Ryan Kent is on his way by the end of the week, so 2 Liverpool kids & winger Kent is highly valued by the scousers
Bartley would be great to get back - maybe it wont happen then where does the on field captain come from, lead by example type. The one, that as a player, you go the extra mile for
I think I fall in somewhere in between in this discussion. 100% agree about keeping O'Kane. Could well be his best season yet. Bridcutt? I'm not so sure. Yes, he had a poor season by his standards last season, but even the previous season, I felt he was eclipsed by Diagouraga, and didn't manage to be consistent for the whole season. Monk protected him from Dave by getting rid, and I hope TC has bigger balls and more open eyes this season. Sadly, with Dave turning out as a CB, I can see an unwelcome pattern emerging. I just wonder if he's going to be an emergency CB if he's retained this season, rather than a DM. Pity if true. I also cannot see Bridcutt retaining the captaincy. Last season, I did not see a captain out there when we needed one.
From that, I assume he's an out-and-out loan, rather than a try-before-you-buy. If that's the case, I don't want him. We need to build OUR team, not someone else's.
Agreed and that's something I touched on recently on another thread... who will be the one, the catalyst the leader to take us back were we belong ?
Chris Wood should be the captain. I prefer a midfielder as Captain though so eventually I'm hoping Ronaldo Vieira could step up.
Evening Jammy. There's no right or wrong answer to the Wall banter. It would certainly be a quieter board with far less banter without them. On the flip side of the coin I recognise your point of view.
I'd love Bartley back. He will be hard to find a suitable replacement. Guaranteed he will start at Swansea if he stays there
People have short memories. Cooper did very well as captain before. And he's always been a steadying influence at the back, considering the partners he's had to play alongside in his Leeds career (primarily Bamba & Bellusci). How do you think Pontus or Bartley would have performed last season with either Bamba or Bellusci alongside them & Silvestri behind?
You've posted 400 odd messages on this board - most of us have had this "ping-pong" banter between us from the old BBC606 site and have been doing so for over 10 years - so to put it frankly, i don't give a **** what you think
Jock every Championship team promoted has some loan players, how else do teams get to have multi million pound stars learning their trade. It doesnt always work with kids but having an option to buy is ok but some kids are so good they wont be sold, they are getting an education and experience. Barrow & Grimes were garbage, so if we were tied into buying what a waste of cash.
From time to time it's very funny, usually when disaster has hit one or other team (expecting a big contribution from Millwall this season on that score). But agree a lot of it just gets tedious
Never rated him. I know you see live games but he makes mistakes with the ball at his feet and gets caught out by strikers often. If he is starting this season I really think we will concede a lot of goals.
Each to his own view, I guess. Not only did Cooper have a nervous keeper & 2 effing idiots as partners - the midfield blew hot & mostly cold too. Teams went through the MF like a hot knife though butter. Cooper was placed in a high pressure situation that many would have folded completely in. Not only had he his own job to do, but he had to be captain as well as covering for the mistakes being made all around him. One very visible habit I must accolade him for (and I betcha it was missed by most) was that he was always talking Silvestri through his game, which helped enormously, as opposed to Bamba as captain, who would go nose to nose with him shouting furiously. And regularly through every game. Tell me how that helps a nervous keeper, Sol! Have to admit, it wasn't me that noticed the soothing talk bit, it was Leeds60 that pointed it out to me & I simply kept tabs on it. He was spot on. Now the other thing to remember is that ALL defenders make mistakes, especially in the Championship. And one of the worst offenders last season was Jansson, I might add! He lost the ball in dangerous positions a number of times & got a load of yellow cards trying to get the ball back. An unacceptable number, and he missed a number of games because of this habit - and it is a habit! It escalated towards the end of the season - we conceded 2 goals because of these actions. If Cooper gets the nod this season, I predict that he'll be one of our most consistent performers. And excellent with it!
Like most players consistent performances are built on confidence. Wood wasn't too great the season before last and then he went on a role fueled by confidence, lets hope it continues. Cooper I suspect is the same, a few games in a sound defence with a confident keeper, Green, and we will perhaps see his game return. Pontus has character and shows passion that sometimes masks his failings. Yellow cards are an aspect of his game that he will have to get under control especially the silly ones he got last season.
Bartley was a proper leader though. He took responsibility for the defence in many ways, Cooper doesn't do that. Cooper made individual mistakes, even last season in a sound defence. Cannot see us getting promoted with him in the team. We need to replace Bartley in our team with someone of equal ability and leadership skills. There is no way Cooper compares to him in either way imo. I understand that you see the game better than I do, you see them live but I've seen enough of him to make that judgement imo. He is an adequate 4th choice centre back at this level and I can't see him ever being better than that. And it ain't like Wood. Wood was always good enough, he'd shown at previous clubs he was and he even showed it off form that he had the ability. It just quite wasn't working with him prior to last season.
I never mentioned Wood, but actually agree. I have a theory that most Leeds strikers at Championship level have a stinking first season. I can't think of a Leeds striker recently who's set the heather on fire in his first season with us. If I'm right, then perhaps the real Roofe & Antonsson will step forward this season! TBF, Roofe has done well in his first season IMO. Was always going to be difficult to make the leap to Championship level, but when you add major factors like the pressure of playing for a big club like Leeds, and being played out of position, you can't really fault the guy. He has a big future with us, I think. I have my fingers crossed for Antonsson, but I've got a gut feeling that he won't make it with us. As for Cooper, well, opinions will always differ with fans. I honestly believe he's a winner & has a lot of qualities that go unnoticed. It's not everyone that gets asked to be captain of Leeds United. You have to have something to be asked - and, tbh, not one of us would have guessed it with him! Shows you how much we know - we only see what happens on the pitch. So much more happens off it. (and that's where Bamba scored all his points as captain, I've heard. Not on the pitch, but off it). I still have every confidence in Cooper. Not long to go now until we see what TC thinks!
