Been having a lovely, restful bit of time off over these holidays and was looking forward to getting to watch another match.
Wasn't really that worried about Derby, another match that Sky try and hype up, but was surprised to see Piroe, Solomon and James dropped/rested.
Sky do love a stat and going on and one about Derby scoring for 29 home games in a row, how many they score from corners wore thin when its repeated every 2 minutes.
We had a lot of possession but not a lot of end product. Joseph had a chance but a really tough one with ball coming to him at pace whilst under pressure and we hear "he should have scored that"....I dont think he should was a really hard chance.
Quite a bit of getting to the byline and pulling the ball back, but no end product and their goalie under very little pressure.
Felt that Gnonto and Largie were quite one dimensional in approach and it wasn't working.
Bogle decent going forward, always a bit suspect defending, Rodon was rough housed most of match and Struijk looked ok in duels but not that comfortable on the ball.The commentators were glowing about our defence but I'm not sure they inspired that much confidence yesterday, despite the result, clumsy fouls and being turned easily at times.
Meslier didn't have much to do, but one reflex save helped earn us 3 points. He comes in for a huge amount of criticism, but we do keep a lot of clean sheets with him in goal.
Byram was also a little wobbly defensively but really good going forwards, he's been an excellent addition for free last season.
I think Ampadu was needed for this game to add a little steel against Derby muscular players and at times muscular approach.
Thought that the ref was poor in this regard, meaning foul after foul gotten away with, many times accidental but nevertheless, felt like he allowed a bit too much to get past him, but would rather have that than endless stoppages for VAR.
Tanaka was good, but it did feel that he spins backwards at times, which stops momentum in attack and then its like an Ince hockey power ply trying to get through a packed defence, which, although we found a way through today, we do struggle with, our breaks at pace seems more effective. Also, he gives away some needless fouls around our box, would rather he kept away from defence, he's much more effective in midfield and proving to be a great signing.....was funny to see his parents on coach/train surrounded by supporters!
Joseph is trying hard but its not falling for him, not just at present, but all season and I get the feeling that he's now trying too hard.
Ideally wed send him out on loan to get experience and play without pressure, but we need him right now in our setup.
Derby came more into game in second half and seemed to start cutting through our midfield at will, but Farke brings on Solomon, James and Piroe and things change quickly, Solomon and James pose more of a threat and then what feels like a boring long passage of passing around the box is transformed by Solomon pass to Piroe who delivers the most perfect of lay offs for an incoming Aaronson, who atones for earlier misses and puts it away beautifully to bear Derby hearts and calm Leeds nerves.
Commentators wax lyrical about teh goal, but those who witnessed Bielsaball think, yeah it was good, but we had that sort of great goal all the time under Marcelo!
Bamford comes on and almost sneaks one then game is done a second consecutive away win whilst rivals falter and we're top of the league and reminded that top of league goes up, last not to do it was....Leeds 5 years ago, thank you for that!
It does feel though that we have enough, there is enough strength in depth, enough range in goalscorers and a manager who knows how to get promoted.
Talking of goalscorer, I'm not a fan of Aaronson, from his Prem days and lack of scoring and falling over and his decision to get loaned out. But, although I dont see him as top level player, he contributes goals which are severely lacking from our midfielders, keep opponents busy and creates space for our other players, so have to respect his contribution at present.
I'm not sure how these player fare in the top division, nor ow Farke's tactics work out there, but for right now, we seem to have the ingredients to go up, so let's focus on one step at a time and enjoy being top of the league!
Thoughts from last night
posted 2 days, 12 hours ago
comment by montleeds (U18330)
posted 57 minutes ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 43 minutes ago
comment by EnfieldLeeds88 (U10248)
posted 2 hours ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 8 minutes ago
Piroe now has 9 goals & 5 assists this season which puts him up very near the top of the charts in both departments.
The lad is extremely underrated in general. He has a casual-looking style (on top of always looking stoned 🤣) which unfortunately works against him in this era of people wanting headless chicken footballers.
Unfortunately Joseph's relative success in pre-season has worked against him as people hyped him up way too much. We're now over the halfway mark in the campaign & he's scored twice.
I sincerely hope the 49ers have a no 9 on the shopping list because if Piroe was to pick up an injury, with Joseph, Gelhardt & the mighty fraud we'd be in big trouble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You're now seriously underrating Joseph. We've won plenty of games with him starting. Also our good run last season was with Bamford up top. We wouldn't be in big trouble. Also goals are a lot more spread out this season.
