And make the playoffs? What are your thoughts on your squad strength, manager, club fan base and stature?
Hmm maybe, I don't think we are as expectant this season and the league has probably strengthened a fair bit from last season as it seemed quite weak last year. I think as a team we are far far better than we have been for a while. I think we could sneak into the play-offs with a good run but perhaps with the current squad (imagining we won't strengthen any further) then its hard to see. If we did bring in a couple good signings then I think we could. Our manager is probably the best we've had in a very long time, the fan base is much happier with the current owners I feel and everything is starting to look up away from the pitch. That feel good factor is starting to come back but you never know that could disappear after a few poor performances maybe. I'm starting to feel we will be back in the prem in the next couple years
Thanks for asking. Josh, understand your caution, but truth is we are Leeds, and we expect promotion regardless of what our squad looks like. Big thing for me is crowd sizes so far. It looks as if the supporters are returning now that Bates is gone, and that will make a huge difference both to the players and the finances (an extra £300k per home game and the budget looks very different).
Too many seasons in the lower reaches has hurt the club. The fans have been hurt by a robbing, bentbastard chairman, but he's now gone. We've had too many players sold from underneath us making it tougher with each new season. This season sees the relegated clubs who already have strong squads, get another £18m in parachute payments, which is a joke when you think that some clubs in our league only get £3m in revenue all season. So the 3 relegated clubs are all looking good for bouncing straight back. Bolton who also get parachute payments are buying well and look as if they are going for it in a big way, and dont discount Blackpool who also still get parachute paynents. Midds are in their last year of payments which is why they now decide to offload players. Its going to be too tough for us to compete this season. Forest and foxes have rich owners as well as Watford. Our only saving grace this season is that we dont have bates and mates at the club. The new owners may be skint, but they realisedthat he was ripping the club off. We also have no nonesens manager who knows how to get the best out of avaerage. he can polish turds and thats what we fans have to look at. We are ripe for investment without Bates and our chairman has just increased his personal share to over 10%. A couple of years ago we were hammered on the opening day of the season by Derby, but that first year proved that if we had invested in 2 more players we would have done back to back promotions as we finished 7th that season and were inside the top 6 all season. opening day victory against a strong team this year and with luck taking all 3 tommorrow in a 6-pointer
Hello, nice of you to drop in (that wasn't sarcasm, btw) make the playoffs? I think we have a 40% chance - we finished only 7 points off the playoffs last season, I can see us improve a little on that, so possibly we might sneak in., What are your thoughts on your squad strength - obviously theres no limit to what you could spend, but its disappointing we did not manage to get in a good CB and at least one winger. Its not really strong enough for promotion (and would be murdreed if we ever were promoted to the Prem). Our squad suffers from evry player whow was marketable having been sold over the last 5 years. What we have, though, the manager seems to be using well. manager, good guy, like him and I think he is getting more decisions right than wrong (but see squad sstrength above) club fan base - held up well, even the last 8 years has not killed it. Obviously takes a long time to kill a fan base. We had 50,000 at our first 2 games (1 league game, one league cup game) - although thats not a lot by top of the Prem standards, I don't think any other club in the Championship had more than 30000 for the equivalent two games. stature? - won't answer that on the grounds that it will turn into a "we are a big club/no we aren't" debate. Potential stature, though: top 6 Prem (because: large city with only one team, plus decent fan base and tradition). Maybe I should have written "top half Prem" not top 6, but I'll stay with top 6.
It really bugs me when people think the relegated teams can't be touched because of parachute payments... there's a reason relegated teams rarely bounce straight back. They are in the habit of losing, their teams were weak enough to get relegated and therefore aren't necessarily strong enough to get promoted and the parachute payments go entirely on paying inflated wages. Also, we still have a higher turnover than all three of the relegated clubs with their parachute payments. Once debts are paid that means we are stronger than any relegated team.
Good post. Have to agree with you wholeheartedly, Marko. The only downside is that this perspective makes me have higher expectations, which I'm trying so hard to play down this season. I fell for it last season & had so much hope. I don't want that level of hurt again.
well you lot seem nice enough, the reason I asked you is because my gran lives in Leeds so ill be looking out for them
I honestly cannot see us getting into the playoffs. Last year was the weakest season for at least the last five years. Perennial failures Cardiff turned into the best team in the league, not because they were any better, but because the rest were worse. The additions to the squad so far haven't been good enough or numerous enough to replace the mediocrity. Plus points are the manager and crowds and Bates being thrown out, but too many other teams have got better.
The relegated teams are weak, doesn't mean other teams in the league aren't much stronger than us. I'd say at least Leicester, Forest, Watford, Bolton are all stronger than us.
Honestly I'll be over the moon if we get top half, lack of wingers and leaders stands out a mile n if we get play offs some teams have to seriously mess up. We can't play games with 4 centre mids on the pitch n expect promotion
Fair play, and thanks for the post. I must admit I thought you were a Millwall fan at first when I read your location
Spot on. For years Bates fed us the rubbish of relegated teams having the extra millions. They have it for a reason, to subsidise the wages of often rubbish players that have gotten them relegated from the pl and dont even want to play in our division. You only have to look at Wolves, Bolton and Blackburn since coming down. Hardly setting the world on fire. There are probably seven or eight teams at the bottom of the pl every season that are no better than what comes down either
Well Eire it still poses the question, why do they deserve to get this money over anyone else in the league? Just because they are overpaying a bunch of crap players doesn't justify the extra money they get in parachute payments. And then in their second season in the division (and most of the time in their first) they get to strengthen like crazy (see Bolton or Wigan for example) because they managed to get em off their books or were smart enough to put a relegation clause in their contracts.
Eire has it right Josh. The parachute payments are to prevent instant bankruptcy, because the players are on contracts that have to be honoured if they are not sold. Relegated clubs seldom change their entire squad due to the dross they have on their books. Leeds were an exception because we had a very talented squad but drama off the pitch which meant our players became easy, cheap targets. True about the Prem being over rated. Look at Rory Delap ... up until end of last season he was at Stoke on £30k per week, gets released and the only club in for him is Burton Albion!! From Prem to Lge Two in one step. Says a lot about the so called best league in the world.
Its there to encourage the likes of Norwich to go out and pay pl wages without the fear of relegation. Otherwise, only the top eight or so pl clubs would be able to take a chance on paying the big wages. Relegation would mean wipe out as it did for us. Suppose when we get up, we'll be damn glad to have that cushion there as well
I know why it was designed but clubs have to just be better financially and put clauses into contracts for relegation. Its a stupid system and gives many clubs a huge advantage that they simply don't deserve
Agree but the problem is if you put relegation clauses into contracts, the players wont sign. There will always be a daft QPR out there willing to risk leaving out the clauses. All the power is now with the player. Problem we may have whenever promoted, is GFH seem to see the pl as a cash cow and would possibly try to operate on a cheap wage structure leaving us totally vulnerable in the pl
Exactly, there would be no need for parachute payments, a clause in their contract stipulating that relegation from the PL would mean Championship wages. Better still, a wage bill based on turnover, it would be impossible for clubs to overextend themselves, and they'd be forced to live within their means. FFP I think it's called
