I am beginning to fall out of love with my home town club Leeds Utd. I have been a fan since Bobby Collins was skipper but in light of recent events going back to the way Bielsa was sacked, the idiocy of what followed Marcelo really hurt. I lived the dream as we like to say, I was there for the whole Revie era and the way we smashed everyone at home and abroad. We even had to deal with bent refs who stole European cups from us. We gradually drifted away and then Paul Hart under the stewardship of Sgt Wilko built us a proper academy that was the blueprint for every other major club to copy. We had a production line of talent coming through, and under Wilkinson we won the league again right at the time it was turning into the premier league.. we drifted yet again and after the boredom of George Graham we all thought Martin O’Neil was on route to us but we ended up with Grahams No2 who decided to utilise the kids from the academy and he and the lads brought us fantastic football and another European Adventure. It was great times again but due to financial mismanagement alongside O’Leary being a self serving fool, it all went Pete Tong again and we ended up down in the old third division. It took more years of fight and endeavour to rise again under various owners some completely corrupt, double bent and incompetent before a second Italian came in and actually did something. He wasn’t perfect but a damn site better than his compatriot who sniffed coke and his daughters panties. Our new Italian was ambitious although not super wealthy and he had a couple of things that endeared him to me: 1) he really did want what was best for the club. 2) he bankrolled the club and even gave us loans of up to £20m out of his own and families future. I will forever be thankful for Andrea Radrizanni he gave us his best but he didn’t have the financial clout to live his own dream. The masterstroke was hiring Bielsa and this was actually the first time since the 60s and 70s that Leeds fans felt really proud since The Don. The man who was regarded as the icon of football coaching was ripping up the past and building us the future, however the club couldn’t raise the funds to see out his plans. So bye bye Marcelo and relegation ensues. The club is now owned by the 49ers who vow to make sure we again get promoted to the lofty Premier league and yet again it looks like we the fans are going to be let down by these so called geniuses of sports management. I hate being lied to and the latest mouthpiece fronted up by the 49ers Robbie Evan’s. Says we are skint under PSR, says we are not able to buy anyone in January yet a couple of massive questions he hasn’t answered yet. I will only mention what we factually know as true here, so no conjecture or in the know stories. Igor Paixcoa we bid £35m for and the player chose to go elsewhere. BEK from Leicester was a top target and we know we bid £25m for him. We then spent £10m on James Justin. Okafor was like a 4th choice left winger and yes much cheaper than Paixcoa but again seems to be the strategy of picking up free players with an injury history or buying a once really expensive player like Okafor due to his injury history. Where is all the cash we were willing to spend and would wish the tame Leeds media asked some real questions because someone is lying. I don’t care if they tell us that to fund the Paixcoa deal we were going to sell Struijk or Gnonto or Tanaka. Because if the club are being honest and saying we are skint the only way to fund the players we wanted was to sell. Farke has also stated we wanted the new Fulham winger Kevin but couldn’t afford him. In the USA the fans may like being treated like mushrooms but not us. Tell the truth, you all fooked up not able to sell Harrison and Meslier, not able to force Joffy into Rangers for cash, not able to get a penny for Bamford, could only loan out Gelhardt, Wober, Ramazani, Joseph, and even allowed Gyabi to go on a free. Idiots and incompetents.
Let's put things into perspective because this is a multifaceted argument, and everybody wants to throw **** at one side or another. BOLD STATEMENT: At this moment in time, everyone is to blame for the **** we saw last weekend and probably the **** we'll see. 1) The 49ers....We all know that the Yanks want British Football clubs as playthings. They don't care about us. They can bang the drum all they want, but at the end of the day, it's about the profit. Look at Liverpool, Look at Scum, Look at Arsenal. We're owned by an American Sports FRANCHISE. American sports and European Sports are run differently. 2) Underwood... Right, I understand that his remit is to bring in players, but he is doing it under constraints. Firstly, we have just got promoted, so we're not going to see the players we dream of seeing playing for Leeds yet. Like I said, know your level. Then there's this problem that people have been bandying around the £150 million you need to spend to stay up. I believe that you don't spend big, you spend smart. 3) Players/Transfers... And this is tied in to number 2. Nmecha, DCL, Okafor have worrying injury records. I do think player for player we have made improvements on the team in some places. And i do mean in some places. 4) Farke... I'm going to lay in to Farke. As you all know I was no Bielsa fan but I dislike Farke more. 2 years ago I wanted Viera as manager. He had got Palace midtable and was bizzarly fired in 12th place. I also pointed out that Farke has the worst win ratio in Premier League. The response was shut up Farke will get us promoted look at Norwich. Yes he did but it took 2 years when i should have taken 1. If Farke had any ounnce of talent that the likes of Fergie, Revie or O'Neil had in their primes we would be doing better, The 49ers have backed Farke if he can't use the tools he was given then he should talk away and we should bring in Nuno who would get something out of this squad. I don't think this is a bad squad persay I just rthink it needs a better management above it.
