Doubts are still lingering...

At the end of the day everyone will have their opinions and although many people disagree with what I believe to be true about our beloved club I also know that some people are agreeing with me.

There are many doubts I have about the forthcoming season for Leeds United. I just can't see us challenging the bigger teams in this division. I can't see Elland Road becoming the fortress it once was. I can't see us getting promoted. And before you call be pessimistic I'd like you all to consider a few things.

Firstly, the Championship is one of the toughest, most demanding leagues in the world. The prize from escaping this vicious league is a spot in footballs most prestigious fixture list and the chance to play some of the biggest teams in the world on a weekly basis. So every team will be doing their best to get to the promised land. There are big clubs in this division, not just ourselves. The likes of Bolton, Wolves and Blackburn who have come down, are still very strong and pose a serious threat. These clubs haven't lost many players after coming down and they will be among the favourites for an immediate return to the top-flight. Then there are your strong teams such as Blackpool, Birmingham, Brighton, Burnley, Cardiff, Leicester, Middlesbrough and of course Leeds United. Every team I've listed is capable of getting into the play-offs, no question. I also have to look towards the new boys of the division from League One. I believe Sheffield Wednesday are one of the favourites to push on and gain promotion. Simon Grayson looks to have everything under control at Huddersfield and looks to have a strong side. Charlton also could damage any promotion contenders challenge as they have a solid back-line and a well organised team courtesy of Chris Powell. The Championship season also consists of forty-six games which is not easy for the players physically and can take its toll as clubs often dip in and out of form throughout the season. I guess it just depends how quickly teams find their feet after a poor run of results. The adaptability of a club and squad is what will win a team promotion from the Championship .I don't believe the squad we have will have the right bond and willpower to do that, although Neil Warnock could have the leadership skills to change our fortunes in a bad run.

I look around at the squads of our Championship rivals and I am in awe of some players. There are some real stars in this division. Snodgrass was one of them before his ill-timed departure and there are many more throughout the division. I look at our squad and I don't see the individuals to take us forward like the other teams have. I know Warnock is looking for that player, but I don't think he's looking in the right places. The squad needs a good balance of quality and quantity as we have a very small squad at the moment not including fringe players/youngsters. I reckon Neil has gone for a strength in depth approach, although the numbers aren't coming in, which is what the club desperately needs at the moment. We've now signed ten players since May and out of those ten I'm very happy with three signings and the others I'm reserving my opinions for. The three I'm happiest with are Paddy Kenny, Jason Pearce and Lee Peltier. These three players have played well in the last few seasons and signing them was brilliant. I would like to say Austin too but he seems to versatile for my judgement yet. I've watched him play for SK Brann on YouTube and I also streamed a game over the internet to watch him in closer detail and he was playing a central-midfield role well. Although he is said to also have a knack at playing at the back so I'm unsure where Neil will be playing him since he has signed Norris and Green to cover the central-midfield area. Ashdown is a safe backup goalkeeper so I guess I'm content with that signing. The other players we've signed I'm not so sure about but I hope Neil can get the best out of them.

If Neil decides to play a 4-4-2 formation this season I reckon we will need to sign wingers for both flanks. White and Varney does not excite me in the slightest. White can't cross a ball to save his life and Varney is getting old and looked pretty poor against Preston. This brings me onto the performance at Preston. The game ended 3-1 with Lees, Byram and White grabbing the goals. Lees' goal was great, a good turn and a smashing volley. Nice one Tom. Byram's was a poorly marked corner and a volley on the end of that too. Well put away though, it must be said. Aidy's goal was a rebound so there isn't much to say about it to be honest. The game was a drab one though. If these are Warnock's tactics for the Championship they will not work. The back four, hoofing the ball up the field to McCormack and Becchio, who lose the ball quickly to an interception or easy tackle? Are we being serious? Becchio as we all know doesn't go for the ball when this tactic is introduced, he falls over and begs for the referees sympathy. Ross tends to trap the ball well but nothing ever comes of it after that. Like I said in my previous blogs, we need a creative midfielder. Someone with a bit of flair and the eye for that killer pass. The through ball to Ross so he can tuck the ball away in the bottom left-hand corner. I'm awaiting this player and until we get him, I will not be satisfied.

