By K.G. BaileyIt has been a busy few dramatic days for Leeds United, or so Twitter would have you believe. The panic and complaining has been blown way out of proportion. The LUFC hashtag is like an exaggerated episode of Loose Women..only its
grown men doing the whining! Yesterday saw Steve Morison leave to go on loan to Millwall for the season. Neil Warnock's January buy whom he said would be a "Club Legend" is deemed surplus to requirements by Brian McDermott just 5 months later. Neil was right though when he said Leeds fans would look back & remember he signed him. I did think with his confidence back and a pre season under his belt that Morison would probably be a hit this season. His finishes against Crystal Palace aren't finishes by a bad player. His finishing against Sheffield Wednesday however were finishes by a player carrying an injury and low on confidence. Maybe location wise he wasn't happy up North, believe me when I say the differences between Northern & Southern life is very different & that may have been a factor in his performances. Regarding Morison, I found it funny some people who were saying he was awful last year were complaining he was being allowed to leave? To quote a phrase that applies to some - Moaning on Together.. GFH have been criticized by some for the Morison transfer saga but how is this the board's fault? In January want away Luciano Becchio wanted out so GFH backed the then manager Neil Warnock in bringing £17k p/w Steve Morison + receiving a cash figure for Becchio. Backing the manager. Now, Brian McDermott obviously doesn't fancy Morison so they've allowed him to loan him out to free up wage space to bring in someone the current manager wants. Backing the manager. Where's the problem? There would be something to complain about if they said to Brian "No he cant go, this transfer has to work so make it work." They haven't said this, they've allowed Brian to do the business he needs to do. No they haven't thrown millions at Brian, but allowing Brian to manage the squad the best way he can is backing the manager in my book. SPEND SPEND SPEND - a majority of fans bellow. But why? What is the guarantee that spending £3 million on one player is the route to success? It hasn't worked for Leicester City yet and last season we beat them at home and almost (should have) beat them away. The spend spend spend mantra is what eventually got us the League One Tour when we had to lose genuine class like Lee Bowyer, Harry Kewell & Rio Ferdinand to replace them with the likes of Michael Ricketts. What we have now is no crisis compared to those days, I think some of our fans forget how dark those days were or maybe some aren't old enough to remember them but, compare now to then and we're pretty healthy. I understand improvements are needed in the squad and at this point in time we are having to shift a player to bring one in which I don't see as a major problem, its better that Brian brings in the players he believes will improve the squad than keep deadwood taking up valuable space on the wage bill. Our youngsters are worth a look at too, Chris Dawson, Si Lenighan & Dom Poleon I believe should be in and around the first team next season and slowly behind them Alex Mowatt & Lewis Walters. There can be no harm in trying them out, look at Crystal Palace with Zaha and Bolasie. Blackpool with Tom Ince. Young players play with no fear and if they've come through the academy they will be 100% committed to the cause. It can only be a good thing in addition to what Brian brings in from the transfer market whether it be on the very good free agency or if he unearths another unknown gem as he previously has done at Reading. Last season was bad but I saw when Brian McDermott came in the performances improved, it didn't mask we need changes. In the end in the league we weren't that far away from the play offs considering how poor some of our performances were during the season. You have to believe with Brian's additions + our better youth players & a now fully rested Rudy Austin, a Ross McCormack with his shooting boots back, an energetic Dom Poleon causing havoc as he did vs Nottingham Forest at home and Watford away & players that know if they don't perform well they wont be automatically selected as they were under Warnock that - we might just be OK. The summer isn't over and I'm interested to see how it unfolds. Marching on Together
57 Comments
Val Rushtoon
28/6/2013 06:32:50 pm
I wish everyone would write with such common sense .
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Neill Shaw HX
28/6/2013 08:34:01 pm
Dear Ruth the fact of the matter is gfh av had bmd looking 4 new players from the day he arrived now they tell him there is no money which we all new they av lied to him & made him look a fool all STINKS of BATES AGAIN
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JDC
28/6/2013 09:40:36 pm
Sorry Neill, I don't believe that GFH lied to Brian McD ... perhaps they misguidedly said they had a budget but I believe they genuinely thought they would be able to attract investment that, as yet, hasn't materialised. What GFH have done is made the best signing that the club have made for several years, namely Brian McDermott himself ... and since his arrival he has conducted himself with honesty, and dignity he certainly DOES NOT look like a fool. His actions and ideas since he arrived have turned total negativity into hope and positivity ... if we all back him and our team he will turn LUFC around.
Neill Shaw HX
28/6/2013 11:01:56 pm
To JDC I agree BMD is a good signing & no fool but when GFH hired him he said himself he had been given verbal assurances that money was there never once did I hear they needed to raise money for players, now they seem to av changed the goal posts I yet again renewed my season ticket with the help of GFHs promise of money being spent on the team unless im wrong & I hope I am this is now not going to happen if it does I will be the first to say sorry to GFH looks like another long laboured season BMD has my full support good look to him & whatever team he turns out.
