How much blame should be on the players though? I saw little effective movement from out centre mids and our back line were stiff and immobile all game. They are either to blame, or are knackered due to overwork, which is why we need more depth to the squad. I expect that to come, the key factor is time
Best part of the match for me was after the cameras showed Eddie Gray and the commentators noted who he was, the cameras found Peter Lorimer. First commentator says "Is that the legendary Norman Hunter?" Second one replies "No!!"
You are welcome. It all starts with team selection: 1) Since when is Sam Byram a forward? Having said that, he probably created more chances than anyone else. 2) I thought Wootton should get a game ahead of Lees but he did not look comfortable on the right. I hold my hands up and say that did not work out. 3) Austin and Murphy - totally ineffective as an attacking threat. Rudy was ok in the defensive role. Both should have been rested. Now let's talk subs: 1) 75th minute way too late - we were way hopeless long before that. 2) Hunt - nothing need be written. 3) Ariyibi - needed on pitch. Tactics: 1) Long ball is just giving the ball away most of the time. All of these need addressing before we start discussing player performance - IMHO.
Warnock was slated for long ball tactics. Recent weeks, according to most reviews, we seem to be back at same old ****e. Is it just the players are incapable of anything better
If players are doing this against manager's directions they should be dropped - simple. I believe they are playing to instructions. Perhaps BeeMacDee does not believe theyare capable of playing to feet.
I think what I find most frustrating and depressing Jonny, is another season over first week in January. The realisation our squad is pure crap and the likelihood the much promised investment will be yet another Mickey Mouse effort delivering more Murphy's and Hunts. It just never changes. Damn it, us much suffering Leeds fans deserve so much more. I don't blame the fans today dishing out the abuse they did. I dread to think, if I was there, what I would have been shouting
Its primarily down to short-term thinking and attempted short term fixes. If the club just came out and said that this is a 2 year or 3 year rebuilding project and we should not expect immediate success then expectations would be appropriately lowered. Plenty of blame to be spread around in terms of how this was created.
Last bit of hope I have is that this Peter virdee guy is behind the new consortium. He's certainly dropping enough hints on twitter. Worth 800m and might just be able to bankroll a proper squad
No mate, not at all, I get annoyed when we lose but there are far more important things in my life than to allow defeat and the upset of it spill over into the following day like I used to. I just say it as I see it, we have an average squad and owners who are good spin doctors with little money. It beats an average squad with an owner who milked us dry but at the end of the day it is the same result.
Said that before kick off. Where is Byram supposed to play in a 3-5-2 when Peltier is already part of that 5? That midfield did not know who was supposed ot be doing what, and consequently none of them actually did anything. Credit to Rochdale, they played awesome for their League 2 status. But our players let them do that - we had no movement off the ball, no threat from midfield when we had the ball, and no closing down of players and marking when they had the ball. With so many in midfield, why did we just hoof it? This was not about tired players, this was about players not knowing who was doing what and so none of them did anything. None of them. But, we are only half way through the season, we are one point off the play-offs, and I am certainly not writing us off. But we do need to see them playing as a team, with players knowing how to play football, and bleeding white. Just before they scored their second, McCormack gave up on running round after a triangle of players, his head went down, and he looked like he would be wide open to offers from another club. That should not be happening.
Pretty sure Brian has already stated to the press that he's not instructing them to play long ball. Some blame lies with the players. Of course, if more of them were moving into space than standing around looking hopeless then it might not seem like the only option.
Almost more worrying if the players are not following the managers game plan. Are they not capable of following instructions or not good enough
oh dear...i guess by the reaction of the travelling fans it was not a good day yesterday... [video=youtube;who6LvvaqFY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=who6LvvaqFY[/video]
Micheal-The-Messiah-Brown re-tweeted a message where a fan pointed out we were also outplayed by second division Chesterfield early in the season but with a different result. Looking back at the starting 11 then Kenny Drury Lees Pearce Thompson Green White Brown Norris Smith Poleon So I certainly don't buy into this players are tired business.
I remember that game. We were playing White as a winger. As I remember our midfield was extremely colourful
