be interesting to see him and coops in a 100m race. You could wait for the gun, go make a cup of tea and get back in time for the finish.
Struijk would just stand there like nigel planer in the young ones... Wow man what was that bang did anyone else hear it.
So the slaughter continues. You must be very proud of yourself. Firpo apart, those guys you list got us promoted & had a great first year in the PL. Were they crap then? So ask yourself - is it the players, or is it the managers? As I recall, well into the season, Struijk was rated our top player in the season to date, on something like 6.6 - whilst playing out of position at LB! If you want perfection, go support Manc, don't expect it here until we've unloaded a billion or two like them.
But you do need to rotate players in and out and also be honest, we need an upgrade on Cooper and Ayling, they’ve been great but time is catching up with them. Sadly, Struijk just hasn’t looked the same player since causing the Harvey Elliot injury.
Understand your point WJ. My take is… First year in the prem we had a winning habit, continuity of players and coach.We also to some degree had a style that protected the defenders (but hung them out to dry when it didn’t work). It all turned to rat in year 2. 5 managers have failed to get these guys doing the basics of defending to an acceptable standard in the PL. So for me, if you think it’s the managers then you’re including bielsa in that.
I do include Bielsa in that, Milky. And that is exactly where the wheels came off. We don't really know why, but if you listen to the (alleged) ITKs, it was a player revolt, led by specific players. It does sorta fit, but who knows? Whatever it was, that's exactly when the downward spiral began. Moving forward from that, the team never regained it's integrity again. I think from then on, confusion & lack of confidence took over. Confusion because every manager that came in had a different way of playing, & fancied different players, which would impact most of the players by crushing their confidence, particularly the younger players still learning the game (like Struijk ).
Very fair points WJ. I don’t know anyone at Leeds anymore but I know it was like a morgue when things didn’t go well under MB. If you piece together what we know about Bielsa and his attitude when things don’t work… of doing the same thing harder. And if you understand how personally he took defeat and how intense he was… it’s not a stretch to imagine things getting to breaking point. Hey just supposition, from what I do know.. whilst not being ITK
Keep yearning for those Bielsa days fella but they won't come back. Get Strachan, Batty, Chapman, Jones and Co back. They got us promoted too once upon a time. Struijk was our best player last year on a 6.something rating? Really? I doubt it somehow. Struijk was bang average under Bielsa and rarely played (in fact never 1st choice). He was terrible under Marsch, terrible under Gracia. Did Big Sam even pick him at all? So he's been either bang average or error prone for every single manager he's played for! Yeah, sounds like a manager problem to me too! That defence has conceded an average of more than 2 goals a game for 2 years and you want to keep them and trust them again? Not me, I see a problem and try and fix it. It really shouldn't be this difficult to understand. please log in to view this image
Steve, you forget that I hardened myself for this by watching Partick Thistle & Scotland for 30 years before I came down here. More highs than lows down here in that respect.
