Leeds Utd

[Ecosse Exile]

I would be seriously gutted if we were to sign Feeney as a replacement for Murray, so not sure what Leeds are thinking here.
Feeney hasnt had a decent season since 04-05 when he scored 17 in 33 appearances for Stockport.
This is mainly due to injuries i believe but his best season since then was 6 goals in 18 appearances for Cardiff and Swansea in 07-08.

As for Leeds winning league 1 i dont think so, but they will be up there around the play-offs.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

I think Leeds will go up this season. Grayson's an excellent manager. The play-offs are a lottery, but their league form under Grayson was top notch. Wasn't it seven home wins on the trot leading up to the play-offs.

Norwich won't go up. They need to change their management team

 

[billy_bremner]

Alright lads , long time , don't know if some of you remember me. I still do visit some boards frequently like yours. Nice to see you talk about us once in a while

Just wanted to say that I'm rather surprised about how some of you are under rating Grayson and comparing that to your opinion of Slade ( good manager btw ) , I find it rather strange as if you are using the same yardstick to measure both the managers , arguably, we have the best manager in League One then. Getting Blackpool up with nothing is no joke and keeping them there consistently is even better. His record since he joined Leeds speaks for itself. 2 defeats in 17 games and basically without waving his transfer wand , he has proved his mettle by working with what we have got.

Point being , the problem with Leeds is not the quality. We have loads and loads of it. It's the confidence as the pressure every season is immense and that gets to the players most of the times. We have not got a manager yet who knows how to handle that pressure and we will wait and see if Simon knows the trick. So far , he does look the part.

As for Feeney , I can beat that all the League 1 clubs would love to sign him anyday as he fits the bill for a League 1's version of 2nd striker. As Grayson clearly said , he is not the replacement for Beckford ( Sharp will be ! ) but Feeney is an addition to our squad to keep the competition going and add some variety to the attack.

So don't fret yet , I think we will see a different story for a change this season from LUFC All the best.

 

[Ecosse Exile]

Alright lads , long time , don't know if some of you remember me. I still do visit some boards frequently like yours. Nice to see you talk about us once in a while

Just wanted to say that I'm rather surprised about how some of you are under rating Grayson and comparing that to your opinion of Slade ( good manager btw ) , I find it rather strange as if you are using the same yardstick to measure both the managers , arguably, we have the best manager in League One then. Getting Blackpool up with nothing is no joke and keeping them there consistently is even better. His record since he joined Leeds speaks for itself. 2 defeats in 17 games and basically without waving his transfer wand , he has proved his mettle by working with what we have got.

Point being , the problem with Leeds is not the quality. We have loads and loads of it. It's the confidence as the pressure every season is immense and that gets to the players most of the times. We have not got a manager yet who knows how to handle that pressure and we will wait and see if Simon knows the trick. So far , he does look the part.

As for Feeney , I can beat that all the League 1 clubs would love to sign him anyday as he fits the bill for a League 1's version of 2nd striker. As Grayson clearly said , he is not the replacement for Beckford ( Sharp will be ! ) but Feeney is an addition to our squad to keep the competition going and add some variety to the attack.

So don't fret yet , I think we will see a different story for a change this season from LUFC All the best.

Totally agree that its a mental problem Billy, but the problem is with the players not the manager, yes he does get the chance to influence them so we'll see if Grayson can keep them calm in the run in.
The players you have at present are perfect for a scrap imo as has been seen since you have been in league 1, scrapping against the points deduction and then last season when you won your last 10 (i think) home games to make sure you reached the playoffs.
But the weight of expectation does indeed seem to weigh heavy on the players added to the fact that every team that plays at Elland Rd treats it as a cup final. I would suggest and it is only my oppinion that what Leeds need is players who have been in this position time and time again, Feeney and Crowe dont really fit that bill.
I dont rate Feeney as i said before but i do think you have a very good full back in Crowe, and im sure you'll sign plenty more players before the season kicks off so we'll need to wait and see.
Good luck for next season Billy but i feel we'll be challenging for the right to play each other at Wembley next year in the playoffs.

 

[seagull_special]

Intelligent well balanced contribution from a Leeds fan - whats going on? seriously it is psychological with Leeds, teams probably raise their game by 10% when playing them and the pressure Leeds fans put on their team is very high. Simon Grayson will have to be very strong to deal with Leeds as a bad start could cost him his job by Christmas. i would suggest to Leeds that the team relegated should relieve the expectation to a degree and that they should quietly get on with it. To have teams like Leeds, Southampton, Norwich and Charlton is a real bonus and any team who thinks they have a divine right to promotion are in for a nasty shock

 

[Pavilionaire]

I'm amazed that the bookies have Leeds at 7/2 for the title with Norwich at 7/1, because I fancy Norwich to do a Leicester.

Interestingly, Leicester home gates were just over 23K in the CCC and dipped to just ovr 20K in L1. Therefore, you'd expect Norwich's 24,500 crowds to drop to c. 21K which would put them prety much on a par with Leeds.

L1 will be very strong this year and Leeds are no better placed to go up than last year. Arguably, they look less likely this year. Charlton, MK Dons and Huddersfield all look handy, and with a few decent signings the Albion should be in the mix as well.

 

[billy_bremner]

Totally agree that its a mental problem Billy, but the problem is with the players not the manager, yes he does get the chance to influence them so we'll see if Grayson can keep them calm in the run in.
The players you have at present are perfect for a scrap imo as has been seen since you have been in league 1, scrapping against the points deduction and then last season when you won your last 10 (i think) home games to make sure you reached the playoffs.
But the weight of expectation does indeed seem to weigh heavy on the players added to the fact that every team that plays at Elland Rd treats it as a cup final. I would suggest and it is only my oppinion that what Leeds need is players who have been in this position time and time again, Feeney and Crowe dont really fit that bill.
I dont rate Feeney as i said before but i do think you have a very good full back in Crowe, and im sure you'll sign plenty more players before the season kicks off so we'll need to wait and see.
Good luck for next season Billy but i feel we'll be challenging for the right to play each other at Wembley next year in the playoffs.

Cheers mate. If you ask me , I'd personally say that we have a fantastic young squad for League 1 standards. Our first choice midfield's average age is 20 and they are all Championship quality players . They are keeping out the likes of Andy Robinson ( League 1 player of the season ex ) , Bradley Johnson ( fella you know too well about ) , David Prutton ( our best player under Wise ) etc .. Even at the back we have a good mix of youngsters and old heads. I feel with a couple of more experienced signings who can handle pressure like Naylor, Crowe, Sodje, Feeney ( playing for N.I is pressure IMO ) will hold us in good stead.

I feel it's Automatic promotion or nothing for us because the playoffs have been a curse for our club since the Revie days.

The reason I feel different about this season is that our young squad have seen enough cup finals in the last 2 seasons in League One. I thought they handled it better last year ( which is why our record under Grayson was the best in League 1 for the 2nd half of the season ) . The experience will be invaluable this season as most of our first teamers would be young lads improving every game. The impact Naylor and Sodje had on our team was immense. They steadied the ship and let Grayson have a grip over his team ( something Mcallister didn't have as he lacked leaders nor was he one )

I can see us signing a centreback, centre forward , a winger and a goal keeper. Likes of Sodje, Feeney , Holdsworth , Flahavan and Wade Small.