The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Friday 22nd January)

Good Morning. It's Friday 2nd January, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road

Premier League order Leeds to install AstroTurf

Following health and safety worries after the Brighton game, The Premier League have ordered Leeds to install AstroTurf on the Elland Road steps amid fears they present a real risk of injury.

The alarm was raised after various visiting stars tripped and fell between the temporary away dressing rooms and the pitch.

Visiting sides are getting changed in former bar and hospitality areas above the Norman Hunter Stand, whilst showering is only available in cabins on the car park.

As Leeds have until the 2nd February to get the essential works done, it looks like they have gone the extra mile to get the entire pitch relaid.

It may look like a Wayne Rooney hair transplant at the moment, but ground staff are confident that when Everton visit Elland Road in eleven days time, the pitch will be in fantastic order.

Many thanks to @coggy1979 for the picture.



Koch on the comeback trail

Leeds central defender Robin Koch has taken to Instagram to give an update on his rehabilitation following knee surgery The 24-year old went under the surgeons knife after aggravating an injury he picked up on the opening day of the season against Liverpool.

Following the operation on the 8th December, Koch stated that he hoped to be back playing by the spring.
The German international posted a photograph of himself on Instagram looking fit and healthy, accompanied by the words 'comeback sessions'.

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Derby enlist agents to find buyers for their stars

Derby County have enlisted agents to find buyers for a number of their stars to help balance their books. The Championship outfit currently lie in 21st position, two points from the drop zone.

The drastic measures come after it was revealed that the derby players still had not received their December pay checks.

Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan was, and still is expected to takeover the Rams, but as time ticks by, the club is getting more and more desperate.

Teenage midfielders star Jason Knight and Louie Sibley, (both 19) show amazing talent for players of their age. Derby's price tag of 10m for Sibley can be ripped up, as their players join the Rams January sale.

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Morning all.

We've seen before with pitches being quickly relaid that players complain of going through the top and not having a sure footing. Hopefully that's not the case with ours but last thing we need is further injuries at this crucial stage of the season.

 

Just been in touch with my nephew at Nice FC

Pitch being relaid now. HTPro hybrid turf system. Any good?

This is a temp job as everything going to be dug up in Summer. New base and drainage system. Will this stuff going on now be able to be reused or written off?

“Hewitt are the best in the game and the pitch would have been QC’d by Spurs ground staff so it’ll be top notch. The BDM at Hewitt sister is club secretary or PA or something so a good link there. Pitch in summer will be incredible if built by these guys. The one going in next week will be a write off come end of season sadly”

“This hybrid turf pitch was bought from Spurs as it was being grown for their own stadium but obviously dont need it yet”

 

With this being a hybrid system it’ll be fine as a lot of knitting and weaving goes into it as well as anchor points. Big job and a £350k to £400k for a few games and a few weeks, which then gets ripped up in the Summer. Not very Ken Bates this Radz guy is he

 

Best we've had for many a while Mr radz, and I wouldn't mind Sibley looks a talent.

 

Good Morning to Matt anbd co from asunny Bardsey
4
Sibley would be a good buy at5m
Go for my jab tomorrow Moe got hers last week

 

Good on ya glad to see some are not frightened of a little needle

 

Or a little prick

 

That as well

 

Evening all

Good news on the pitch

 

Looks like Leeds are still playing hard-ball with 4 players who want to leave and get their careers back on track. But they want to carry on being paid by Leeds until their contracts end, so they can go get a new job playing for another club and get paid by them too. Ethics in football should start with the players I believe.

Grot is even training with a Dutch team and wants to sign but he wants Leeds to pay him off. Leeds argument is that the Dutch club were in the process of buying Grot in the Summer but he got an infection so the deal collapsed. The club Den Haag have kept him around in the hope of getting him for free.

Ousim Bhoy has never played for the club and indeed has been in Italy and Holland for the past 3 years, happy to pick up wages and not play. His contract ends in the Summer

Nessy a player we all had high hopes for and he was way ahead of the kids behind him like Aapo Halme and Struijk etc. We sent him on loan to Scotland and then Burton and he says he has a chance to play for an EFL club but needs Leeds to release him. I get that so why does he expect us to pay his wages too? Yes he is under contract and we are contracted to pay his wages, but if he wants to leave he should get paid by his new club

These players need to accept they either stay and sit out their contracts or leave the club with our blessing and stop being paid by us so that they can get their careers back on line. They cant have it all ways that suit them

 

Got to agree Doc although it is our own fault too because we went for quantity over quality (as you know Rads and Vic have admitted that was a mistake). There was no way they were all going to make it and I could have told Orta that Grot was dog doo within 5 minutes of seeing him play.

