McDermott is genuinely undoubtedly proud of his team.....and so he should be. I guess we all need to get used to a great start to a season (another WCC win to look forward to

) and yet another GF win, but with lots of inevitable indifferent dross in between.

He has earned the respect now (not before time some might say). Enjoy it Brian.......guess I'll just need to bite my tongue next season.
I hope you can now lead this fantastic team, skippered by [uthe best[/u captain the club has produced in my viewing lifetime to that elusive CC final victory: these special players deserve that more than most. They continue to defy the odds and the criticism......unbelievable

Maybe I have the advantage of living 200miles from Leeds but I'd happily setlle for that

I'm not quite so far away...just the 100 miles: but like you I'll settle for knowing it will be worth the drive again for the cup winning knock out matches. I'm already looking forward to being there in person at another WCC match.

well for the last twoyears I have lived 3000 miles away,and I am getting my fixtures wrong I have seen 3 wembley defeats and missed two GF wonderful victories ,but I will be home april -may and maybe wait till the gf final in October

booooooo


GET OUT OF OUR CLUB



BOOOOOOOOOOO

Yes well done Seth.

I too have backed Brian Mac against the persistent snipers. I did this mainly because I felt the critics were being impatient, unfair, naive and in many cases showing a complete lack of understanding and respect.

But don't hold your breath waiting for the 'know-all' keyboard coaching experts to finally see the light. I predict they will heap praise on the team and give faint praise to Brian Mac. They will yet again moan on and on about the "dross" of some earlier games which, in their flawed opinion, was all the fault of the coach. Some will still talk of "lacking technical skill" or "lacking structure" as if they really understood coaching.

It is true BM inherited a very special set of players (some of whom he helped develop under Smith) but he took charge at a time when some of the key players were past their peak and the team were showning clear signs of a decline under Bluey. He also had to start without two of his top players out with long term injuries. With other clubs recruiting strongly Leeds had harder competition from 4 or 5 other teams.

Not only has McDermott achieved most of the club's goals in his first 2 years (finals and finances) but he has quietly overseen some of the transitional work that was needed. He brought into the first team, Bish, Watkins and Hardaker as regulars. He converted Delaney into a very successful forward. McGuire's injury forced Sinfield to SO but BM kept him there and found a way to include Burrow when McGuire was fit again. He produced a resurgent Bailey and changed the pack structure to get his first choices on the field for the most time. He has also brought into the squad young Ward but has not over exposed him.

He has shown that he knows how to get his charges physically and mentally prepared and motivated for the big important games and he has shown a canny tactical nouse. He is his own man and makes selections and substitutions that sometimes give amunition to his impatient critics yet eventually produce the goods.

I don't buy this taking it easy business in the regular rounds. To peak on three separate occassions in the season means the coaching staff have to ease off at other times. I am sure the team and coaches plan to win every game, but a lack of form can hit even the best players and when this strikes several at the same time then you are going to have some nightmares - that's sport folks!

Well done once again Brian. Big man in every sense and currently the best coach in SL

A truly outstanding achievement by ALL involved i wont go over my comments when we hit the slump because at that time that was my opinion.
We aren't always right all of the time and i'm chuffed once again the Club have achieved success from an "outsider" bet and once again to a man they ALL stood and were counted when it came to the big one.
Well done to the Coaches ,Team ,Staff etc etc and thanks for delivering ANOTHER GF win!!

Well said.

In Wayne Bennetts book, Don't Die With The Music In You, he says you're better to have a great captain than a great coach. I haven't got the book with me but from memory the quote is something like, a great captain with an average coach makes the coach look good, but an great coach without a great captain is struggling.

I think this is the case with Leeds with not only McDermott but McLennan.

You are Admiral Hanson and I claim my £10

2 seasons 2 GF wins. No-one can argue with the excellent record of Brian McDermott.

No doubt though the usual murmours and criticisms will resurface if or when Leeds have a poor spell next season.

At the start of last year I said BMcD was out of his depth.

I also said that Ryan Hall should have spent another year in the Academy and that Lee Smith should have been our first choice winger.

What the f*ck do I know?

Not much, though well done for admitting that

Looking back through this thread I'm surprised someone's not had it deleted, truly embarrassing, and funny!

you buy terrible 'Champions- special edition' shirts?

Special [iAddition [/isurely?

I buy sh[size=100i[/sizet and talk sh[size=100i[/sizet - but at least I'll admit it and not go into hiding every time I get it wrong - hey Jeff



Oh... anyway you bought that terrible Stade Francais shirt didn't you?

Yeah I bought two of them

but I was mortalled, what was your excuse?!

I like page 7 of this thread the best

The visionry words of DHM stand out amongst some of the nonsense, it was good to see him back on here yesterday

I especially like these few comments:

The man continues to baffle me but then he clearly is a better thinker and stratergist(sp) then many give him credit for.

Finished as a competitive entity..........then wins 2 super league titles.

Only got tp page 24 so far but delighted with my intelligent and reasoned contribution to a thread that should be an embarrassment for some posters. The above was from May this year. I see the cracks continue to be papered over but the trophies are not slipping down them.

As I said early on....



Certaion posters never learn. Not even from 2011 to 2012. Still one day Gotcha and Sal Paradise will be proven right. If only we'd listened and broken this team up well before the last two titles.

And Lawrie shouldn't be smug. He was joiningh the chorus of sack the coach in 2011.

Joining in the chorus? Is he one of these that goes to games just to sing songs?