After all the bellyache earlier this week, things seem to look a bit brighter. The Becchio & Byram transfer rumours have gone quiet (for now) and weâve snapped up Tonge and Barkley. With Gray gone and clubs apparently in for Connolly and Pugh, it could be a good January after all. Keep the faith! MOT!
Nothings happened yet to suggest any change in our financial setup. Tonge, undisclosed fee, probably no more than 150k and an Everton youngster on a months loan. What's there to be happy about yet?
I guess every long journey starts with the first step, but bugger me, does it have to it be baby steps?
Both fair points, but I wish some fans wouldn't be so pessimistic. The new owners shouldn't be judged solely on what happens during the transfer window but if we can bring in 4 or 5 quality players and get rid of some deadwood then that'll set us up nicely for the summer. They should be judged by their actions at the start of next season, when hopefully they will have spent some cash on the team, brought in a new manager and shown Bates, Harvey etc the door.
I really thought during the summer with talk of impending takeover and the wealth it would bring that we would be finished with the nonsense of our best players being linked with moves away during transfer windows and signing loanees on month by month basis. So , can someone explain to me what has changed cos , for the life of me, I cant see it
1. This is the first transfer window in recent times wher the Chairman is not planning to sell our best playesr (as far as we know) 2. We've brought in some decent players so far. Tonge has done a good job for us and is a good Championship player. Barkley is a great prospect. We still need a quality left-back and a winger (at least) but it's a start. For reasons discussed elsewehere, January is not a great time to buy players and it's perfectly understandable if GFH don't want to spend money on lots of expensive signings when it's a seller's market and Warnock won't be manager at the end of the season. As I say, judge them at the start of next season, not now when they've been in charge for less than a month.
This will sound like a wind up, but it really is a genuine question. Has there been any other clubs asking about Becchio or Byram or could it be the board starting a rumour so they can appear to fend people off? That way thay can look good without spending.
Fair enough. I suppose the litmus test for gfh will be if the fans are happy come February. There is no doubt the team needs refreshing big time to get the fans back through the turnstiles. gfh have already said that is a must. Time will tell if they are doing enough because thankfully at last, our fans will not pay to watch any sort of ****e but are expecting quality for their money
My disappointment with GFH is their lack of communication with us, the fans (their customers!), not the transfer budget. They have signally failed to enlighten us on what they plan to change, if anything. Failure to do so indicates that either nothing is going to change, or they are more incompetent than we all at first suspected. This has to be viewed as a continuation of the Bates regime until they start communicating reasons for thinking otherwise. Put another way, we're looking for light at the end of the tunnel, but for all we know, the tunnel is about to be sold! It's their own fault, and the solution lies with them. No-one else.
Correct and the numbers at Elland Road for March and April will show if the fans are satisfied or not. We're not an easy bunch to satisfy especially after eight years of lies
100% agree. I’ve written to David Haigh saying similar things. They have got to understand just how much Bates’s lack of transparency and general bullshit has hurt the fans. They have also got to understand that engaging with fans actually makes good business sense! I’m still willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe their priority for the first month is to navigate the transfer window. But I’ll be very disappointed if by the start of next season they haven’t spelt out their plans for the club and been more open with the fans.
Slightly happier but January isn't finished yet, remember last season we sold Howson and brought in Delph on loan to gloss it over. As I said in another thread, a Leeds midfield with Tonge in it is better than without, however that isn't going to get me excited about what a great player he is, it just reflects how poor those around him have played. I am more excited about those players who are possibly leaving than Tonge coming in, there are too many big questions to be answered and I hope some of them become clearer. Warnock is an example, if we fail this season is he staying for another, if so then the team he is building to do a job won't look as bad as a new manager coming in thinking he needs to sell half of it before he can rebuild.
Well Becchio is the third highest scorer in the league and a proven goalscorer so I'd expect teams at the bottom of the PL to be interested in him. Byram is quality so I can see why he's attracting some big clubs. I don't believe there is a conspiracy though. Ironically, the most speculation has come from a daft interview that Mick Jones gave after the Brum match. But, as others have pointed out, GFH could have come out and said either that either were definitely not for sale or slap an outrageously high price tag on both of them. That they didn't do either is disappointing.
Agreed, I would like to know that they have a strategy, I would love them to say we now own the ground and training facilities or we are planning to buy them back in x years/months. That they are investing in the youngsters, that Warnock will be replaced at the end of the season as he doesn't want to stay longer or he has agreed to another 12 months as it is job unfinished. That they intend to lower prices and get fans back or there will be a price freeze and major investment into the squad. That they plan on shedding a few loss making parts and trimming the wage bill. That no player will be sold who Warnock doesn't want to sell. Or tell us look it cost a lot to secure the club, we haven't much money left if we are honest but we will re-invest any transfer money and future profit back into the team. As long as some truths and a clearer picture is announced it would be welcomed.
Cheers. I think to be fair to GFH, from the little I've read they admit to being very new to football, so I guess there's plenty they'll look back at with the benefit of hindsight and want to have done differently. I would suggest it's how quickly they seem to learn that's the key.
Thats correct. Theres been enough mistakes at Leeds over past few seasons, we really cant afford anymore. Too many rubbish players signed, too many quality ones let go. Theres got to have been interest in Becchio given hes scored 19 in a half season. Thats easily sorted though. He has 18 months left on his contract. Bring him in and give him a new contract comparable to what Snoddy was ordered, that would show intent as much as signings
To answer the OP - no, not happy but so far it could have been worse (and would have been) As we are a club who have net income from transfers of £3m p.a. (ish) if we end up with a net spend (albeit modest) in a transfer window thats a step upwards - at least its investment in the squad for a change. Unless of course we sell Pugh for £3m Personally I think Tonge is ok and its a pity he is getting such a lukewarm response, but its understandable. He'd be a good enough addition as one of several, but when he's the only senior player coming in it does not do a lot in the pulse racing stakes. The Everton lad will be interesting, whether he does good for us depends how ready he is, obviously he is n ot yet ready for the Prem. Will have to wait and see. To DMD's question, its a fair question (you are almost cynical enough to become a Leeds fan, with that sort of thought) but I doubt it, both are players who would get considered by other clubs. But after the years of the Bates era, I tend not to speculate on stuff like this, the thing I look at is the end result - their actions, not impressions nor words. So far on the "judge by actions not words" criterion its slightly positive but not pulse raising, and for me they still have to the summer to show their true colours. Unless more happens, though, we will be lucky to get into the playoffs - might just sneak in at best - and I'm not sure the crowds will be flooding back to ER.
meant to add - looking at the squad, its a small list of names of players I would positively want to go watch
These two signings are excellent and we are only 11 day into the window. Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey (or Hull and Cardiff) Let's see what else the late Santa is bringing
