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Doha made great point, Murphy, if he is so good, should have bossed this match.

People make excuses form him in championship, its a step up etc. well this should have been perfect for him and he was AWOL.

I think BM started with wrong team selection and I think he got subs and timing of subs wrong.

I like BM but his honeymoon period ended today with a lot of fans and his recent results must give GFH/new owners cause for concern.

Tired of the rhetoric after every defeat about how the next match is the one where we'll turn the corner.

never expected promotion this season but did expect something better than last season.

Are we seeing that?

Didn't even know Austin played.

Jonty, both Howson and Snodgrass stepped up and they were younger than Murphy.

McDermott is also making Austin look bad by playing him in an advanced role.

If he was sitting in front of the back for getting tackles in the fans would love him, instead he's being questioned.

Oh and I know a Crewe fan who never rated Murphy.

Austin played well in the AM role but he has not been fit recently, either that or just not good enough.

The guy needs to be rested/dropped

Agree EVILC DM defnitly his posistion, breaking up attacks and putting it last ditch challenges.Need an almost premiership quality CM together with Mowatt and 2 pacey wingers that can take on players and re service into the box

Need to return to 4-4-2 to get the best out of Murphy. From what I saw today we can't string two or three passes together and when it mattered we were far too gung ho. Hardly a platform for playing good football.

This team as a whole should have bossed the match. They didn't turn up. Not motivated. Tactics and formation clearly not bringing the best out of the squad.

I was underwhelmed by McDermott's appointment, but I'll admit to being pleasantly surprised by the way in which he went about his task in the final few weeks of last season.

However, after the opening game of this season he's not moved the club on. People harp on about lack of signings, that he's been hampered. But he had none of his own players in the final throes of last season and he's added what he believes to be quality where it matters and the accent on the future.

We remain one dimensional. We've allegedly got funds for transfers but Gradel has become Stewart (surprise surprise) and I don't hold out any hope for the quality that we really need.

McDermott was the best of the freebies at the time and I'm pleased he stopped the rot when it mattered. Today, for me, simply confirms that he is out of his depth here at Leeds United. I'm not bothered how unpopular that theory is, it's my opinion and I think the board, old or new, should think twice before releasing whatever funds we have to this manager as he's not up to the task.

Reading FC is not Leeds United.

He's only played well as an attacking midfielder in a couple of games, it's not really his position.

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Said after first game

Murphy worried me and had nothing in his locker

Got hammered for it on here.

I got it wrong, he's even worse

We don't need a midfield at the moment, McDermott has built a by-pass.

For me Murphy is just a tall Kilkenny.

He's neat and tidy but he doesn't boss games and he needs other players to play well around him.

We've paid a million pounds to replace Kilkenny.

Where are you on McDermott now, LIW?

We're playing a flat three and there's no pace so they can't get up and down.

If Austin was sitting it would allow Murphy and Mowatt to get forward.

It's a bit like when we first came up and we played a flat three and Bradley Johnson was up and down without doing anything. As soon as Grayson changed it and had Howson in behind the striker and Johnson sitting we shot up the league.

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Clive, agreed about the holding midfield role!

And agreed about Johnson!!!

I don't think Austin is good enough in his preferred position either though.

You have to ask the question... Do you need 4 central defenders against a League 2 team.

It just lacks common sense.

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Based on today's performance could it have been any worse?

Losing to Rochdale lacks common sense does it not?

I thought it read back 4. 4 CBs? We might have forced a draw if they were on from the start!!!

People find it easy to say players like Austin and Lees aren't good enough, why can't you say McDermott isn't good enough?

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First let me say - I like McDermott and think he should be given time -at least another season after this one. Chopping and changing managers rarely seems to work. Our performance today, however, was woeful and most of this seemed to stem from the misconstrued idea that Rochdale would give us the game. We never really got going and gave them all the impetus to attack us ( something they did with some flair and incisiveness.) I'm sure that Brian has said it before, that you have to fight for the right to play and then you can show the class you have. Too many of our players today wanted an easy ride and could not then turn it on when they needed to. If this is indicative of the player's mindset, Brian will have a difficult job over the next few weeks and months.
What is obvious is that we are lacking key players in key positions. The sort of player who wants the ball in difficult areas of the pitch and has the composure to play football, not just 'lump' it up to the forwards. At present Murphy is not the answer. No one else in midfield is stepping up to the mark either. Austin can be a powerhouse, but too often is let down by his first touch and an incessant need to shoot anywhere near goal. Mowatt could do well for us, but relying on an 18 year old as your only creative outlet is not a position we should be in.
Defensively we lack pace and leadership. Zaliukas seems to have continued the curse of performing well until he signs a better contract and has been distinctly average in the last two or three games. The defenders today seemed to get drawn out of position because of poor midfield coverage and then did not have the pace and positional awareness to defend as a unit.
Our 3 - 5 - 2 formation seems to have been watched and counteracted and now looks very much like a 5 - 3 - 2 this obviously causes us problems in attacking, but also leaves the 3 central defenders showing a lack of communication as to who should be doing what.
I think Smith is a good squad acquisition. He should not be starting for us though. He does not hold the ball up and has not shown that he and Ross are developing an instinctive partnership - neither seems to know what the other is going to do. Ross does not seem to be the player he was 2 months ago, the zip and willingness to take players on seems to have taken a knock.

I do believe we are only 3 or 4 good players short of making the play offs - so January is a very important month for us, on and off the pitch.

I'll finish by saying, for my sins I quite like watching American Football (yes I know the shame) and the team I follow is Cleveland Browns (I'm a glutton for punishment.) Recently there owner stated that their only expectation was to see improvement during the season and as long as they saw that, having a fairly young team and a relatively inexperienced coach, they would be happy.

That is all I want to see from Leeds this season, an improvement on the pitch, passing football, good movement, some flair and creativity and of course our well renowned hard play.
P.S. Cleveland sacked their coach last week - so Brian needs to keep a look over his shoulder.

MOT

Phil Brown got Hull out of this league.

How would you react if we made him manager?

Warnock got three different teams out of this league and everyone rubbishes him.

And who was the Reading manager before McDermott?

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