Leeds Utd v Newcastle Utd Match Thread

You know what I meant

 

I actually think our defence is decent as a few have mentioned, it’s our attack that is costing us. Our goals scored are far too low, I can understand the goals conceded as we’ve had injuries and make shift defences out this season. Need a new GK (when Meslier makes mistakes he knows he won’t lose his place), two CMs and a ST.

I feel we have to play Phillips/Koch/Forshaw in CDM and then Dallas/Forshaw in CM and Klich/Rodrigo/Roberts in the more attacking CM option. The worry is we lose so much with Klich playing alongside a Roberts or Rodrigo in midfield as you lose his creativity, he’s not a defensive midfielder but the problem we have is Forshaw is injury prone, Dallas is our utility player, Rodrigo has been a waste of money and Roberts is frustrating. No coincidence we had our best performances last season with Dallas and Klich in the middle as Rodrigo and Roberts lose the ball too easily and create nothing so what are they bringing into the game. Crying out for two CMs and this only gets worse next season when we lose Klich. Not great that Dallas, Klich and Forshaw are now in there 30s and we’re so reliant on them.

All of the wingers need to have a word with themselves after yesterday as the final ball is atrocious. At this level our attacking players need to be getting goals and they’ve not been doing it this season.

Llorente had a shocker and hasn’t been great the last few games. I’m starting to wonder when all our CBs are fit that Struijk and Koch might be the best partnership, both strong, good in the air and very composed.

 

Can’t blame Radz if Bielsa tells Orta he doesn’t want them?

 

Against West Ham we made the most of our opportunities. Yesterday we had alot more opportunities but never found the right pass or finish to make them count. To add to that, when we misplace a pass we are susceptible to the break and that's the reason Newcastle looked dangerous yesterday. It wasn't them, it was us gifting them chances ironically not through defensive lapses but because of simple individual errors up front.

The forwards are to blame for yesterday. Nobody else. If Rodrigo can't control a side pass in to feet multiple times whilst teammates are bombing past him in support it's not the defences fault that they are overrun.

The free kick comes from Roberts having too many touches, turning in to trouble when there was an easy pass available, losing possession and ultimately leaving Llorente 1 v 1 and him having to foul. Yes, Meslier was at fault for the shot but ultimately it was a poor decision up top that cost us. Has done all season. It needs an overhaul as it doesn't seem to improve.

 

James not great at man utd and we were fleeced. Harrison plays well once in a while. Rodrigo cannot control a football or shoot on target. Honestly our signings up front are dire and rodrigo should be gone.

 

Another thing that pissed me off yesterday was that wee Scot McHaggis on commentary, whoever that was!!!!!!

 

It was just one of them games you wanted to pull your hair out wasn't it. Rapha and Harrison had some much space the first 20 mins it was like the opening of the red sea yet neither did well enough. Numerous times they had the flank to themselves yet neither of them cut in? why? they ran the line and crossed when nobody was around them. especially Harrison I was crying out for him to move inside and either be greedy and go for goal or if not it would defo pull bodies in different directions. yet with nobody around he crosses to our dwarf attack.
Decision making again yesterday was back to it's worst so many crosses or cut backs were miles of where they needed to be some were just baffling at times.
Then as we usually do we gift the opposition a goal and my god what a pathetic goal we gave away too, from the giving of the freekick to the finishing of it.
Look we didn't play to bad and on another day we could of had 3 or so goals in the first half. the frustrating bit is how many times do we say that. We do many things right until we reach the oppositions box then its like we put blind folds on and we try to pass to each other with players running in all the wrong directions.
We should of never lost that game yet we did and as I said earlier Newcastle didn't win it we rolled out the carpet and gave it to them.
Not saying the toon weren't dangerous at times I thought Maxi took the pizz when he had the ball. we just didn't know how to handle him his quick control was unbelievable he made us look silly at times. But most of the barcode chances 2nd half were from our mistakes.
Our attack is so easy to handle at times but you can see why we have a dwarf sized attack who regular play in the wrong position anything in the air its meat and drink to the central defenders so everything has to come in fast,low and precise something we still can't fathom out to do

 

So not just me then and i had no idea who he was either.

