I'm happy we are in a better place than a year ago. On the down side, we have a slimmer chance or maybe no chance of promotion, compared to last year. However, if we were to be honest, I don't think too many were confident of Larry being the man to lead us to the premiership and keep us there. With Warnock in charge though, we can look forward to next season, regardless of where we are, confident he will build a much stronger team than we have now with whatever resources he will be given. Only regret I have is not having Warnock a year earlier. We wasted this season with Grayson playing a part more like a caretaker manager than a proper one
Grayson is better than people give him credit for. Everyone thinks he was clueless but he wasn't. Remember he's still young, he's bound to make mistakes and he'll learn from those. He did brilliantly for us considering the circumstances, the job at Leeds was only his second managerial job and to have 2 promotions from League One under your belt from 2 jobs, he must have something about him. He'll learn how to play in the Championship eventually. His only problem I think was picking out good defenders in the transfer market. Then again, he may have picked out some cracking players and just not had the resources to get hold of them.
In a better place than twelve months ago? Dunno, give us a clue, where were twelve months ago and where are you now?
We were sat comfortably in the playoffs on 64 points at this stage last season, 4 points clear of 6th. See my thread "this stage last season"
It was a mistake by Bates to appoint Grayson in the first place. Leeds United is too big a club for a young, inexperienced manager still learning the ropes. He should have carried on learning from his mistakes at Blackpool. We're not a training academy for up and coming managers. He should have appointed a Warnock type when Macca was sacked. I'm sure we'd be in the PL by now. Grayson's potentially a good manager, and he's at the right club now to carry on learning his trade, but thank God we finally have a manager who fits the bill. It's just 3 years later than it should have been.
I can see where you're coming from, but I wouldn't say Grayson was a mistake. He did get us up into the championship, and then very nearly got us into the play offs last year. I think his transfer market record was a bit patchy, and tactically he was far too naive, but I wouldn't call him a mistake. So glad we've got Warnock now though, he knows this division inside out.
After seeing Beckford (a player we were so reliant on down in league 1) leave on a free, my only wish for last season was survival. After an inconsistent start and heavy defeats against the likes of Cardiff, Preston and Barnsley we showed consistency by going on a long unbeaten run for the championship and beat the league leaders at home. We also drew with Arsenal at the Emirates. Yes there were some disappointing results towards the end such as Sheff U and Derby, but it was still a fantastic season. We also had Johnson, Gradel and Howson and if we'd have shown any ambition in the summer we would have had a realistic chance this season. This season and the attendances are way down, White's contract is running out (another waste of the youth system if he leaves, except for the compensation Bates will receive). Overall the club is in a much weaker position and if Warnock can't succeed in a very difficult job we will be in an even worse position.
I agree with Leeds Down South. I think we are in a much worse position than last year. We have major discontent throughout the fans, we are polarised, we have massively reduced attendances and they will get worse, we have let our best players swan off to the Premiership for very little return, and our current best players are again courting top level interest. If we have so many good players, why is it they cannot work together as a team at LUFC? But they do say the second season is much more difficult than the first. So the fact we are not threatened with relegation this season is probably something to be very thankful for.
Don't agree we have major discontent among the fans. A small vociferous minority who probably still wouldn't be happy if we were fifth in premiership does not constitute major discontent
You werent at the game today then? 21000 fans. 6000 down from the average of last season. At half time, there were no queues for food, drinks or sweets. That's unheard of. The only queues were for the toilets. The 30% reduction in ST holders reapplying also shows discontent. There is no enthusiasm, there are open arguments about Bates andthe team and the manager, there is a huge chasm between the fans on both polar ends, but no-one is happy wit hthe rubbsih we are being served at such huge Prem-level prices. I am not talking about a few hundred people marching or singing. I am talking about what is actually happening on the ground. Not sure you can really see it from ROI
Everybody's lost interest. The players, the fans, everybody. Not surprising when you have a chairman who has no interest.
Fair enough. From here were dependent on forums,Yorkshire post articles etc to keep up to date with goings on at Elland road. Feel we have mow reached a critical point again in our history. A top class manager at last for this division. Chance to replace 75% of a rubbish squad assembled by Grayson. I've a feeling warnock will be backed in the summer transfer market
I don't blame SG for the squad - I think all his first choice players were turned away by Bates and Harvey or were not interested in coming to Leeds. And having seen that abject performance today, I would be surprised if we were to attract anyone of any substance. Time will see if Warnock is backed. I can see the explosion of activity statement being bandied about again, and the dire disappointment of having signed no-one by mid-August, despite suffering injuries to our main players in friendlies in July. The cloak of history repeating is smothering me.
In my view we ended last season with: Star names- Kasper, Howson, Snodgrass, Gradel and Becchio good enough- Johnson, Kilkenny, McCormack and Somma potential- White, Lees, Clayton, Kisnorbo (unsure how he was going to do after injury) and Nunez average (only here for experience/championship survival status)- Connolly, Bruce, Paynter and Bromby So first of all we lost Kasper, but to be fair we got a good deal making a profit and getting a keeper in who was committed long term. Gradel also vanishes from the star player list due to selling him close to the deadline and even if we had have used the money we wouldn't have been able to replace him. Becchio's injury was costly early on and it took him a while to get back to fitness. Johnson and Kilkenny also leave for nothing from the 'good enough' list. Somma has been injured all season and has been a big blow as he was a player you could bring on to change/win a game, Forssell his replacement for one year just hasn't shown anything. Pugh, Vayrynen and Forssell were all signed in September not good enough for a team hoping to go up, the season starts in August. Just O'Dea in on loan for a poor defence last year, not enough! Rogers in from wherever, just another typical low risk gamble from Ken Bates' Leeds Utd. If it works great, we pick up wins and can make a profit when we sell them, if not he was only a free. Overall Ken is the obvious reason for our poor squad. You cannot lose your best players for small amounts of money and improve!
We were three points off the playoffs under Grayson, with a host of easy games. Redfearn ****ed those up, and Warnock has managed below our expectations ever since. In short, we should have kept Grayson, but if Warnock can fight for resources and get us up there next season, that will do fine.
Imagine if Redfearn had won those 3 games, and he was in charge of us know.... Suppose we'd be in the play off zone though!!!!
The team had a cobbled together look right from the start of the season when no-one arrived in August. Losing Gradel was massive, more than anyone, he had become a game changer. And he's never been replaced. The defence is just garbage. NW can get them to play counter-attacking football away from home so they aren't exposed, but at home when the other team sits backs, the midfield isn't skillful or combatitive enough to dominate games and that leaves the poor defence exposed.
