Match Day Thread Leeds v Hull City

The fanbase and more importantly the manager wrote off Jacob evidently. He did ok in the Rosie system. Not so ok in the Walter system. Not sure what Jacob's got to do with the point though...

Part of the problem with pre season was the quality of teams we'd lined up, playing sides like Newcastle with an absolutely decimated squad.

The overarching point is this - the manager needs more time, regardless of pedantry around the number of relevant games played. The new 'key' members of this squad have been with us a matter of days, or even 'day' singular.

There is definitively an undercurrent of people with very itchy trigger fingers that seemingly can't wait to say 'I told you so' regarding the club's reset this summer. You can see who's taking aim already.

We've had three draws with a still weakened squad before Leeds away and I don't care what anyone says, we would have been the underdogs in that game even if we had Rosenior in charge and the squad we finished last season with. What are people honestly expecting?

 

I agree people reacting to Leeds away is a bit knee-jerk. As is trying to judge a new manager based on a hitherto depleted squad.

I do worry that sheff u is another tough one then we have 3 games we need to get results out of prior to Norwich and the next international break.

The longer we don't get that win, the more the pressure will mount. And it could do quite quickly.

 

The squad we finished last season with is of a much higher standard than Leeds current squad. I know it’s opinion, but as far as opinions go this one is pretty close to fact.

 

Still really not sure about Walter's communication. In his pretty short interview today, one of his only coherent points was that the players need to find solutions without his input, which seemed an unduly negative way to speak about his players to me, but maybe that wasn't the intent. He's confusing. When asked to confirm that the new signings not involved today were signed too late to be registered he just refused to talk about it. Why be so confrontational and awkward? Just answer the question ffs, there shouldn't be anything sensitive about that. He seems annoyed at having to talk to the media which is just weird when they're asking totally innocent questions. I know some people love a manager being a prick to journalists but I've never understood that.

 

The point is that there's been posts saying you can't judge a manager based off pre-season but then judge a player off the same games. It's a contradiction that doesn't make sense. You can't judge the one you want to judge, but not the other.

Even ignoring pre-season, it's been the worst start to a season since 2006 (stat from Fletch) and that includes the managers who had to endure Ehab. Today was a much better performance, but the first 3 were difficult to be positive about and they felt like winnable games (the 1st 3 sides we played are all in the bottom half at present, so it was a good time to play them too).

The squad is weaker yes, but it's not as weak as some are making out. The XI wasn't bad at all, and I think we were capable of performing better than we did in the 1st 3. Acun promised entertaining football, and this is the issue, we aren't getting it, and we're struggling to score goals and create clear cut chances.

 

The improvements are there to see. I think we've been far less 'sloppy' as we've progressed through the first four games. Right now I'm not remotely worried about it, let alone passing judgement. We've added some more quality and now it just needs bringing up to speed and integrating. At that point, the more they play together, the better they'll get.

There's no need for pressure to mount quickly. The application of common sense based on the scenario we're currently in will surely see to that. Suggestions of Acun having no patience are unfounded, the lack of patience comes from certain supporters.

 

We've seen time and time again, as soon as the board starts taking flack then the manager comes under pressure.


Not saying it should be the way, just that it often is

They just need that win in the next block of games.

 

Is it bollocks

Our XI last year was good last year but also young, and the rest of the squad was iffy at best.

Look at the strength of Leeds' bench, most of them would've been comfortable starters for us last year.

 

Our front three from last year went for a combined 66.5 million. They’re all premier league players.

Add Giles, Seri, Morton, Greaves, Zaroury, Tufan to that list, there’s not many Leeds players from this year who would get a look in our starting line up from last year. (Granted Zaroury wasn’t a guaranteed starter but he’d walk into this Leeds team). I know you said squad, but based on the talents we had our 11 at least last year is far more talented than anything the white **** will put out this year.

 

You can definitely judge player performances in pre season - that's exactly what they're for alongside building fitness and that's exactly what Walter did when he dropped a severely struggling Jacob.

Any game is 'winnable'. Our downfall in the first three was constantly giving the ball away in stupid situations. Until the first Leeds goal today I don't think we've conceded a goal yet that wasn't purely down to our own doing. These mistakes have been happening while the players are adjusting from a very defensive mentality to a much more attacking mentality. Mistakes will be made during this process.

In attack, we're creating more space, making more runs, getting the ball to feet more in the box and creating more chances than we did last season and with a weaker side that are still learning and bonding. That side of our game will fall into place the longer we keep turning the screw.

As for the squad, we've recently been heavily relying on players like Simons, Jarvis, Macca, Longman and Oscar for example, who were either playing at lower levels or couldn't get a look in for us last season. Despite that, we've pretty much matched the results from those fixtures last season when we had a better squad.

 

The first today was entirely preventable. And how do you square the circle by saying in one post were not as sloppy ( both goals were) and in another post say our downfall is giving the ball away in stupid situations?

They're surely one and the same, no?

 

If you can judge a player, you can judge a manager. If TW would've won every pre-season game, he'd have been judged positively and rightly so. Therefore, when you have a poor pre-season, and the worst game was Reading (it was abysmal), he'll get judged negatively.

Have you really watched the games and thought we're much more attacking now? We're a bit more attacking but we've still only scored 2 goals in 4 games and one was a penalty. We get into good positions as we've done for a while but struggle with the end ball.

There's a lot of 'give him time' going around at the minute but you have to earn that. Today was better, but we still didn't score and had just 2 shots on target, it's the same problems. Today's performance should've earned him more time, but I wouldn't be surprised if he went during the break. It's an easy way for Acun to deflect blame.

 

I think it'll be the next break where there may be questions asked, not this. Unless there's some serious dissent in the dressing room already, but it's not even a settled group yet.

It's absolutely ridiculous to be shouting for his head now. But the next batch of 5 games before the October break could have a lot to say about his future.

 

5 bad results means more than Tim losing his seat, we will probably lose season too. And with such low morale, anything can happen, even worst that I don't want to talk about now.

 

Well Ba does not think much of the situation.

 

I thought it was a bit better performance that we have had so far. The change which turned out to be a negative one, was bringing Jarvis on, to some degree he was at fault for both goals.

Of the players that I thought did okay, Zambrano, I was impress by him, Pandur, Coyle, Millar, Mehlem & Behia. Hopefully with these new additions, TW can start to finally get a balanced team together, as to be fair he had a paper then squad at the beginning, and most of the players have only just arrived.

I think it will take well into until October before we see whether this is going to work or not.

 

I think this international break should be a line in the sand.

Walter has had a baptism of fire with the squad turnover and lack of quality signings in key positions. But he’s hardly endeared himself to the fan base with questionable tactics, poor performances and his prickly demeanor.

He now has two weeks with a decent squad of players to show why he was brought in. After the international break any criticism of performances or results will be entirely valid, and if there are no signs of improvement he’ll be under pressure by the next international break.

 

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To be fair to him, he's in a difficult position, as a new employee, where he can't directly blame the owner/director of the club. It just makes no sense to leave signings up until the last minute, especially for a club that supposedly has hard ambitions to get promoted, but City are not alone in this.