You may not like what I'm about to say but I can't see us getting promoted at the moment. We'll do well to come in the top half I reckon. All our Yorkshire rivals apart from Barnsley and Hull City will do better than us this season. I can guarantee it. At the end of the day, I'm gonna be honest to myself and I honestly don't think we'll get promoted. I guess I'm just a realist, and that doesn't mean I won't be backing the team this season.


Adam.

The Flying Scotsmen and other transfer news...
So, Robert Snodgrass has finally left. Stating he could have left a while ago too but still managed to thank us for all we had done for his career... thanks Rob. 

Warnock has been telling us for ages now about the dangers of turning heads, especially from our greatest players. Us fans on the outside, mostly optimistic know half the story. If Snodgrass, a player who has been with us for a fair amount of time now see's it fit to leave for the Premier League now, instead of wait a year until our supposed  promotion back to the top flight then you have to ask is there something going on that we don't know about. Snodgrass obviously can't have a great opinion of Warnock or his former team-mates if he is not willing to wait a year. Makes you wonder whether promotion is on the cards. After looking at our squad at the moment I'm not too sure. However in better news another Scotsman, Ross McCormack has hinted at a new contract which I'm very pleased about. He's a great poacher and a great finisher of the ball too. By far our best striker at the moment. 

As I write this we have a squad of twenty-five players. Some of these are transfer listed too which gives Warnock a small squad to work with. We're just two weeks away now from the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers and I'm not sure we will have the strength and depth required to compete in this division which from the past two seasons is no walk in the park. I'm desperate for Leeds to get rid of some of the players I consider to be dead wood now. There are players such as Paynter, Nunez and Connolly still lurking about Thorp Arch who need to go for the good of the club and for the good of their career. Paynter looks to be going places although his trial with Blackpool has been cut short after Ian Holloway has obviously seen all he needs to see. Not a lot I imagine. Hopefully he'll get offloaded to a club showing interest in league one as that is where Paynter can truly excel. Haven't heard of any rumours regarding Nunez or Connolly but I'm sure they'll end up going eventually. Just not sure who would want them. That said I wouldn't mind a loan deal for Nunez as I reckon he just needs more experience. I don't think he's Championship standard but when he gets going he can be a very handy player to have. Since Snoddy's departure too we're going to need some wingers. 

The signings Warnock has made so far have been mixed. I believe in some players and others I don't. I believe that players such as Austin, Pearce and Kenny will be the best signings. Norris, Gray, Drury and Green I'm not too sure about. They're all ageing but not in a good way like Kenny as keepers tend to get better as they get older. 

The kind of players I would like to come in are as follows;

First-Team Right-back - Lee Peltier looks like the man to fill this huge gap. I'd love him to come to Leeds after being a great servant at the back for Huddersfield Town over the years. Connolly is no good and we could even do with a backup right back too. Although Lees could fill in there if needed as he does a solid job there. The right-back needs to be strong, one who can get back quickly and can also put in a solid tackle when needed. 

Rotational Right-Back - I don't believe Drury is the man to take us to new heights at right-back. I'd like to see a new, possibly younger left-back but with some experience at a good level. Someone between the ages of 20-25 maybe. Maybe someone for the long run. I'd also like them to have the dogged determination to chase down the ball like Aidy White does. 

Creative central-midfielder - After Snodgrass has left I'm looking around the squad to find someone who has the eye for that killer pass to our strikers or wingers who will be trying their hardest to get in those killer positions. I'd like a more attacking midfielder as the midfielders we have and have signed this summer are more defensive I believe and don't possess the attributes we need to get the balls to the strikers. However I think Warnock has finished with his midfielder search which worries me. 

Winger who can operate on both flanks : Aidy White looks to be one of Warnock's favourite players and I reckon he is going to be one of the most used players in the coming season. Although he is left-flank by trade Warnock has been playing him on the right. Meaning the opposition will study his game, knowing that White will always be looking to cut inside. In my opinion this won't work. Snoddy did this time and time again and sure enough the opposition analysed this and were able to double up on Snodgrass and regain possession. I would like to see White back on the left and a true right-winger come in on the right to deliver the right balls on his stronger foot to players waiting in the box to nod or tap home. White will also benefit from sending balls into the box on his stronger foot too. 
All round striker - McCormack and Becchio are great strikers on their day but both of them suffer from goal-droughts and poor performances. This is usually when the whole team isn't performing but still. I believe that we need a striker who can bag over twelve goals at least this season and link up with whoever he is playing with well enough to secure the mighty whites the wins we so desperately desire. I would like to see a tall and pacey player make his way to Leeds. Someone like Beckford, but not Beckford because that story is utter tosh. He's not coming back, he's just the new Alan Smith story. 

