Quite an interesting article from a fans perspective. Lonergan 7 He played in the games against Portsmouth and Doncaster before suffering a broken finger that has kept him out since. He looked good in both games and he was really becoming a fans favourite. We have sorely missed him. Rachubka 4 He dropped an absolute clanger in his first game in place of Lonergan, when he gifted an injury time equaliser to Coventry. Apart from a decent game against Birmingham, I have not been impressed with him at all. He is ok at shot stopping, but collecting crosses and his distribution are very worrying. Connolly 7 He got his place back in the side at the start of the month against Portsmouth and he has looked solid. For me, he is always a consistent six or seven out of ten. I thought he had one of his best games in a Leeds shirt in the draw with Cardiff on Sunday. Lees 8 Player of the month He moved into the centre of defence in the Portsmouth game at the start of the month and he has looked solid alongside Darren O`Dea. He helped the side keep their first two clean sheets of the season and he has looked a real threat in a forward position. He chipped in with a goal at Doncaster and he has come close on a number of other occasions. O`Dea 8 Despite his real clanger against Cardiff City on Sunday, he has become the leader in defence. His partnership with Lees is really starting to blossom and I hope he is quickly back to full fitness. He also managed to score twice, one of them a winner deep into stoppage time. White 8 It was very hard to separate Lees, O`Dea and White. They have all had really good months and White is getting better, stronger and more confident with every game. He has been a revelation this season, I honestly did not think he was good enough at left back but I am glad I am being proved wrong. Snodgrass 7 He really struggled early season but he put in a much-improved performance at the start of the month against Portsmouth and he has looked much more like his old self since. He managed to get on the score sheet against Cardiff at the weekend and I hope it can be the start of a good run. Clayton 7 I am worried about Clayton. I think he is looking tired and his performances are not at the high standard they were in the first month of the season. It is probably taking it out of him carrying Howson! Howson 5 I have not seen him have a really good game yet this season. Often missing for long periods of the game and I do not think he is club captain material. We need a leader on the pitch when the chips are down, something he is not. Still no new deal signed, is this the problem? Pugh 6 He works well with White but I have not seen him contribute enough. He is another player I think looks tired. In the last two games against Birmingham and Cardiff, he has contributed very little in the second half. Keogh 6 He managed to get his second goal for the club at Peterborough with a great strike. His work rate is excellent and he had a great game at Doncaster Rovers. He is another player who looks like they have struggled in the last few games, which have resulted in him being substituted early in the second half. McCormack 7 Only scored the one goal in October, (a great goal at Doncaster). He is still looking full of confidence and he is working really hard. He has been thwarted in the last two games by great saves, more goals are just around the corner I am sure. Substitutes Becchio 5 He has not looked fully fit, which is only to be expected having missed so much football. He needs a run of games to get back into his stride and it has been understandable why McCormack and Keogh have started ahead of him. I would actually like to see him start against Blackpool, alongside McCormack. Sam 7 In every game that he has come on, he has contributed and looked really dangerous. He was the spark we needed in the second half at Peterborough, where we lacked creativity in the first half. He is another player I would like to see given a start against Blackpool, with Pugh taking a rest. Vayrynen 6 I do not think we have seen enough of him. He got his first start against Peterborough but he spent most of it out wide, until swapping positions with Howson close to half time. He looked much better in the middle and if only Grayson had the balls to drop Howson, we might seen someone a bit more competitive in the centre of midfield. Forssell 5 He is another player who does not look fully fit and he has not even been on the bench in the last few games. Nunez 5 He got a rare chance at Peterborough after being dropped after the Portsmouth game. For me, he runs down to many blind alleys and he is one of the most one footed players I have seen in a long time. I am still not convinced by him. People say he is not playing in his correct position. I am sorry, he is an experienced international footballer who should be able to do a combative performance in more than one position. Kisnorbo 6 He made his first appearance since September when he replaced O`Dea after half hour in the game with Cardiff. He looked ok. He has a tendency to give away silly free kicks and I think he will be all right when not faced with a pacey striker. He should be ok if he plays against Blackpool in midweek but Leicester at the weekend is a worry with their pace in attack.
I agree with you for the majority and a good thread to start from the banter point of view. Now i completely disagree about O'Dear. I woulda given him a 6 personally, i think he is very uncomfortable on the ball, he looks accident prone and im always nervous when the ball goes near him. He has made a few mistakes this month but has also put in a good performance or two. Overall though, for me he would be dropped instantly. Still dont understand why people defend him I woulda given howson a 6 or a 7. I wouldn't say clayton is carrying him whatsoever, i think howson is playing a deeper role which involves him not getting forward as much as he was last season, him playing a different role does not mean he is playing badly. He is doing the job we wanted brown to do which means he lets clayton take all the credit. Saying that, i think he could get more involved when we are chasing a goal though. Keogh i would be giving an 8. He is our best striker, everything comes through him, his link up play is second to none and we have struggled for the hold up play and link up play up front when he is off. The guy is quality and he brings so much more to the table than just goalscoring, he is the reason for me why we have improved so much since the beginning of the season. Sorry becchio, you have lost your place in the team for the season. Everything else, i would have to agree with. I think its hard to rate the subs as much so i would maybe have given sam a 6 but he is pushing for a start. Its hard to say really
I find it strange that,with our defence as poor as it is,& our midfield/attack the strongest part of the team,you've given higher marks to the defence! Doesn't make sense- O'Dea scores higher than all of the midfielders & strikers. That can't be right. The guy's a liability & no higher than L1 standard. Clayton player of the month for me,& he's not tired,we're only just into November! Bit harsh on Howson,he's not been THAT bad,just not really the inspirational leader we need,but that's not his fault,Grayson made him captain after all.
LiE. I agree with what your saying but considering we are not conceding as much as we have been, particularly in this month, its easy to praise the defence. I still think aidy white has a hell of a lot to learn if he is to be a regular LB but he has certainly proved me wrong by playing as well as he has.
Are you the guy on ja606 who was insisting that O'Dea has been rock solid and can actually play football from the back? How anyone can talk up O'Dea and run down Howson is beyond me. This knocking of Howson has got to stop, it's disgusting and will drive him away, then you'll see how good he is.
Nope, Clive that is not me, I rarely go on ja606, and my nic is the same. I sometimes think Howson needs a tomtom on the pitch as he keeps getting lost. I'd love to see him return to the form of last season, and really hope he signs a new contract with us very soon. I also believe O'Dea is not have as bad as we make out. We need to trust Grayson
