I still give him a lot of credence. He is in the know:- There have been very few occasions when I understand supporters turning on their own players. The jeering of Andy O’Brien on Tuesday night was not one of them.
I felt for him and I really wonder what the fans who barracked him hoped to achieve. It wasn’t his best game for Leeds United and I’m sure he’d accept that, but applauding his substitution against Bradford City was totally wrong. He’s a good, honest professional who’s shown before that he can bring something to our defence. I don’t doubt that he’ll prove it again. To those who taunted him, I’d ask them to look closely at O’Brien’s summer. Before last weekend’s game at Southampton, he’d played 45 minutes of a single friendly. Forty-five minutes! He turned 32 in June and I know full well that once you get into your 30s the importance of a proper pre-season becomes greater and greater. Some of the younger lads could cope with missing a few weeks of training, but a guy like Andy needs to be in the thick of it all from the outset. At his age it always took me a full summer to get myself in perfect shape and ready to go. If he looks a little rusty then it’s no surprise at all. He hasn’t played anywhere near enough football to be at his peak. You could say the same about much of the Leeds defence. Patrick Kisnorbo is a quality player, but he’s been injured for most of the last year-and-a-half. Of those who played at Southampton, Andy Lonergan had been here for less than a fortnight and Darren O’Dea joined from Celtic little more than 24 hours before kick-off at St Mary’s. The levels of understanding can’t have been brilliant on Saturday, but they will certainly get better. That’s why it’s important not to be too quick to judge the defence or the team as a whole. I was as disappointed as anyone by the scoreline at Southampton, but it’s where you are at the end of the season that counts. Despite all the complaining, I still expect us to be up there once everything clicks and the squad find their rhythm. There are almost 20 days to go before the transfer window closes and I’m pretty sure you’ll see other players arrive before the end of the month. The squad as it stands won’t be the finished article. I’m not of the opinion that masses needs to be done to it, but work is ongoing and I only see us getting stronger. Even now, Simon Grayson doesn’t have the benefit of a full squad. He lost Luciano Becchio and Davide Somma to injury in July and O’Brien wasn’t able to train consistently due to his pulled muscle. Robert Snodgrass twisted an ankle too and he looked quiet at Southampton, though I was in Glasgow on Wednesday night to see him score for Scotland. What I’m saying is that pre-season wasn’t as perfect as it could have been in terms of the fitness of key, individual players. There’s far more to come from this group and I don’t imagine it’ll be long before they make that point themselves. But I’d urge the fans to stay with all of the players and move forward as one. - [image: Bookmark and Share]<http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=xa-4aae257a6e68e941> - [image: Email to a friend] Email to a friend<http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/latest-whites-news/leeds_united_o_brien_like_whites_will_only_get_better_lorimer_1_3675419#> - [image: Print this page] Print this page<http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/latest-whites-news/leeds_united_o_brien_like_whites_will_only_get_better_lorimer_1_3675419#> Dr Michael Benjamin, Community Psychiatrist ------------------------------- myRay: On-line Self-Help CBT http://www.myRay.com ------------------------------ Mental Health: http//www.MyDoctorExplains.com -------------------------------- Auditing || Quality Control http://www.MyDoctorExplains.com/alamo/ -------------------------------- Blog: http://www.DrMichaelBenjamin.com _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email leedslist-unsubscr...@gn.apc.org MARCHING ON TOGETHER (There's it)