Great post Doc and bang on what I believe and have done for a very long time. I’m not getting any younger and if I’m honest I’ve grown tired of pl and cl football. Can’t be arsed watching it. You know my feelings that I don’t care all that much whether we’re relegated or not. It’s become irrelevant for many fans.
Also really good until we hit the predictable slating of Farke. Let’s remember he was hamstrung from the start by Rodrigo, Harrison, Kristennson, Wober, Koch, Aaronson, Sinisterra, Adams and MacDonalds all deciding they were too good to play in the Championship for our great club. The fact the man averaged 2 points a game over a two year period deserves respect not mocking (and that timeframe includes the sales of Rutter, Gray and Summerville too).
Get the **** outta here. He was not hamstrung by the players leaving. If you expected them to stay, then I'd like whatever you're smoking. If he was hampered by anything, it was the owner's lack of foresight that dragged the buyout way too long over the summer, and we had to panic buy at the latter end of the season. The owners also took 2 long in picking a manager after sacking Big Sam. Frankly, I wouldn't have sacked Big Sam at that point. I never mocked Farke, I've just said he's not good enough for the Premier League
Only think that jars on me in bc all the above was that Farke should have got us up first season. That’s unfair on the guy. do I think he can hack the Prem? Not sure, tbh. He’s no Revie, Bielsa or - spit - Fergie. but he knows how to perform on the Championship
You wouldn’t have sacked Fat Sam and you haven’t mocked Farke, smoking doesn’t come close, that’s snorting or needles. Go steady son.
Recollections may vary, Meghan dear. but you may be right he’s not up to the prem, I’ll judge later in season
If he was worth his salt, he would have gotten us up on the first try, but he didn't. Can he hack the Prem? No, we've seen that with Norwich, where he got relegated in one season, then got fired in the 2nd season. WITH THE WORST WIN RATIO OF ANY MANAGER IN PREMIER LEAGUE HISTORY. Great, he knows the Championship, so here's hoping we're going to be a YoYo club.
Look at Sam's record . Got West Ham out of the Championship and mid-table Premier League. Managed to keep Sunderland in the Prem with the **** show going on up there then Holy Moyes got them relegated the next season. Farke is not Premier League quality
I wouldn’t say I am falling out of love with Leeds United, but I am falling out of love with football and what money has done to it. Not just what it’s done to it, as you get older, other things in life become more important. Win lose or draw tomorrow I’ll be in for the same week ahead, it’ll just start in a better/worse mood Sunday morning.
The annoying thing tonight is that BEK and Dimirovic both scored for Stuttgart tonight, two players we went after. Think Dimirovic has now got 4 goals so far this season plus assists. He assisted BEK tonight too.
Those days are long gone when I used to be gutted for a couple of days if we got beat, because simply the game isn't the same for me anymore In a number of ways...to many foreign imports, ridiculous money,var, cheating players pretending they've been shot,card waving against opponents, stupid goal celebrating... maybe I'm an old dinosaur but take me back to the 70's/80's/90's for sure...ho hum where's my Ovaltine
The game has massively changed since Roman Abramovich bought out Chelsea. Too many foreign owners who bring in the next trendy manager from Spain or Italy and then a **** load of imports come in. Barely anyone wants to take a chance on an English manager. McKenna should be lining up for a Brighton or Brentford but their boards will go for Jose Da Silva etc etc. it don't help that the FA brings in Muppets like Tunchel or Capello.
