Be interesting to see what happens with this- another statement to appease fans possibly? Obviously this "big name" rumour started with Andy Wilson a few weeks back but we are in a position to do that right now salary cap wise I would have thought. (Although I accept I don't know what wages are being paid etc).

Ins and outs looks something like this for the last 12-18 months:

OUT: Senior, Ali, Buderus, Webb, Hauraki, Cross and Burgess.
IN: Achurch, Griffin, Moore.
Improved (I would guess) contracts: Clarkson, Hardaker, Hall, Ward and Keinhorst.
Reduced contracts for JP and Kylie to guarantee their futures.

So, unlike other years, I would imagine we're a fair way under the cap. Like I say, be interesting to see if GH decides to try and go up against the current trend and bring a big name over with the money left over but I can't see that as his way of doing things TBH.

One thing is for certain, there are some big decisions to be made this winter with regards to the current squad and how it will look going forward. GH seems to have realised there's suddenly a need to replace the real quality we've let go in the last year or so.

If only Leeds were still a big club like Wigan.

They lose Leuluai and Finch so go out and pay money to bring in Smith (Salford) and Green (Hull KR). Whether you rate them as quality replacements or not they are genuine 1st grade SL experienced players at a good age - not projects.

They're significant downgrades.

The equivalent of Leeds replacing Watkins and Hall with Gibson and Broughton

Wlst i'm in no doubts about our need for fresh faces with quality there's no way either of the aforementioned are worth transfer fees whether genuine SL players or not btw hows the "Gelling" project going over at the pie-dome?

And Lee Smith and Jay Pitts.

Wigan have spent fees on Smith, Green and now allegedly Scott Taylor. Whilst I would like to see Leeds spend a bit of money I would want us to still be sensible and have just the 1 player of real top quality bought in (hopefully a forward). Not 2-3 good but not great players. Not asking for a quarter of a new team to be bought, just the 1 would do me atm.

As far as Kirke rumoured to be leaving, that doesn't make sense to me. Moore should be let go before him as Kirke is still regularly making the 17 and Moore can't even force his way in the 19 right now. Whilst Kirke will earn more than Moore, it won't be so much more and with us clearly being well under the cap it will hardly need to be for freeing up extra cap space. Those not deemed good enough to make the usual 17 should be the ones leaving first, so that should mean the likes of Moore, Clarkson and even McShane, if McDermott continues not to be a fan of his, should be be top of the list following in the likes of Pitts, Smith and Ambler. Rather than players still in his plans most weeks.

Although he's shown recent good form the very fact Kirke is a regularly selected player should show we need to improve our squad.
Moore imo has been one of the unlucky ones in that he's played done well and then found himself out of the team the week after ala Mcshane.
For me Hauraki's departure should be followed by Lunt(loan return) ,Kirke ,Kylie ,Clarkson(loan to another SL club for a season).
Along with Achurch coming in i'd hope we sign at the very least another impact forward and IF we do have a star outside back lined up then Keinhorst should get a SL loan aswell and the get Ablett back in the BR permanently.
For the 9 role get Mcshane back and trust the kid or sign someone of quality there not Lunt.

In loans there isn't such a clause, there is only a "recall" clause, whereby the parent club can effectively end the loan early, but the player can't then be loaned out again for a certain amount of time (IIRC it's a month). The "call back when required" is effectively the Dual Reg system, but you can't setup a DR with another SL club.

If we have a few more coming in then yes start thinking about letting the likes of a Kirke or Leuluai go, but if we don't bring in 2/3 more new guys (which seems unlikely) then all you're doing is leaving yourself shorter of numbers and with are comfortable cap situation that means its not necessary.

Agreed, so a much better option than replacing Watkins and Hall with Keinhorst and Coady then.

I'd have Broughton back....better than BJB on the wing.

You are an absolute cretin. You really wind me up with your posts churning out the same rubbish time after time Nantwich. Change the tune for gods sake!

Broughton is rubbish
Amor is rubbish
Chisholm is rubbish
D Smith is rubbish

If they weren't they would have made themselves impossible to leave out like Burrow & McGuire back in the day.

rumoured to be on his way to fev

Glad it's not just me then. If these players were good enough for Leeds, they'd be in the team - simple as. Or at least they'd have played a handful of games by now.

