Richard Agar is a man under pressure. Following another bitterly disappointing result against Salford, the calls are inevitably growing from supporters for Agar to be removed from his position as head coach of Leeds Rhinos.
Agar has been the first to admit that their start to the season has been dismal. One win from six Super League games is a disastrous start for a squad hyped up by many in the off-season. Agar himself has refused to hide behind the injuries across the squad and accepted that the performances are nowhere near where they need to be nor where they should be.
This was the campaign in which the Rhinos were supposed to emerge as legitimate contenders for the first time in five years. Instead, they look like a dysfunctional side bereft of confidence. Those accusing the team of a lack of effort are being unfair. A lack of quality? That's a justifiable shot to fire at them right now.
Read more : Highlights as Leeds Rhinos suffer new low in defeat to Salford Red Devils
And so all eyes are on Agar and his security in the Headingley hot seat. The Rhinos boss has never been universally accepted by the fanbase and as such, it is to be expected that many have already lost faith.
But the idea that wheeling in a new coach will have an immediate and sizable impact on the squad is without any substance, a fact backed up by the history books.
In Super League history, six coaches have won a Grand Final in their first year in charge. Three of them, Kristian Woolf, Brian McClennan and Ian Millward, did so after inheriting a squad that had won the competition the season before their arrival.
The fourth, Brian McDermott, did so with a Golden Generation that had successfully won three consecutive Grand Finals a year before he took the Rhinos job. Even when Brian Noble won it with Bradford in 2001, he did so with a squad that had won the Challenge Cup Final the year before.
There is only Michael Maguire, who in his first season at Wigan Warriors not only guided them to a first final in six years but then secured Grand Final glory for the first time in 12 years, who you could say delivered immediate fortunes to a club like Rhinos fans are hoping for. The idea that getting rid of Agar and replacing him with someone new will solve all of the Rhinos' issues is somewhat fanatical.
There are reasons why coaches struggle to have the much-desired immediate impact too, and it is largely down to the salary cap. The Huddersfield Giants are a perfect demonstration of a club that has suffered long-term due to a regular change of coach.
In the months before Paul Anderson was sacked by the Giants in 2016, he signed Ryan Brierley and Tom Symonds, both on long, sizable contracts. When he was sacked, Rick Stone was brought in and they were not a part of the new coach's plans. Between them, they played 12 times under Stone but were stuck on the salary cap. Stone's first major signing was Sebastine Ikahihifo who was then not wanted by Stone's replacement, Simon Woolford, and once again, the Giants had a cap problem. Once the club resolved it, Woolford used the space to sign Aidan Sezer and Kenny Edwards as the club's two highest earners. Wouldn't you know it, when Ian Watson came in he didn't fancy either of them but had to deal with the fact a huge chunk of his salary cap was tied up in players he didn't get on with and ultimately, the Giants endured yet another underwhelming season in Watson's first in charge. Don't forget, the Giants had won the League Leaders' Shield in 2013 and made the play-off semi-finals in 2015.
Ironically, Agar inherited a similar issue when he came in. Dave Furner had signed Trent Merrin and Konrad Hurrell on marquee contracts and Tui Lolohea was another major earner. Lolohea was shipped out within weeks, Merrin lasted a year and was replaced by Matt Prior on a much-reduced deal and though Hurrell saw out his contract, he didn't justify his marquee status, heck, he wasn't even a guaranteed starter by the end of his time at the club. In a cruel twist, this was Agar's first year with sizable cap space to work with and so far, the four major signings he made have not delivered anything like the quality they were expected to.
The point is, when a new coach comes in they have new ideas and want new players. After a big spending spree in the off-season, Leeds don't have a vast amount of salary cap space at their disposal now or at the end of the year. A new coach won't be able to come in and assemble an entire squad to their liking for at least a couple of years. To expect immediate success as a result is unrealistic.
The other obvious question is simple; who? If Leeds were to remove their current head coach they would need a replacement readily available, and there aren't many obvious candidates out there.
Hull KR head coach Tony Smith is a name that keeps cropping up among fans but it's not a certainty that he would even want the job, and even less likely that Hull KR would willingly allow him to leave mid-season. Would Smith want the job? There will, naturally, be a level of appeal, but the Rovers boss is currently in a job where there is little pressure or expectation, certainly compared to the Headingley post, and where he is part of a long-term project, one he has overseen with distinction so far.
Others believe an Australian should be brought in but that's a route that should come with caution. For every Justin Holbrook has been a Rick Stone, for every Michael Maguire, there has been a, dare I say, Dave Furner. Plucking an Aussie from down under is far from a recipe for guaranteed success, it is, in fact, a dangerous decision to make.
It's also worth considering that Leeds have always had a plan to move Agar upstairs. When speculation surrounding his job came up last year Gary Hetherington confirmed that the club's plan was for Agar to take a technical role in the coming years.
"He ultimately will move on and run our rugby operation, a job we created for Kevin (Sinfield)," Hetherington said. Now that Kevin has left, myself and Richard have picked up those responsibilities between us. But going forward Rich will step into that role, he'll run the rugby operation and that will mean bringing in another coach."
Though no detailed timescale was given, it's clear that Leeds are planning for life with a new coach in the near future. Inevitably, the Rhinos hierarchy will already have some targets in mind, and most probably to take over next season.
Long-term planning is imperative in rugby league and as such, it would be a risky strategy for Leeds to go away from years of planning to counteract what has been a shocking start to the year. Of course, if results and performances continue to remain as they are, action will need to be taken.
Does Agar deserve the time to turn things around? The answer will differ depending on who you ask. Ultimately, he inherited a squad at their lowest ebb and has delivered a Challenge Cup and play-off semi-final in under three years in charge. To try and discredit his accomplishments before this season would be unfair. That said, it's clear to see that Agar himself is confused and bewildered by the performances currently being shown on the field, and that will be a concern to him more than anyone else.
But changing course and changing coach is a much more complex, and much more hazardous process than initially meets the eye.
