Leeds have been bad over the full season, that is why they are 8th.

[Chrispmartha]

6 minutes ago, Damien said:

Leeds have been bad over the full season, that is why they are 8th.

Yes we’ve been bad but up until the last two games we haven’t been hammered (ive given the reasons for that) this year has been massively disappointing but it’s also a season which has been massively disrupted with players leaving, no consistency in the spine positions, I think we’ve needed this season to bottom out so to speak, if wed got over the line in some if those games then limped through the playoffs it could well have masked some of the issues that will need fixing, next year we won’t have those excuses. The squad actually isn’t that far off were just missing some quality in key positions, it’s a massive off season for the club.

Very similar in some ways to Hull who seem to be getting off lightly in the criticism stakes (because Leeds are overshadowing them) Hull are a massive club and have underperformed for years aswell.

[Damien]

8 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

Yes we’ve been bad but up until the last two games we haven’t been hammered (ive given the reasons for that) this year has been massively disappointing but it’s also a season which has been massively disrupted with players leaving, no consistency in the spine positions, I think we’ve needed this season to bottom out so to speak, if wed got over the line in some if those games then limped through the playoffs it could well have masked some of the issues that will need fixing, next year we won’t have those excuses. The squad actually isn’t that far off were just missing some quality in key positions, it’s a massive off season for the club.

Very similar in some ways to Hull who seem to be getting off lightly in the criticism stakes (because Leeds are overshadowing them) Hull are a massive club and have underperformed for years aswell.

Hull FC get off lightly because people have said they have underperformed and are a sleeping giant for 30 odd years. It's just the norm now and they haven't fallen from grace in the last few years.

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

Leeds have been bad over the full season, that is why they are 8th.

Yes but not 111-nil bad. It won't be Smith's squad until next season. I'm not saying he'll succeed, who knows, but Leeds have had issues dating back well into McDermott's time so I think they need to back their coach with the time needed. 

[M j M]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

Leeds have been bad over the full season, that is why they are 8th.

Leeds have been perplexing. They won away at St Helens and Wigan and beat Catalan at home. Then lost twice to Cas (albeit that's not unusual for any Leeds team) and gave Wakey their first win of the season.

I clocked off for the season after the win at Hull and went on holiday (the plan as usual to be back in time for the play offs ). So I can't speak for the last two games but up til then the team were very frustrating - typically playing badly for most of a game, having a great purple patch and then allowing the opposition back into it. They were thus in almost every game to the death, losing most of them.

Those purple patches and that fighting spirit were the things some of us were clinging to but it sounds like even they've gone walkies in the past two weeks. Notwithstanding the somewhat weakened teams, Leeds shouldn't be losing like that, ever.

Edited September 18, 2023 by M j M

[Griff]

111 is known to be an unlucky number.  Coupled with 13 players in a team, it's a disaster.

[OdsalBull]

111-0 Fantastic

[ATLANTISMAN]

3 hours ago, Chrispmartha said:

100% agree with this, the two hammerings, which as you say do happen, we've just happened to play the two best sides at the worst possible time (injuries, players leaving etc).

They could actually be a massive blessing for the club, scraping into the playoffs would have been pointless for Leeds this season.

Smith and GH aren't daft, they know this has to be a turning point, I do think they did realise things needed to change last year and that's why they brought Smith in to clear the decks and start integrating the younger players.

Great club who will 100% be winners again down the line.

There are 12 clubs in SL someone has to lose get relegated and get the odd hammering thats the nature of the beast.

No point having a go at RS or Gary who has RL running though his veins 100% they will 100% know what's needed.

 

Panic not Rhinos fans

 

Paul 

[daz39]

No need for any thorough review, everything looks great as it is, keep it going Gary.

[Chrispmartha]

9 minutes ago, daz39 said:

No need for any thorough review, everything looks great as it is, keep it going Gary.

I’m not sure things are much rosier at your place either, Watson has had an absolute stinker this year with the squad available.

[Chrispmartha]

18 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Great club who will 100% be winners again down the line.

There are 12 clubs in SL someone has to lose get relegated and get the odd hammering thats the nature of the beast.

No point having a go at RS or Gary who has RL running though his veins 100% they will 100% know what's needed.

 

Panic not Rhinos fans

 

Paul 

Fans with no knowledge of what’s actually going on at the club will always think they do and know how to fix it.

As with most things in life, it’s more complicated than that.

Fans want a clear out of the squad or want young players playing but don’t accept that that will in the short term cause some pain.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

7 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/thorough-review-pledged-by-leeds-rhinos-chief-gary-hetherington-after-record-super-league-defeat-4339145?fbclid=IwAR3LUKVHOroipxeZEtN2Z_o7X1sCh1oyL0bflYhzJ5gVP0Hv7RyAyqACfP4

It all seems a bit desperate to be honest. I suspect the crowd against Cas will be both small and hostile (especially if we start to lose). Fans can only vote with their feet and despite this plea, I see very little other than exasperated pleading from GH for the fans to get behind. Whether renewals are affected next season will be interesting given I suspect there was a boost due to how we finished last year.

The end of season walk around will be interesting too given the reports of what happened between a certain player and some travelling fans in Perpignan.

Stingy Gary's tactics now looking like costing Rhinos plenty of money in non renewals and probably lost corporate 

Maybe once the bottom line starts to take a bit he'll realise it is counterproductive and start spending 

[M j M]

19 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Stingy Gary's tactics now looking like costing Rhinos plenty of money in non renewals and probably lost corporate 

Maybe once the bottom line starts to take a bit he'll realise it is counterproductive and start spending 

Don't believe what some Leeds fans say about Leeds not spending money, it's simply not true and repeating it is a distraction.

[Chrispmartha]

1 minute ago, M j M said:

Don't believe what some Leeds fans say about Leeds not spending money, it's simply not true and repeating it is a distraction.

Yeah I don't know where this myth comes from, we have spent big, they've just been flops, Tetevano, Sezer and paying a fee for Gale are 3 examples

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Chrispmartha said:

Yeah I don't know where this myth comes from, we have spent big, they've just been flops, Tetevano, Sezer and paying a fee for Gale are 3 examples

Agreed, the spending of money has made little sense, but it has clearly been spent.