Also people seriously underrating Gnonto in this thread as well. Thought he played really well 1st half yesterday. Was great first couple of months in the season, has been less impact full recently but that happens with young players
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Joseph's done nothing of note for some time now.
And in the interest of peace & harmony i'm not even engaging in debate about the great fraud 🤣🤣
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaronson's not a great fraud, just an ordinary everyday sort of fraud.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaronson's doing well. You must know who the great fraud is? 🤣🤣
posted 2 days, 10 hours ago
comment by Kebablegs (U17699)
posted 6 hours, 13 minutes ago
I honestly think Leeds were the best side in the championship last season. We missed a month of the season getting the team together and ultimately that’s what cost us. We beat Ipswich twice, we beat Leicester twice. Only Southampton had our number as we suited their style.
The question now is are Leeds better this season than last? We have lost the individual flair of Summerville/Rutter but we do seem to be a more consistent side overall.
On this basis if you were to chuck us in the premier league at Southampton’s expense I do think we could finish above Ipswich and challenge Leicester but finding a third team to overall is difficult.
Next season we would start as favourites to finish above the other 2 sides who go up.
You look at the current teams 15-17th and it’s hard to see us break them with what we have at present
Wolves have cunha who is good enough to play in the top6. A real Raphinha type game changer.
Everton are really solid - England Gk, solid centre backs and midfield and the flair of McNeill.
Palace are solid with some quality in eze.
Unless there is a massive drop off in a team like Brighton Bournemouth Brentford Forest it’s going to be a very tough league next season.
Recruitment team won’t have a massive budget and the pressure will be to find 3-4 mid table premier league players. Not easy
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Largely agree with this, I think the concern re last season was we’d recovered from the poor start but were running on empty down the stretch.
It can be hard to predict who is going to step up and who isn’t. Both as a team and as individuals. Brentford and Bournemouth went up a few years back with average sides. Forest rode their luck hugely to stay up in the first season. It’s true you likely need one of the ‘mid’ teams to have a bad season, but often one of them does. You need to be just good enough to take advantage… tough but not impossible… and as you say… will need some good recruitment.
Interesting how cunha’s done. Orta tried to sign him, and we thought he was mad… his goals/assists record was ordinary.
McNeil looked a tidy player with no end product at Burnley.
posted 2 days, 9 hours ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 2 hours, 28 minutes ago
comment by montleeds (U18330)
posted 57 minutes ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 43 minutes ago
comment by EnfieldLeeds88 (U10248)
posted 2 hours ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 8 minutes ago
Piroe now has 9 goals & 5 assists this season which puts him up very near the top of the charts in both departments.
The lad is extremely underrated in general. He has a casual-looking style (on top of always looking stoned 🤣) which unfortunately works against him in this era of people wanting headless chicken footballers.
Unfortunately Joseph's relative success in pre-season has worked against him as people hyped him up way too much. We're now over the halfway mark in the campaign & he's scored twice.
I sincerely hope the 49ers have a no 9 on the shopping list because if Piroe was to pick up an injury, with Joseph, Gelhardt & the mighty fraud we'd be in big trouble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You're now seriously underrating Joseph. We've won plenty of games with him starting. Also our good run last season was with Bamford up top. We wouldn't be in big trouble. Also goals are a lot more spread out this season.
Also people seriously underrating Gnonto in this thread as well. Thought he played really well 1st half yesterday. Was great first couple of months in the season, has been less impact full recently but that happens with young players
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph's done nothing of note for some time now.
And in the interest of peace & harmony i'm not even engaging in debate about the great fraud 🤣🤣
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaronson's not a great fraud, just an ordinary everyday sort of fraud.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaronson's doing well. You must know who the great fraud is? 🤣🤣
----------------------------------------------------------------------
White, Bamford is not a fraud, he’s just a poor player who cannot do the job he is paid to do. I think Farke plays him for a few minutes at a time to make a point to our recruitment team - Get another striker!
Interestingly, the LUTV highlights reel does not show us Bamford’s one on one miss. I guess they don’t want to put off any prospective suitors, because Joseph’s identical miss was in there.
