 Leeds United yesterday saw the arrival of another Premier League youngster in Izzy Brown.
Brown joins the Whites on a season long from Chelsea and follows in the footsteps of fellow Leeds loanees Jamal Blackman and Lewis Baker; who he has played alongside during his time with the London club. The 21-year old joins with the knowledge that he may spend a prolonged period of time of the sidelines, having just recovered from an ACL injury sustained in January. The winger is expected to be ready for first team action around the start of October, proving Leeds’ faith in the players ability to make a difference during this season. On the outgoing side, Caleb Ekuban has made a surprise loan move to Turkish side Trabzonspor; who finished just out of a European qualification spot in 5th last season. Along with Ekuban, Vernon Anita has returned to Holland with Willem II on a season long loan, but will it be expected to fulfill his final year of his contract, which runs until 2020.
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 Michael (Macca) McMahon tells of his support of Boro and looks forward to the game with Leeds United at Elland Road on Friday evening.
How long have you supported Middlesborough? Since Jack Charlton saw the light and left Leeds for Boro 45 years ago. What’s your favourite moment as a Middlesborough fan? Season, game or anything other occasion. European campaign. The first ever European away the against Banik Ostrava where Jamie Morrison fired us to a 1-0 win. Tell us about a player that you were proud to have on the back of a shirt, if you didn’t is there one you wished you would have? Don't do shirts but Willie Maddren stands out for me. Immense on the field. A real Boro man through and through. Become a real legend in his fight against MND. What’s your most memorable match playing Leeds? Losing 1-0 on last day of the season that led to relegation. Juno looking so forlorn in the middle of the park. Are you happy with your dealings in this summer’s transfer market? Expected us to make the playoffs again. However if we can strengthen in the loan window and keep up the current for why not shoot for top spot. What’s your realistic aim for the season? Expected us to make the playoffs again. However if we can strengthen in the loan window and keep up the current for why not shoot for top spot. Can you name your three for relegation this year? Relegation: Rotherham Wigan and Birmingham Can you tell us about a rising star in the youth ranks? Luke Armstrong who is out on loan with Gateshead has fired 5 in 6 might be one to watch but Marcus Tavernier is on the fringes and pushing for a starting spot. Will be interesting to see him tonight against Rochdale. Prediction and scorers for the game? Given Boro defense at present I don't see a high scoring game. Think it will be a draw. 0-0. By Keith Ingham  Leeds United look set to add to their squad before deadline day with a loan move. Phil Hay has stated on Twitter that the whites are closing in on a loan move for a Premier League youngster but are keeping the deal close to their chest. The two players being linked with a move to Leeds are Chelsea forward Izzy Brown and Everton youngster Kieran Dowell, with both players looking to be potential cover for Leeds’ Samu Saiz.  Saiz has started the season incredibly and has been the focal point of many attacks for Leeds, but with the season being so long the club will need reinforcements.
Brown spent last season on loan at Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion but spent most of the season out injured, making only 15 appearances. The 21-year old has been recovering from an ACL injury sustained in January and is now only a few weeks away from a full recovery. Brown possesses great speed and skill and had a triumphant season on loan at Huddersfield Town in the 16/17 season when they were promoted, scoring five goals. Capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or coming inside from the wing, the English forward would add great versatility and speed that would allow him to cover and challenge Saiz, Alioksi and Hernandez for a starting spot this season. Dowell, a clever goal scoring midfielder from Everton spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest and was touted to feature for the Toffees this season. However, a loan move could be an option for the midfielder to gain valuable experience akin to last season, where he scored an impressive 10 goals and creating 5 assists from midfield. Also capable of occupying a space on the wing, Dowell would also add another edge to a Leeds squad that could not find a solution to Preston’s defence yesterday. With the loan window closing fast; Leeds remain precise in the transfer market and will continue their acquisition of top talent with either of these signings. Which player would you rather sign? Have your say in the comments below. By Ryan Ingham  Leeds United fell to their first defeat last night in a horrendous home loss to Preston North End. The Whites were knocked out of cup by a side who has struggled to gain any form this season. Why did we lose? Our team wasn’t good enough. New head coach Marcelo Bielsa has made it clear than there is only Plan A and he has continued to use the same squad when possible during the star of the season to reinforce his agenda; only seeing glimpses of his squad when making substitutions to relieve tired legs. When these players come in like Bamford, Baker, Roberts, Shackleton and Harrison; you can see that the ‘Bielsa Ball’ is still in effect and that the players are able to adapt to those tactics.  Stsgnating performances for this trio will not help their claim for a first team spot However, in Tuesdays loss they were not. Eight changes were made to the team that dominated Norwich and the likes of Roberts, Pearce, Dallas et al were given the chance to impress. Long story short; they didn’t.
