Quote tvoc="tvoc"I predicted a St Helens win last night. '"
Well done you must be so pleased with yourself.
Quote tvoc="tvoc"Do you not think Maguire was the catalyst in the change of fortunes at Wigan?
I perhaps was guilty at the time of underestimating an outstanding core group of players and their ability to rise above the mediocrity that passes for the regular rounds under the flawed (and soon to be dumped) format. '"
"perhaps"!!! indicates that perhaps you did not underestimated the players. Either way you were wrong but you just cannot bring yourself to admit that you were so wrong. Lets us remind ourselves of what you posted in 2011
Quote tvoc="tvoc""The example of Maguire merely shows the value of getting the number one appointment in the club (playing wise) correct.
Leeds are showing what can happen if you get it completely wrong. It could take several years (or more) before we see Leeds challenging for honours again. Not all of that is down to one poor coaching appointment but it plays a highly significant part." '"
...and now "perhaps" you can my answer which you have avoided which was:
"But getting a prediction wrong for one game is not quite as bad as for getting a prediction wrong for two whole seasons (or more). You may like to look up your spreadsheets to remind us of which honours we actually challenged for since the time you shared your expert opinion with us (see below) and in which of those challenges did we succeed?"
Quote tvoc="tvoc"The throughput of outstanding juniors at Wigan since Maguire's comparitively brief spell there is, I think, highly impressive with the move up apparently seamless - the throughput at Headingley under the McDermott's is much less so and the transition appears difficult as the 1st grade relies heavily on individual plays. When a vacancy was created recently in the Bradford game McDermott filled it with second rowers while Ash Handley (Ryan Hall Mk II) dominated the Academy game.
This core group won't always be here and the McDermott legacy is still to come.'"
I do not think that Maguire's comparatively brief spell had anything to do with the already successful and ongoing junior development set up at Wigan. To award him accolades for this and to attempt to denigrate Brian McDermott by implying poor development transition at Leeds is a cheap shot and a failure to understand how rugby clubs operate.
Maguire was certainly a catalyst for change not only at Wigan but throughout the SL. He brought with him the tactic of slowing down the PTB with a 4th tackler flopping on the already tackled player. A ploy that now pervades the entire league with negativity another reason for some of the mediocrity you mentioned. Maguire also brought a more slick and structured use of the dummy runner or blocker or let us call it what it is obstruction.
While ever this "outstanding core group of players" maintain their places at Leeds our game style will still rely "heavily on individual plays" and something which I hope will continue with their replacements as I much prefer to watch traditional rugby skills than gridiron football.
My understanding of the Bradford selections was that Handley was down to play but failed to turn up in time and a late team change had to be made.
I notice that you now regard the SL as "flawed" in much the same way as you now choose to deride the OPTA stats which for so long happily filled your postings. You must be devastated to have spent so much time copying and collating records of the "flawed (and soon to be dumped) format"
Brian McDermott has already established a better legacy than any rival SL coach during the time since his appointment as first team coach at Leeds. 2 Championships, a WCC and 3 Cup final appearances despite the fact that the outstanding core players are well past their best.
