Time for change

Neil Warnock has today announced which player’s he wants to retain ahead of next season as he bids to turn around the clubs fortunes following a disappointing 2011/12 season. We would all agree that this season was not good enough and changes need to be made.. No fewer than eleven players have been shown the door today as six other have been offered new contracts.

Transfer Listed:

Adam Clayton is probably the biggest shock of the day. The midfielder has had a good season and has been one of our better players, he also seemed keen to extend his stay at the club but it has been reported that his wage demands of £15k a week have seen him listed instead.. Disappointing...

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Billy Paynter in contrast comes as no surprise. He has made very little impact during his two seasons at the club and has struggled to get into the first team this season. The chance of a fresh start is probably what he needs.

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Paul Rachubka … Say no more..

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Ramon Nunez joined the club with bags of potential and high hopes. Unfortunately he has struggled in the championship and made very little impact when he has had opportunites. 

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Paul Connolly was one of my favourites to leave the the club, I have always thought he was a weak link in the team. It has been frustrating watching his lack of effort this season. He had chance after chance under Grayson and Warnock... and in all honesty just isn't good enough.

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Andy O’Brien has had a tough season, but he is one of our highest earners and has rarely made the bench. A move will probably do him good and revive his career as well as freeing up some wages for new signings.

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Released:
Below are the players joining Ben Parker and Mika Vayrynen on the list of players not being offered new contracts at the club....

Alex Bruce went from being a first team regular last season to not making the bench under Grayson this term. He has had a few opportunities under Warnock but the manager is clearly keen to move on and bring in fresh faces. To be fair Bruce is a good defender on his day, the problem is that the game after his defending could be comical. The manager wants consistency in his squad and we certainly need it at the back.

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Lloyd Sam started his Leeds career brightly but  failed to bring that form into this season. He has had opportunities to shine under Warnock, but has failed to make the most of them.

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Maik Taylor leaving was a done deal a few months ago when he left to join Millwall on loan. Failed to make a single appearance for us.

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Mikael Forssell leaving comes as no shock. A prime example of a poor Grayson signing.

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Danny Webber failed to make a huge impact during his short deal at the club, he clearly has some skill but wasted more opportunities than he created.

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It has also been announced that Rob Snodgrass, Aidy White, Michael Brown, Ross McCormack, Zac Thompson and Tom Lees either have been or will be offered new deals at the club.

Youth prospects Nathan and Lewis Turner, Sam Byram, Ross Killock, Simon Lenighan, Charlie Clamp and Dominic Poleon have also been offered new deals.

So that’s the clearing of the decks done with a huge amount of players told they are no longer needed at the club. Neil Warnock now needs to live up to his promise of putting together “A team that fans can be proud of”, and I honestly think he will. It promises to be a very busy summer with plenty of new arrivals at the club

Get your check book out Mr Bates….