Hear Hear Nick, hilarious to see comments on twitter & here, it's as if people actually prefer having a moan than progress. Of course, they are welcome to their opinions and can vent their collective spleens all over their (mum's) keyboards. Yet not a single one has achieved anything even approaching MBs success. He has revitalised the club, first team and U23's. Most realistic fans would be happy at that. You'd think we were heading for relegation from what's been said, we are still in with a chance of auto promotion and if not then play offs. Writing of Douglas and Brown!!! FFS they've done it at this level, give them a chance to get match fit, brown has played 10 minutes LOL.
I've really enjoyed this season and look forward to another, roller coaster or not. ttfn Richard -----Original Message----- From: Leedslist <leedslist-boun...@gn.apc.org> On Behalf Of Nick Allen Sent: 27 February 2019 17:03 To: seanscr...@aol.com Cc: leedslist@gn.apc.org; dsm...@dsmail.plus.com Subject: Re: [LU] On the other hand. However, Bielsa is revered as a tactical genius based on decades of actual work in the game...whereas we are a bunch of gobshites who often watch some of a game through beer goggles. Let’s just all stop pretending we know better, because we don’t. > On 27 Feb 2019, at 16:36, seanscribe--- via Leedslist <leedslist@gn.apc.org> > wrote: > > I think we are seeing that some of Bielsa's strengths are double edged, in > that they also contain the seeds of our ultimate demise. To wit: > - His loyalty to his core group of players. This doubtless results in > reciprocal loyalty on the players' part and motivates them to run through a > proverbial brick wall for him, but it seems to blind him to the need for > change - and the availability of other options - when members of that core > group show clear signs of mental fatigue and loss of form (indeed, it just > serves to reinforce the mental and physical fatigue). Just a few examples of > this are the failure to find a place in the team for Shackleton when Ayling's > form has been so poor recently; the insistence on restricting Jack Clarke to > second-half substitute appearances when he was already clearly the most > dangerous player in the squad; the failure to even find a place on the bench > for Edmondson when our team is clearly bereft of a consistent goalscorer in a > division in which goal difference is likely to be crucial. > - His obsession with leaving no statistical and informational stone unturned > in his preparations. This led straight to Spygate. Of course it's ridiculous > that the League fined the club two hundred thousand quid for breaking a rule > that doesn't exist, but any Leeds supporter over the age of 15 could have > told Bielsa that if he sent a Leeds employee to observe other clubs' > training, and that employee was discovered to be doing that, our enemies > would pounce on it and use it as a stick with which to beat us. This was > dumb. It created a massive distraction at a crucial time of the season and > cost the club a not inconsequential sum of money. > - His openness and honesty, when combined with his insistence on sticking to > only one style of play. By needlessly announcing his first XI for every game > two days before kickoff, he gives the opposition manager 48 hours in which to > plan how to counter us. Is it any surprise that as the season has gone on, > more and more managers have figured this out? This is an absolute own goal. > If I were Radz I would have told him to stop doing it months ago. > - His insistence on working with a small squad. Bielsa's previous experience > in Europe was managing sides in La Liga and Ligue 1. Both of those leagues > have a 38-game season (in slightly warmer climes). The Championship has a > 46-game season, much of it played through in the (mostly north) English > winter. In addition there are two knockout cups and preseason games, meaning > the first team is playing more than 50 games per season. For several players > (Jansson, Klich, Douglas, Peacock-Farrell, Dallas, etc) there is the added > burden of playing in (and traveling to and from) regular international games. > The Championship - and English football in general - generally involves a > much more physically demanding style of play than is the case in the Spanish > and French top tiers. In addition, Rob Price himself acknowledged recently > that players at the peak of fitness that Bielsa favors are more likely to get > injured. Plus, we are Leeds United - we have injury crises that last years > (cf: The O'Leary years). This all seems to argue for a larger squad than > might be the case in Bilbao or Marseille. But not only did Bielsa insist on > keeping the squad small, as players left the squad (Pearce, Saiz, etc.) they > weren't replaced. I understand that it's easier to build camaraderie with a > smaller squad, but are Bielsa's motivational skills so limited that he'd be > unable to handle a squad with a few more players in it (let's say a creative > midfielder, a dominant central midfielder and a proven, uninjured > goalscorer)? I find that hard to believe. The results of all this are now > clear for all to see. > If Bielsa (or Corberan, if Bielsa leaves, as seems likely) could find a way > to bend a little on the above points, and if Radz can find the cash to buy > more quality while retaining players like Clarke and Jansson, then I'd say we > have a good chance of going up next season. Otherwise, it'll be more of the > same. > Cheers! > Sean > > > -----Original Message----- > From: David Smail <dsm...@dsmail.plus.com> > To: leedslist <leedslist@gn.apc.org> > Sent: Wed, Feb 27, 2019 10:17 am > Subject: Re: [LU] On the other hand. > > It wasn't ONLY a "bummer of a result" Our lack of cutting edge is > becoming more and more evident. For all our possession, undoubted > fitness, and willingness, teams know they can let us have the ball for > long periods in the safe knowledge we're unlikely to find an end > result. There was only one well worked move from us that nearly ended > in a goal. It's becoming mildly embarrassing that our same old same old > approach isn't yielding many goals. > And then to cap it off, MB always states that with so much possession > and domination, we didn't take our chances. I thought QPR were worthy > of their win last night - they had a sparkle from time to time that we didn't. > > > > I think Brown, Roberts and Douglas are all poor, especially Brown - > get him back to Chelsea and lose the other 2 quickly. How did any of > these 3 manage to be signed - it's back to Doukara days. > > > > I think we'll do well to take a point from WBA on current form. I > still see Norwich and Sheff U for auto promotion and a possible place > for us in the play offs with WBA joining Norwich and Sheff U in promotion. > > > > Not all doom and gloom though - it's been an incredible season and the > best we've seen LU for some time. > > > > Dave > > > > > > > > > > > > > > A very fair point Sean - MB is unlikely to be here for more than > another season > > at most. I hope he has now learnt he has underestimated the resources > required > > for this 'project', and will want to give it another go having bought > 4 or 5 > > > quality players. It's not all over this season by a long chalk, but > last night > > was a bummer of a result. > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leedslist mailing list > Info and options: > https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist > To unsubscribe, email leedslist-unsubscr...@gn.apc.org > > Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ > > RIP Jimmy WAC-COE > _______________________________________________ > Leedslist mailing list > Info and options: > https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist > To unsubscribe, email leedslist-unsubscr...@gn.apc.org > > Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ > > RIP Jimmy WAC-COE _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email leedslist-unsubscr...@gn.apc.org Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ RIP Jimmy WAC-COE _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email leedslist-unsubscr...@gn.apc.org Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ RIP Jimmy WAC-COE
