Ok, I've watched first half highlights again and a few points need making. It's evident, for the most part, our players are not technically gifted. Nothing much McD can do there except hopefully replace them if allowed, with better quality. However, before Xmas, what he did manage to do, was galvanise them into a unit. Everyone seemed to be fighting for the cause. Ok, football was still poor but they were doing enough to overcome poor outfits albeit in dour affairs. But something went wrong at Xmas. Players headed to Dublin for Xmas party with snippets emerging of Kenny being talked to by airport police. Nothing new I suppose for professional Prima Donna footballers there. Whatever happened between time of that party and subsequent insistence on Xmas day training, has immeasurably damaged morale and togetherness of the team. Take that away and all they are left with is their ability as footballers, which is pretty non existent. McDs task now is to try and galvanise these useless mutton heads for the remainder of the season until the inevitable car boot sale / give away begins in earnest. If he can do that, let him stay but if he has completely lost the dressing room, his days will be numbered I fear
Watching some of the highlights, I was amazed how we were not tracking back enough, and when we were, players were jogging back. No intensity, no determination, no urgency. No passion. Can put up with lack of technical ability, if they make up for in in other areas
Even Barcelona, when they lose a ball at opponents end of the field, will win it back within a couple of tackles. Every player determined to win it back immediately. Makes it impossible for the opposition to start any kind of attack. It's not rocket science but you won't see our shower attempt it
I was just saying on twitter, I wish I could get the players stood in a room, and one by one, LUFC fans go in, and tell them what it feels like to be a Leeds fan.
Elland and Eire, you both make excellent points ... I don't think he's lost the dressing room ... Xmas shenanigans, if there were any, may have been by the jokers like Kenny and Varney, and McD may have asked them to be more professional and set a better example ... the Xmas day training is nothing new, and it was a short session at 530pm to work on some things, not a full day ... tracking back is the worry, because both Austin and Mowatt looked as if they couldn't run anymore ... Austin bust upfield once early in first half and when he reached the byline he couldn't cross properly he was so fcuked ... if McD had decent players on the bench he could bring on then players like Austin and Mowatt could get subbed on 70 mins and save their legs when needed ... our biggest problem is we have at least nine players who know they won't be around in a few months and I imagine they're just coasting, and this rubs off unfortunately Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Thwere are some issues and there is cover for midfield to be able to drop Austin - but he won't because he made him captain (for some unfathomable reason). In terms of midfield, we have a hell of a lot of players who can do a job if they are put in the right positions and work as a unit: - Norris appears to be out in the cold - Pugh can do a midfield role - Tonge - Green - Lots of kids - Byram, Mowatt, Murphy, Dawson, Lenighan, Thompson - now we have wingers aswell - Kebe and Campbell plus Ariyibi I am now going to exclude Brown (technically past it) and Diouf (physically past it), although when Brown plays, I do think he puts in ten times the application and continual running than anyone else. Using up half the outfield squad with defenders and defenders acting as midfielders is not going to help us or him. He needs to galvanise everyone and work out how to blend the right midfield from those players - aggression, stamina, speed, passing (accurate, short, long), control, vision, desire to get into good positions so your team-mate can get the ball to you, ability under pressure, heading, tackling, off the ball running, passion and nous - with a way of playing that both suits them and heads us in the right direction as a way of playing throughout the club. Every one of those characteristics are standard football fare. Any midfielder that does not have at least 85% of those features should be a post-man instead and playing at semi-pro level, not the Championship. These are not Premier League qualities - PL qualities are the 5% of footballers who excel in 80% of those characteristics I just hope that Saturday was not Zaliukas' Rachubka-defining moment
Gotta agree with just about all of that ( which is deeply troubling for both of us). I will give my head a shake and see if it helps.
I believe the players have to be held responsible for that. There's been a lack of desire since the Barnsley game. Against Watford, if there was one thing they didn't lack it was desire and passion. Then Doncaster, guile and determination. Against Barnsley? Oh I can't be arsed today. Or next week. Or the week after. In fact let's just call it a day for the rest of the season. League One will be easier anyway.
Apparently they're having a big love in this morning so maybe they'll discover the missing piece of the jigsaw
We couldn't afford him now he is a gay icon and meeja star. The pay is so much better than that of a second division football player.
Sheldon, I thin Zaliukas now understands something we all know, that the Championship is a significant step up from the Scottish premiership. Maybe now he'll not make the same mistakes again.... when he plays for Leeds again, which might be some time off if BMD plays two CBs next week (Pearce and Mowatt).
Can't we have someone smaller to partner Pearce please, we don't want to make it too easy for the opposition. Maybe he was just tired from being run ragged - as seemed all of them - but my main issue is that his confidence does not bomb because of the mistakes in one match like Chubs. Zaliukas is a good player, I htink he just had a very off day along with the rest of them
That was a horrible horrible game and I think 4 goals were directly accountable to Zaliukas making a stupid simple mistake. I think that was actually one of the worst performances from a CB I have ever seen. I think everyone played badly (the ones that stick out to me as the worst were Zaliukas and Austin though) and I'd like to say Ross continued to run and work the whole entire game despite being left upfront alone. It seems like he is the only one that really wants it at the moment. The team really needs to look hard into themselves and actually decided whether they really wanna be here. Apparently we are not likely to get any new signings in before next game which means a hell of a lot of work will have to go in this week in preparation to make sure that NEVER happens again because McDermoot will probably completely lose the faith of the fans if it does. Personally looking onto next game I think we need to take a different approach. Stop this formation that just looks strange and confusing to anyone that knows football and go back to a 4-4-2. I'd be dropping some players though and would probably go for something like this: ---------------------------Kenny------------------------ Byram-----------Lees---------------Pearce-------Warnock Kebe------------Green-----------Mowatt---------Stewart -----------------Ross-----------Poleon------------------- I would like us to go back to technical ability such as Byram and Warnock as full backs rather than just the supposed determination of Peltier and Pugh. Austin has been dismal of late and needs dropping, dont care whether he is captain or not. I think our best replacement for Austin in the squad is Green despite him being cast away from the first team. I don't like the idea of starting Poleon against good opposition especially but Ross cannot play upfront on his own and with Smith suspended there really isn't many other options. I don't think this team could do worse and it really should give players that don't deserve to be their currently (Austin and Zaliukas) the chance to reflect and realise they aren't guaranteed a spot in the team. It will also give some other players the chance to impress again which I really think they deserve given the fact the players in front of them aren't doing it.
I'll only comment on one part of your post, Josh. In fact, you've doubled up one of MD's mistakes from Saturday. He has 2 wingers putting in crosses for 1 midget. You've got the 2 wingers sending in crosses for 2 midgets. Best leave it to BM. He might not have a clue atm, buthe can still run rings round you!
This is such a misunderstood tactic, you don't need to have a giant striker in the modern game even when you are playing with wingers. Look a Leicester, they play with 2 small strikers and knockaert and Dyer who are more attacking wingers than Kebe and Stewart (or at least Kebe). The idea is to stretch the defence out wide, open up pockets of space to play the ball through (which ball playing CMs like to do such as Mowatt) for the strikers to run onto and create space for themselves. You rely on the crosses being better when you have smaller strikers but realistically thats not the way that you are looking to exploit the defense.
