Hardaker would be brilliant news

not sure it would help sason ticket sales though.

we need a big signing for that

If you take a step back though from the obvious disappointment at the end of the season, GH will look at the cup win as something he can use for next year. I don't think he necessarily buys into the need for 'big' signings to sell tickets.

What I would be surprised at is if he wasn't well aware of the need to provide more entertaining fare in the league for more of the season. Nobody can guarantee winning anything, but throwing games away is clearly not good enough either.

From a Chief Executive's viewpoint, unless your bottom line is suffering due to on-field performances where's the need for change?

Leeds will have made a few bob out of the Challenge Cup. Gates are pretty steady, albeit not at the giddy heights of 2004, presumably the commercial department keeps ticking over?

So why go out and splash the cash when there's no guarantee you'll get a return on it? Expect a 2015 not remarkably different from 2014 in terms of personnel.

I guess this about not resting on Laurels. In the early 2000s Nokia had a product that everybody wanted. They got complacent and missed the smartphone boom, and as such can't sell a smartphone for love nor money.

Fans are fickle. If they don't feel they are getting value for money, and that may be in temrs of entertainment, or silverware bragging rights they will go elsewhere. The job of GH is to see when the dip is going to happen, and try to prevent it. If its left until next summer to sort out it may be too late regardless of who is announced to start the 2016 season.

There's a long way to go before Leeds get back to the shallow grave they were in right at the start of SL. Is an average loss of 400-500 fans off the gate really going to force the CEO's hand?

If Leeds fans want change, then it's time to start voting for it with their wallets rather than just rocking up every week regardless.

Even in "real" business, CXs often care about more than just profit. Those in the sport business probably don't have it even top of their agenda. If it was, they would be in a different business, businessmen don't get into sport to get rich.

500 fans at £20 for 13 matches is £130k. You could sign some decent players for that money.

There may not yet be a business case for a change of coach, especially after the much elusive CC has been finally brought back to Headingley (I gather it is more lucrative in prize money than winning the GF).

Purely from rugby perspective, I think now would be a good time for McDermott to move on. Otherwise, I think he has a lot to prove as a coach:

1. Most importantly, is he the man to manage the transition from our current dependence on Peacock and the increasingly erratic trio of McGuire, Burrow and Sinfield?

2. Can he get the current squad to realise its obvious potential? Perhaps they are already punching their weight - which takes us back to question one. The golden generation have ticked all the right career boxes now (apart from the seeming impossibility of international success): I hope the coach is prepared to put aside sentiment and make difficult decisions if he feels deep down they are warranted. If not, players who are spending long periods in the treatment room alternating with long periods of ropy form ought to take a look in the mirror themselves (another cliché!).

3. Is he the man to develop/sign-up the next hopefully successful generation? The progress of some players has been non-existent (Clarkson comes to mind), whereas for others it has been slow and bumpy (Achurch, Singleton and Sutcliffe), or even worse, appears to be regressing in the case of Stevie Ward, and possibly now Briscoe.

4. Although 2011 and 2012 were great, the coach has yet to demonstrate that he can take a team full of big names, some of whom have allegedly accepted pay-cuts to stay at Leeds, to regularly perform week-in week-out during the league, which is what the majority of dissatisfied fans would like to see. This does not necessarily mean going out full-tilt and blowing the season by July (which seems to have been what happened outside the CC). If this is not possible a return to the fabled days of being play-off kings would suffice (personally it was nice for the club to win the CC but the GF is still the greater prize IMO).

Contrary to the tone of my post, I am not calling McDermott to be fired, but rather asking whether he himself feels he has enough to offer to turn around what has been a dismal last few months aside from a single result, albeit an important one!

Ultimately we've been spoiled at Leeds in this last decade - all of us who were around for the previous decade would have snapped the hand of someone offering a third of what we've gone on to win. Perhaps this means that the club are going to be more patient than they used to be with coaches and playing staff, after stability has paid off for so long. But this may soon be an option that won't be there for much longer if things continue as they have been, especially considering the regular season and play-off outings of the last two years.

Season tickets are going to be hard sell this year, particularly with confusion over the schedule and maybe even doubts that we'll make the 8 given latest form. Will everyone be buying season tickets for potential home matches against Leigh and Batley or will they make sure, pick and choose and see? The potential drop-off could be a lot more than 400-500, particularly if United get their sh*t together.