I hope we have learned the lesson of failing to recruit in January, because we are profligate in front of goal, against weaker teams. All we need is an injury to Piroe, and that leaves us relying on Gelhardt or Bamford to take his place, neither of whom are even at Championship level. If people think we would survive in the Prem against much sharper opposition, they are dreaming.
posted 2 days, 6 hours ago
comment by The heart of Farkeness (U19827)
posted 2 hours, 35 minutes ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 2 hours, 28 minutes ago
comment by montleeds (U18330)
posted 57 minutes ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 43 minutes ago
comment by EnfieldLeeds88 (U10248)
posted 2 hours ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 8 minutes ago
Piroe now has 9 goals & 5 assists this season which puts him up very near the top of the charts in both departments.
The lad is extremely underrated in general. He has a casual-looking style (on top of always looking stoned 🤣) which unfortunately works against him in this era of people wanting headless chicken footballers.
Unfortunately Joseph's relative success in pre-season has worked against him as people hyped him up way too much. We're now over the halfway mark in the campaign & he's scored twice.
I sincerely hope the 49ers have a no 9 on the shopping list because if Piroe was to pick up an injury, with Joseph, Gelhardt & the mighty fraud we'd be in big trouble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You're now seriously underrating Joseph. We've won plenty of games with him starting. Also our good run last season was with Bamford up top. We wouldn't be in big trouble. Also goals are a lot more spread out this season.
Also people seriously underrating Gnonto in this thread as well. Thought he played really well 1st half yesterday. Was great first couple of months in the season, has been less impact full recently but that happens with young players
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph's done nothing of note for some time now.
And in the interest of peace & harmony i'm not even engaging in debate about the great fraud 🤣🤣
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaronson's not a great fraud, just an ordinary everyday sort of fraud.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaronson's doing well. You must know who the great fraud is? 🤣🤣
----------------------------------------------------------------------
White, Bamford is not a fraud, he’s just a poor player who cannot do the job he is paid to do. I think Farke plays him for a few minutes at a time to make a point to our recruitment team - Get another striker!
Interestingly, the LUTV highlights reel does not show us Bamford’s one on one miss. I guess they don’t want to put off any prospective suitors, because Joseph’s identical miss was in there.
I hope we have learned the lesson of failing to recruit in January, because we are profligate in front of goal, against weaker teams. All we need is an injury to Piroe, and that leaves us relying on Gelhardt or Bamford to take his place, neither of whom are even at Championship level. If people think we would survive in the Prem against much sharper opposition, they are dreaming.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately i don't believe he has any suitors anyway. I just hope that doesn't hold us back.
posted 1 day, 20 hours ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 9 hours, 12 minutes ago
comment by The heart of Farkeness (U19827)
posted 2 hours, 35 minutes ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 2 hours, 28 minutes ago
comment by montleeds (U18330)
posted 57 minutes ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 43 minutes ago
comment by EnfieldLeeds88 (U10248)
posted 2 hours ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 8 minutes ago
Piroe now has 9 goals & 5 assists this season which puts him up very near the top of the charts in both departments.
The lad is extremely underrated in general. He has a casual-looking style (on top of always looking stoned 🤣) which unfortunately works against him in this era of people wanting headless chicken footballers.
Unfortunately Joseph's relative success in pre-season has worked against him as people hyped him up way too much. We're now over the halfway mark in the campaign & he's scored twice.
I sincerely hope the 49ers have a no 9 on the shopping list because if Piroe was to pick up an injury, with Joseph, Gelhardt & the mighty fraud we'd be in big trouble.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You're now seriously underrating Joseph. We've won plenty of games with him starting. Also our good run last season was with Bamford up top. We wouldn't be in big trouble. Also goals are a lot more spread out this season.
Also people seriously underrating Gnonto in this thread as well. Thought he played really well 1st half yesterday. Was great first couple of months in the season, has been less impact full recently but that happens with young players
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph's done nothing of note for some time now.
And in the interest of peace & harmony i'm not even engaging in debate about the great fraud 🤣🤣
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaronson's not a great fraud, just an ordinary everyday sort of fraud.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaronson's doing well. You must know who the great fraud is? 🤣🤣
----------------------------------------------------------------------
White, Bamford is not a fraud, he’s just a poor player who cannot do the job he is paid to do. I think Farke plays him for a few minutes at a time to make a point to our recruitment team - Get another striker!
