I think we will see how crap. Remember that stat about how we'd have been in the auto places last season if all our games had ended after 75 minutes? What is that all about if not fitness? (maybe lack of decent subs, too, to be fair, but mainly its fitness). I think we'll be fit this season. Those players did not turn up early for training just because the thought popped into their heads, BM has said something - also the lad for Crewe only got 15 minutes v Farsley because according to BM he had not maintained his fitness over the summer. I reckon he's told them, no one pulls on a Leeds shirt if they can't be arsed to get properly fit. btw, Revies Leeds team always seemed the fittest at the start of a new season - its a sign of a good manager, I think.
Fitness is certainly a big factor, and maybe that's why everyone who loves Brown kept on about how he kept going for the full 90 every game. It's true, he did, but did he stand out against a group of players who weren't in as great condition as they should have been? Possibly. You're right about lack of decent subs though 2020, and also the fact that Colin seemed eternally reluctant to use subs, even though he used have a full bench of outfield players to give him plenty of options. Ah well, I'm much more optimistic that BMD will lead the way to a good season. Morning all BTW
With regard to BMD there seems to be a concensus in the game by fans and media alike, that BMD knows his stuff. BMD has said he thinks the young kid is going to be great and compares him to Kitson. He says he has two great feet and has skill for someone so big. Becchio spent a lot of time chasing shadows, falling over, and was a cart horse at times. Yes we loved his goals but we only got one decent goal haul season out of him. I thik BMD has been shrewd, hes got this kid hes been after for free, he loaned out Becchio's replacement which means the new kid will be used a lot. Hes going to be a handfull for Championship defences and both scouse prem teams couldn't stop him scoring last season. Fingers crossed
Have to disagree with you about Becchio's goal hauls, he was consistently good for us. 2008/09 - 19 2009/10 - 17 2010/11 - 20 2011/12 - 11 (but missed the start of the season and was playing catch up all year to be fair to him) 2012/13 - 19 (and if he'd stayed with us it could've been 30+...) Agree that he was technically flawed and him constantly falling over was annoying, but you can't knock his goal record for us
2020, I think the crew chap had been injured, which is why he wasn't particularly fit. I also wonder if his mind was slightly on what has recently been going on at Crewe. Time will tell. Interesting thought. BMD is working on a diamond formation with McCormack currently at the head of that diamond. Assuming for the moment no further incomers and everyone's fit, what's our starting XI & in what formation? Me, I'd go for: Ashdown Byram Lees Pearce Warnock Brown Hunt Austin Diouf/Poleon Smith McCormack Bench: Kenny, Peltier, White, Poleon or Diouf, Dawson
Boggers throw this into the mix too??? http://www.leedsunited.com/news/20130710/new-role-beckons-for-aidy_2247585_3232768 Will it work because for me Aidy has had plenty of chances and failed.
Some of you guys talking about top six And trying to compare a lad who could not make the Oldham first team to the likes of Becchio. Becchio got you a shed load of goals in half a season, If you played with 12 men and had both Smith & Hunt on the pitch they still will not get Becchios goals Its gonna be a long hard season for you guys again..... Morning All
Morning All, I'm with you about this, Doc. Hopefully he'll be a success, otherwise, I hope it's his last chance. I was really excited about him during his first game, as he caused panic in the opposition defence as he ran at them time after time, but sadly, several years later, I'm still waiting on him putting over a peach of a cross. Should be bread & butter, but he's had umpteen chances to prove himself out wide. Average at best in defence. The only thing he has of note is pace, but that's about as far as it goes. Perhaps he shoud think about taking up running if this new position doesn't work out?
Aidy could well make it in that role, but I agree that this has to be his last chance to make an impact. Play him in goal for one of the games and he'll have been tried out in almost every position! In theory playing off the striker could be a good role for him though. Lots of pace and he can run at people, but his deliveries were always poor, and he won't have to worry about that as much from that position. As for the whole Becchio thing I too loved his goals, and he was consistent at getting them but agree with Kiwi he constantly frustrated me with how much time he spent on the ground. It'll be interesting to see where those goals are going to come from, but I expect them to be spread across the team rather than one player getting 20+.
