Just how I see it too, if they didn’t already play for Leeds, we wouldn’t be looking to sign them.

If you're totally honest out of our whole playing squad who is International standard? If you compare this with past teams it's not great and pretty much sums up where we are.

You could put up a decent argument for no one!

Don't think I'd take anybody from this current squad and put them in the first 17 from 10 years ago, and we were already on the decline at that point.

Where we are now is due to a doomed strategy of allowing good players to leave, and replacing them with worse ones (or not replacing them at all).

If you replace when you are at the top not only can you offer them a happier team to join, but also prize money isn't on the cap, so you can pay the same, or less then your rivals and still be competitive with the money you offer.

Have we really let go of many good players?

That boats long sailed. The only chance we have now is to build from within, and have long term plans…..

You are totally on the money we are as a rugby club only as as good as the league table suggests that is the bottom line and for a club the size of Leeds it isn't good enough but it's reality,Leigh and Salford should be commended for their progress and they are proof that good teams aren't about money just togetherness something our lot should learn from.

We have the chance to genuinely improve the squad this off-season. We're lacking real quality and it will take years to develop internally (also no guarantee we'll develop stars in key positions despite investing in youth). This feels more like a 1997 style opportunity to revamp the squad by bringing in some players who will lift standards. Just like 1997 it will take money - both salaries and potentially fees. If we go cheap and cheerful I really don't think it will help (that Newcastle forward Fitzgibbon that's been mentioned is an utterly average NRL forward who will be solid but not much more).

When the Golden Generation came through they were supported by real quality from outside the club. The current crop of kids need the same.

Leigh are not about money?!?!?
They spent a fortune to get out of the Championship.
Fair enough, it's worked out and they're doing very well.
But it was totally down to money.

and they are doing well this year within the cap.
with a good coach and good recruitment. those are the two key things.
we have neither

Wigan supporters did not think he was a good coach ,
They have recruited pretty well but they have crucially avoided injuries to a certain extent

he's better than we have. having said that it's a very low bar.....

Thought I was on the Leeds United thread for a minute Tad.

think positive, lufc have had 3 coaches, been a shambles but still better than the rhinos...we got rid of our crap coaches.
then appoint another...

How are Leeds Utd better than the Rhinos? Didn't they just get relegated?

Yeah I'm not sure by what metric leeds united did better than the Rhinos this season.

it was about poor appointments in key jobs.
I.e. both had e coaches

Did the Leeds United manager take them to a major final? Sorry for the ignorance, I don't follow soccer.

I'll repeat myself one last time.
it was about the similarities of poor appointments in key positions.

HTH

If I remember rightly the players we brough in in the late 90's included Fleary, Farrell, Hay, Sheridan, Powell. All brought in on the cheap and all dumped just as thegolden generation were emerging leaving us with little choice but to bring through our own youngsters

No idea what this is.

not sure they were dumped. most simply got to the end of there careers and left. wasn't powell about 35 when we signed him? certainly wasn't young

That list is odd. Powell was virtually retired when we signed him, and Farrell and Fleary weren't young either. Sheridan was a reasonably big signing at the time, and the list also ignores Harris, one of the biggest signings we've ever made. The squad was an utter mess when they took over, as we'd almost gone bankrupt, and GH also brought in a number of players who might not have been big signings but were desperately needed to boost the squad (including a bunch from Sheffield). I'm not sure what point they are trying to make?

Fact is when GH and Caddick took over in 1997 they started spending big, and also focused on junior development. At the same time. We continued to make big signings throughout most of the Golden Generation era, particularly from overseas.

All factually correct but alas the "Big name players" are unattainable with the disparity in salary cap what we all need to understand is that our sport in the northern hemisphere is a poor relation to the southern hemisphere and for the politics it will ever be so, we have to get real and accept it for what it is.

agreed. the secret is to find players like kylie and Scott Donald. huge successes here but deemed surplus over there