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Thoughts from today

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posted on 14/4/24

Batty - never give in pal👍

posted on 14/4/24

The sad reality that ‘parking the bus’ against a jaded looking side has worked for two game consecutively at Elland Road.

My main criticism of Gruev is slightly different; it is his inability to change the tempo of the game. In other words, his predictability allows the opposition to see his positional risk as negligible throughout the entire 90 minutes, and to place the extra man marking players like Summerville. When this is happening we are not utilising the space created in the area vacated as we were previously and that is where the jaded appearance of the team really manifests right now.

For me Joseph has to start the last three games irrespective and for Farke to tell him that will get his minimum 70 minutes, exactly as both Bamford and Piroe have frequently received. That way, he can focus on making his mark.

We need to allow Summerville the freedom to roam from left to right so that it becomes harder for managers to plan a specific strategy of placing the same two players to marki him. Someone else mentioned switching flanks. I’m all for that, with Willy coming over to the left where he scored his first goals for us from. I believe those two player have the quality to switch between the flanks. Either way, it is apparent that marking Summerville out of the game has nullified our goal threat down that flank for two consecutive games now.

Archie needs to be a little more bold in midfield, again, changing the tempo occasionally and looking to make a surging run forward.

Meslier Byram Rodon Ampadu Gray, Gruev Kamara, Rutter(Gnonto would be the untried throw of the dice in there) James Summerville Joseph

Georginio looks demotivated since his op, so maybe even the threat of dropping him a role of the ‘hour mark’ substitute could be a sufficient warning shot.

All of the above said, a calm and unpanicked approach is the only thing needed. These players have delivered for months now. Farke would do well to really digest these past few games with time in the video room before training preparation for Middlesbrough begins.

I sense Matteo Joseph is a player who will respond to a manager’s faith in him rather than his challenge to deliver on the training pitch.

We all have slightly different perspectives, and as we have all said, the extreme nastiness which was experienced by Patrick when he had really poor run of form last season isn’t necessary on this forum either, just because we all have different interpretations and solutions to offer for the current predicament.


The players have nothing to gain from failure, so as several have pointed out, from the start of the game, whoever gets the nod up front, needs to hear our support.

Our next two games are away; it would be a brave move to give Joseph his first start at Elland Road with a win needed to secure promotion, but it could well be the necessary catalyst we need right now.

Hold on folks…one last rollercoaster ride!!

posted on 14/4/24

Don't think its over by any means. Plenty to play for

posted on 14/4/24

A lot of what you say could be correct Macca but it’s all finance dependent. We would likely have to sell several players and unlikely Rodon would sign?

Either way we have headaches to solve but I think promotion would give us back control of the loaned out players and an influx of cash to balance the books.

posted on 14/4/24

We would likely have to sell several players and unlikely Rodon would sign?

May be wrong but I think Rodon has just a year left on his Spurs contract. Given that he’s barely played over the 3 seasons before he joined us, it would be a good move for him to stay at Leeds and rebuild his career. I think a deal wouldn’t be too hard to sort if we stay down

I can’t see a PL going for him

comment by NJS (U8272)

posted on 14/4/24

As Real Estate alluded to ‘parking the bus’ and added to fouling at strategic times in a game, wasting as much time as possible….the classic recipe of how an inferior team can inflict defeat on a jaded superior team.

Was Gruev signed as a stereotype midfield schemer ?
I think his style is more suited to a Phillips role rather than a schemer type of midfield player…as I said previously his passing is tidy and accurate, looks like a defensive midfield player to me.

comment by tslufc (U12903)

posted on 14/4/24

Re Gruev he makes some great last ditch challenges to thwart attacks and rarely gives the ball away. He is OK as a DM the trouble is we have no AM for him to pass to. As someone else said all our midfielders are the same, they look like they get a nose bleed if they get to the edge of the opponents box. As for goals from midfield all our MFs are so shot shy it is embarrassing.

Re set pieces. This has been the same for as long as I can remember. We have had so many different corner takers I have lost count and not one of them able to deliver the ball into the right area. One good delivery into the box yesterday from a FK by Roberts but Ampadu headed it wide. Unless we start getting good service into the box we cannot judge if our centre halves are any good but their lack of goals at previous clubs probably tells us.
Opponents know we pose zero threat from corners so they have no qualms giving us 10 or 15 a game. We concede more goals from our corners than we score from them.

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