Leeds Rhinos sporting director Ian Blease talks Rohan Smith, club culture and 'tweaks' needed for success

The current Salford Red Devils chief executive was unveiled during a press conference at AMT Headingley this morning (Monday) and will officially start his new job in seven days’ time. He will be responsible for the entire performance department, with chief executive Gary Hetherington now focussing on non-playing matters.

A former player with Salford and Swinton, Blease joined the Red Devils eight years ago and since then they have finished third in Betfred Super League and reached both major finals, despite a restricted budget. Salford, coached by Paul Rowley, are now sixth in the table, one place above Leeds, despite losing some star players in pre-season including Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers to Rhinos.

With recruitment and retention of players and staff being a key aspect of Blease’s role, the 59-year-old’s Salford link with Rowley has sparked rumours the former Leigh and Toronto Wolfpack boss could be lined up as Rhinos’ next coach. However, in his first interview Blease dismissed that as “speculation” and stressed he will support current boss Rohan Smith and his backroom staff.

“That’s for you guys [the media] to write,” he said of the Rowley rumours. “I have a great relationship with Paul, he is a great coach and so was Ian Watson before him. I have great relationships with people I work with and I will always keep those relationships healthy, but it’s not about speculation today. It is about getting a feel for the club. It would be unfair, I don’t want to put any pressure on anybody.”

Blease revealed he and Smith have crossed paths in the past. He said: “I have known Rohan for quite a while. When I was a player agent I dealt with him while he was at Bradford.

“I think it is unfair for me to comment yet because I’ve not officially started as an employee until next Monday. Rohan is doing a job, head coach is a tough job and he is doing it to the best of his ability, I am sure, so I will support him.”

The new man added “He is a good guy. I don’t know intimately what he has been working on behind the scenes, but I will spend time with him to see how he operates. Gary tells me good things about him. It is too early for me to judge anybody in the club at the moment, but I will be sitting down with Rohan and the assistants and the rest of the staff.”

Getting to know the club and its people is Blease’s first priority. He confirmed: “I will speak to everybody and build relationships. I want the playing group to trust me and I need to trust them; I need the staff to trust me and me to trust them.

“That’s what I am about, that’s how you build culture. People put culture up on the walls, but I don’t; it is about day-to-day interaction with people. That’s the biggest thing for me.”

Blease’s time at Salford has earned him a reputation as a ‘wheeler-dealer’, capable of bringing in high-quality players on a limited budget. Rhinos have greater resources and he admitted that has caused “a bit of apprehension”, but he stressed: “I have managed significant budgets in my business career so I am okay with that.

“I am really keen on getting the person right, rather than the money right. I know it goes hand in hand, but I am really keen on getting the right people at this club.”

Of how much work the current playing group needs to challenge for honours, Blease stated: “It is a good squad. Look at the other teams [below the men’s senior side] and there’s good depth and a good set of players here.

“That needs to transfer on to the pitch. They have been close a couple of times, they’ve lost a few games they should have won so there’s a bit of pressure there, but the basis is there with the squad I’ve seen. It just needs a few tweaks, I think.

“Past history says Leeds have won a lot of trophies but they haven't done that recently. Sport doesn't give it to you; you've got to work damn hard for it. The players and staff will know that. Sometimes it can fall away.

“There are cycles in sport of teams succeeding, dropping down and coming back. You see it in football and in rugby. I see this as a new journey and a new era where I can put my stamp on it.”

Asked how long it could take for Rhinos to be back among the silverware, Blease commented: “From what I could see from the outside and a little bit within now, it's not going to take huge strides, but we've got to make certain improvements in certain key areas. I think a lot of the components are already here.”