Jamie Jones-Buchanan says whoever takes over as Leeds Rhinos coach will have “underlying problems” to solve.
Richard Agar stepped down after a dismal start to the season in which his side lost five of their opening six Super League matches.
Jones-Buchanan has stepped up from assistant coach to take interim charge while the Rhinos search for a new coach with Ryan Carr, formerly on the coaching staff at the club while Featherstone Rovers coach, former player Danny Ward and ex-head coach Tony Smith among those linked with the position.
Leeds legend Jones-Buchanan was unable to get a winning response from the squad when he took charge for the first time in the Challenge Cup against Castleford Tigers on Saturday, and after their limp defeat, warned there was no quick fix.
“The underlying problems are going to take a while to solve,” he said.
“There are some habitual problems in there, some cultural problems, and just some people who haven’t been put under the blowtorch enough in order to be able to perform. You’ve got to be able to do it when it gets tough.”
He added that he was approaching the current situation as an entirely fresh start: “You look at where we’re at and the confidence, you’ve almost got to go back and start again and have another pre-season and get these boys up to speed.
“The only saving grace now is that we’ve been knocked out of the Challenge Cup, so we’ve got a few weeks coming up where we don’t have games to play, and that will give us some time to invest physically into the boys to get them where they need to be.”
After taking on the interim role, Jones-Buchanan said he had no focus on getting the position full-time and would be happy to welcome any coach who could bring success back to the club.
“I’ll hold the baby until it becomes apparent whether or not I’m the best person to hold it,” he said.
“I’ve said before that this has never been about me fulfilling some sort of lifelong goal or ambition.
“I’m here through circumstance. If the club finds somebody better suited to take it forward, I’ll make them a cup of tea, pull up a chair and carry their bags in.”
He is expected to take charge again for the visit of St Helens in Super League on Friday as the Rhinos take their time in finding Agar’s replacement.
Chief executive Gary Hetherington said it will be a “pretty exhaustive search” and that the club “start with a blank piece of paper”, with no timescale on when an appointment will be made.
“We’ll identify the skill set that we’re looking for, and we’re looking for someone to come in and take on the current squad of players and look to make a great impact at the club,” said Hetherington.
“It’s a demanding job, any such job in Super League is. But even more so at Leeds Rhinos, so it needs to be a person with special personal qualities and with ability, desire and determination.”
Agar stood down from the role after three years in charge, which featured Challenge Cup glory in his first full season in 2020 and a run to the Super League play-off semi-finals last year.
“Plainly and simply, I feel I’ve not had a big enough impact on the team as head coach,” he explained of his decision to resign, with the club indicating he will be retained in a different role which is yet to be decided.
“Perhaps I’ve taken the team as far as I can. They need a fresh voice.”
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