Recorded match, phone switched off, rushed home to watch recording.
Blackburn lost 5-0 so of course this should be easy, intimidating place to go, Leeds never lose at home.....talk about teh continual curse of teh commentator.
Our form has been really poor last few games, there are no easy games.
Roberts in, Kamara out, release Gray into midfield, Bamford dropped for Piroe.
We have lots of possession, but our attention asks are so slow, Blackburn are all behind the ball.
Neither Summerville nor Gnonto really getting behind people, Piroe not really playing the target man.
Gray was energetic, but not influential, Gruev was infuriating, always poisitioninbg himself behind opponent so completeley unavailable for a pass but telling everyone else what to do.
Ampadu looked a little unsure at the back today as did Firpo.
We have long range shots, but that's about it, Firpo spent much of his time further forward but it felt like there are too many of us in too small a space..
Lots of fouls from Blackburn, not enough to help us but enough to throw us out of our stride along with lots of time wasting.
Horrendous throw out from Meslier was indicative of lack of plan, just no real idea what we're doing.
Roberts was forward a lot on other side from Firpo, but for all our possession, no real clear cut chances, just long range shots.
Changes relatively early (64 mins), but its just throwing strikers on, we now have Piroe and Bamford on, when I'd have brought Bamford on for Piroe.
Rutter was mainly ineffective too, different player after this hernia op, the word ineffective just keeps coming to mind about so many players.
Apart from one tackle, thought Gruev was his usual sideways passing self but surprised to see him come off which left us light in midfield and its hard to see how there is any plan except throw every forward on....but then they're getting in each other's way.
Out of noting, goal kick and Blackburn score....I cant say I'm surprised, they haven't had that many chances, but we just feel so nervous right now.
Our chances are still just half chances and now Joseph on and Anthony on and its desperate measures throwing every forward ion and its age, here is that word, ineffective.
There has to be a plan rather than just throw every forward on.
That's 2 home games on the trot and 4 points thrown away, Ive gone from feeling we're going to win every match to hoping we can get a point in a match and I cant really put my finger on what has happened.
We had 19 shots, 5 on target, they have 3 shots, 2 on target, 75% possession, yet never really looked like the dominant team.
After Leicester handing us a golden opportunity, Ipswich hand us another one by failing to win.
We can't keep being given these opportunities, we';re running out of matches, but I still feel Leicester are going to miss out, but would say that after throwing away points at home, our run in suddenly doesn't look quite so easy.
Thoughts from today
posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
Agree, we should have signed sufficient cover at number 10 to cover Rutter. Then again, Piroe has done that and scored 11 goals or so
46 games is too many and even Leicester and us are feeling the strain. Leeds and Leicester don't deserve to be in this league, we're far too good for it, along with Southampton. Unfortunately, all 3 are in it at the same time, any other season, all 3 would have been up by now.
posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
...that kind of luck is Leeds all over Shaun
posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
I'm fairly convinced now after a good night's sleep and putting everything into perspective that for the club to have the best chance of surviving and progressing in the EPL that as unpalatable as it may be, we are actually going to need another season in the Championship.
I know it's difficult to see it this way and even I will admit it's the default position of every Leeds fan including myself to still be hopeful we can still get promoted this season and face the inevitable struggles we would encounter next season if promoted, as they happen.
However the manner in which we are now stuttering and limping to the finishing line as is the case with Leicester and Ipswich is a sure fire sign that the team/squad has significant weaknesses that if promoted, it would have to make up the majority of the EPL squad but for a few, maybe 6 at the most additional signings that the club is allowed under the restrictive FFP rules to purchase, which would almost certainly see us come back down again like Shef Utd and Burnley with Luton possibly having the best chance of survival but there's no doubt the 3 promoted club's from last season occupying the bottom 3 places of the Premier league is no surprise.
I think another season with Farke and a new blank canvass possibly with many exits forcast and new recruits with a vibrant zest for the challenge of getting promoted in style as that is what I think you need to do to show you are comfortably a class above the rest of the Championship to then progress well in the EPL the following season and beyond.
We are not too good for this league, nowhere near, despite an impressive haul of victories this season when you boil it all down and analysis the manner of our results you are kidding yourself if you think we are a class above others because we have struggled to impose ourselves sufficiently against many of the bottom half clubs, dropping many points, which is not a good sign and why we must face the harsh reality of it all... We're not ready yet.
Summerville and Rutter are good players and on their day in the Championship can look like world beaters, but they're not and I think they'll struggle in the EPL whoever they play for because as the championship has shown us they can with a fairly straight forward thought out gameplan actually be quite easily nullified by the opposition.
I think Gnonto is the only truly Premier league quality player we have and I can see plenty of clubs seeking his service next season.