 

Another good moaning all
Absolutely agree 100% on your assessment, in the end I actually plucked up courage to watch motd last night, and was surprised (just from the highlights) how well we actually played, as everyone is saying it just fell apart with the final ball, don’t get me wrong it was played well enough, but it was though they were playing it into a natural goal predators territory, to an old fashioned no9 if you will, and we all know this is not the way a lot of teams play in this day and age including us, so my question is why pass into this area in the first place to a non-existent no9, surely this is addressed in training yet they persist, if we had a Salah or Rashford, or even a Chapman/Viduka/Bechio or others from our past we could score a hatful but we haven’t. And I don’t think Bamford is the answer either as he misses far more than he scores unfortunately.

 

I don't rate Harrison despite his one in a dozen performances against West Ham, he is just far too inconsistent. When when we signed James I was okay with that as I saw it as an improvement and I figured if Bielsa can turn our mediocre championship players into the team he did then what can he do with James.

I did not for a moment imagine we'd see James playing anywhere other than ALM. Instead Bielsa has probably wiped £10m off his valuation by constantly playing him as a loan striker, we had Joffy on the bench and Roberts. Rodrigo was originally signed as a replacement for Bamford/Roofe so I seriously question what Bielsa is playing at in his selection.

If Joffy is not good enough loan him out or leave him playing in the U23's. If Roberts isn't good enough why give him a new contract, sell him and get someone who is good enough. If we wanted a new striker spend £28m on one and not waste it on a winger who is useless playing as one up front. If Rodrigo is not good enough to replace Bamford when he is injured sell him and buy someone who is good enough

I'm sick of Bielsa saying we only want players who are better than we have, you won't find a worse "Striker" than James, a worse "midfielder" than Rodrigo or a worse 10 than Roberts, I am just sick of squeezing players in and yesterday could not be blamed on injuries and square pegs, Bielsa had options even with Hjelde

 

Morning all.

Good day out at the footy yesterday and finished it off nicely with some nice pasta and a few bottles of Barolo in town.

Oh and we lost so get over it ya'll

 

Sniffer Clarke would have had a field day.

 

Only thing with James as a 9 is that it could work if we played to his strengths and we had a 10 (Probably someone like Pablo) that could chip a ball or put a decent through ball into an on running James, we need to use his pace and not treat him like we’ve got Chris Wood up front. I don’t understand that we can be good on the ball when we get it to the wingers we sling a cross in hoping for the best.

 

Maybe there’s a horses for courses element to it. Like a few of our attackers he’s better suited to a counter-attacking game, so looked ok at West Ham in that central position where they looked to attack and he could use his pace in transition. Breaking down packed defences at home? Not really.

 

He needs to learn how to shoot first as he is actually pretty hopeless.

 

We need a natural goalscorer at the club and a creative midfielder (in the Pablo mould) who could take a game by the scruff of the neck and make things happen.

If the wingers don't shape up then cash in and get some that can. I'm specifically talking James and Harrison who have not had good seasons.

Klich, Roberts, Rodrigo can all go in the summer and be replaced by Gelhardt and two new signings. If we can recoup the money wasted on James then great, he can go too.

 

James is very quick and he is willing to put his body on the line. His commitment to us is undoubted.

However, he can't pass, cross, head or shoot. He isn't big enough to hold the ball up. I genuinely don't know how to use him as even Harrison is more consistent with his passing and crossing.

 

Now how the Hell would you know that? You've never seen him play live - you rely on tv. And as you (should) know, tv cameras follow the ball.

A major part of Klich's game is his off-ball work, which helps create the chances we thrive on. Yes, we have marvellously incisive passes, but they're useless if there's no-one tearing the other team's formation apart to enable them. Like Klich does. But the telly always misses these off-ball situations that help make the game what it is.

So, Ell, why don't you politely fcuk off. By all means criticise a player if he deserves it, but why tear a guy to bits when you have absolutely no first-hand evidence that you're even close to being correct. All you've got is a biased tv view (i.e. on-ball bias), & listening to social media halfwits who clearly know less than you.

Time to get your arse up here & see what I mean. How long has it been ..... ?

 

Awa' n bile yer heid yer cheeky git.

I'm talking about his aerobic endurance, not his running. His quick sprints and change of pace are sadly lacking since returning from burnout. If there's a 50/50 ball Klich will come second.