This may be the last weekend debate I post as feeling depressed and bruised after the last 2 games. Fallen out of love with football and Leeds right now. If we fail to win our game this weekend then it’s over and we go down. Then I start to think about what will happen in the summer and irrespective of what happens if we go down there is a lot to sort out if we stay up too: Going down means players like Rodrigo, Gnonto, Adams and Aaronson are gone. There are the oldies who I guess will cling on for another season in the championship. So Ayling, Cooper, Dallas, Forshaw cling on and we end up keeping Struijk. McKennie goes back to Juventus and we then use Cresswell, Montiero, Bate, Greenwood, Summerville, Georginio and Gelhardt along with Joseph, Perkins, Gyabi and Gray. Just think about the upheaval involved in whatever happens with all the ins and outs if we go down, massive. Drameh will probably still leave as he’s wanted by clubs in the prem. If we stay up its now blatantly obvious Radz and Orta need replacing, so the 49ers takeover is huge going forward. New DoF needed and Probably Parag Maratha is the new boss but maybe Kinnear carries on under Parag. There is then the new head coach to find and a lot of players who are just not good enough for the Prem to offload. Kristensen, Ayling, Cooper, Struijk, Roca, Bamford, Forshaw, Dallas, Greenwood, Bate, Aaronson and more. Pointless trying to sell Georginio because we will lose too much so have to wait for him to show his stuff. Best news of the past week is Lampard saving Chelsea from oblivion? Yes his brand of crappy football tactics has now earned him his 4th defeat from his first 4 games which puts Chelsea at the bottom of any form guide, even worse than Leeds. Well done Fwank. Graham Potter had a win ratio of 39% at Chelsea but Fwank has a 0% win ratio. Hahaha However going back to where this weeks post started, whatever happens there is going to be a massive clear out this summer and some of it won’t be pretty. The board have made too many mistakes and gambles that they lost. The identity of the club Bielsa built and was supposed to be the foundations has been smashed and now unrecognisable. If Bielsa had been supported in the summer of 21 we wouldn’t have had the trouble we had last season, but we did nothing and we all saw what happened. Too easy to say Bielsa only wanted a small squad which was 18 first teamers and 6 from the academy. Bielsa himself said countless times money wasn’t available for new players or upgrades on players, so he used 6 kids for the bench. We have been playing catch up ever since and Marsch was the next huge gamble that failed and Orta deserves the sack just for that…. The club gambled on the old players being able to stay fit. Phillips missing most of the season hurt us, Bamford missing for 18 months saw our goals dry up and forced into using Joffy and Greenwood, we even used Dan James but persisted with Rodrigo in the midfield. We tried Struijk at DM, Klich at DM, Forshaw came back right at the death but yet again been out most of the season, Cooper and Ayling giving penalties away but both were also missing through injuries. Llorente tried at DM, LB, LCB, RCB and even RB, Firpo out constantly with illness and injuries. People who gamble a lot invariably get themselves in trouble and that’s exactly what’s happened at our club and we just need this season to be over Allardyce would’ve done a better job? The manager spoke about the situation at Leeds. “Leeds we’ve spoken about them in the past when they got rid of Jesse Marsch, they’ve conceded 17 goals in four games, do you think you would have done a better job?” Allardyce was asked “Absolutely.I’d have had no problem looking at the Leeds situation. I have certain ways of working and one way I have which everyone sees as a negative that is the best positive of all is stopping goals from going in. The players are suffering from a lack of confidence. It doesn’t matter how good you are as a coach, unless you put those results right, and it starts with a 0-0, confidence is built,” Allardyce said Is Big Sam right?
