Leeds United under Simon Grayson: Games played: 28 Points gained: 43 Points per game: 1.5 Goals scored: 44 Goals scored per game: 1.6 Goals conceded: 41 Goals conceded per game: 1.5 Leeds United under Neil Redfearn: Games played: 4 Points gained: 6 Points per game: 1.5 Goals scored: 8 Goals scored per game: 2 Goals conceded: 6 Goals conceded per game: 1.5 Leeds United under Neil Warnock: Games played: 8 Points gained: 9 Points per game: 1.1 Goals scored: 7 Goals scored per game: 0.8 Goals conceded: 11 Goals conceded per game: 1.4 Warnock had better pick up his **** next season. It's not been good enough, and we've got to acknowledge that. Just because he's well-qualified doesn't mean we can't start asking for improvement. All he's done so far is halve the amount of goals we score, while stil conceding a similar amount. And the points per game ratios speak for themselves. Once again, the stats show what a PHENONEMAL job Simon Grayson did, and Redfearn's stats are only flattered by the lowly opposition we were facing. Will I be the Clivetime of Neil Warnock's tenure? We'll have to see. But the summer will be a key battleground, and even though it's time now to bid our playoff ambitions adieu, we'd better see a hell of a fight in these last games, or the passion will already have started to drain.
"Neil and his merry men have galvanised the team. They are the same players, virtually, that he inherited from Simon Grayson and you wouldn’t recognise them, their play or the team’s performances." (Kenneth Bates) Is there some sort of mistake with the stats in this article?
Explosion of activity in summer, explosion of activity. Aye. I'm not going to judge Warnock this season, I think he has ben given a bum job, but he has made his own bed by believing and continuing the hype that it's possible we could have got into the play-offs. That's just such BS, and always was. There was simply no reason to spend any money bringing in loan players. We have some great players in Zac Thompson, the Turner twins, Taylor, Gimpel and others that are out on loan and could come back. He could have /should have used the remaining games of this season to have a proper look at his squad and see which kids might just make it next year. Instead, he put unbelievable pressure on a bunch of players that were never going to make the grade, and the fans have started to feel very sour and let down. I have no faith that he will be able to do anything for us in the timescales he has set himself. He has to be able to rid the deadwood first. The likes of Paynter will sit on their big fat paycheck rather than play. But the biggest deadwoods are Bates and Harvey. And they aint going nowhere.
If we'd seen Warnock's matches under Grayson, the manager would have been slagged off for being 'tactically naive'. Let's face it, us fans are far more tactically naive than any professional manager is. Grayson did a great job, Warnock's done an average job. He's certainly not got a squad of his own, but then again, he's never had trouble with walking into unfamiliar places before and getting them going. Certainly the mark of a good manager is being able to get the best out of bad bunch. And Warnock has scarcely done that. If anyone still thinks Grayson did a bad job, they need to visit a shrink. He's a Leeds United hero in my eyes, on a par with some of our best-remembered players for his services to LUFC. I'm refusing to say anything about next season yet; hopefully the Easter meeting between Warnock and Bates will shed some light on our ambitions.
Iqbal, Whatever happens, its the end of an era, a big clearout in the Summer, and a lot of new players coming in. Not too sure about Webber, though I love the Robinson signing. Is Pugh that poor, that he won't be given a chance?
I think you are right logi. I predict November. Bates already written or stated there will be a new policy on players. It won't be an improvement though.
A set of stats that mean ****e all until Warnock starts fielding a team he has built playing a system he wants to play. He's no miracle worker and he knows the squad is poor. Bates statements add nothing to the case as no-one takes any notice of the crap he spews out.
Pugh and Robinson both look cumbersome and get ragged by wingers at left-back. Pugh's OK for midfield backup, but we need someone far more capable to challenge Clayton and Brown next season. If we choose to keep Brown, that is. I like Robinson's commitment, but every man and his dog knows that he'll get done for pace and consequently he ends up facing the opposition's fastest winger every time. We need to sign Aidan White up and play him there. We won't find anyone better for the same money, even if we end up paying him close to 20k a week. It's been so, so long since we've had a good left-back. Webber? He'll never have an impact at Leeds. Get rid of him at the end of the season. We need players with a good final ball, not failures like him. He's the Andy Keogh of attacking midfield. Does it at least not show that Warnock is predictable and unadaptable? This squad's strength is so obviously in scoring goals, but Warnock has made it too defensive and that's cost us points that could have put us in the playoffs. There's nothing wrong with self-belief, but Warnock's playing style is stubborn and not working.