Totally agree. Of all the players we gave away, he's one thats above criticism for me.Maybe when we sign someone capable of 25 to 30 goals a season, we can have a pop at Becchio. Of course he had failings but so does all strikers. If they did'nt they would be called Messi, but then again, hes too small
I don't think anyones having a go at Becchio as he always gave his all and he got goals. I started off saying that I think the new kid could prove to be better thats all. This diamond formation thing is getting a bit worrying though. If Aidy is in it and Ross is in it and Noels in it,it leaves room for Murphy and thats it. IS he going to sell all those midfielders we have?
Morning all. I think McDermott has something up his sleeve with the likes of Poleon, white and Hall. They're all fairly quick, and if we're introducing a passing game to the team then there's no reason why they can't improve. Not sure whether we need another striker to be honest. We've just got two and only got rid of 0.2 of a striker. Goals could well be more distributed around the team so you don't necessarily need a 25 goal striker. And anyway, Ross has proved he can get near the twenty mark anyway.
I'd be more concerned about your lot mate, I see you're linked with yet another striker...Peterborough's prolific Tyrone Barnett, with an almighty 5 goals at Championship level in 18 months Boy, you guys can really pick them!
Well lads just to let you know congratulations are in order Millwall were away in Warwick training last week and on their day off they had a Go-Karting competition and the trophy was won by Leeds very own Stevie (the Millwall legend) Morison Shows the competitiveness in him dont you think ? Lets hope he has a great season and scores **** loads of goals aye !!!!
Good call Doc. White playing in a passing team in midfield, even off the bench, offers us a lot of options. He is so quick that he will cause havoc. If he can learn to get to the byline and pull the ball back to Smith & others' he will add shedloads to the team. But I agree with others. If he can't crack it and be part of BMD's plans, he may as well go elsewhere, which would be a great shame. On Becchio, with Snoddy & Gradel, these are the three players we really miss, albeit for different reasons. Becchio was still scoring plenty when we were playing hoofball. How many would he have scored if we'd been playing as it looks like we're going to be playing this season? Let's hope that Smith, McCormack, Poleon and others will score a shedload.
Hunt won't be in the diamond, he'd be up top. White and McCormack would both play at the point of the diamond, so it's only one of them at a time. I'd imagine it'd be Green holding, Murphy and Austin/Tonge/Norris then McCormack at the point.
Fair point Kiwi, but as things stand, I'm struggling to see where Tonge and Norris would fit into the starting XI. One or other might make the bench, but my starting XI didn't even include Murphy (slip up on my part). Maybe a 4231 formation might work with Smith up top, .... forget that. I think we'll end up with 442 with either two players out wide and Smith/McCormack up top and Brown as the holding midfield or some other combination. I really think we need to let a few go, as even if we have injuries and suspensions, our squad looks way too big at the moment, espeecially if Poleon and Dawson aren't sent out on loan and stay to push for a at least a place on the bench.
We definitely need to offload a few. I like Brown but I think him, Pugh and at least one other (Norris/Tonge?) need to leave. Then we'd have Murphy, Green, Austin, Norris/Tonge and two promising youngsters in Thompson and Dawson (who may leave on loan). That'd be so much better. If we get a couple of decent wingers, 4-2-3-1 could definitely be a formation we utilised. Smith up top, with McCormack/Diouf in behind and two quick wingers out wide getting balls into the box. I really think the diamond is just something he's looking at because we have a glaring lack of width. Once we sign a couple of wide players, I think McDermott will start exploring other formations, because wingers would really get the best out of Smith
Guys dont forget that Hunt was used as a winger as well as a striker. He wasn't that prolific because he started many games out wide and when news of this transfer reached the media Hunt was called winger in some articles?