HOPE FADES AGAIN FOR DIRECTIONLESS LEEDS

One of the few things that is predictable about Leeds United is the stuffy lethargy of the summer months. More generally, the pattern of resigned, defeatist behaviour the Club have shown in transfer window after transfer window, turning us into a pushover and laughing stock in the eyes of no-marks from East Anglia.
Typically, the last fixture ends; 'kicking on next season' is the talk of the manager's office; the players, agents, managers and tea ladies apparently render the entire sport comatose by taking a two-week holiday; the players return and pictures are taken of them hard at work on the training pitch in their psychedelic (psychopathic?) Macron gear; subsequently players with real potential are sold with a shrug of the shoulders, and dead-end journeymen are brought in to replace them, Shaun Harvey likely cooing about how he's 'maximised resources in an effective fashion to secure future income streams for the Club'.

But the current board at United cannot sustain their dying grip on those resources for much longer. For seven years, they have chopped, changed, whinged, planned, constructed, made excuses, litigated, whinged some more and, ultimately, failed to deliver progress on the football pitch. Supporters Trust Chairman Gary Cooper's suggestion that the Snodgrass sale is partly their doing is a very worrying sign indeed. How many more outward transfers can they still influence? How soon before they are willing to sign the papers which confirm their departure so Sheikh Abdulrahman and his merry men can finally be ushered in?

Aside from that easily-detected worry, though, is a deeper-seated threat. When Neil Warnock rolled into Elland Road, a giddy excitement gripped the fanbase. Gone were the apparently wishy-washy tactics of the Grayson days, and in would come solid defending and... more solid defending. The fact of the matter is that Warnock's team failed to score enough goals last season, and we regressed on Grayson's hard-fought position three points from the playoffs (incidentally, the same distance we'd reached in a season where Gradel, Johnson, Howson and Kilkenny had populated our midfield before they were snatched away). When Warnock arrived, we went from an attacking extreme to a defensive extreme. Foolishly, I suggest, because the midfield was severely weakened.

Is it being strengthed now as a matter of priority? Signings are being made there, but to me, it's a step too far to say that Rodolph Austin and Paul Green count as a strengthening. Paul Green is by all accounts the Yorkshire-born equivalent of Danny Pugh, and Austin, while he leaves Bergen with rave reviews, is still unproven in a truly competitive division and is middle-aged for a footballer. David Norris is another midfielder we have signed to bolster our midfield to give Neil Warnock more options.The common link between these players is that they're known as try-hards who can look after themselves.

I love the idea and legend of Dirty Leeds as much as anyone. You don't have to have watched the Revie side to know it's still a tradition strongly associated with the club - the persistent topping of the fouling charts by Lee Bowyer at the turn of the Millennium; the bottom and penultimate placing of Leeds in the fair play table over the last two seasons under Simon Grayson; the iconic status of Paddy Kisnorbo sporting the bloodied headband; the tackle from Michael Brown which put an end to the fragile Jacob Butterfield's season on that dreadful January day at Oakwell; Paul Connolly stating how he thrived on the atmosphere after his and Paul Robinson's 'smashing' of opposition players.

But Dirty Leeds aren't just dirty. There's more to it than that. Norman Hunter won Football Writers' Player of the Year award. Johnny Giles was a revered talent around the globe. Bowyer played in a team full of talent, with playmakers like Olivier Dacourt and Harry Kewell (spit), the wily Viduka, the cultured Harte and the pin-point tackling of Radebe. Kisnorbo played alongside Beckford, an undoubted talent when he can find his way to the ball. Brown played alongside Snodgrass - the Championship's second-top assistant last season, and Adam Clayton, a touch of class for much of the season before he was unwisely elected as the resident holding-role enforcer. Rodolph Austin could have been excellent foil for a dynamic pass-merchant like Clayton to work his magic and drive the five-man midfield forwards. And it's with Snodgrass and Clayton's exits that the threat of Warnockism once again sets off the mental alarm bells.

