Pre Bristol Thoughts

I don’t think for one minute that this new forum is going to rival waccoe in popularity (I am not sure anyone would want it to). What I am fairly sure about is that if we only discuss Ken Bates, administration, club ownership, trust issues, etc, then the new forum will simply become a dark place that hardly anyone visits.

I am not suggesting that these items are not interesting (personally I find some of them fascinating), it is just that I don’t think we should lose sight of the one thing that all trust members have in common, i.e.
A love for Leeds United Football Club (or whatever else it is now called).

As a trust member, I feel an obligation to at least play a part/make an attempt to make this forum a success, and will attempt to post a few football related posts match comments etc, but I am not a season ticket holder, don’t attend away games* so would be grateful if other trust members who are season ticket holders and do attend away games would make some contribution to football related posts.

(*note to Ken Bates, First Leeds match V Burnley in 1970, have previously had season tickets been to away games etc, am one of your 30 thousand members and a LUTV subscriber).

I don’t want to become delusional and imagine that I have football managerial qualities or insights in to the players that somehow have escaped the coaching staff, but I don’t want to be reduced to typing yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees on the internet when Leeds score, so here are a few of my thoughts pre Bristol.

Team Selection.

With the exception of Jonny Howson in for Bradley Johnson, I would imagine it would be the same team with maybe David Prutton coming in on the bench.

Defence.

I think like most Leeds fans I am still a bit worried about Casper’s occasional blunders and that he does not seem to command his area. Am worried about Ben Parkers defensive capabilities (although do feel that he gives us more going forward), and the fact that Rui now seems to just launch the ball up field. Am still a bit nervous about having Jonathan Douglass at right back (although he seems to be doing okay).

Midfield.

Personally I am quite happy about having a midfield ’three’ of Jonny Howson, Neil Kilkenny and Fabian Delph, as Jonny Howson, and Neil Kilkenny seem to be coming back in to a bit of ’form’ and both Fabian Delph, and Jonny Howson are quite capable of chipping in with a few goals.

On the down side, this midfield may be a bit lighweight, Fabian Delph has not had a MOM performance or a goal for quite a while, and may get pushed out on the left wing if we play a more traditional 4-4-2.

Strikers.

Nice to see Luciano scoring at Oldham hopefully will chip in with a few more to take some pressure of Jermaine Beckford. Would like to see a goal from Robert Snodgrass, not sure today whether he will play in a front 3 or a midfield 4. Would imagine Lee Trundle and Mike Grella will be on the bench. I think this is Lee Trundles last game, unfortunately his loan period can hardly be described as a success, seems to have the talent but not the fitness, perhaps a good pre season and regular games would transform him into a player who we would want ?

Loan Players.

Frustratingly none. The emergency loan window closes in a few weeks, I get the feeling that Simon Grayson and the coaching staff have decided to go with what they have with the possible exception of a striker to replace Lee Trundle. The proposed loan of Liam Dickinson seems to becoming one of those long running sagas that only happens with Leeds, but at the moment there does not appear to be any rush as you would imagine that he is only going to take Lee Trundles place on the bench.

Form.

I have a horrible feeling that a record number of points is going to be required to obtain a play off place this year, and suspect that we may need as many as 8 wins out of the 12 remaining games to qualify. A win today would be a good start to meeting this target and give everyone a lift, because our away results have been poor recently.

Probably in for another nailbiting day

Good post that and interesting to re-read it after the match.We should(poss with hindsight now) have brought in a rightback on loan and the left back situation needs addressing.Parker has had far too many chances and will never make the grade,and C Dickinson showed just how far off the pace Parker is.

We miss the limited but rugged presence of Douglas in midfield and I dont think that Bradley Johnson has improved at all since he came-rather the opposite.

In short the players that have been brought in by both Wise and McAllister,have by and large been decidedly average and not worthy of the shirt.The added problem is of course that they are on very good contracts which compounds the matter,as its become very difficult to either transfer them out permanently or on loan.

It was ironic to see a talented little black winger score for Bristol yesterday,when a player of similar quality ie Seb Carole was allowed to leave last season.

Thanks for the feedback, as I said in the original post if this forum is to succeed it has to discuss matters other than trust/ownership issues.

I find it very difficult to take any positives from the weekend, other than the one team we have got a game in hand on (Oldham) loosing.

I have read the reports and watched the match on both ITV and LUTV and whilst we seem to have been the better side it does not follow that we are going to play that well in our next matches (remember Huddersfield and then Hereford), one of the reason that some of these players are playing in this division is because they can not consistently produce a good performance.

Most people are now assuming that we are going to get six points from our next two home games, I don’t think it will be that easy and will settle for four points, preferably three tomorrow night to put us back in the play offs.

Will be attending both games this week and will report back if not too depressed.

Once again our overpaid and underperfing squad let both us, the manager and teh club down. We have TOO MANY players who are only Divion 1 quality and should we do go up (and I dont think we will) then they will have to be culled. This list includes:

Ankegeren
Lucas
Parker
Marques
Michalik
Huntingdon
Prutton
Sweeney
Johnson
Hughes
Kandol
Enoch

Its a long list I am afraid and probably apart form Prutton shouldnt be considered as squad players. I am a Richardsson fan by the way in case you wondered

Providing the powers that be agree, im more than happy to expand this forum to accomadate things that may enhance ones forum experience

The only realistic hope I now have is a play off victory (we must be due one ) I still believe that we have a squad with more quality than any other squad in this division, but they virtually all (with one or two honourable exceptions) seem terribly prone to periods ’off form’. If they could all somehow play to their full potential for three play off matches, I am sure we would get promoted, then we would need a cull.

bartmart wrote:The only realistic hope I now have is a play off victory (we must be due one ) I still believe that we have a squad with more quality than any other squad in this division, but they virtually all (with one or two honourable exceptions) seem terribly prone to periods ’off form’. If they could all somehow play to their full potential for three play off matches, I am sure we would get promoted, then we would need a cull.

