The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Friday 13th May)

Good Morning. It's Friday 13th May, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road


Leeds Squad are on their last legs

Graham Smyth has penned a damning article in this morning's YEP, professing that the Leeds Utd squad are on it's last legs. Leeds entertain Brighton at Elland Road on Sunday lunchtime, knowing that anything but a win would condemn them to life back in the Championship, if other results go against them.

Whilst acknowledging that results and performances this season warrant our lowly position, Symth doesn't hold much hope that the gaffer can orchestrate a great escape, confessing 'it's difficult to know where Jesse Marsch can start due to injuries and suspensions'.

"Suddenly it all becomes clear with the dawning realisation that, actually, everyone should have seen it coming. It’s almost always deserved; league tables cannot lie when all the games have been played and there are no false positions."

"There are hallmarks to look out for, themes that run through the heart of relegation seasons at various clubs, writing that was on the wall as all and sundry did their best to avert their gaze. Maddeningly avoidable red-card tackles and ghastly individual errors all add up to paint a depressing picture."

"Changes of formation, tactics or personnel that carry more than a whiff of desperation lead to blind panic on the pitch and fury in the fanbase as players and managers, who in reality can say nothing to change the situation, then stand accused of saying exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time and doing none of the right things."

"The problems for Jesse Marsch are so numerous and varied that it’s difficult to know where he can even start to fashion a plan to extricate the team from the mire. He can’t even put his best XI on the pitch, tell them to ‘just play football’ and hope it’s enough because injuries and suspensions have left a battered squad on its very last legs. There is no momentum to carry into the Brighton game, no platform to build on and no form players to make central figures of."

please log in to view this image

Leeds should not have got rid of Bielsa

Former Leeds and England favourite Jonathan Woodgate believes Andrea Radrizzani was wrong to have sacked Marcelo Bielsa, and insists the Argentine would have 'turned things around'. Bielsa was given his marching orders after the 4-0 Spurs defeat at the end of February. It capped off a poor run of results which saw the Whites concede twenty-one times from six games, and only picking up one point.

"I would have kept Bielsa on, as I think he would have turned it round. I know they’d been on a bad run, particularly at home losing a few, but he would have turned it around. "I was a big fan of Marcelo Bielsa, and what he did to the Leeds team and the players. He improved the club and the players, but I just think Leeds wanted something fresh."

"I think the injuries have really hampered them" "Most of the season they’ve had no Cooper, Phillips and Bamford – the spine of the team. Cooper is injured now, Stuart Dallas, Bamford.

"Without three of the most reliable players aside from Phillips and Raphina, it’s going to be really difficult for Leeds, but I just hope they stay up. I really do because they’ve a massive football club. Maybe Leeds could have brought in a big name striker in the January transfer window."

please log in to view this image

 

All interesting. Lets assume Bielsa was kept on and he kept us up. He was going in the summer anyway, Marsch was coming in and inheriting this squad so what would change next season. Would have been a stay of execution that's all. Without the ability to scout and sign quality players which we can't seemingly, then were as well off taking the hit now.Time these pundits looked past who should or shouldn't be kept on managing and focus on the real issues

 

Yes all true Eire but we’d still be in the PL next season and when it became clear after 15 or so games that Marsch was out of his depth there’d still be over 20 games left to bring a decent coach in to try a rectify the situation.

 

But wed have basically same squad, at least half of who are championship standard. So unless a major shift in scouting quality and buying it, the coach won't make any difference and wed be back dreaming about the January window again

 

Good morning all
Bored with this Bielsa/marsche argument which some won’t let rest, we will never know, however at the time of Bielsa’s dismissal we were a sinking ship, the board tried rectifying this to the best of their ability, but possibly to late to save us from going under, however the passengers ie the team, are still clinging on to the life rafts, now whether they have enough determination/strengh to paddle safely to shore remains to be seen.
It's up to the players now to become heroes or lost at sea.

 

Bielsa had to go. He'd lost the dressing room with Cooper missing. I'm specifically calling out Rodrigo, Firpo and Raphinha on that by the way. They'd stopped caring under Bielsa and you could see the little clique forming. Wasn't Bielsa's fault. He was taking Rodrigo off regularly and Rodrigo was bitching continuously on the bench to anyone who would listen. Before you knew it, his best mate Raphinha was'nt performing and Firpo actually got worse.

I've made my mind up. Rodrigo is a ****. I don't like him.

 

I agree with Emu, Bielsa had to go, we were getting slaughtered and he refused to take counter measures. As for Rodrigo, our most expensive signing ever, and he's just not up to it. What a waste of money

 

Doesn't look like we'll be getting any favours from Brentford.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.le...d/brentford-striker-digs-out-old-23906696.amp

 

If the players can’t get motivated with 46m bonuses at stake for avoiding relegation then I’m lost for words

 

I remember an interview with Dave Bassett after he was sacked, when Forest went down, he said ' "how do you motivate young millionaires who don't want to be motivated"

 

Any manager whose team was sliding down the table and shipping 21 goals in 6 games would have been sacked. If it had been pre Jan then anyone new would have had time to shape the team. After that, JM can't even play out of favour players because we have so few. I can take relegation, but what annoys me is the seeming 'couldn't care' attitude from the last few games. Contrast to the Norwich / Wolves / Soton / Watford run is amazing and I can't understand it.

 

Pointless arguing the toss about the head coach, the problem is here and now. What team do we put out on Sunday? Lets also face a fact here whatever team we put out will be the poorest team playing in the Premier League this weekend. Simply because we are now in the same place we were at by Xmas. We are down to bare bones and even then will mean square pegging again.

its a disgrace

 

Morning all and exactly this…

Jesse would inherit this squad and he’d have an extra £25m to spend or Orta would (Raphinha) plus whatever other funds were available

 

How can a team like Brighton (no offence intended to them) without the prestige, cash or following, establish themselves as a solid premiership team? and we can't

 

Worst case scenario on Sunday we have to pick 11 from these players who should be available.

Meslier

Hjelde
Cresswell
Struijk
Koch
Firpo
Llorente
Cooper

Phillips
Klich
Kenneh
Bate
Rodrigo

Gelhardt
Greenwood

 

So we have 15 players to choose from. Absolutely shameful, what a **** up by management.

 

Out either suspended or injured:

Forshaw
Bamford
Dallas
Ayling
James
Raphinha
Harrison
Summerville

Any squad would be decimated by that.

 

Sickening to see Fat Frank tweeting a message of thanks to Mason Mount for scoring against Leeds. Chelsea never got out of second gear against Everton but, as we all feared (and expected), they were in top form against Leeds. Makes my blood boil

 

Not sure they were in top form against us Dude. They never broke a sweat, was barely a decent training session for them

 

How's Hjelde doing?