In the BBC's Leeds United - The Glory Years, probably the video which was responsible for drawing many younger fans' attention further than just the contemporary Leeds side and into the truly rich history of our club, John Motson hails 'Leeds United's footballing A,B, C: Arrogance, Belligerence, and Confidence'. Neil Warnock will provide the first two, there's no doubting that, but a tripod without its third leg cannot stand.
The departure of Snodgrass and Clayton and their respective replacements - Varney, and Green/Norris - does not represent progress. Unless this essential void of creative talent and true potential is filled, the class of the Leeds fanbase will not have been truly rewarded in kind with class on the pitch. It doesn't need to be spelt out how Leeds fans will react if they feel they've been fleeced. Another season of mediocre, defensive drudgery will simply not do. The playoffs are the minimum expectation of one of Europe's great all-time clubs, and rightly so. And they can only be achieved with a proper balance between defence and attack - a balance which must be present in the core of midfield, the beating heart of any good football team. This is how the final rung of that footballing ladder - Confidence - will be scaled.

Announce the new owners and their statements of intent, sign at least three genuinely talented players who can drive Leeds to promotion and beyond, and listen to the fans' proposals via the excellent representatives we have at LUST. Three simple steps which would truly enrichen the Club if they decided to act. The choice is theirs.

Leeds United in the transfer window...

Every summer and winter, us Leeds lot get incredibly excited. Who's coming to bolster our defence? Who's coming in to act as a play-maker? These kind of questions, we see the rumours and we think about them long and hard. We look at the pros and cons and then we remember... Our thoughts subside into a dull, empty nothing. Of course we're not going to sign anyone. If we do it's going to be a reject who's been out of the game for a year or a youngster who's already been on loan at ten different championship clubs. We have this false hope. The false hope comes from knowing that Leeds United is one of the biggest clubs in the UK and with that you should be able to attract big names to play at the mighty Elland Road...Wrong.

I don't know the full story but it seems to me that Bates is just getting way too tight. We all know this and I realise I'm stating the obvious but when two major characters of the footballing world sat down and had discussions over transfer budgets and wage budgets you could see Warnock getting something out of it with his South-Yorkshire charm. Wrong again. It looks like Warnock has been given a petty sum of Bates' ill-earned cash to delve into the pricey transfer market with. It just won't work. You could argue that we've spent £500,000 on Jason Pearce, I think it's a good signing, hopefully it will be a superb signing. We should be spending a lot more if we are to get out this division. Our squad just is not good enough. Getting rid of a good first-team player like Clayton seems ludicrous but then again it turns out he has asked for a major pay rise.

We've been rumoured with plenty of players to take Adam's place. There's been Paul Green, Greg Halford and in other positions we've heard talk that Joel Ward could've been on the cards, only until today when a deal looks to have been scrapped as he looks to favour a move elsewhere. Somewhere they can probably give him a lot more money for his services. I don't want us to get to pre-season and we still haven't signed anyone. Then there really would be issues. I've done some scouting myself and looked at the positions we need to strengthen. I believe we need one more centre-back for backup to Lees and Pearce. I think we need at least two new central midfielder's possibly more. We need some wingers now that Aidy White looks to be on his bike to either Newcastle or Celtic. And possibly a striker. I also wouldn't mind getting rid of Lonergan as he is just a brown-haired Schmeichel in my eyes. We most definitely need a left-back and a right-back though.

West Brom have got rid of some players that could be worth a look at. Joe Mattock and Nicky Shorey who can both play out on the defensive flanks have been released and they would be perfect candidates for any Championship club. So I ask why nobody has gone for them yet. Gavin Hoyte of Arsenal has been released too and he can also play in our needed positions. Miles Addison, Steve Davies and James Bailey have all been put on the transfer list by Derby County, not because they are bad but because they don't want to stay at Pride Park. I also reckon that our feeder club Norwich could maybe give us one or two or their players. I'm talking Zak Whitbread and out-of-favout Andrew Crofts who was great in the Championship for Norwich back in the 2010/2011 season. This is all food for thought mind you.

Hope you enjoyed reading,

Adam, on, on, on...

The Neil Warnock reign so far

How has Neil started?

The topic in this blog is how has Neil Warnock started as Leeds manager... Under Warnocks reign we have seen five points gained from four games. Five points out of a possible twelve points doesn't sound great for a promotion push but there is still time... There isn't much time but there still is time. 

