Leeds Rhinos fans' mixed views on Brad Arthur appointment, slam team errors, fear tough task v Hull KR

Chev Walker and Scott Grix coached the team for that game and Arthur, who has been appointed until the end of the season, will take charge for Saturday’s visit of Hull KR.

DAVID MUHL

I don’t think Brad Arthur will have been left in any doubt about the size of his job for the rest of the year after last week’s game. His number one priority, for me, is to cut down the number of unforced errors and silly penalties.

We got off to the worst possible by conceding 12 points in the first four minutes. After that we played well in patches, beating them in the second half. The 12 points we conceded at the beginning were the difference between the two sides at the end.

I think Chev Walker was right in his end of match press conference; there are signs of a team in there, just one severely lacking in self-belief and confidence. With players like Brodie Croft, Ash Handley and Lachlie Miller, among others, we should be performing a lot better and be higher up the table.

I thought several players had decent games. James McDonnell had his second good game in a row and I thought we looked a lot better-shaped as a team when Andy Ackers came onto the field. I’m not expecting Brad Arthur to work miracles overnight, but more steel and aggression in defence would be good to see.

A lot has been said lately by a certain Sky pundit about Leeds not being a big club; recent scores may show this on the field, but there is no other sports club, never mind Super League club, that could have handled the recent Rob Burrow tragedy with as much class and grace. That makes us a big club.

It’s Hull KR at home next. They are playing some good rugby, but I really think we can beat them. A decent, simple game plan and fewer errors and we have them. After a disruptive first half to the season, I am feeling confident.

BECKY OXLEY

Conceding two tries in the first four minutes wasn’t the start we wanted against Warrington. We were very slow off the mark and I honestly thought we were in for a proper thumping on the scoreboard.

The new coach Brad Arthur was on the sidelines, no doubt getting ideas and having a first glimpse of the team in front of him. We were a bit scrappy and this is what the issue mainly was in the first 40. We made Warrington look better because of this.

Thankfully in the second half we improved and showed a bit more of the Rhinos spirit. One thing I couldn’t work out was the ‘missed’ kicks from Rhyse Martin. Two of them appeared to go over, from the sky cameras at least and there was certainly a look of shock on Rhyse’s face after the second one was disallowed. I guess there was a genuine reason, or maybe I’m just seeing things wrong.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming days and the next match against Hull KR: what the team spirit is like, the positions they play and if confidence grows as a team. We are in the business end of the season and there aren’t many games left, but there is enough time to show a glimpse of what is possible. I still think we are going to sneak into the top-six, but many think I’ll be eating my words. I hope I’m not proved wrong.

IAIN SHARP

A Thursday night in Warrington is hardly going to get the excitement going, especially given Leeds’ current form. However, newly appointed interim-coach Brad Arthur managed to hot foot it from Manchester Airport to see for himself the fundamental and structural problems the current team is riddled with.

While he is probably the outstanding candidate for the role available at the moment, his appointment on an interim-basis seems very ‘Milky Way’...the coach you can have between appointments, without ruining your appetite for real change.

I don’t want to dwell on the outcome of last Thursday’s game, but instead focus on Leeds City Council’s civic celebration of the life of Rob Burrow held last Friday. On my visit to Perpignan city centre a couple of months ago I was struck by the local street names. Like in many European conurbations, the local great and the good are celebrated by having thoroughfares named after them and I wondered why doesn’t the city of Leeds have a similar policy.

I’m not suggesting a wholesale reorganisation of street names immediately, but surely there is an opportunity to celebrate those that have made an outstanding contribution, like Rob Burrow or Kevin Sinfield. I don’t just mean the recent Golden Generation either, but Leeds RLFC have been contributing to this great city for nearly 135 years.

What about Roy Francis, legendary coach and one of the first men of colour to coach a team in top-flight rugby league and win the Championship? About the only name I can find celebrating our round-ball neighbours south-of-the-river, Don Revie, is a merely an anonymous spur on an industrial estate.

And why stop at rugby or footballing greats? There are other sporting heroes that should be better commemorated, from Beryl Burton and Nicola Adams through to the Brownlees and that’s without also considering the city’s other great contributors in other fields like science or the arts: Priestley, Smeaton, Blenkinsop, Murray, John Harrison the clockmaker, Thomas Chippendale, through to people like the late Danny Freeman who raised hundreds of thousands for charity by busking outside M&S.

Even the city of Kingston upon Hull seems to better commemorate its contributors with at least seven major roads around the centre named after people who should be rightly celebrated. The Leeds City Councillors are the first in the queue to bask in the reflected glory when we win something, so maybe in return it should be only fair to ask them to leave a lasting tangible legacy for the finest people this great city has nurtured.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

Brad Arthur definitely has his work cut out after he watched his new Leeds side limp to another disappointing defeat, this time away at Warrington Wolves. I would not have been surprised if he got on the first plane back to Australia as we again failed to do the basics and lost the game through simple errors.

I have enjoyed my time writing for the Rhinos Jury, but this season has felt like I have been writing the same piece on a weekly basis. Lack of effort, lack of discipline, making simple errors and no consistency in our performance once again plagued us.

One thing we are consistent with is being our own worst enemy. Even within the first two minutes we were coughing the ball up, letting Warrington get an early advantage and it was always going to be an uphill battle from there. Time is quickly running out for Leeds to make the top-six and we will need a monumental turnaround as we look lost at the moment.

The appointment of Brad Arthur is a peculiar one. He is the calibre of head-coach we should be aiming for and I am pleased we have got him in. However, will 10 games be enough for him to help get this Leeds Rhinos team up and running?

It isn't a long time to establish a way of playing and culture at the club. Personally, I am hoping to see an end to the stupid errors and that our attacking players have the freedom to play to their strengths. It has the potential to be a really smart move by the club, but only time will tell.

Looking ahead to the Hull KR game, we need vast improvements from last Thursday if we are to get anything out of it. They are another team who are in a good spell of form and will be feeling confident after a derby day win. I am expecting a better performance, seeing as it will be Arthur’s first game in charge, but I think it will be a game too soon for us to see any real improvement.

GAVIN MILLER

I was among the stark away following on Thursday night at Warrington. Six minutes into the game, when I realised Leeds had spent more time in a huddle under the posts after conceding a try than we had with the actual ball in hand, I was contemplating my life choices.

In summary the game can be dissected as follows: terrible start to the first half, terrible finish to the half, not terrible in between. Not really at the races for large parts of the second half, lacking different gears, game plan or structure. All in all not a great watch.

So the one million dollar question is can Brad Arthur get a tune out of this lot in his 10 games in charge? He has just 10 games to concoct a game plan, a structure, an identity and a way of playing that harnesses the abilities - in some cases limited abilities - of this squad.

My biggest concern is he might just manage it and scrape sixth place, fill us with hope and expectation, then happily fly off into the sunset never to be seen again. The coach may not be available today, but I would have much preferred a permanent appointment rather than a stand-in it will be difficult to get behind. It feels like a waste of a season … again.