He is certainly NOT our best CB in my opinion, and anyone who has that opinion certainly either does not watch him much or has no idea what a good centre back does or the qualities they should have. One day he may be top 6 Div 2 quality, but he has sure shown this season he does not have the same potential as any of the ones I previously mentioned. I would be happy to be proven wrong, but my opinion is that he has been woeful this year and should never have been in the team, other than all our other players were crocked or worse. O'Dea is 10 times the player that Lees is. You are blinded by the fact he has come through our academy
No I'm not. Lees has done enough this season to draw the attention of PL clubs as well as the accolades of whoever has managed him, all in his first season above League 2, and he's only 21. He's better than O'Dea and still has lots of room to improve. I wouldn't want to see him starting as regularly next season but to describe him as "woeful" is just ridiculous.
Bit harsh on Lees there! He's played in a terrible defence all season, and while he's not been perfect, he's been no worse than the rest of our CBs who have a hell of a lot more experience in this league. Top 6 PL defender, I'm not too sure...but there's a reason why PL clubs have shown an interest in him, and I think PL managers probably know more than you do about what makes a good centre half
So cutting, but so true! The other point is that he kept all of the other 'better' CBs out of the team! So much for a crap CB.
I did put 'better' in quotes, you know. My point is that once the lad got into the team, there was not a whiff of him being ousted - a decision shared by both of our managers this season. The 'better' players were all brought into the club, whereas Lees was already within - and chucked into the deep end when there was no-one else. I use the term 'better' sarcastically, and oddly like you, I'm disappointed that O'Dea wasn't signed up. I too thought he was the pick of the bunch. Lees for me is one for the future. His introduction was as a result of a series of emergencies. I'm surprised the lad survived it. He should have been introduced more gently, playing alongside a hairy-arsed leader who could guide and develop him (not O'Dea, I might add!). But of course, we didn't have a leader .....
My god, IMO Lees has been our best CB by a mile (only because we don't really have any particularly good CBs I might add). I don't think he has the potential to be top 6 but definitely premier league. You have just watched A game and decided upon that havn't you? O'Dear is the worst player I have ever seen in a leeds shirt
Have you heard of exaggerating your point to get your view across? Still doesn't take away from the fact he's ****ing **** and I'm certainly not the only one with that opinion
But you don't watch lufc Josh. Me? Season ticket. I have come tonthis judgment after the full season. O'Dea is a much better player. For the reasons I cited above which not one person has attempted to critique, lees will never make it in the prem I Predict.
Lees has been one of the reasons our defence has been so bad. He has been ever present and we have been awful defensively. There is a cOrrelation there.
We'll see next season, kiwi. But I would say Warnock has bigged up a lot of players these last couple of months - and how have we fared?
How can you have a ST and then claim Lees is not good enough for even L2?? Thats a ridiculous comment. He ripped up that league and was Burys player of the year. Put him alongside a more experienced and dominant CB and he'll do great.
??? I have a season ticket and have had one for many years. Funnily enough, the Leicester game is my last game for at least a year courtesy of Bates and I have not renewed. For the reasons i outlined in a post above, I do not think Lees has the characteristics of a good centre back (definitley not a right back). All I can go on is how I have seen him this year and he has certainly not filled me with confidence and, injuries aside, I would not have been playing him hardly at all. He needs some one-to-one coaching lessons to really improve and, in the words of Smithy to Desailly, get down the gym. He may have had a good year with Bury, but I did not see him. I want leaders and good players at LUFC, not second division calibre.
So why say he isnt even good enough for L2 then Hes had many greats games anyway. Boro at home evn when we had 9 men, Donny away, Boro away, Hull away, Pompey away etc
He's bigged up a few of them, yes, and we haven't done brilliantly. But the 5 or 6 players he's bigged up don't constitute a team - the team wins you a game, the squad wins you a championship. We have half a good team at best.