As Neil says we now need to win all of our games at home to make this unlikely promotion push look a bit more achievable.We now have ten games left to salvage something for this season. Personally I think we would have a better shot next year but while it's still mathematically possible we may as well give it a go. We have six home games and four away days to contend will before the season reaches it's climax. The fixtures we have are mixed, some are against big-shots like West Ham who have an impressive away form and visit Elland Road this Saturday. Then we have games such as Millwall away which is one of the away days some fans look forward to most. We also have away trips to Blackpool and Cardiff who are also flying high and could pose a huge threat on our play-off hopes. 


All this is in the future though, what I am asking is how has Neil Warnock done so far and what have I seen, that I like the look of? The first obvious change we've seen is someone that can manage our defence and teach them how to play together. Darren O'Dea and Tom Lees worked very well together against Middlesbrough on Sunday. Paul Robinson and Paul Connolly also had a vital role to play in guarding Lonergans goal. Both centre-backs had a great game on Sunday and got to every ball and got it away from danger, and most of the time it didn't just go straight back to the oppositions midfield. The communication from Paul Robinson and the understanding between his new alliances in defence was great to see. After only a few days at the club he was making himself known and making everything very secure at the back. This meant that Lonergan had virtually nothing to do all afternoon. 

With the well organised defence came the two central midfield players, Michael Brown and Adam Clayton who sat in front of the defence and blocked everything that came their way and intercepted passes through the defence. Michael Brown had been getting a lot of stick earlier in the season as his performances were poor to say the least and he didn't look sharp enough. However, Neil seems to have put his trust in his old friend and abviously told him what he wants from him. It seems to be working for the veteran and I hope he keeps his form going.


Attacking-wise Neil hasn't done much. We know were good at attacking and we got insanely unlucky in the Southampton game. Despite the lack of goals we've looked dangerous. Somehow we seem to have a great partnership between Ross McCormack and Luciano Becchio. There were some neat one-two's going on against Boro' which lead to our second goal. Often you will find that the best strike forces are when you have two strikers who are completely different. One to win all the balls in the air and a pacey one to get in and out of defences. They both causes Middlesbrough so many problems which they just couldn't handle. In the end I believe we should've had more goals but I'm not complaining with a solid three points at Middlesbrough. There is one thing that I believe needs to be adjusted and that's for Snodgrass and White to change wings. Snodgrass just isn't as dangerous on the left. He gave defenders a torrid time out on the right as he cut in and fired in a shot or cross. I'm sure that Aidan White would also be better suited to the other wing so he could also deliver some teasing balls into the box. White looked very sharp against Boro' considering he was supposidly injured. 


That concludes this blog. Hopefully we can see a few more points on the board very soon, starting at West Ham this weekend. 


On, on, on...


Adam

Leeds United 1-2 Brighton and Hove Albion

Leeds United 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion


Went to the game and also went to the LUST march before hand too. I don't lie so I'm gonna come out and say that although I hate Ken Bates, we're achieving nothing. Yes the club needs investment but we have a good Championship squad with players that are more than capable of performing at the top level. 


Before the game I was talking to a friend and I bet that score would end up 0-0 or something like that. He reckoned Brighton would steal a 1-0 win. We went to the game with the tirade of Leeds fans claiming they'd simply had enough. 


The game started well, Becchio had an early header which glanced wide, which I thought he could've done better with. The rest of the half was pretty forgettable. There were few chances and the only real highlight I found was Clayton's brilliant lunge on a Brighton player. Loved it, great tackle and escaped without a red which I was surprised at.


The second half began and after the dull first half maybe this was the chance where we could see what Redfearn is capable of in the dressing room. Maybe he could spark change and get the team going. Both teams came out in better spirits. It was pretty even, Leeds attacking one minute, Brighton the next. In a game of few chances misses became unbearable to watch, Becchio missing a golden opportunity to poke home from a yard, only to be denied by Joe Mattock. Keepers made some good saves at either end. Adam Smith blazed the ball over the bar after being fed the ball by Snodgrass. This was also a good chance where he could've taken more touches I think.


Brighton drew first blood when a corner wasn't dealt with and Craig Mackail-Smith was grateful to receive the ball a yard from goal to tap home and give the seagulls the lead. Moments later Leeds equalised. A corner came in from Robert Snodgrass and Becchio jolted to the near post and steered the ball with his head to the far post. How could you score a header like this and miss a tap-in from a yard? That's the kind of player Becchio is these days I guess. 


