Just thinking. We keep getting fed the line how Leeds hadnt won anything for 32 years and when Tony Smith came in Bang! Grand finals everywhere (so to speak)



Was it all down to Tony Smith or was it the long term planning of Gary Hetherington or a combination of the two or something else?



Would love to know the opinions of the back to back champions



Oh we are not worthy.



A Wire fan

Both.



But Smith is a very, very good coach.



You will improve immeasurably with him at the helm. He can be abrasive and will rub a lot of people the wrong way.



Whether you're in the position we were in 2004 terms of squad and junior development is another matter.

Without the long term planning of Hetherington, and the groundwork put in place by Powell, Smith would have struggled to get what he did from the team. He was a great coach, but Leeds were already in good shape when he took them on, and was appointed to take us to the next level, rather than stop us being rubbish

Closest there. Smith showed himself a very good coach, but the club was already travelling in the right direction when he took over. Ppwell's side in 2003 was similar in personnel to the 2004 title winning side, and while I believe (we'll never know for sure) that Powell lacked the experience and guile to take that final step to the title, he deserves a lot of credit, along with others at the club (including but not limited to Hetherington) for developing and assembling that squad.



I think, with respect, the task at Wire is rather greater, insofar as that the club seems to have been going backwards for a couple of years if anything and has been attempting to fix the problem by throwing money at big name players.



Smith is good, but he isn't Jesus. It will take more than just him, but with the right culture and plan from the club, and with a bit of time and patience, he might well be the man to get Wire where they want to be.



IMO, of course.

Powell was the general and Smith the foot soldier. Similar to Smith and Lowes now.

























Just in case, although I shouldn't really need to.

I think smith will turn wire around and make them contender's but i expect it to take at least 18mth's to 2yrs afterall even TS can't polish a t#rd!!

He will release a lot of players and rid your squad of any bad habits in terms of self discipline.

He imo will prove to be a good coach for wire but that doesn't mean you'll necessarily win anything because while smith is rebuilding wire none of the other top clubs will stand still.i.e ourselves and saints will continue to improve.

Is that actually what you meant?

Edited!!

I dont think it was but he may be right. It happened to Wigan and its now happening to Bradford - Saints and Leeds will eventually go the same way and they will suddenly drop off from what they were. It happens to every great team has its day.

IMO - I think what Smith will do is what others have dared not to - drop any underachieving players - well thats the first seventeen gone! No, seriously he will not let a player, no matter how big or seemingly important and irreplacable they think they are play if they aint pulling their weight.



At Leeds he dropped many a player for reasons we dont know but in the end he got the job done.



By the way, where has the fastest patter on the back gone - sorry Kevin Penny?? He was always there as first man to pat the back of a try scorer but there is more to the game than a clear run at a try line!

However, unlike those teams ours is more sustainable because its' foundations are in our commitment to a youth policy.



That is why I don''t think Smith will enjoy the same success with Wire as he did with us, in the short term. He's a great coach but as an outsider with (admittedly) not much knowledge of your youth set up I think he's only part of the solution.



I agree that success is cyclical though.

Leeds continue to be greater than the sum of it's parts and that's the key. Fill the spine of the team with quality (full back, Stand Off, Scrum Half, loose forward and hooker or two if possible) and fill the rest in as you go along. Without doing this first the best centres and wingers in the world are a waste of resources.



I realise this isn't rocket science but neither is Rugby League.



Just taking Leeds for example:



Brent Webb (World Class and 55 Appearances for Leeds)

Danny McGuire (Leeds product and 192 Appearances for Leeds)

Rob Burrow (Leeds product and 245 Appearances for Leeds)

Kevin Sinfield (Leeds product and 309 Appearances for Leeds)

Matt Diskin (Leeds product and 213 Appearances for Leeds)

Danny Buderus (World Class, so that's a start)



If Leeds weren't competitive now there'd be a serious problem.



If I had one criticism of Tony Smith at Leeds it is that I didn't feel he bloodied enough juniors into the 1st team. Eight in total over a four year period is pretty scant. McClennan by way of contrast has already given nine a run.