I think the addition of Liam Dickinson will be a huge plus as the guys got goals in him,and we dont seem to be able to score at critical times.Against Bristol we had a three on two where we should have scored so we remained under a bit of pressure 'til the final minute.I was right behind the goal for their equaliser and I have to say it had some quality.The lad Kuffour was at Bournemouth last season and although inconsistent he can produce the odd moment of magic-as bit like Seb Carole did last season for us

Edit:sorry I've already rattled on about Seb Carole in a previous post

Jailhouse John:Agree that we need to move plenty out who just arent good enough.The problem is of course they'll on good money and they're difficult to shift,so the best of luck to Simon Grayson in his efforts
That period where Mr Wise was left to his own devices with Mr Bassett has left a legacy it would appear!

Admin wrote:Providing the powers that be agree, im more than happy to expand this forum to accomadate things that may enhance ones forum experience

No problem with that. Take it wherever the members want it to go.

Every member of the Trust is a Leeds fan first and foremost. It's just that at Leeds we have a Supporters Club which is actually older than the Football club - and I mean the original football club. We also have a members club which brings fans closer to the club -if they want it - than they would get by only attending games. Both of these organisations perform their own functions as a part of the overall picture. The Trust is not a rival to either and leaves both of them to get on with what they do best. That leaves the Trust to concentrate on what it can do best and that is to operate on a more "business level". I am personally often asked by the media to make comment on subjects which are more properly dealt with by other fans organisations. If Adam Pope for instance wants to talk about who should be playing at fullback for example I try to stay out of it because that is not what the Trust is focused on. If the subject is the buyback of Thorp Arch then that is something that the Trust is probably best placed to talk about. It isn't that I don't talk like an everyday bloke on the terraces to reporters and media but that is an aside to the business of the conversation which is what gets reported (if anything). All the board members do the usual being a fan stuff on a matchday same as everybody else. It's just that the Trust does other stuff on top of all that. It doesn't replace it. It takes it much further and much deeper. It is an extra (and much needed) dimension.

In much the same way this forum is not attempting to replace Waccoe. We can overlap to make things more interesting so long as the "business end" of things is preserved and protected - as it frequently isn't on Waccoe.

To be honest Rick it was my idea to push the football side of things on this forum. It would seem from the membership numbers, and the few posters who post on this site that the trust is to a large extent an embryonic organisation with a very small family (who always seem to be arguing). However the trust ideals of a wider participating ownership or involvement in the club can’t be faulted, and although I personally don’t have the time or probably the inclination to get involved with the trust, I would like to see the trust grow.

I do believe that a gentler more respectful, thoughtful trust forum that covered all aspects of Leeds United might be a way to gain respect and attract more members, which is why I have tried to write a few thoughtful articles on the football side of things. I will obviously need some help on this as I don’t attend all matches, and I may of course be mistaken in my belief of attracting more members by having a wider based forum, but I am at least honestly trying my best.

bartmart wrote:To be honest Rick it was my idea to push the football side of things on this forum. It would seem from the membership numbers, and the few posters who post on this site that the trust is to a large extent an embryonic organisation with a very small family (who always seem to be arguing). However the trust ideals of a wider participating ownership or involvement in the club can’t be faulted, and although I personally don’t have the time or probably the inclination to get involved with the trust, I would like to see the trust grow.

I do believe that a gentler more respectful, thoughtful trust forum that covered all aspects of Leeds United might be a way to gain respect and attract more members, which is why I have tried to write a few thoughtful articles on the football side of things. I will obviously need some help on this as I don’t attend all matches, and I may of course be mistaken in my belief of attracting more members by having a wider based forum, but I am at least honestly trying my best.

There is no complaint from me on any of the above. I'm all for it so please continue. Only a relatively small number of the greater LeedsFans community will ever wish to focus on the business side of things. That is not why we are football fans after all. When I grew up watching Leeds I wanted to focus on Bremner, Charlton, Hunter and not on whoever was on the board and what they were doing with my club. Long may this be the natural order of things. I certainly would not wish to change that.
Some wish to use it as a criticism of the Trust but it isn't really valid. There is still a place for, and a need for, some section of the Leeds community to take a close interest in the finance and business side of the club.

I think that a very misleading picture has been given about the Trust on Waccoe - which is why we are here, I guess.
To a certain extent this is quite deliberate on the part of a small number of posters to Waccoe.

Seagullbus is an entrenched Bates man. There is nothing wrong with that and his Leeds fans credentials are not in question, and nor should they be. He applied to join the Trust way way after the start of the many exchanges on Waccoe. His application was accepted nevertheless. There is very little arguing between Trust members on Waccoe (other than the exchanges with SGBus). Most of the discussion takes place beforehand.

Nobody wishes to restrict the discussion and discussion is vital for the Trust. It does, however, need to be factual and accurate and without sweeping statements or unsubstantiated accusations. If points are there to be made then they should be made and answered or accepted.