Following on from Paul Robinson's comments at the week end, Noel Whelan has today also questioned and openly criticised Orta and his recruitment policy at Leeds, saying basically, he is clueless about transfers, especially when it comes to the younger recruits, and states that the majority of the signings have been 'Rubbish'.
Whelan says that when buying a player who is 22/23 y.o. then he should be capable of going straight into the 1st team squad, not being farmed out to a Spanish 2nd div'n side or into our own acadamy, and those that are younger than this should be at least on the fringes, and should be straight into the development squad.
Like he says, there are 17 and 18 year old's playing for teams in the Premier league, and occasionally in the Champions League, yet we buy much older players who are not even capable of playing Championship standard.
I like Whelan, he says it as it is, so hopefully Radz will see his comments and think, 'Hmm, that's interesting, that's now two former Leeds players who both played in the Prem at 19 years old, and for many years after that, are questioning Orta's signings and Whelan is also asking why is he buying all these 'older' youngsters, yet none of them are part of our first team plans, and also, why do we need to buy so many of them'.
Is there another reason, that we the ever optimistic fans, and maybe even Radz, have been gullible puppets of Orta, Bravo and ultimately the Aspire Academy with their Qatari State backing and it's desire to show the World that Qatar is actually a good, open and honest country, where young(ish) sports talent can be nurtured for the better good of sport, when really they are trying to deflect from the truth about Qatar and it's major and ongoing human rights issues.
The more you look at it, the more you start having serious doubts about the way we are being run and how we are neglecting the first team, at the expense of all these young poor players who we seem to keep buying.
At the end of the day, Leeds United is still a global name regarding it's footballing successes, sadly from decades ago, but we are still a name known by countless millions around the globe. What better than to find a numpty with a bit of money but no footballing knowledge, to buy us out and then advise him to employ leeches to control our once great club for someone else's benefit.
And, as I don't like or trust Dalgleish, whose to say that he wasn't also a Qatari pawn in all of this sorry affair from his first 'chancer' meeting with Radz, where he told him, the last big English club out there to buy is Leeds United, and they will be great again and make lots of money. Who for?
Maybe he was also being paid to say these things to Radz.
'Allegedly'.
Anyway, something is not right at our club. AGAIN !!!!!!!!!
Noel's got it bang on.
posted on 23/2/18
Said that Cellino actions would last for years with youth system
Sickening, there was a few people on here, and they know who they are, who backed the destroying of the youth setup and said it was the right thing to do.
Disgusting
posted on 23/2/18
LIW, you mean the ones who said it made good business sense to close Thorp Arch and how if they acquired a company and had to make lots of loyal people redundant that was ok.
posted on 23/2/18
On another note I watched the first half of the u23's game earlier. They like to knock the ball about well, I was impressed with them.
On a good run now, one of the form teams
posted on 23/2/18
comment by Jonty (U4614)
posted 10 hours, 56 minutes ago
Agree with that VOF but every player brought in to Dev squad deprives home grown player of a route to success.
Plus we’ve brought in older players, who if good enough should already be playing first team football.
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Homegrown, if you mean in the Leeds area, have been lured by Man City over the most recent past years.
posted on 23/2/18
U16s full of home grown players.
posted on 23/2/18
Great! Lets hope that pays off in the next 2 to 3 years.
posted on 23/2/18
Interesting article from late last year when Jason Wilcox, yes him of the last good Leeds side, talks about taking over as the Academy Director at City.
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-city-academy-wilcox-interview-13932302
More interesting or worrying is that no player has come through the City academy in the last ten years and played for their first team, and, they currently have 800 kids/youths, juniors at the academy at the moment.
With Chelsea doing a similar thing, what chance do clubs like Leeds have of attracting and/or keeping young players from the area with this type of harvesting of talent. Maybe there would be a lot more good home grown players around if clubs could keep hold of their local kids and nurture them, rather than what seems to be happening with rich clubs at the top of the pyramid, which is taking everyone with some ability but still failing to produce one top player at their club.
Sadly a lot of talent is probably lost that could have made it ,but by starting at a lower level and improving, rather than by coming in at the top, failing and then being disillusioned.
posted on 23/2/18
Algarve, its all about PR and marketing.
Clubs like Leeds need to demonstrate that LUFC kids have come through the Academy to the first team in contrast to Man City etc.
We have loads of success stories, including Phillips and Vieira right now.
Not to mention Cook, Taylor, Byram, etc. now playing in the Prem.
posted on 23/2/18
That's what I am eluding to JLA, if we can get and keep the local young talent then we can produce, but the number of kids going to the mega clubs will in the long term reduce our intake, and that's not good for football in general.
And Vieira is not what I would call home grown as he didn't come to Leeds until he was 17.
posted on 24/2/18
"Vieira is not what I would call home grown as he didn't come to Leeds until he was 17"
Technicality!
Point is he came into our development program and broke through into the first team.