First post so I was thinking to myself - "be positive, be positive" I am a lot more positive than I was at the start of the summer dont get me wrong. I like the keepers, Lees, Pelts, Pearce, Austin looks handy as did green before getting injured and Beccio and Ross will cause problems up top (not to mention Somma when fit) but its not that this team wont win games, which they will its the fact that we wont win as many or even draw as many (instead of losing late a la Blackpool game) as: Leicester, Blackpool, Cardiff, Bolton, Blackburn, Wolves, Boro, Ipswitch, Maybe even Charlton and Sheff Wed (newly promoted teams have done very well in recent seasons). We will have to wait patiently until we finally get the owners and manager this great club deserves and then yes even with our history I would like to see 30 million plus thrown at the team and see us walk this league next year. The difference would be we would have some Billionaire funding it and not on the "never, never" so we wouldnt be putting ourselves at risk. Thoughts welcomed - would love to be shown how wrong I am and the reasons why so I could be more excited for this season.
Welcome to the forum I predicted about 11th for us this season, I predicted 12th last and we finished 14th - While we are arguably slightly better than last season those around us and those that finished higher like Hull have spent wisely and held on to their best players. I agree totally with you, I believe all maybe barring Ipswich will finish higher than us. I would even add Huddersfield and Hull into that list of yours.
The really frustrating thing is that we all know that some extra investment could turn a mid-table team into a promotion winning one. We have a manager who knows how to get teams promoted but he needs the resources to make it happen. A quality DM, a playmaker, two speedy wingers and a 25 goal a season striker and we'd get back into the Premier League. How much would that set us back? £5m? £10m? But compared to the riches on offer in the Premier League it really isn't a great deal of money. I'm just hoping that a new owner buys us sharpish and invests some much needed quality into the team.
Welcome aboard Micky. If were honest most of us feel the same. Not a lot to be positive about without new investment. Have to be honest, I don't believe that's going to happen leaving us in limbo for god knows how long
Welcome Dirtbag This is a very close division with at least fifteen teams capable of winning it, but as always the key is consistency, which is hard because anyone can thrash you 4-0 on any day. We have a capable manager and capable team, and I think we will be better than the useless lot we had last season. Top six is possible, but we can't afford injuries to key players. If we are in the mix come January I expect to see us strengthen. We also have some good young talent on the horizon, so all positives from me. We played two of the better teams in this league, but we have to be winning at places like Posh, so let's give it ten games before we panic.
Thanks for the Warm welcomes fella's!!! ITs just a shame so many agree with me!!! Oh well, here's to hoping we are all proved wrong and we make the play offs at least.
Mick tbh im sick of expecting to go up if we don't expect it we can't get let down, as usual under Bates!! Welcome mate
Yeah the first few years after relegation and even when we got back to the Champ you think "We are Leeds for Christ Sake" we should be walking this league but unfortunately it doesnt work like that anymore. I will say though that a lot of the lame gets laid towards Bates and the lack of funding and dont get me wrong I would love us to be bought by a billionaire who chucks money at it but look at Blackpool and even more so Swansea - (Where I live as a Cardiff born boy which is fun!!!) The Swans have one of the tightest some say frugle chairmen in Huw Jenkins in the whole football league and the spent next to nothing in getting out of League 1 and then the Championship and even after promotion to the prem they only spent 3.5m on Danny Graham and got some good loan players in. They played arguably the best football in the PRem last season and this season have only spent a bit (before allen went - now they will spend a bit more) and again got off to a flyer playing great football. IF this is the case you have to look at the appointment of the last few managers and say why didnt we go for a Brendon Rodgers or Martinez before their stock went through the roof and is there another young manager out there who could take a couple of years to do a similar job because lets face it we are not going up in the near future anyway so we may as well start a new long term worthwhile project!!! I hope Warnock gets us up but if not lets have a young manager with a footballing philosophy in next and give him time to give us something that will pay off long term a la Swansea.
Without investment, you can recruit whatever manager you like. Theyll be on a hiding to nothing. Rogers will piss money around at Liverpool, they'll be stuck mid table and he'll be sacked. Simple as. We have only one problem to deal with and it has a grey beard. If that ever goes, only then can we progress
Very much the same philosophy I have been preaching for a long time. Let's stop this short-termist nonsense about getting promoted "this season" right now. Employ a manager who has the right philosophies and has been brought up the right way, and build a way of playing football from the youths upwards, and only employ certain types of player, and only bring through certain types of player (ie those that fit the mould and philosophy we play) If we had done that in 2003, we would never have been releghated, we would never have gone into administration, and we would now be in a position to really challenge with some great football, and possibly we would already be in the Prem doing what Swansea are doing. BTW, I don't agree Rodgers did anything other than carry on what Martinez did. He was the key and the catalyst. The issue is that as soon as managers move on to new clubs, who are already in the Prem, they do not have the luxury to build, as expectations mean they have to succeed immediately. How Laudrup will do, only time will tell.
Any thoughts on the idea that this is Warnock mind games - us against the world? We clearly could do with one or two more players. it may take Warnock a while to get the players playing the way he wants. Injuries & suspensions to key players in the next few months also won't help. But if we keep picking up points & are there or there abouts come February/Marh, who knows? Keep the faith people.
We've currently got a team that are going to compete in every game and give 100% that's perfectly good, we came close to beating Blackpool despite being played off the park, but we need the 2 or 3 players that are going to let us dominate games and give us that little bit extra we need to be proper promotion contenders.
Bugger, missed 'em. Anyway, back to the script. Take the following scenario. Take over finally happens after the transfer window closes. We manage to get a couple of decent loanees & are 7th or 8th come the start of the January TW. With a couple of really solid transfers, would Warnock's knowledge be enough for us to then push on for at least top 6 if not auto come season end? Before you poo poo the idea, remember Reading last year. Discuss
my take is that a consistent team will get promoted at the moment there is only 1 Blackpoolthe rest are all in the mix including us so don,t write us ofgf yet wait until Chrismas when he may have gone to hell where he belongs
I still pray every night that Ken Bates dies. Nothing else to post on the matter really, other than you are correct in your assertion that Neil Warnock knows how to get teams promoted. Not under a tosser like Master Bates as chairman though! Johnson and Snods sold recently enough said! DIE Bates DIE
