Good Morning Everyone, Rob Green has become the latest player to put pen to paper and sign a twelve month agreement at Elland Road. The 36 year old shot stopper was a free agent after seeing his contract cancelled at QPR last month. I know what you are thinking. If QPR are releasing him, he can't be that good? Fair comment BUT sometimes players go stale at a club, and they need a new challenge to help them re-find their form. Green has signed an initial twelve month contract, by which time it is thought that Peacock Farrell will be challenging him. Personally, I would have offered him a two year deal with a coaching option. Thoughts? The good news does not stop there!!! We are delighted to announce the signing of @SwansOfficial midfielder @Matt_Grimes8 on a season-long loan! #lufc please log in to view this image Its all happening!!!! England Under-21s international Grimes said the following “It’s a great feeling,” Grimes told leedsunited.com. “This was a no-brainer for me – it's such a big club and we’re looking to have a really strong season. “I’m really excited to come here and play football – that’s the aim for me this season. Coming here gives me a really good chance to do that at a high level. “Garry Monk and Pep Clotet were really good to me when I was at Swansea. They helped me a lot and nurtured me when I was a young player coming through, so it will be great to work with them again. “I’m really looking forward to getting going. I can’t wait to get to Ireland, start training and get some games under my belt – which is what pre-season is all about.” Thoughts on this signing?
Morning Elland and co. Doesnt bother me that a player gets released by another club. After all, we couldnt sign anyone if every club held on to all their players. Like the idea were signing players Monk and Clotet have worked with and obviously rate
Great piece on Rob Green by Matt Lawton. Rob Green no longer appears to exist. He is not named when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink lists his roster of goalkeepers at Queens Park Rangers during media interviews, not involved when the first-team squad trains, nowhere to be seen on matchdays. He remains a paid employee at Loftus Road, and comfortably the best goalkeeper at the club. He was in Roy Hodgson's England squad during the last European Championship qualification campaign, after all. But when Saturday comes he is excluded, the victim of a Championship club that has decided to leave him out purely on the grounds of cost. It is a tale of modern football, and a concern Green expressed when he spoke to his employers last summer. If he reached 30 appearances this season they would have to extend the 36-year-old's contract beyond June but QPR, with ambitions to make a swift return to the Premier League, insisted they wanted him to stay. However, when it became apparent before Christmas that they were losing too much ground in the promotion race, QPR informed Green that his 25th appearance of the campaign — on January 1 — would be his last for a club he joined on a free transfer and helped win promotion. 'When I sat down with them in the summer I said this is the one position I didn't want to find myself in and here we are,' says Green, speaking to Sportsmail for the first time about his predicament. 'It is frustrating, to put it mildly. Leaving in the summer was something that could have happened. I discussed it at length with (director of football) Les Ferdinand. 'It was something that could happen and financially it would have helped the club. I was happy to walk away. But the owners made a call that they wanted me to stay. They knew I had this clause but they had the desire to get back into the Premier League.' It has been a chaotic few years since Green was signed by Mark Hughes in June 2012. He has seen three more managers arrive and six caretaker bosses. 'I was looking at a photograph of our squad celebrating after winning the play-off final in 2014,' he says. 'In terms of players contracted for next season there's only Matt Phillips left. It's incredible, really. 'Neil Warnock became the manager towards the end of last year and on his first day he pulled me to one side and said, "You do realise you won't make that 30 games?" I thought, "I've been told otherwise but I can hazard a guess as to why that might now be the case". I wasn't naive. 'Then Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink spoke to me soon after he arrived. He said, "Look, it's nothing personal but because of budgets and things you're not going to make the 30 games". 'I played one more game on New Year's Day then missed a couple through illness, and by then Alex Smithies was fit and available. I guess they figured they might as well make the change then.' Perhaps the main source of frustration is how close he came to leaving last summer and in January. Some have suggested moves to West Ham and Crystal Palace fell through because of his wage demands. Green insists that was not the case, having agreed terms with both clubs and even passing a medical at Upton Park. The truth is QPR's owners had an issue with selling to West Ham, while things did not quite fall into place in terms of squad numbers at Palace. 