Interestingly, the LUTV highlights reel does not show us Bamford’s one on one miss. I guess they don’t want to put off any prospective suitors, because Joseph’s identical miss was in there.
I hope we have learned the lesson of failing to recruit in January, because we are profligate in front of goal, against weaker teams. All we need is an injury to Piroe, and that leaves us relying on Gelhardt or Bamford to take his place, neither of whom are even at Championship level. If people think we would survive in the Prem against much sharper opposition, they are dreaming.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately i don't believe he has any suitors anyway. I just hope that doesn't hold us back.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
As Plymouth are now looking for a new boss and if I was them I'd try and get Mark Robbins but if he isn't available and Warnock doesn't fancy another Red Adair mission then I could actually see Bamford in a player coach role and without the pressure and intensity at a club like Leeds, Plymouth could be the making of PB and even if he isn't able to keep them up I think if they stick with him as a project to hopefully for their sakes to bounce back up then Bamford who you'd say talks a good game and seems quite eloquent and articulate you never know could be the next Brian Clough???
posted 1 day, 20 hours ago
I'd think he has more pressure at Plymouth because I don't think they're wanting to go down!..
The pressure for the bottom clubs for different reasons is just as big if not bigger than the top teams!..
posted 1 day, 20 hours ago
Fair enough Germany and I'm sure Plymouth fans wouldn't want to be used as some "project" and will be desperate to stay up which I think a manager of the calibre of Mark Robbins and available ticks all the boxes but if not Plymouth for a potential player/manager role then maybe like Clough started out at Hartlepool lower down the pyramid then I'm sure a league one or two side would be a suitable fit for Bamford to cut his managerial teeth on.
posted 1 day, 19 hours ago
If i was a Plymouth fan i would have been beside myself from the day Rooney was brought in. Unbelievable he was given another chance in the Championship after what he did to Birmingham. Plymouth were a decent side last season.
posted 1 day, 19 hours ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 2 minutes ago
If i was a Plymouth fan i would have been beside myself from the day Rooney was brought in. Unbelievable he was given another chance in the Championship after what he did to Birmingham. Plymouth were a decent side last season.
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Yep and you can't even use hindsight as an excuse because everyone predicted this because his trajectory of managerial success was only going in one direction...you could excuse him for Derby where he did an okay job but then onto USA where it's pretty difficult to be a poor to average coach in the MSL but Rooney managed to do that but astonishingly the Birmingham owners ignored that red flag and then witness Rooney with what you'd say was a capable squad that Eustace had got challenging for the play-offs, Rooney managed to completely destroy all that and did such a bad job that no first team coach role should have been offered to him again and he should have either studied under a more experienced coach and learnt what it really takes to be a successful manager for at least 3 or 4 years before being considered for a managers job or just accepted his limitations and bowed out gracefully and gone into punditry.
Plymouth fans have every right to be in absolute uproar at their owners negligible actions in appointing a man that everyone and his dog could see he would not be good enough and for their fans sakes and unlike Birmingham last season it is not too late for a new man to repair the damage.
posted 1 day, 14 hours ago
comment by Macca & The Rhythm Sticks/Crutching Peacock Hidden Ferret (U8194)
posted 4 hours, 51 minutes ago
comment by White as Snow (U22893)
posted 2 minutes ago
If i was a Plymouth fan i would have been beside myself from the day Rooney was brought in. Unbelievable he was given another chance in the Championship after what he did to Birmingham. Plymouth were a decent side last season.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yep and you can't even use hindsight as an excuse because everyone predicted this because his trajectory of managerial success was only going in one direction...you could excuse him for Derby where he did an okay job but then onto USA where it's pretty difficult to be a poor to average coach in the MSL but Rooney managed to do that but astonishingly the Birmingham owners ignored that red flag and then witness Rooney with what you'd say was a capable squad that Eustace had got challenging for the play-offs, Rooney managed to completely destroy all that and did such a bad job that no first team coach role should have been offered to him again and he should have either studied under a more experienced coach and learnt what it really takes to be a successful manager for at least 3 or 4 years before being considered for a managers job or just accepted his limitations and bowed out gracefully and gone into punditry.
Plymouth fans have every right to be in absolute uproar at their owners negligible actions in appointing a man that everyone and his dog could see he would not be good enough and for their fans sakes and unlike Birmingham last season it is not too late for a new man to repair the damage.
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