Hay ho !!!! McDermott has reported to the press that he expectsSam Byram to be 100% a Leeds player next season.... Where have we heard that before??? Oh yeah, thats right Snodgrass, Becchio, Gradel, the list goes on... With only a handful of games left til the end of the season, who will still be here next season, and who will be shown the door? What is the best Leeds performance this season in all competitions? What is (if you have one) your favourite football formation. I like this one... please log in to view this image
Morning Byram staying? I have faith this time than under the previous administration but if somebody comes in with a cheeky £8 million+ bid I wouldn't complain. As for players leaving I think Connolly, Kisnobro, Somma, Rachukba and Bromby are no brainers.I think Pugh will be sold along with some of the center midfielders Warnock brought it and and Habibou won't be signed on a perm. Best performance I'm not going to comment on. Fave formation is using wing backs, I think we used it during France 98 under Glen Hoddle.
Morning Wolves, I too loved the wing back system. It worked soooo well for us. Such players as Sterland, Kelly, Mills, Doreigo and Harte bombing down the wings terrified our opponants...
Morning all The Christmas Tree Formation, absolute classic that elland! Could have worked well for us this season as well with our lack of natural wingers, playing a front 3 of diouf, rosco and either varney or morrison. I'm a fan of wing back 3-5-2 systems as well, though I quite like 4-3-3/4-5-1's where one of the midfield 3 is an anchor man, and the "wingers" are more like wide forwards. On the Byram front, yeah McD has supposedly said that he is 100% staying, but he's also admitted he is a realist and knows such decisions lie with the board, and that he's experienced it before. He did say that no one is bigger than the team though, and he's experienced losing big players before and coped with it. I'd love to see Byram stay, and even trying to be unbiased think it would be the right choice for him anyway. If he gets snapped up by a Premiership club, he won't be playing week in week out, and he might be doomed to become one of these players with great potential that is never realised because he's sat on the bench / in the development squad.
Leeds United have confirmed that Neil Redfearn will combine permanent roles as first-team coach and development squad manager in a move which Brian McDermott expects to hasten the progression of the club’s junior players. Redfearn has worked on the backroom staff in both of McDermott’s two games as manager and the academy is to retain first-team duties on a long-term basis under the partnership of McDermott and assistant boss Nigel Gibbs. Gibbs, who previously operated as assistant to McDermott at Reading, followed the 52-year-old to Elland Road last week but further additions to United’s coaching team appear unlikely after Redfearn’s promotion
that will act as the perfect bridge for the youth to push through now. Redders knows them inside out so he will know who he thinks can do a job in the first team
Morning all. Busy at work. Will check in tonight and see what you lot have been up to. See Wallies are quiet, obviously busy with their relegation scrap bless them
He loved it didnt he! Windmills and arm pumps! You wouldnt want to be in the wall when big Mel stepped up for a free kick either
Morning all. I hope Byram stays. But as someone has already said, an £8m bid with possible add ons will be hard to refuse. On formations, I see McD. listened to me a few weeks ago. 4312. Bog standard back 4, tough tackling 3 in midfield, Diouf playing behind 2 strikers and doing what he wants, with 2 up top. On incomings/outgoings, I agree with Connolly and Rachubka along with Pugh. I think Somma will be given a short term contract to prove his fitness with the understanding that he'll get a 2 to 3 year extension if all goes well. Kisnorbo may go, or they might keep him for one more season. On Bromby, he may get offerred a coaching role.
**** we must be really skint if we can't afford coaches If a silly bid comes in for Byram we can't turn it down. Shift pelts to his natural position and buy Matt Mills to sit in at CB with Tom Lees and we have got ourself a brilliant defence. I actually believe we have a very good defence now just a **** midfield need to learn to pass and keep pressure off the defence
I think this will be good for Redders give him a chance to learn the managerial ropes under a good manager and who knows one day he might take a team very far
Harte bombing down the wings? Maybe with a force 9 gale behind him The wing back role is perfect for a player like Aidy White, pace to burn, needs a prolonged stint in that position, and if he can't make that work then he needs to be shipped out.
I think we could get away with a wing back system at the minute, with a bit of work like you say. Byram and White at WB, then Pelts RCB to cover as he knows RB, Warnock at LCB for same reason, and Lees in the middle of a back 3, though I guess you'd want more of a traditional stopper in there.
I like it, although don't like White to be honest. Don't think he provides anything, I don't think its a case of finding him a position I think its a case of finding him a club. And Warnock isn't really a CB, filling in now and then doesn't count and he does actually provide some threat going forward as well, smart player as well think it would be a waste of him. I'd prefer Warnock at LWB and Pearce at LCB, or maybe sign a new CB but I seem to like Pearce a lot more than others on this forum
Habby, now that BMD is trying to instill the virtue of passing rather than the hoofball we've been used to in the last couple of seasons, we might just see our midfield develop. If they don't, we have a few kids who will show them how its done, as well as maybe a few incomers.
Actually you've got a good shout there, Warnock really does seem to be a threat going forward, so think he could do that role perfectly. I never quite know what to make of White. Think he has been moved around a lot to his own detriment, so if McD thinks he has a future here, I'd like to see him given a lengthy first team run in one position for a proper look at him.
