WHO would have thought it, eight rounds in and Champions Leeds are languishing in the bottom four?

We have not heard such a sentence since Brian Clough’s inglorious 44-day reign at Elland Road, but unlike the Leeds United crop of 1974-75 it is hard to see the Rhinos falling into a similar spiral of decay.

Leeds’ other Brian seems to be far more rooted in the club and its traditions to be going anywhere – and he has a list of achievement to point to as well.

They are taking time adjusting to life without their Talismans Kevin Sinfield and Jamie Peacock, not helped by the early season injury to Danny McGuire – but looking at their roster you don’t rule out a typical Leeds charge up the table.

But if they don’t turn it around quickly you never know what sort of scenario we will be looking by the time the first bit of the comp creeps past the halfway point.

Who knows what other injuries may strike or what impact anxiety could have when they get into a situation where they are playing catch-up?

It would be unthinkable for last year’s treble winners not to make the Super 8s – but the mere glimmer of the prospect of that happening will surely be exciting more than a few of their former foe in West Yorkshire.

Bradford would be doing cartwheels at the sight of the dethroned champs tipping up at Odsal bowl with their tails between their legs for a Middle 8s game.

And what would a visit from the Rhinos hordes do for the morale and coffers Batley and Featherstone Rovers.

Such talk is probably more wishful thinking as not only will Leeds grow into the season, but some of those clubs above them will falter – not necessarily through vertigo but due to the depth of their squads.

Huddersfield, another of last year’s top four, are also suffering a reversal of fortunes but they may find it even tougher to work their way back up in time to make the cut.

Under this system of top four, Super 8s, Middle 8s and Million Pound game relegations the margins in deciding the fixtures can be tiny.

The slogan of every minute matters is true – particularly if you are about to be denied a home semi or have been condemned to the Middle 8s and a relegation dogfight.

So if every minute does matter, if every game is important – given the consequences – surely the league should be fair.

And seven weeks from now Super League will head up for its Magic jamboree in Newcastle for an event that will artificially skew the table for the rest of the year.

It was not a major problem before last year’s change – under the bloated top eight play off and no relegation the league season was rendered a mere jockey for pole ahead of the real business.

But under this system it matters.

It goes against the nature of sport to give one team a harder or easier fixture than their rivals in a league system.

Although still unlikely, maybe it will take Leeds losing to Wigan in Newcastle – and then not making the top eight -for the state of affairs to be addressed.

There is a clamour for these type of events, to break up the routine of the regular season and give the fans and players of all 12 clubs the chance to play and watch at a big stage, but should that be at the expense of distorting the table?

If Magic is staying it needs to be fair.

It could be limited to the Super 8s and use the odd round to give all clubs three homes and three aways.

Or maybe the Challenge Cup quarters could set camp there over the weekend.

But if we really want to do something different, why not take two fixtures out of the 30 match calendar and play for double points – so, for example, Saints would not play Huddersfield at home or away but play them once for four points at Magic.

The matches would have to be right – there are certain fixtures that need to stay in the regular rounds– but surely a programme can be devised that is attractive without alienating regular fans.