The only one who he may have a valid point about is Amor - but that situation is so bizarre anyway. There's obviously more to it than purely his playing ability.

Blimey... nice considered respectable debate is always appreciated. I recommend valium mate.....

BJB is fab ( better winger than Broughton )
Kirke is the man ( better prop than the more gentle, I'm sure, Amor )
Lee Smith was ace ( def better winger than the hardly pacy enough Chisholm )
Moore is super ( so much better than D.Smith: well worth bringing him in to mostly play in u-20's )

Is that better ?

It is indeed a pity we don't all have dutiful, unremitting faith in those that hold positions of power over their employees and us mere followers.

They hold the reins so they must, of course, always be right. As for Amor you just need to believe in the god, Sleeve, just that little bit more.

The right decision of course

.... No question.

Jones-Bishop has had a lack-lustre season, IMO. His chase back and support play has often appeared laboured - don't know if he's been carrying an injury or just been low on confidence/uninspired by the quality of coaching but he's just been out there and little else.

Whether Broughton would or wouldn't have had more to offer outside Watkins is an unknown. He appears a very enthusiastic player though and there can be little doubting his true winger's pace. He took yards out of Peter Fox last weekend in a straight foot race and Fox is no slouch. With his degree behind him now I hope he can push on and fulfil his obvious potential.

He's crap though don't ya know.... ? AL Rhino says so.... The Leeds management let him go. Nuff said

I just think GH has more than earned the benefit of the doubt with regard to decisions made on young players, and whether they are retained or released.

Perhaps you could come up with a list of instances when he's got it wrong, and when said players have gone on to bigger and better things?

Your new obsession Daniel Smith - how often have you seen him play out of interest? I fully admit that I never have - all I have top go on is he's never played a first team game for Leeds, had a short spell at Oldham this season where I didn't hear that he did anything spectacular, and now he's been let go. If I'm missing something here, I'd like to know what it is - but it seems to me that the lad just isn't good enough to be a first teamer at Leeds.

Shame for him, but he's not the first and certainly won't be the last.

Well from the two props we were hoping to get a look at, Walmsley has signed for Saints. And Taylor is rumoured to have signed for Wigan. Is this southstand project restricting our spending ? After all Wigan dont have own a ground to improve so does that put them in a better position in paying transfer fees ? On the topic of transfer fees are these totally outside of the cap ?





I would move heaven and earth to get Scott Taylor but I suspect when it comes to transfer fees we are well behind and the sleeve likes to keep it to a minimum.

The only "we" hoping to get Walmsley and Taylor that we are sure about are people on these boards. GH has said he doesn't want to sign anyone for depth - he wants a definite first 17 player - which Achurch will be, but there was no guarantee either Taylor/Walmsley would be, at least next season.

the reason singleton and amor are not at leeds in the team is because our esteemed head coach prefers to flog our ageing props week in week out. you agree thats good i suppose.
amor has played better than any prop in our squad this season, he has been top class

If I have an 'obsession' it is simply that the club gives its youth the opportunity it quite rightly afforded some of the present first team squad in the naughties. A very recent proven model, would you not agree ?? I might not have personally seen Daniel Smith or any other u-20's player in the flesh as it were, but I respect the opinions of others that [ihave[/i seen them in action. It's the principle I support. If they're good enough they're old enough. Give them a chance. As others have stated, without seeing them play alongside the quality established players as 17/18/19 year olds how will we ever know ?

The bottom line is we appear to keep missing the boat in favour of ageing forwards, who are being subjected to ever more demands on their battered bodies, without the respite these younger guys could complement them with by sharing those first team duties on a Warrington-like-rotation-policy.

I might sometimes purposely irreverently prod and poke to perversely wind up the likes of AL Rhino, BUT I make no apologies in supporting the principle of promotion of youth......especially within this present non spending climate that GH is obviously, it would seem, to be subscribing to.

So you trust the opinion of other people on players you haven't seen, just not the people whose job it is to decide whether they are up to the task