Redfearn didn't make a substitution until his opposite number Gus Poyet had made all his allowed changes. It seems, like Grayson, Neil didn't have much faith in his bench either. 


Both sides pushed but karma hit. All the late goals we'd scored in the past few weeks had caught up to us and without a serious warning, Alan Navarro turned and took a hopeful strike. Straight past Lonergan who I didn't think was too ready for it. It even looked like it went under him. Heartbreak in the last minutes. Fans dived for the exits and Elland Road turned into an eerie place. 


The final whistle blows and the Leeds fans, yet again get on Bates' back, as though he was playing. I understand that he doesn't invest but the players were capable of winning and failed. It was like our fans were just eager to blame someone else like children. Like it wasn't fair because everyone else gets money and we don't. We should accept there isn't going to be change until change is announced. Until then we should get behind the team properly and stop blaming Bates. It's getting old and it's sort of like our comfort blanket. If all else fails, blame Bates. Should be our motto. 


Now, for the ratings of individuals :


Andy Lonergan - Made some good saves, never agreed with captains being at the back of the field in goal. Although who else could take the armband? O'Dea? Could've done more for both goals and made a very dodgy save in the first half - 6/10


Danny Pugh - Probably the best player on the pitch, for Leeds anyway. Had a quiet game, but that's because he didn't make any mistakes. Looked solid, couldn't have asked for much more, maybe needs to be a bit more adventurous and get forward a bit though - 7/10


Darren O'Dea - Had an okay game, made a mistake or two but got his head to quite a lot - 6/10


Tom Lees - Tried to get his head to everything at either end as always and had a solid game at the back - 6/10


Adam Smith - First time I've watched this kid and was pleasantly surprised. Did well all over and got forward quite a bit. Linked well with Lees just inside him and Snodgrass just in front of him. Fair play to the guy, he felt with Kazenga LuaLua extremely well and kept him quiet before he got subbed. Hope to see more of him- 7/10


Aidy White - Didn't turn up and looked like a fish out of water in the winger position. Didn't get a lot of the ball and didn't mark anyone too well, leaving Pugh to pick up the pieces. Poor game for Aidy - 5/10


Fabian Delph - Some great tackles went in, some brilliant skills were on show and some sensible football was played. However, there was no creativity. I watched him and he impressed me, but when he had the ball there were so many opportunities to feed the two strikers and the two wingers.  Lacked that edge but overall he was good - 7/10


Adam Clayton - Looked jaded, but in some good tackles and did well in centre-mid with Delph. In need of a rest though and is missing Howson. Fair game. - 6/10


Robert Snodgrass - Had a very quiet first half and didn't do much in the second bar the assist. Looked tired also but he is our talisman we can't do without. Hope he's on it for Tuesdays game at Coventry - 6/10


Ross McCormack - Never got a chance, big penalty shout involving him as he looked to be body-checked in mid-air. Didn't get service he needed and with that probably had a poor game. Not his fault really - 5/10


Luciano Becchio - Although he scored, he is becoming a donkey. Get someone else in, Nunez, Forsell or just someone! Annoying me a lot - 6/10


Subs:


Andros Townsend and Ramon Nunez came on in the last few minutes and didn't have time to get going really. Would like to see Nunez play more behind the striker. The striker being Ross. Townsend, played well against Burnley but he's too greedy and doesn't really play with a team as I saw at Crystal Palace. 


Anyway, I'll wrap up there.


iAdios!

This weeks happenings

So what's happened?

A very bizarre week has just occurred under the eyes of many Leeds United fans. Yet again we seem to be having a serious problem with our chairman, for good reason too.

A protest was arranged for 19:00 Thursday evening against Mr. Bates' inability to invest in our club to take us back where we belong, the premier league. The protest was broadcasted on regional news channel 'Look North' where many unhappy Leeds fans gathered who express their feelings and emotions. The protest was arranged after Bates had accepted an offer from Norwich for our club captain and Leeds born, Jonny Howson. I had a firm belief that Howson would be at Leeds forever... Clearly this is not the case as he is moving on because apparently he wants premier league football. I don't really rate Howson but I didn't want him to leave. Howson is one of those players who is great at the start of the season but then peats out and doesn't deliver great performances for the remainder of the season. I hope Norwich get what they want out of him although I think he's going to be a bench-warmer at best, if not placed straight into the reserves and left to rot. 