'The newspaper reports weren't far off the mark,' he says. 'I was pretty close to leaving.' Green can sense that people at the club are embarrassed. Supremely fit and by no means past his best, Green does not participate in first-team training beyond the occasional session with the other goalkeepers. He says he has not heard from the club's owners, their one act of generosity the fact that he is not obliged to attend matches. 'I'm not massively angry,' says Green. 'I'm not going into training wanting to kill people. After 20 years in professional football you have seen it all, so it never really surprises you. 'But it's the first time in my life I'm sat around on a Saturday afternoon not doing anything. I didn't go into football to earn money. It was because I liked playing football. It took me six weeks to get my head around it. 'I can look at the more positive aspects now, like being able go to the kids' football. And I've been to watch a bit of rugby. Someone tweeted saying they were sure they'd seen Rob Green at Esher Rugby Club but then saying it couldn't have been me because QPR were playing.' Could he not have put a red line through the clause and continued playing? 'It wasn't something that we thought of when the change in the team was made,' he says. 'Everyone expected me to be gone by the end of January.' He says there are 65 days to go before his release. 'I am counting the days. It's like a sponsored keep fit, keeping fit until the summer so I can hit the ground running when I hopefully do get another club. 'I can apply a bit of perspective. We are very fortunate to do this job. But I'm desperate to play because this is hurting me.'
Morning Eire, if Green had played a certain amount of games, QPR would have had to extend his contract.
Morning 2020, how are you pal? Didn't Shilton still play for England at 40. Look at Buffon. He's 76, and still playing....
Thanks for the encouragement I'll try again. Morning all. Rob Green is an excellent signing his experience will help by talking and organizing the defence. The preparations for the new season are looking very positive.
Morning all from sunny Spain. Rumours doing the rounds that a deal for Roofe is all but done. Should be announced today or tomorrow. Supposedly from very reliable sources. Things starting to look good at last.
Optimism kreeps in slowly but it does seem to me that we are giving Monk what he wants, obviously with budget restrictions. Buffon is 444 isn't he so Green a former International until he bust his leg is a great choice. Free yes but will be on decent money and he's ours not on loan. Grimes must offer Monk something we don't have in the middle because he's brought him in with a view to play him/develop him for Swansea. What has he got that some of our kids don't have? Or is he replacing Mowatt or Cooke 5 signings and maybe Roofe joins this week too, but would love to hear how the earlier signings are settling in, especially Antonsson. Positivity starting and won't be long before Eire gets his big fat arse out of his chair to tell Chipster he's happy
I have had plenty of negative things to say about MC's reign at Elland Road and can't quite believe this is happening now and am trying to compress suspicion. To do this so early into the Transfer Window is out of character in the extreme (without having sold a McCormack first). If it is a case of lesson learned then hands up - fair play and let's all get behind the team. A positive Leeds fan base is better than any signing anyone could make after all!
Morning all - Joey Barton was released last year and I would have loved to have snapped him up 12 months ago so released players don't concern me as long as you get in fist. A few seasons ago we were missing out on these type of players, I remember Murphy going on a free to Blackburn and thinking we should have got him... I have a feeling we shall see Silvestre sold, Green in goal and hopefully he has some experience and coaching skills that will rub off on Peacock-Farrell. Not sure who Grimes is going to be replacing, on a season long loan the new boss obviously see's him as a starter, hope it is to add depth and not the end of Cooke or Diacouraga, I guess we need a replacement for Sloth, Bianchi and Bridcutt. I see the rumour mill is gathering pace in regards to Kemar Roofe - My only concern is loaning too many players, it doesn't often work too well for us. Edit - Typed all this and see Doc has the same/similar/concerns/thoughts on Grimes I like the signs but... I loved the early signs at the start of last season and slowly the good was undone starting with the departure of Pearson, time will tell. Good early start and even Cellino wouldn't be crazy enough to rock the boat, poor start and he will have that broom out quicker than you can say relegation dog fight.
