Your job is to say to yourself on a job interview does the hiring manager likes me or not. If you aren't a particular manager's cup of tea, you haven't failed -- you've dodged a bullet.
I hate car analogies. However, anyone suggesting Mossop is an Aston Martin probably bought a Skoda in the 80s. He has never done anything, his injuries saved him from obscurity in Aus. Taylor is obviously killing time for a year, on as big a buck as possible, before going back to Hull. Breaking the bank for either would have been stupid. Who else Leeds have missed out on, who was worth splashing the cash on, I'm not sure.
You miss the point - the recruitment at Leeds appears to have been very last minute and reactionary. The fact Leeds were in for Mossop suggests planning hasn't gone as well as it should have done. Leeds are now in a position where they are vulnerable - if they want a top player, the player and his agent know there is an air of desperation. If you are as rigid as it would appear Leeds are you will never attract the best players - Daryl Clark will be on more money at Warrington that Kevin Sinfield/Jamie Peacock will be on at Leeds and I would imagine it would have one of the stumbling blocks to Leeds not being in the race for him.
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It does appear Leeds have either missed out on who was available or have simply not been bothered getting into an auction. Or Hetherington is secretly working behind the scenes to land the big catch. It doesn't look good longer term with the ageing key players admittedly.
What BM means is that Leeds have a pay structure. Not "Leeds are so good you should be willing to play for peanuts." If we can fit three genuinely outstanding players in Hardaker, Watkins and Hall into that structure then its not far wrong - all three would be big targets for both RU and the NRL, never mind other SL clubs.
Changing 'that way of thinking' would kill the team culture. You bring in a Mossop on more than he'd get under the structure, the other players hear about it and next thing you know half the team would be chasing more pay.
Leeds are in transition. Paying over the odds for a couple of stars isn't the way to go.
Not sure I agree with your views here. Keeping to the pay structure has worked in the past as we have had something to offer i.e winning championships. I am not sure might be wrong that Leeds have that pull any more. Sometimes you have to break the pay structure and that might mean giving the likes of Sinfield, Hall and Hardaker more money to keep them happy. We do not have the class of youngsters we were lucky to have in the past and the old guns are just about shot. We are probalby the richest club in SL with a fan base of between 16,000 to 20,000 that would come to watch a few more stars who are going to win things. I fear if we continue with what we have those crowds will fall to the 10,000 to 12,000 mark. And I certainly don`t suggest Mossop is or ever will be a star. But like some other posters have said the coach and GH certainly thought we needed him to do something.
And I certainly don`t suggest Mossop is or ever will be a star. But like some other posters have said the coach and GH certainly thought we needed him to do something.
Either that or they thought there was a chance of getting an ok player on the cheap. TBH I find it stretches the imagination too far for any side to need a player of Mossop's standard. He might be handy to have but no more.
I would rather miss out on Mossop than over pay him. Spending more on him means we have less to spend next year when replacing Kylie and JP.
There is not one prop who has moved that I would be disappointed at losing out on bar Taylor and even then not in the circumstances he was moving. I say that in the context that whilst there are some good players moving, im not sure there is a whole lot of value in the likes of Simms, Patrick on loan, 4 years for Huby.
I would have loved Clark to come as he would have sorted out a position we have needed to sort out and he would have done so for the next decade. But we aren't going to get every player we want.
I would rather miss out on Mossop than over pay him. Spending more on him means we have less to spend next year when replacing Kylie and JP.
There is not one prop who has moved that I would be disappointed at losing out on bar Taylor and even then not in the circumstances he was moving. I say that in the context that whilst there are some good players moving, im not sure there is a whole lot of value in the likes of Simms, Patrick on loan, 4 years for Huby.
I would have loved Clark to come as he would have sorted out a position we have needed to sort out and he would have done so for the next decade. But we aren't going to get every player we want.
You must have the head in the sand there. Simms, Huby, Patrick, are far better players than Taylor, and all three would walk straight into our team.
You must have the head in the sand there. Simms, Huby, Patrick, are far better players than Taylor, and all three would walk straight into our team.
Sims is a journeyman prop and penalty machine, he isn't ad good as Peacock or Cuthbertson in my opinion. Huby has a 4 year deal and has never been a top player in a top club. Patrick is a one year loan which certainly isn't a long term solution.
Looking at this 2015 squad, Kylie and JP have never been older but yet they will be relied on more than ever.
The panic and failing to tempt Mossop/Taylor shows that the powers that be know we have a massive hole to fill but it remains wide open.
It's sentiment that has left us in the predicament in some ways you can see why. Leeds were so yellow bellied down the middle for decades, Murray injected the wreckers (Baz, Fleary, Farrells etc) then class took us to the next level. Kylie and JP are tough and both do different but excellent jobs, but we should have been smarter and already penciled in replacments before they've turned 37, given them a handshake and been able to tell them they're not required.
JP has got us out many holes over last 2 seasons, take his yardage and workrate out and you'll see our pack get bullied.
Which makes it vital that we excel in other areas. So the patchy and fringe have to make a stand. If Stevie Ward, Sutcliffe, Singleton, Achurch can produce week in week out it will give us a fighting chance of competing. So we can believe that this team can go on without old hero's.
I would rather miss out on Mossop than over pay him. Spending more on him means we have less to spend next year when replacing Kylie and JP.
IMHO, the amount we have available to spend on replacement forwards next year is largely irrelevant. If we wont increase our rigid pay structure then you can forget signing any more 'elite' players. Any available funds will pay for 3 or 4 average replacements at best, rather than a couple of top class ones.
Time for Gawy to rethink our policy on this before our decline becomes terminal.