Defensive frailties remain and a lack of other options on the wing or some dynamism that doesn’t include the likes of Saiz, Alioski and Hernandez loom over the club more than the stench of Peter Ridsdale, who showed his horrid face at the ground yesterday. Deadline day is soon approaching and if Leeds are to continuing with the form they have set the league alight with; the club should reconsider making moves before the wait for January causes a giant detriment to the team. A defensive backup is needed should the likes of Jansson, Berardi or Cooper be injured or suspended. Yes, Ayling and Phillips can okay there, but they’re needed heavily in their own respective positions for the style we play and Shaughnessy showed that he’s got a lot of learning to do to challenge for a spot. Along with an improvement in defence; Leeds should look towards at stacking player who can slot into the Saiz livewire show when called upon. The Championship is a long and congested fixture list and if we want to keep getting the same productivity from the Spaniard; he needs someone to share the work. A player talented enough to play central or on either wing would allow Leeds to use the likes of Alioski, Harrison and Hernandez to fill that void or take the place himself. Football is a squad game and if Leeds want to continue pressing teams to death; they better make sure they have enough bodies come September 1st. By Ryan Ingham  James Vickers gives his thought’s on the Carabao Cup time with Preston North End and his support of PNE. What’s your favourite moment as a Preston North End fan? Season, game or anything other occasion. Personally for me it will always be the 4-0 victory at Wembley in the League one play off final. We had been brilliant all season but then in true North End fashion we failed to beat Colchester away on the final day of the season which meant it was another dip into the lottery that is the play offs (Getting all the clichés in). Famously we had had 9 Play-off campaigns and failed to win a single one of them, so most Preston fans feared the worst. The play offs started off well with an easy two game victory over Chesterfield with old Leeds favourite, Jermaine Beckford taking centre stage, after that it was on to Wembley. To be honest I couldn’t have planned it any better in my head. 4-0 Win, Beckford hat trick, and 3-0 up at half time! It’ll take a hell of a lot to rival that day… unless of course we can get promoted to the Premier League.   Monday 20/8 Heidi Haigh on meeting family, some fans disrespecting Billy’s statue with their discarded chips, a full Elland Road and the 2-0 win over Rotherham United http://www.followmeandleedsunited.co.uk/leeds-united-v-rotherham-18th-august-2018-at-elland-road Thank you Heidi. Looking forward to your book coming out. Quite clearly Radrizzani aimed ‘big’ when looking to replace Paul Heckingbottom: "Conte was on the list) and with him, we would have been certain of promotion to the Premier League," Radrizzani told La Gazzetta dello Sport report ESPN. "I would even have offered him €20 million. Then I interviewed (Claudio) Ranieri who was attracted by our interest, but declined as he was waiting for a call from a top-flight club. I even spoke to(Roberto) Martinez, but Belgium were an obstacle.” “At the end of May, I spoke with our director of football(Victor)Orta and he said Bielsa would be ideal, but that it would be impossible (to get him). Those words just motivated me even more and we negotiated for a few days then reached an agreement at £3m, which he shares with his staff, and a one year plus one year option as duration. We finished negotiations after ten hours of conversation in Buenos Aires, he(Bielsa)studied 20 of our games and already knew all the players, including the youngsters. It seemed impossible to get him here, but he's our top player. We are a Premier League club, and even more so with him." Thanks to the YEP. An interesting piece in Eastern Daily Press about the colour scheme in the away dressing room at Carrow Road. http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city/ncfc-tactic-pink-changing-rooms-1-5657501 Be interesting if effects Leeds in their clash on Saturday. Marcelo Bielsa: Swansea City pre game presser: Pontus Jansson misses the game because of a back injury done in training yesterday. Bielsa hopes he will be available for the weekend’s clash with Norwich City. Dallas and Forshaw still a few weeks away from being considered. Praised Gaetano Berardi: "In the games I watched(last season)he played more as a full back than a centre back. Obviously he can play on both side, as centre back I have been satisfied with his performance." Bielsa on the current form: “I don't think it was fast,” he said, in response to a question about how rapidly his side had acclimatised to his methods. In football six weeks is a long time, the challenges are above transmitting the style. The challenge is to try and be faithful to this style for a long period. But it’s always important to have good results, especially at the beginning of the season when you need to build confidence. That’s the period when you simulate the style. When you win, it’s always easier to accept the idea of a style of play.” On the team’s they’ve played and Swansea: “This competition has different kinds of difficulties, you have to face each difficulty. The first game we played was against a team (Stoke) who are similar to Swansea, but we played at home. The second game was against a team (Derby) who belong to the top six. The third game was against a team (Rotherham) who were promoted from League One but all of the games were difficult and demanding. I imagine the same for this game.” Tuesday 21/8 Remember this?  Marching Out Together, Leeds United’s LGBT+ fan group has just celebrated its first birthday.
We have recently been proudly celebrating the group’s many achievements - including having a permanent home for our large flag inside Elland Road, which visibly shows the club celebrates inclusivity and diversity amongst its fans. We are proud to be Leeds United fans, and proud the club has shown it wants to welcome everyone to Elland Road and wants to play its part in challenging homophobia in football.  Leeds United continue to clean house as their squad is whittled down to Beilsa’s ‘main group’. The club have seen no less than 13 players depart the club over the summer months with the last two being Laurens DeBock and Yosuke Ideguchi. One familiar discussion has been the transition of the team from last summers acquisitions, with a large amount being cleared out from the club. The two recent departures falling perfectly into that category.  Leeds have focussed on true quality this summer instead of the quantity of additions last summer. With the signings of Lewis Baker, Patrick Bamford and Barry Douglas; this current Leeds crop are bossing a 1st place spot in the Championship.
Ideguchi, who had a poor loan spell with Cultural Leonesa last season has joined German Second Division side Greuther Firth on a season long loan with a view to a permanent deal that could recoup the £500k fee Leeds paid for him back in January. Whereas Laurens De Bock has temporarily signed for Belgian Superleague side KV Oostende for the season in hopes a good season could win him a place in the ‘favoured group’ come next season. A reality that does not seem likely worth the emergence of Tom Pearce and current star Barry Douglas. The recent moves show that Director Victor Orta has learned from his mistakes in the transfer market but with Leeds still having these players on long deals at the club be a financial burden for years to come? Hopefully, the club understands the importance of investing in the right type of players and under Bielsa’s guidance can find a happy medium between less cheap and more cheerful talents. By Ryan Ingham |
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January 2019
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