I think we do have in Archie, Joseph and Ampedu some great potential and with back up from the likes of Rodon, DJ, Roberts and a new crop of Championship players plus a clear out of the old and stale I'm confident Farke can mould a new team that will actually run away with the league next season and go up in style ready to face and survive comfortably the challenges of the EPL.
I'm a romantic and believe everything happens for a reason, life goes on, it's not the end of the world and I will always support Leeds United whatever but these are my feelings about where we are atm and yesterday confirmed what I'd started to sense for a few weeks, we're not quite good enough and I think we will be playing in the Championship again next season.
posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
Batty - never give in pal👍
posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
The sad reality that ‘parking the bus’ against a jaded looking side has worked for two game consecutively at Elland Road.
My main criticism of Gruev is slightly different; it is his inability to change the tempo of the game. In other words, his predictability allows the opposition to see his positional risk as negligible throughout the entire 90 minutes, and to place the extra man marking players like Summerville. When this is happening we are not utilising the space created in the area vacated as we were previously and that is where the jaded appearance of the team really manifests right now.
For me Joseph has to start the last three games irrespective and for Farke to tell him that will get his minimum 70 minutes, exactly as both Bamford and Piroe have frequently received. That way, he can focus on making his mark.
We need to allow Summerville the freedom to roam from left to right so that it becomes harder for managers to plan a specific strategy of placing the same two players to marki him. Someone else mentioned switching flanks. I’m all for that, with Willy coming over to the left where he scored his first goals for us from. I believe those two player have the quality to switch between the flanks. Either way, it is apparent that marking Summerville out of the game has nullified our goal threat down that flank for two consecutive games now.
Archie needs to be a little more bold in midfield, again, changing the tempo occasionally and looking to make a surging run forward.
Meslier Byram Rodon Ampadu Gray, Gruev Kamara, Rutter(Gnonto would be the untried throw of the dice in there) James Summerville Joseph
Georginio looks demotivated since his op, so maybe even the threat of dropping him a role of the ‘hour mark’ substitute could be a sufficient warning shot.
All of the above said, a calm and unpanicked approach is the only thing needed. These players have delivered for months now. Farke would do well to really digest these past few games with time in the video room before training preparation for Middlesbrough begins.
I sense Matteo Joseph is a player who will respond to a manager’s faith in him rather than his challenge to deliver on the training pitch.
We all have slightly different perspectives, and as we have all said, the extreme nastiness which was experienced by Patrick when he had really poor run of form last season isn’t necessary on this forum either, just because we all have different interpretations and solutions to offer for the current predicament.
The players have nothing to gain from failure, so as several have pointed out, from the start of the game, whoever gets the nod up front, needs to hear our support.
Our next two games are away; it would be a brave move to give Joseph his first start at Elland Road with a win needed to secure promotion, but it could well be the necessary catalyst we need right now.
Hold on folks…one last rollercoaster ride!!
posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
Don't think its over by any means. Plenty to play for
posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
A lot of what you say could be correct Macca but it’s all finance dependent. We would likely have to sell several players and unlikely Rodon would sign?
Either way we have headaches to solve but I think promotion would give us back control of the loaned out players and an influx of cash to balance the books.
posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
We would likely have to sell several players and unlikely Rodon would sign?
—
May be wrong but I think Rodon has just a year left on his Spurs contract. Given that he’s barely played over the 3 seasons before he joined us, it would be a good move for him to stay at Leeds and rebuild his career. I think a deal wouldn’t be too hard to sort if we stay down
I can’t see a PL going for him
posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
As Real Estate alluded to ‘parking the bus’ and added to fouling at strategic times in a game, wasting as much time as possible….the classic recipe of how an inferior team can inflict defeat on a jaded superior team.
Was Gruev signed as a stereotype midfield schemer ?
I think his style is more suited to a Phillips role rather than a schemer type of midfield player…as I said previously his passing is tidy and accurate, looks like a defensive midfield player to me.
posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago
Re Gruev he makes some great last ditch challenges to thwart attacks and rarely gives the ball away. He is OK as a DM the trouble is we have no AM for him to pass to. As someone else said all our midfielders are the same, they look like they get a nose bleed if they get to the edge of the opponents box. As for goals from midfield all our MFs are so shot shy it is embarrassing.
Re set pieces. This has been the same for as long as I can remember. We have had so many different corner takers I have lost count and not one of them able to deliver the ball into the right area. One good delivery into the box yesterday from a FK by Roberts but Ampadu headed it wide. Unless we start getting good service into the box we cannot judge if our centre halves are any good but their lack of goals at previous clubs probably tells us.
Opponents know we pose zero threat from corners so they have no qualms giving us 10 or 15 a game. We concede more goals from our corners than we score from them.