Out of interest, who is the fourth player?

 

Rafa Mujica has had a nightmare back in Spain, his last 2 loans cut short because new managers or new tactics meant only one striker playing. He has a chance to join another club but they want to sign him and Leeds obviously hold his contract and have been paying a big % of his wages

 

The other strange thing about Bhoy and Mujica is that these players were signed and taken on pre season where they played once. Bhoy was then sent to the Spanish sister club that did nothing for us as a club. Bhoy walked away and went missing for weeks he played 3 or 4 games as a sub and that was it for a season and half. Mujica was taken to Australia and got one run out and was promptly sent to Spain on loan. Bhoy was at Inter Milan and supposed to be in the mould of Zidane Mujica was at Barcelona and supposed to be the nearest anyones seen to Raul.in fairness he was unlucky not to score in that pre season game and he looked sharp. Bhoy is big mates with many big time International players and trains with Pogba when decides hes unfit and needs a rest....

i would gladly never see Bhoy play football as hes a greedy grasping twat, who is only in football for the money. Mujica I do feel sorry for as it looks like joining Leeds has damaged his career

 

For anyone still looking in to discuss football seems the Morons and Politics threads are doing big biz this weekend, but anyway:

it now seems we have a relationship with Spurs and wonder if theres a deal to be done around Gedson Fernandez. Gedson is 22yo and doing an 18 month loan from Benfica, but it seems Benfica and the player are not happy about only getting 7 outings as a sub or in Fa Cup. He may be going home but if the idea was see how he progressed in the big time so he could be sold on for big money, or was it to educate him, make him better for club and country? Maybe he would be better and get more game time at Leeds? International at all age levels and played a full season for Benfica after dominating couple of seasons for the Benfica B team.

 

What position does he play Doc?

 

This is a difficult one for me Doc.

These young players are sold a dream, often at a very young age and it's the clubs that seem to hold all the cards. They get hoovered up into youth systems (that's prior to when academies recruit at 16) by pro football clubs and are commodities from that point on. It's quite unbelievable that a youngster say age 13ish has to sign a contract which doesn't allow him to play or train with any other club/team. In return he will get 2 or 3 nights coaching per week and then plays a game for the youth team at the weekend, but can't play for his local team in any junior League.

Following on from that, the fortunate few are offered Academy places at age 16 and then fewer still a pro contract at age 17/18.

Now I know you know all this Doc, but my main point about those players you mention is that they've worked hard and battled through various stages in their lives to get that pro contract...they are most definitely not handed out like confetti. So, if they've been given a decent contract on good money then they are more than entitled to be paid the money due to them. If as it seems those players never make it any higher than Leeds United, then it's aslo likely it will be the best contract they ever get in the pro game.

Asking or expecting them lower their salaries to get a move is understandable, as clubs try to cut their losses, but to a young man whose dream is rapidly fading that buffer of say an extra £50-100K could make all the difference towards his future.

 

I agree to a certain extent.

The only issue I have is that if Grot wants to sign for a new club in Holland then fine but he wants to sign for Haag and collect wages whilst still getting money from Leeds. He needs to decide for himself which club he wants to stay with. If its a money thing then he needs to sit on his hands and wait for his contract to finish at Leeds whilst collecting his contract money. If he wants to play in Holland then by all means leave and sign for them for free and collect wages from them.

Ultimately its up to Leeds and Grot to come up with an agreement. What usually happens is that Leeds will pay Grot half of his contract and allow him to leave now. That way Leeds save money and Grot gets some money and a new club whilst the Dutch club get the player.

 

Agree with this and also a lot of what Jammy says is true too. Ith Grot everyone wanted to sign Grot on the continent (Not top clubs) but he jumped at signing for Leeds. He was unfortunate that he was played as a lone striker just because of his size. He was a winger who could score goals so never used that way. We also heard about him just being left in his digs lonely as the club management did nothing to help him. Have a lot of time for Grot since I watched him turn out for the 23s. He made Edmondson look like nothing and he really was different gravy within 5 minutes he thumped one in and then raced through half their team to slot home another before half time. Bielsa was aware if that though and still decided against having him around. But i believe Leeds have contributed to his wages for a couple of years now and Den Haag are trying it on by getting a free transfer. If they want him why not pay Leeds the value of his remaining contract? Those 4 year contracts are only good if you sign a top player,