I completely agree with you on this one, though I think a sustained period of abject performances over the next season or 2 could edge us into a Bradford like spiral. For me the hardest thing to understand for me is how the club appear to have lost focus on what was a few year back a conveyor belt of tallent. It's not rocket science, home grown is cheaper than bought in. But over an extended period, that which was an asset and a strength at the club appears to have been allowed to degrade.

Is it really cheaper to develop your own players - all that cost to produce 1/2 players a year? Watkins is home grown player who will one of the top earners at the club so its not as if they actually cost less.

Generally no, IMO which is why so many clubs are giving up on their academies. The alternative is to invite bids for your better products at a time when they command a decent fee but before they're too big a drain on the cap. This may p155 off the fans, though maybe not as much as hanging onto a bunch of players whose year on year increases have long outstripped their declining abilities. Of course the occasional player with more character comes along - a Sinfield, a Peacock, a JJB, a Bateman - but generally these are ones who've been told often enough that they're not good enough and have had to strive to overcome that. We have too many who've been told often enough that they're superstars so that when things go t1ts up they inevitably believe it must be someone else's fault.

Obviously with out detailed numbers for the costs, our opinions are based on gut feel and guess work. But from my perspective. Home grown tallent is surely more economical than the two major alternatives, buy in quality and pay a transfer fee as well as the wages OR don't buy in quality and watch income fall as the team ends up as also rans every season. Additionally if we produce more tallent than we can field, we potentially get additionl revenue from transfer fees.

Their is the further benefit from raising our own in that they are known quantities, should understand the prevailing culture and be able to "fit in" at the club.

This is completely OTT & wrong there's some real talent & huge potential throughout the u15/u16 & u19's set up what they aren't getting is the quality of Coaching & transition to 1st team.
Hopefully Moz can turn that around & have the impact Barrie Mc used to have before our current HC took full control.

According to the accounts posted on a Rhinos Facebook page, GH received an unsecured interest free loan of 500k from the club, and Rob Oates received a 200k loan on the same terms. This was a couple of years ago. I've no idea whether there is any significance or connection between those loans and Leeds reluctance to sign any players to improve the squad.

Perhaps the loans were recycled back into the Yorkshire Carnegie side of the operation to disguise direct subsidies from Rhinos.

IF & it's a big IF why are we loaning staff members 700k interest free & how much are they exactly paying back monthly/annually?
Also another big IF we can't afford to strengthen the squad as a direct result of this then the fans deserve to know WTAF is going on imo.

Seems very odd to me too.

I can't provide a link to the post because I'm not a member of the Facebook group in question (I was shown it by someone who is a member) but the accounts and loans were posted by a very disgruntled fan who clearly wants some answers!

It's not the official Leeds Rhinos Facebook Group but another one named Leeds Rhinos which is a closed group of 14k members if that helps nail it down. Perhaps someone on this forum is a member who can provide more info on the post and thread in question?

Not on FB either but IF it's all true this could & should open one big can of worms imo.

There's only a can of worms if you believe GH is taking money from the club rather than signing/paying players. I'd be careful what is being hinted at WRT what a private company is doing with money when nobody on here has a clue. Without actually understanding how the business operates, nobody reading static accounts can read too much into specific payments/receipts.

Quite true. However, it is worth pointing out that the common thread to most director's loan arrangements is the avoidance of tax over a period of time.

So what do we all think about Gary's letter this morning?
Basically saying there'll be a full review of playing, coaching and managerial staff in a few weeks time after the Wigan game.

The point I was trying to make is you can get plenty of quality players in the NRL - we should know we have plenty - without any transfer fee. How many youngsters have been through our academy and attracted a substantial transfer fee?

It is preferable from an interest point of view to see youngsters come through also from an aspirational point for the amateur game. Whether it is cost effective I am unsure especially if you look at the number of coaching/conditioning staff required to support it?

It looks good when you are producing a production line as in early 2000's but it clearly isn't delivering if the last 18 months is anything to go by

Things must be bad for him to write a note in that context - if things don't improve he can't sack all the players, he can't get new ones in and he is going nowhere so it all points one way!!

He's getting you banned from the internet?

You wish

I really do

A new playing kit?

Well done Sal and Loiner - nice work.

I'm off to edit the Cas - Leeds game now with a smile, it won't last long.

If true and I'm not suggesting you are not reporting what you have seen accurately BBB, this seems very strange. If true it seems a bizarre use of funds by a club trying to fund a major ground redevelopment and failing to recruit enough quality players to replace the outgoing generation.

Someone responded to the post with....

[iLots of companies do this instead of wages and bonuses, was 2015 a good year? That maybe the reason, also shareholders can take them as well, it is nothing illegal or improper as probably those members of this site with own companies will know.[/i



Also: MODS can we please get rid of those social sharing buttons, or move them to the top or bottom of threads. They're a pain in the arris!

The loans were for buying the rugby union club were they not?

So no risk for the directors - if it fails Leeds will simply write the debt off.

Is that the best use of limited resources when you are struggling to fund major capital projects?