Although I don't believe Howson was right to leave the club I also believe that he was half forced out and didn't really have a choice once big Ken had been told there was money on the table. The reason it has come to this is firstly because Ken doesn't provide the players with competitive wages and other clubs come and snap our players up. Many players have not signed on in the last few seasons due to insulting salaries. Beckford left, Killa left, Johnson left and now Howson. I'm probably missing some from the list as well. The only person I'd call a senior player in that last few seasons to re-sign is Becchio. And to be frank I wish he hadn't looking at his current form. 

Apart from the losing players and no investment in the club itself I am also annoyed that Ken seems to think that loan signings and free signings are a perfectly good replacement. Today being Friday we've completed the signing of Fabian Delph. Fair enough, good player but he's here temporarily as is Townsend who no matter what anyone says, I think isn't all that. Howson said that he wants to play in the premier league at the next opportunity which says a lot about the way Leeds United is going. I've heard a lot of people have been saying to me that we're a selling club. I only wish it wasn't true. I also hope that nobody else leaves in this transfer window although I'm scared that if people know we're a selling club with a greedy chairman then bids might start rolling in for players we simply couldn't do without. 

There have been rumours that players such as McCormack, Lees, Clayton and even Snodgrass could be leaving. I sincerely hope this rumours are just rumours. Losing any of these players at this stage of the season would be a serious blow to this season and maybe the ones to follow. Anyway I'll wrap it up there, I hope for a win tomorrow, I think we are perfectly capable that is if we can get something out of a home game. My prediction for the game... United 3-1 Ipswich, look at me being optimistic... 

On, on, on...

Adam

January

JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW!


The January transfer window is here at last. Leeds United have been inundated with injuries over the past two months. Centre-backs have been injured, the supposed toughest men on the field! Maybe this is a blessing in disguise, now that O'Brien looks to be on his way and players such as Kisnorbo are injured. We also have had a few players who have sustained damage to their heads and are unable to stay conscious... nice. Hopefully Tom Lees will be back to full fitness for the away tie at the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in a FA Cup 3rd round match where Thierry Henry seems to have made more headlines than our beloved. 


So, enough of injuries... injuries means there could be a way of getting players in at Leeds? Does it not? Now more than previous transfer windows, Bates needs to reach into his never-ending pockets and grab some petty cash for Mr. Grayson. Not that I entirely trust Mr. Grayson to make worthwhile signings that will enhance our promotion push. So far we've signed Danny Pugh full-time which is sort of okay. I don't really mind as long as his £500k price tag didn't feather our chairman's pockets too much. Pugh has played okay, what I expected really although his first three games did make me think he could be somewhat useful. We've also signed a young winger who is no stranger to the Championship in Andros Townsend. From what I've heard and seen this chap could be a decent signing by Simon. He looks pacey and intelligent on the ball. He can use both feet which is something the hospital-bedded Robert Snodgrass fails in so badly. That said I really want Snoddy back. The window is still young and between the London games of the Gooners and the Eagles I expect at least one signing. After the Palace game I hope to see more activity. But where exactly would I strengthen if I were in-charge of the wonga...


Apparently Paul Connolly was dropped from right-back for the Burnley game which both Lees and young Zac Thompson trialed with during that 2-1 win. Thompson looked sharp their and failed to make mistakes. I'd like to see more of him but possibly in the centre of midfield. We need a permanent, solid full-back to take Connolly's place if the rumours are true that Paul has played one of his final games for United. A player like Lichaj should never go amiss. He played well with his time at Elland Road and welcomed a bid for him in the summer from the Whites. Sadly we didn't follow up on his pleads which we have lived to regret especially over this December period. 


Since Howson is out for a while it would also be smart to invest in another midfielder who can play in the centre of the park just behind the strikers. There must be a player out there who is begging to get some game-time. May he be old or young. In the last few months of the 2011-2012 season someone must want game-time. And there's hardly a better club to come to if you want game-time and rotation. 


For now that's the only two positions which need a serious look at, other than the Centre-back position but I think Grayson is already looking to full that role by replacing Paddy who is out for the remainder of the season. Also at this point in time I wouldn't even mind loans, young ones like Andros Townsend who know the Championship better than where they left their boots last. 


I hope to be celebrating some success in the transfer window very shortly and I'll be posting another blog up come the end of the window. Possibly on deadline day, who knows. Over and out.