Klopp has just said that Darwin Nunez is for the future and has much to learn but he will get plenty of chances to play and show us what he can do. Nunez is only 23yo so lets have a thought about Georginio who is only 21yo today and is part of our future. However the club couldn’t afford to break a transfer record on a player who couldn’t contribute right away….. we are not Liverpool nor do we have time when facing oblivion
Current carry on is hitting you hard Doc like many fans. Reading all sorts of places that relegation would be a disaster. I disagree, no surprise there and see possible benefits in the long term. If we stay up, chances are well have more of same next season and the one after as the club is now crippled financially with daft long term contracts and 115m still to be paid for players in instalments. No room there for strengthening even if the current muppets had the first clue how to go about it. People talking relegation come out with the nugget, we don't want so spend another 16 years there. We don't have to. Follow the Burnley model. I'll bet their fans are chuffed to have gone down and bounced back immediately, thanks mainly to a great coach who obviously had a big say in recruitment. At this point I want our squad gone. They don't care about the club. Id love to see a whole new setup from owners to playing staff to coach. Otherwise well be just watching a repeat of this rubbish season after season
Rather worryingly, I find myself agreeing with Eire more and more. I don't necessarily see relegation as a disaster and certain oblivion for the next 16 years. Many times this season I have said to Ben I am tired of watching exruciating performances and expecting defeat, or saying I would take a draw now (usually at kick off). It has sucked away lots of the optimism and enjoyment that should come with watching your team every week. In the Championship, I would expect a team which you could see winning every game (I don't mean we would, I mean we could win lose or draw rather than dreading what is coming). I will be fine again by the summer and the hope will come flooding back as usual! Whatever division we are in, I really hope Rutter is given a clean slate in the summer. The fee and his wages are not his fault and he has changed country, moved to (apparently) the best league in the world and is frequently given minutes to make a name for himself (coming on against Palace and Liverpool would not have done anyones confidence any favours let alone a young lad). Having said that, neither do I necessarily believe it is inevitable that we will go through the same again next season but, and this is a big but, we will need to sell players to generate cash and then we have to recruit really astutely in a few positions and we can spring forward from there. Palace's best two players were Olise and Eze, both recruited from the Championship where they were highly rated - if Palace can do that, so can we. Also, loans are not everyones cup of tea, but if we can get a couple of fringe players from the top clubs it would seem a sensible option if funds are tight (quality players who want to prove to their parent clubs that they are good enough for the elite not just kids). Doc, you, of all people know Footie isn't everything. I know you care deeply about Leeds and it cuts you when we struggle but, chin up fella the disappointment is always tempered by hope
Remember when Bielsa told Orta to get Gallagher, Eze and Olise ……… Gallagher wanted to stay at Chelsea rather than come to Leeds so went out on loan to Palace and obviously Palace bought the other 2. In effect Palace have been punching until this season…… Bielsa wanted Aaronson but couldn’t get him last season, but Marsch wanted him and a deal was done. However Aaronson hasn’t turned out to be similar to Gallagher in staying on his feet, assists and goals. Maybe Aaronson will come good soon, just wish it was right now. Orta has been taking flak again and deserves it, but comments about Gracia’s team isn’t as good as Marsch’s team and they aren’t equipped to play prem football is a bit of a freak view. Simply because 80% of this team were selected and bought by Marsch to play a particular system but could never do it. They are all supposed to be high energy fit as fiddle players with a massive work ethic?
Nagelsman and Enrique now out of the running for Chelsea job which leaves Pochetino and an unamed Spaniard? Guess Fwank has messed it up again…..
Mate once you next start agreeing with Eire it's only a matter of time before you'll be on speed dial to the Samaritans. So for god's sake give your head a shake, get a few beers down ya neck and all will be fine again
If we did go down Doc at least it won't be a fire sale like last time as we aren't a club in financial distress. Also we have owners who are capable of bankrolling at least one attempt at coming straight back up. Unfortunately though it would be a massive backwards step and would mean we'd need to rebuild, which contrary to what some think is much easier to do from the lower reaches of the PL than it is from the financial uncertainty of the Championship. Let's see where we are tomorrow evening when most of our rivals have played
It would be a real shame if you stopped the Weekend debate. I always look forward to it. I read the Bielsa situation differently. I believe he didn't want mass recruitment, wanting to stay faithful to the squad that had hit 9th. Their fall from grace surprised everyone. In hindsight, I reckon Bielsa saw himself at Leeds for one more season, and would have left last Summer, ready to hand the reigns to someone new, who would have a big war chest to go and rebuild.
Admit it Jammy. You’re the only one left in that life raft. The rest of us are going down with the good ship Leedsitanic. Marcos will be ships captain at his rate of progress
When next years accounts come in there will be the Raphinha and Phillips cash declared and a lot of other stuff too, so Marcos is right. Yes if we go down still think the sale goes through and we will have a go at bouncing back. However we are in this position because we didn’t support Bielsa in 21 and if we had I don’t think we would be struggling now, but we wouldn’t be as cash rich as we are now. The club took a gamble to ensure we would have good accounts for 22/23 and the gamble failed
The sale going through is more important than anything else. I’ve voiced my opinions on our leaders for a long long time and gives me no pleasure to be proven right
Jammy must have been lookout as he never saw it coming. Never mind the band will play on as he sips his fine wine.
Bielsa stated he was happy with the squad size. Then bizarrely said the same players would not perform the same.
I do not see a problem being relegated. We can have a clearout starting at the top. Having seen how we performed v palace i would not miss the prem.
Whilst I wholeheartedly agree that relegation would force a much needed clear out, unfortunately we need the Premier League money to finance the stadium upgrade. Even one season in the Championship would stall that project by numerous years.
Substantial upgrade under current lot. They’re saying we have to be a mid table team to go ahead with that. We’wont be there for a very long time. Cost has gone up by about 25% since our promotion
