The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Thursday 23rd March)

Good Morning. It's Thursday 23rd March, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road

Should Gracia stay if he keeps Leeds up

With seven points from his six (league) games in charge, Javi Gracia has given Leeds a fighting chance of staying up. Their performance last Saturday against Wolves may not have been perfect, but was far better than their league position suggests. If they can keep it going, they have every chance of avoiding the drop.

It is believed, that once Leeds are mathematically safe, that the 49ers will take over, and a mass transition both on and off the pitch will take place. Hypothetically, if this were to happen, would you like to see Gracia rewarded with a long term contract, or should they concentrate on a bigger name?

Marcelo Gallardo, Andoni Iraola, Arne Slot and Antonio Conte will all be in high demand this Summer, but with their top flight status intact, and new owners in place with a large spending budget, suddenly, the Elland Road hot seat doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

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Drameh thriving at Luton Town

Cody Drameh has made quite an impression at Kenilworth Road since joining Luton Town on loan in January. The 21yo has risen straight to the top of the Whoscored rankings with an average 7.21 rating. With six wins, two draws and a defeat since arriving in Bedfordshire, the Hatters have risen to fourth place in the Championship, just six points off an automatic spot.

Protected by a back three, Drameh has been given freedom to attack down the right flank at will, and with 14 clear cut chances created, already tops the division with that stat. With Kristensen out of favour, and Ayling's days numbered, why haven't Leeds tied Drameh down to a long term contract?

Media sources suggest he earns £4,400 a week, over seven times less than what Rutter takes home (£35,000). For a club who invest so heavily on their youngsters, why haven't they done more to tie him down to a lucrative long term deal? If he stays, should he be first choice right back next season?

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Barca starlet expected at Elland Road this Summer

Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo are reporting that Barcelona are contemplating dropping teen sensation Ilias Akhomach for the rest of their campaign after refusing to sign a new contract
at the Nou Camp. The exciting 18yo right winger is expected to sign a pre agreed four year contract in July, when he becomes a free agent. This has infuriated the Catalan club, who are ready to drop him from their 'B' team.

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Gracia should stay ......on a sad note another revie old boy has left us,Willie bell was a gritty hard full back who was at the club from 1960 to 67 and gained two Scottish caps, I remember getting his autograph outside elland road when I used to go around north west clubs collecting them as a young teenager,never saw him play live as I didn't attend till 68/69 season...r.i.p. Willie....as for the Barca kid, why not we seem to be scooping a lot of young talented players so I'm sure he can squeeze in

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If Gracia keeps us up he deserves respect. If however the football is crap and we stay up maybe it’s time the 49ers invested in a top top manager like Gallardo and maybe discussions are taking place now and since he refused to come mid season?

Always been a big Drameh fan but also understand why some worry about him. The fact is he rips up the Championship every time he’s on loan. By far the best RWB in that league, which says to me he deserves a chance more than a 32yo Ayling. We have the same problem with Hjelde playing as a LB and hey we only have Firpo and then we have Cresswell who is also doing damage in the Championship along with Hjelde

 

The most frustrating thing this season has been watching our players chase the ball around the pitch for 90 minutes.
Literally, its just like this:-

Lat Saturday was the first time in ages that we looked to have been in control!

 

Brilliant result but wolves had twice the possession, twice as many shots, twice as many shots on target, their highest shots and xg of the season. I’m wondering what a game when we’re not in control looks like?

 

Do you think it’s maybe a 5 at the back thing Doc. More licence to get forward? It’s interesting (to me) that he’s gone on loan twice to sides playing 5 at the back, when we typically don’t.

I like him, looked a bit lost at first team level for us on his rare starts, but looked more an experience/positioning thing.

Personally would prefer to see Hjelde playing centreback… though we obviously are weaker at left back.

 

Depends on how he keeps us up. If we’re comfortable with a cigar on come the last day of the season or before then he deserves his chance. If we stay up on the last day due to a favour of the results of another team then we’d be repeating the Jesse Marsch mistake.

 

Drameh has been playing in a back 5 at Luton, exactly the same as at Cardiff last season.

Totally different role to playing right back in a four.

Not saying he couldn't do it, but there is reason he's more suited to the wing back role and it's probably the freedom to get forward with less defensive responsibilities.

 

You've done me again milky

 

we can't go on agreeing like this jamster, we'll be getting pm's from matt demanding we stir it up more

 

Surely that depends on his ppg average ?

Around 1.3 ppg would see us finish on 39/40 points and over a full season that's around the 50 mark. Which given the state of affairs when he took over would be a more than acceptable record.

If we get to that 40 point mark and still go down it won't be because of Gracia and his coaching but what went before.

 

But they didn't really look like scoring. Their first was a delightful chip, and their second was a lucky deflection.

 

Oooh Err

 

Yeh but surely they should have tied a yellow ribbon around Luke Ayling

 

Calm down dear...it's only a forum.

 

Thought you were insinuating that Milky likes a man with a tan (sorry if you get bombarded about that)

 

Seems you've been mentally scarred for life by something that happened a long time ago.

Like in your childhood, or at York races perhaps ?

Happy to chip in for some counselling if it helps buddy

 

That's not the game I watched.

 

Never seen anything like it tbh. Posh seats at York Races and some bloke puts fake tan on one side of his body but not the other, talk about multicultural

 

Ell’s not usually the first to break news. This is his match report from last year’s game.