Good Morning. It's Thursday 11th May, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road Kinnear has a cunning plan Youth will play a massive part next season, should Leeds find themselves back in the Championship. That's according to Chief Executive Angus Kinnear, who, following the release of their latest accounts last month (21-22), revealed the club had a cunning plan, should the worst were to happen... Kinnear believes Leeds can sustain the financial hardship that the Championship endures, without altering their long term plan as long as they can bounce back up quickly, and utilise the talent at their disposal, including the developmental squad. They say simple ideas are the best, yet the plan Kinnear put together was so elementary, that a Millwall fan could have come up with it. The report was put together as an after thought, just to dot the "i's' and cross the "t's". Let's not forget, Leeds were prepared to sell Charlie Cresswell to Coventry back in January for several million (only for Cressy to refuse the move). For Leeds to get so ahead of themselves, shows total disregard towards a club, supposedly building a team for the future. According to Phil Hay:- "Last month Leeds published their latest accounts, covering the 2021-22 financial year, and a throwaway line in it hinted at a possible plan of attack if, as is very possible now, the club lose their first-team Premier League status. The strategic report, written by chief executive Angus Kinnear, remarked that the “development of a squad with depth and youth means (the club) has the capability to sustain temporary loss of Premier League status without altering its long-term trajectory”. "There was, in other words, a safety net ready to be deployed in the event that the club went down. Needless to say, that statement cannot pass without some scrutiny. However this season ends, Leeds look less like a club with a long-term trajectory than they do a club in need of a thorough reset." "Should Leeds go down, the money and faith they have devoted to academy recruitment will have to pay off to a greater extent. It figures that in scrambling to pull together a team good enough for promotion, the best of their Under-21s would come into play. Which becomes a test of how bright and intelligent their academy investment has actually been." "That some of the players at the level are ready to be tested is beyond dispute. Drameh has been so good at Luton that he looks like he is selling himself short in the Championship. Cresswell was turning in a very competent year with Millwall before a blow to his head required surgery. It is arguably a mark of how far Leeds got ahead of themselves that they were open to permanent offers for him in January." "Gelhardt’s form has been mixed at Sunderland but they finished in the top six and he was not helped there by the injury to Ross Stewart which changed the original plan for him. Gyabi has cruised in the under-21s all year. Perkins has scored 12 goals in 19 appearances and Joseph 16 in 20. Those are numbers and standards of performance which say development squad football has relatively little left to offer." please log in to view this image Is it the end of a dynasty for Dallas Does Stuart Dallas have a future at Elland Road, or is it the end of a dynasty for the 32yo? He has been sidelined for over a year, after breaking his leg in a challenge against Manchester City's Jack Grealish back in April 2022. Reports that he is nearing a return to action, must come as welcome news to many, though it may be too late for the Northern Ireland International make his mark this season. Signed during the Summer of 2015 for £1.3m, Dallas is the second longest current player on Leeds books (after Cooper). He has played 249 games (four more than Cooper) in a variety of positions, and has netted 25 times. Would you like to see Bamford, Forshaw and Dallas stay next season, or are they past their sell by date? There's a lot to be said for experience, but assuming we go down, the physicalities of the Championship, should not be underestimated. please log in to view this image Player of the season Who is Leeds player of the season this year? Do they deserve to have one, given their disastrous campaign. I can only think of four candidates that are worth a mention: Rodrigo, Gnonto, Wober and Adams. Thoughts? please log in to view this image
Morning all. Presser today from Big Sam should be interesting as he's bound to be questioned on Bamford's role given how poorly he performed at Man City. Plus Cooper might be fit and come into the reckoning also what about Koch an ever present this season until last week ? Championship football is 46 games, which means an extra 4 home games with the 10% increase on ST's to be refunded, seems relegation would at least bring some good news for cash strapped fans.
Morning Leeds fans. Gyabi and Joseph selected for the England U20 squad for the world cup this summer. End of message.
Morning all If someone offered me relegation today and an immediate return I would take that right now. I want us to survive but I just can't see an improvement next season, we have not spent wisely and I just don't want a 3rd consecutive season fighting relegation. If we survive I will be happy, another season in the top flight, if we get relegated I will try and take the positives out of it and hope we get a decent coach who can mould the youngsters into a championship winning team What I wouldn't want is relegation and selling off that talent and trying to fight for a promotion instead with team built around Ayling, Cooper, Struijk, Forshaw, Dallas, Bamford and Tyler Roberts. I have said elsewhere some of those I have mentioned would provide great experience but I want to see names like Drameh, Cresswell, Joseph, Perkins, Gyabi and Gnonto being the first names down on a team sheet
I don't really know anything about the u21's unlike many on here. It would appear on paper many would be at least Championship standard. Add Forshaw Dallas maybe Cooper as players who may be able to manage half the games and we should be competitive. Might take a couple of seasons to challenge for automatic promotion but so what. As for anything Kinnear would say, pinch of salt comes to mind. Time for him and Radz to move on
Take a look at our goals during the promotion winning season. Can we expect to see similar from our current squad next season?
The championship was a better league and more enjoyable than the prem. I wish the top teams had broken away now I'm sick of them. Look at Spurs they are also rans who win nothing.
Getting promoted at first ask is not going to happen without the right manager, so Kinnear better have an improved plan because he's talking tripe
Me too, World of Sport. I think the reason the cameras were there was because they were playing Lincoln on the last day and they were going to be crowned champions or something. They were doing one of those little snippets showing a live shot of the ground early in the afternoon, can't remember if it was before kick-off or halftime, and the reporter noticed a little fire he could see in the stand, but with no urgency at all it looked fairly minor. Twenty minutes later it was an inferno.
Injured for Saturday. Cooper Sinisterra Adams Dallas Cooper the only one who may be back next week. Big Sam says there will be a couple of changes to the starting line up as Newcastle pose a different challlenge to last week. Also he's told the players they must not come off the pitch at FT with nothing. Hoping for an improved performance after a good week of training.
Terrible and when you see the surnames grouped together you realise how whole families lost their lives with the exception of perhaps the other parent who was at home. How on earth did they cope after losing a father, husband and sometimes two children. Tradegy.
I remember the policeman walking really slowly away with his hair catching fire. The fire must have sucked all the air in and he was struggling to move.
West Ham in an important game regarding us right now. We don't want them smashing Alkmaar by 4 or 5 and able to rest players for the 2nd leg next week.
