Lots on here saying our 23s are not good enough but in many cases I believe they are. People on here saying sod the 23s its all about the first team. I have no problem with that argument at all because thats what its all about. However Bielsas small squad precedence has really bit the whole club on its bum this season. Yes we have seen the emergence of Cresswell Drameh, Gelhardt, Greenwood, Summerville, but we have also seen a top team in Prem2 Div1 fall right down the table and be fighting relegation. Some will say that thats acceptable because we got to see the emergence of 5 kids…. But hang on… we are now also seeing these same players being chased by other clubs. In fact Rangers wanting Summerville and Blackburn want him too, Greenwood wanted by 4 Championship clubs, Cresswell wanted by Man Utd and Drameh is actually going to Cardiff. So Drameh goes to Cardiff and the reason is to play football. Yes to play football because ever since we had the injury crisis we saw our best 23s not able to play because they were wanted to sit on the first team bench. Because our bench has been filled with our better 23 players they are not able to play football at all and now their mates are in danger of relegation and they are only getting the odd few minutes game time for the first team. So what is the right balance? We still have major injuries and the 2nd best RB in the club is allowed to go on loan. His agent says he wants to play football. obviously at Leeds right now he cannot play. There are only 24 games in the league for the 23s and our best players haven't played hardly any. Think Joffy has played in 5 and got 7 goals. Greenwood has played in 8 and got 7 goals. There are not many games left in the 23s, 6 I think and our best players have missed almost all the 17 played so far. So ok where do the first team benefit in the case of Drameh? He goes out on loan and with luck plays every week in the Championship. He comes back in the summer and hopefully now experienced enough to play as back up for Ayling. But the first team lose him this season and so do the 23s. We may get the same with Greenwood and Summerville too, so no benefit to Leeds this season, just a hope they come back stronger
The 2nd best right back at Leeds is Dallas.} i think rads is smell8ng a profit and sod 5he u23s is his way. Creswell is injured and so is joffy we will keep those and i fully expect some more to be sold on.
Nothing wrong with Dallas at RB but look at facts…. Who plays LB if Firpo injured, Dallas. ayling can play CB when required and at the weekend all we have available is Koch, so do we go with Hjelde and Koch in which case lets hope Firpo is fit or Dallas may have to play LB and lets hope we have someone else to play DM because if Koch goes there we need Ayling to play CB with Hjelde. So yes the 2nd best RB at the club is/was Drameh. Dallas is the clubs sticking plaster LB, RB, CM Phil Hay has said he is very surprised that Lewis Bate has been held back so long because according to TA contacts Bate ticks all the boxes and is ready The facts are that irrespective of what Wakey says we have some of the very best talent in the country: Bate Greenwood Gelhardt Drameh Cresswell Summerville Miller McGurk McKinstry Hjelde Kenneh But guess what, most hardly play football anymore. So instead of going for the title, their mates are fighting relegation
Bate signed for Leeds because he knew Billy Gilmore and Connor Gallagher were ahead of him and both are now regular prem players. Success for the club and the 23s would be to see some of them as first team squad players. My view is that Gelhardt, Cresswell Drameh, Hjelde and Bate will make it next season saving the club multi millions I also expect to see Summerville and Greenwood sold for a huge profit this Summer
I'd be happy with Greenwood leaving. Not so much Summerville. I think he might turn into a very good player.
Well at least we know now why Drameh put no effort in on Sunday. He knew he was off to Cardiff so held back. So what a team player he is. Club says no option to buy but if they offer him a contract better than us he will force a move.
If i was a betting man Cresswell and gelhardt and hjelde will ‘make it’ - by which I mean have good careers at championship level or above. Hopefully above. The others won’t Bookmark that for me doc… park it next to the post where I equally confidently predicted that the one-paced, limited Kalvin Phillips was never going to be good enough for the championship.
Well that’s true but I think you’re forgetting the ‘except when he agrees with Doc’ exception clause.
Age Drameh and Summerville, they are 20 years old, they didn’t progress through the ranks, they cost us £1m each, Greenwood 1.5m. They don’t support Leeds (like a schoolboy would who has worked his way through the ranks since being 8 years old) they just want to play football. When does your development come to a standstill? Do you run your U23s to win that league or save yourself a few million in the transfer market? Struijk came of age last season aged 20 and he’s a proper first team player, U23s is just a stupid name for the the division, if you’re 23 you are either good enough or you’re not
When he’s played I don’t think he’s been good enough to justify being in an PL 18 man squad. When we’ve got injuries fine but I think we need to improve on Shackleton. I think playing more would be good so a loan to a championship club would be good but he seems very injury prone so might struggle to make a career from football.
Think Shackelton had a torrid time at RB and was part of the problem we had at the back. The tippy tappy stuff between RB and Keeper failed badly, Shaks also never bombed forward and linked with Rapha so played like a crab side and back which stopped all forward momentum. No Shackelton isnt good enough in midfield and needs to be loaned out. I put Shaks in the same league as Alfie McCalmont, Davies and Gotts who never really broke through
Shack is clearly not going to break through for us. I'm trying to look at Shackleton as a player and where his career goes from here. He plays no U23 games, starts 5 games a season due to injuries, and is hardly ever used off the bench. This lad needs to move on for himself and his career. He's 22 now and although has 65 appearances for us most of them are 5 minutes here and there. Let the lad go and play football.
Just updated the U23 squad and loaned players list with Drameh going to Cardiff. You look down the list of players and Shackelton is by far the oldest player as he is now 22yo and pointless him even being part of this group
Wakey kicking off about Drameh leaving us in the shyt….. none of us know whats been said and done behind the scenes. The big debate should be about a players development. The U23s and its pathway has been broken this season. Yes we have kids sat on the first team bench and a couple getting minutes, however these kids are not getting any football. They are not selected for the 23s because they may be needed for the first team. Theres the problem because you cannot develop if you arent playing. Yes they do learn from training with the first team but there is usually a balance and this season there is no balance because injuries have decimated the first team
