Why players in the end vote with their feet

Football isn't that different from politics and business - players like people can make known their vote of confidence in the system with very little ambiguity.

Fact remains, many of us - not all - hold our peace in our workplace because we need the job and so keep stum and remain in employment until the most favourable time or opportunity comes along to jump ship and change jobs. And footballers do precisely the same thing.

This season just passed, I can imagine if I was one of Leeds better performing first team football players, I'd have wanted to see more ambition to push for promotion back in January to help me secure my bonus for gaining promotion to the Premiership (ah, but hang on, this is Ken Bates they're dealing with right??); but despite the obvious frailties there was no remedial action taken whatsoever.

Bates gambled by keeping Beckford for his final year hoping his obvious contribution would result in promotion. You'd have thought the Bates had thus learned his lesson and understood that that is what is meant by 'gamble'; he needed to gamble by getting the glaring defensive issues sorted. Nothing was done. That was either Bates or Grayson's fault. If the fans could see the reasons why our defence was handing out 'free' goals to the opposition like candy, then you'd have thought between them, those two would have made a radical 'gamble' to gain a solution and secure promotion that would almost certainly ensued had the defensive issue been fixed.

However, from all this, I have a conclusion:

I honestly don't believe Bates was ever willing to provide the funds realistically required to fix the defensive problem back in January, as that would have required high but temporary Premiership wages to secure a player with ability but not just a squad member crock.

That said - I also don't believe that Grayson has a clue how to construct a solid defensive unit even if he was given the funds. There needs to be good money spent on a defensive coach for this season who can whip our defence into shape and show them how it's done - it would be better money spent. And give the guy a bonus if he helps keep our goals conceded below 70, 60, 50, 40, 30 etc this season!!