Well, were in the long home straight to the end of our first season of AR fully in charge.
I welcomed the change from Cellino but did have a lot of questions, specifically about what the plan was, how it would be funded and AR's lack of experience in football.
When he first put Orta in charge I said that one could be forgiven for thinking it wasn't dis-similar to Cellino set up with Salerno as the Director of Football and coach having little say as to who was bought and sold.
Whilst AR has done a lot of good things regarding engagement with fans (really important one for me), making the staff at LUFC feel valued and also supporting TC when chips were down in earlier bad run in season, there are some really worrying data points for our medium term future.
Firstly, the Chris Wood money. AR made a promise this would be re-invested in the squad. Cellino made similar claims when selling our top striker at the time, the money would buy back ER. We've not seen all that money re-invested and we're now hearing wage bill is too high, players will have to go, again, similar story to Cellino's time and I'm surprised to hear this has happened after hearing Kinnears endless rhetoric about sustainability, but also how AR's message when he took over was that how we shouldn't expect spending, that we should expect seeing youth development.
AR has more recently said he would like to see 4/6 players coming up from youth team....I would like to see that too, but it's detaching yourself from reality if you think that's going to happen with any team's set up, let alone ours right now.
We mourned the exit of top players each season under previous regimes and unfortunately this season has proven to be no different, with Taylor, Wood and Green all exiting the club. There can be valid reasons for all leaving (not sure about Green), but if we see the same this summer then this regime starts to look very much like previous ones and with comments now about wage bill and interviewers being told not to ask about outbound transfers I'm not confident we won't see top players leave. I'm not worried about the Klich's of this world, but if plan is genuinely for promotion next season, the exit door for our best players must stay shut...shouldn't be that hard as there's only one or two of them!
Our recruitment policy. It's been woeful, wasteful and ineffective. At end of last season it was clear we needed to sort the LB situation, was clear bids would come in for Wood, was clear we needed better in midfield. Now, you can understand a man new to football getting this wrong, but AR appointed a man who was supposed to know his stuff about this and gave him what seemed like free reign over the cash and it has not worked. Surely any sane person, even if sitting next to Orta and listening to him talking up his players can see that its not worked.
For recruitment, you can also look at Head Coaches.
AR has stated our wage bill is too high and we have to work out which players stay and which go. Fair enough, but that does not sound like the situation where you just need to add a bit to go for promotion next season, that sounds like yet another rebuild and yet another rebuild, costs money, will see yet more players come in who don't make it and will be another year gone and AR's promise of promotion in 2 years down the drain, just like Cellino's promise of 2 years.
The badge, comments after TC sacking and now ST pricing are 3 slaps in the face for supporters in quick succession and reveal a disconnect with the fans base.
The badge was a shocker and only after huge protests from fans were we promised a new, wider consultation with fans and a new badge agreed by end of Feb. Does anyone know anyone who has been consulted on this?
TC, might well have had to go. However, you could see that most fans felt TC had good standards as a person and AR really misjudged things with his comments on TC.
The final thing that worries me might seem a small thing, but just like GFH promoted a fans forum, AR, only a month ago, when under pressure due to lack of Jan transfers promised a Q&A around transparency and transfers, he promised this for Feb, and Feb is running out. It further erodes his credibility I'm afraid when he promises things and doesn't do them.
I can put all this down to learning experience in first full year, people have to be allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. The concern is that these mistakes have cost us a lot and have eroded trust, if that isn't learnt from and we continue down similar path next season, there is a real worry that we run out of money and results suffer even further. We've spent a fortune this season are have dropped from 7th to mid table, what's it going to be like when we haven got that money to spend any more?
Hope that AR really wakes up and smells a very strong expresso.
Some data points
posted on 20/2/18
For me Saiz stands out like a beacon in this generally lacklustre team. Roofe (who I didn't include in my list because I think he's pre-Orta?) I think is a good striker, but too lightweight and certainly worth less than we paid for him.
Not sure why you're trying to knock Saiz? He doesn't have to score goals to be the best player in the team.
He is creative and makes things happen. He has ideas, inventiveness and isn't knocked off the ball easily.
posted on 20/2/18
Not trying to knock him, just think there is too much hype around him and that that he's yet top really deliver against those heightened expectations.
Also willing to bet that we don't sell him for 3 times what we paid, I think he'll exit for what we paid or less.
posted on 20/2/18
Agree re Saiz. Hes not been great. We could sell him for maybe £4-£5m. I think he would be a real asset with better players around him who make more intelligent runs / any run at all in some cases! Leeds are very static at times and players dont have 3 or 4 passing options on which they would have in a good team.
posted on 20/2/18
Article itself is depressing. All true and depressing a bit like current scorelines tonight. Gutted.
posted on 20/2/18
I wish it wasn’t kebab but there are some worrying similarities and signs.
posted on 20/2/18
ADITK and me were talking today and agreed both Pontus and Saiz will be gone in the summer. Both are 27 and will be attracted by the wages lower league PL clubs can pay. Once again it will be rinse and repeat! Don’t compete or show the required ambition and the best players will leg it, to be replaced once again by unknown/unproven players at this level. I’m glad I’m happy with the rest of my life because this club is an effin car crash!
posted on 21/2/18
Eddie - sympathise with where your coming from but I think we need to safely get to the summer and take it from there - I.e. a major strategy overhaul with investment in 3 or 4 quality players. As you rightly say we have to get off this hamster wheel going nowhere.
posted on 21/2/18
I know the doom and gloom has set in and everyone is moaning about every last detail but let's not get stupid....Samu Saiz is and was our best player by a country mile.
To suggest he hasn't been excellent this season is beyond belief.
posted on 21/2/18
Him and Pablo should I add
posted on 21/2/18
Jansson would be lucky if anyone was still interested in signing him given the way he's been playing this season.