Has the pursuit of Challenge Cup success come at the expense of everything else this season? It would appear so. Was it worth it? Not in my opinion. How did Wigan (and others) manage the same situation so much better than we appear to have done. They too took their 'foot off the gas' in the final league run in last year, they too went on to win the Challenge Cup. They then mounted a successful GF campaign. We on the other hand patently didn't. I think it probably is time for McDermott to step down, frankly the garbage that I've seen Leeds produce over the last 2 seasons does make me think we need an injection of fresh thinking, new ideas, better recruitment and more successful tactics. So a new coach is imperative

Was the CC worth it : yes in my opinion, its a major trophy and it got a monkey off the clubs back.
With regard to Wigan ,they took a punt on Matty Smith,(Wasn't thier incumbant half back injured at the time),same with Blake Green.They took a gamble and it paid off.We could do with some of that same fortune.GH has not done too bad up to press.There does need to be some fresh ideas,but I am not suggesting BMc should be sacked but maybe a credable no 2 be brought in from the NRL to assist and perhaps ultimately succeed.This club still needs to operate with the salary cap AED.

The problem is if you bring in a credible no 2 the writings on the wall for McDermott. If the team has a slump in form - as it has every year since he has been here - then the club has a ready made replacement easy to get shut!! That is why it will never happen whilst McDermott is coach

Two things, firstly im never convinced there are that many fans who would jump ship to Elland Road If United got promoted. Secondly, im not sure leeds utd will ever get their sh*t together

Cellino on why he hired Leeds' new coach Milanic....

"I don't know why. Coaches are like watermelons, you don't know about them until you've opened them up."

Doubt McClennen wanted McDermott hired as his number 2 but it still happened...and he eventually departed. Add to it Smith being announced whilst Powell was doing well, GH doesn't mind upsetting his coachesif he thinks the change needs to be made.

I agree with you I just think the dynamic is different here - I don't know why.

For all the stick Brian has had this season, and he's had plenty of it off his critics, he can still flash the Challenge Cup in their faces in response.

He,and Leeds, have certainly had a more successful year than that ape from the DW.

But...but they finished 2nd and reached a GF and played lots of youngsters and regularly used all their subs.

Sack McDermott!!!

i had a few beers with my regular match day pals on saturday and in conversation we got onto the subject of brian mac

we had some very differing opinions about him a few years ago,but more recently some of his most fervent critics were admitting that they had changed their opinions about mac and actually felt that he was the man to rebuild our next squad and take us forward

what is the consensus of opinion amongst posters on here?
have some of you that previously wanted him out changed your opinions?
some thought that he was going to move upstairs to oversee both the rl and ru clubs,would this be a good move?
and if so which coach would you like to be responsible for the next phase in our great clubs future?

I would prefer to see how the season goes before passing further judgement - the team is flying at the moment but it was last year and look what happened. His integration of Cuthbertson, Handley and Sutcliffe has been good and the improvement in Aiton excellent.

The next real challenge will come at the Magic weekend - it will be interesting to see how that pans out. Season went down hill big style after Wigan roughed them up a little.

It's a tough one. I'm still not totally convinced by him. His team selections are impossible to predict which makes me wonder if he knows what he's doing sometimes.

That said he got the tough selection by benching Sinny right this week.

His record is pretty darn good so that answers most questions about him really.

imagine being in gh's shoes sal,when does a club decide to renew a coaches contract or decide to take an alternative option instead,how would you go?

There's an argument that a coach with less of a professional and potential emotional attachment to the current playing squad may be better placed to make the dispassionate decisions that may be needed as regards some players.

However, Peacock and Sinfield have taken two of the biggest decisions out of McDermott's hands. What he chooses to do now with the likes of McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, JJB etc won't have as much of an impact on the side or fans opinions of him, IMO.

At the moment, I'm struggling to think of another coach in the SL competition who I'd rather have at Leeds.

In the past I've advocated the appointment of an assistant or assistants to aid BMcD given what I perceived to be a stereotypical approach.
However, this year I've been delighted with how we are now playing.
I've no idea what has brought about this improvement.
Is it solely down to BMcD rethinking his tactics or have Barry Eaton, Chris Plume & the other backroom staff have more input than previously?
More likely a combination of the two.
Whatever the reason, provided that we carry on playing this way then I'll be happy.
We're now much more entertaining to watch, we may not always get it right but some of the rugby we've played this year has been sublime.