I'm not so sure.



It was Dougie who paid real attention to and indeed started up the youth structure at the club, something previous managers had neglected and ignored. It was Dougie who first started bringing those youngsters into the 1st team, unlike his predecessors. These are ideals that fit right in with the current management.



Dougie liked to make a transfer splash at Leeds (in ways which he hadn't been able to do at Widnes) but, again, that's not exactly alien to the current management - Peacock, Ellis, Senior, Harris.

Interesting you should say that, because thinking back through Widnes sides of the Laughton era there were a heck of a lot of big names brought in from outside the youth system - Tait, Offiah, Devereux, Hadley, Davies, Moriarty, Koloto, Grima, Sorensen et al.



A lot of Laughton's acquisitions may not have been transfers from other rugby league clubs, but he certainly wasn't shy of splashing the cash at Widnes and he got out when that particular well ran dry.

As you say, transfers between RL clubs were rare, the vast majority you listed, and an area where he excelled, was spotting talent in RU.



This wouldn't cause him any conflict with the current board as it's an avenue that is closed for good now because of commercial realities. If, on the other hand, he could unearth a megastar from relative Union obscurity like Offiah |I am sure the board would love him to bits.

If you're going to be this subtle I'm just going to have to ignore you in future.

Re; Doug Laughton...His best signing for leeds by far was Innes, He knew what he was getting with Hanley etc, I lived in Manly when Innes moved on, the players there really rated him.

and biggest miss tuigamala

Didn't Laughton win MOS in it's early days?

Missed a few in those days, when Leeds appointed David Blunkett as a scout the cheack Jason Robinson & Gareth stephens out.

No doubt, was a very good loose forward.

Not great quality but one of my favourite Dougie images from his playing days.







And from his Leeds days Dougie and Ellery taking the club back to Wembley for the first time in sixteen years.

Kevin Dick 1977





Eccles and Holmes in the background?

Yup.







From left to right: Jim Mills, Kevin Dick, Keith Elwell, John Holmes, Graham Eccles and Doug Laughton.



In the other picture after the CC Semi-Final at Central Park in 1994: Paul Cook, Jim Fallon, Ellery Hanley, Doug Laughton, Alan Tait and Graham Holrord (I think.)