Have to agree and say Grayson did a great job and i have a tremendous respect for the guy and his time at Leeds. He stepped down to manage us when we were outside the playoffs in league 1 and on a 5 match losing streak. People always have a go at him for the defence yet he tightened our league 1 defence by bringing in Naylor, Sodje and then Kisnorbo for the following campaign. A record 15 straight league wins at Elland Road and a record 8 straight wins in the 09/10 season Max Gradel. January 3rd. The draw at Spurs was another magic moment. Loyalty, when there was interest from Premier League Burnley. Auto promotion. Good season back in the championship and a draw at the Emirates. You can't underestimate how big a set back losing Beckford and his goals were, meaning our team had to completely adapt, and adapt they did. Left with an extremely difficult task this year when it was clear to everyone (fans, media, bookies) that we were always going to struggle to compete for promotion. The only reason he was sacked was an attempt from Bates to shift the blame from himself, especially after the Howson sale.
I'd love to know our win ratio's for TV games over the last few years. Our players always seem to perform when the cameras are on. Shame they can't step up for 30,000 fans when they're off.
Well this season on TV we've picked up wins against Donny, Burnley and Boro. Drawn against West Ham, Brighton and Cardiff. Also lost twice to Saints. Similarly last year we beat Boro, Burnley, Forest and QPR. We drew with Reading, Donny and Forest. We lost to Derby, Cardiff and Swansea. Nothing too strange about them statistics in the championship at least.
We haven't performed badly in any of them this season though (apart from Southampton, first game) It pains me to say it, but we just look like a completely **** team at the moment.
To be fair we were very lucky to get the win at Burnley as the performance there was shocking. As for this season we are just playing for pride and to make our league position respectable. We have contrasting fixtures with all our away ones tough and meaningful to the opposition, but our home games are all against teams with nothing to play for.
Is it time to refer you to when I said that I didn't think he'd do a good job as manager of leeds or is it too soon?
It's far too early to do any comparisons. Give Warnock a close season to get his squad together & playing his way (even then, it's probably too soon, as we'll still have most of Grayson's dross on the payroll). As for Grayson, I'll always be grateful for what he done for us, promotion-wise. But it was time to go. He'd lost the dressing room, failed to put a decent defence together, and the team were playing absolute ****, relying on lucky results. It was cringeworthy watching some of the games. Really embarrassing. It's still the same at times, but at least Warnock acknowledges we're ****. Grayson didn't. What does that tell you about the man?
This Leeds team is Grayson's (with exception of one or two players) and he is to blame 100% for the ****e we have and how bad we now are.
There's no proof he lost the dressing room, and a forlorn/lucky bunch of players don't score last minute winners/equalizers in the abundance we were doing. He hadn't failed to put a decent defence together - realistically, Connolly/Thompson, O'Dea, Lees and White are the best we could get with his budget and contacts. I reiterate that we have NO SCOUTING TEAM other than Gwyn Williams. So all Grayson has at his disposal are Premiership players left out of the squads who we could loan in, and the odd freebie/reject in this division who he could identify (and usually did quite well). The only thing that could have fixed our defence (and still is needed to fix our defence) is a leader, or someone with some experience, pace and grit. Grayson repeatedly found players in that mould in Sodje, Naylor and Kisnorbo, but couldn't get the full, unbroken product for the ****e budget he had. Which top Championship defender's going to come to Leeds for 11k a week for God's sake? Grayson DID acknowledge we were AVERAGE (not ****, let's not be emotive), and asked Bates for a big signing. Bates said no and sacked him soon after. That says it all. Point a gun at my head and tell me to kill a dog, and the murder is entirely my fault, is it? Bates puppet Gwyn Williams had the right to veto transfers, which I'm sure he used multiple times. Bates gave Grayson a lower midtable budget. Bates himself admits to having vetoed t least one transfer Grayson proposed. If that was Grayson's ideal squad for this division, I'm Mother Theresa. Amazed that a fellow Bates hater like youself has been duped by the propaganda so easily, Boab. I thought better of you.
Is that really true about scouting? That's horrifying. That's why Bates has the excuse that he's only said no once. Because technically he has, just Gwyn Williams will only scout cheap players to make sure that's all we go after.