Andy
28/6/2013 06:35:03 pm
Why on earth did these people buy Leeds United.... I'm sick of being sensible and patient I want at least excitement... I want value for money when I spend my hard earned cash...
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Peter
28/6/2013 06:37:57 pm
Where's the problem?
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Tim Forster
28/6/2013 06:40:33 pm
At last, a voice of sanity amidst all the complaining!
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jb
28/6/2013 06:51:47 pm
I fully understand the wage bill thing, but swapping hunt for Morrison is shocking. Noel Hunt does not score goals and Morison does. Yes he had a bad start but I will wager that he scores more for Millwall than Hunt for Leeds. Why did we swap him in the first place if we cannot afford him? I am sick to death of these old pals act signings. Having said all that all we can do is cross everything and hope we have a better season than last year with better performances. Our players are not that bad and hopefully Brian can get the best out of them. You never know, Palace were 80-1 to go up last year and they did, so as angry and dejected as I am, I soldier on to another season probably like most Leeds fans...MOT...sort of
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StevieDee
28/6/2013 07:08:38 pm
If you read the recent comments by club and by player then Morison was committed to Leeds and was considered integral to this season's campaign.
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Paul
30/6/2013 08:40:20 am
Well said my man better than the shite fantasy stuff the authour writes on here
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Ticker
28/6/2013 07:09:42 pm
Thanks you've made me feel a lot better.
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Jay
28/6/2013 07:10:09 pm
Typical another Leeds fan accepting second best show some bloody ambition we deserve better 10 years is to long for the mighty Leeds to be out of the Prem. If your happy watching championship football go support barnsley
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Tee
28/6/2013 08:01:12 pm
All your moaning will not change the fact we are skint, but accepting the fact and getting behind what ever team we have might just give them the confidence to get promoted. I remember everyone hated wise when we had the 15 points look what happened when we got behind the team.
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28/6/2013 07:33:36 pm
n hunt 24 goals 5 seasons great b.m loosing the plot already
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Dan
28/6/2013 07:35:32 pm
I have said the same thing all along. I swear some of our fans think we should be in for Bale and Neymar!
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28/6/2013 07:37:52 pm
Because we have a good manager now , we just live in hope that we can add a few quality players . To have BM at the helm must not be a wasted appointment . He will deliver , I have no doubt about that its just a question of how far. Thatwill definitely depend on the total backing of all of us, the board and some dosh !!
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Kezza
28/6/2013 07:39:53 pm
Hunts goal record is piss poor but like in this article if Ross is back on form bangin in em in does it matter? Noone will like playing against hunt cos hes a pest!
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Richard
28/6/2013 07:41:01 pm
Top read. In Egghead we trust!
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Bad buissness getting rid off morison to get hunt? shocking state off affairs at leeds at present, i wonder when brian mc was offered the job, was he told he wouldnt have money, or that he would have to wheel or deal in the transfer market, (dont think so), what a shambles this great club is in, after what bates reaped out off it for his mult millionare lifestyle in monaco, then gfh bought us we all though great, we,ve new arab owners, who will back us to the hilt, little did we no they were skint, what a shambles, feel sorry for mc dermot n us leeds fans, when u look at other lower teams in the championship buying players at £1 million etc, we are a disgrace.
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Dan
28/6/2013 07:48:27 pm
Wed all love to be able to spend money without a problem but Brian didnt spend loads at Reading and he says hes more to play with here than he did at reading! Scary!
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Mike
28/6/2013 07:51:51 pm
This blog puts it in perspective. I recall the Seth Johnson Paul Okon days really clear now, i reckon most of us try to forget em cos they were such hard time for Leeds.
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Clare Whitworth
28/6/2013 07:53:42 pm
Great read. At last someone talking like a fan and not like they are a financial boardroom expert like the nuggets on twitter
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Al
28/6/2013 08:12:33 pm
You could have sworn McDermoot wrote this article the way i feel a bit more optimistic after listening to it!
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Acko
28/6/2013 08:13:51 pm
What's the problem we sold becchio for 250 k mid season if you cannot see the problem I'd give up if I was you. GFH are a bunch off shysters with not a pot to piss in.
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Rich
28/6/2013 08:13:59 pm
GFH arent all innocent, what about the forever cancelled fans forum? I bet they rearrange after we win 4 on the bounce or something.
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A sensible view.
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GREG
28/6/2013 08:22:58 pm
I an critical of frees but as the post says there are plenty of frees out there now you could actually build a winning team from. Simeon Jackson Harry Forrestor, Louis Magugan are all available but will get them if brian wants them? Goes back to Brians wheeling and dealing comment
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LiamLUFC
28/6/2013 08:25:14 pm
Good read. I would love to see James Vaughan come in. I think Norwich owe us one!
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BIG DAVE
28/6/2013 08:26:59 pm
THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE A POT TO PISS IN BUT THEY REMOVED BATES FROM POWER AND I NOW OWN A ST AGAIN BECAUSE OF IT
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Neill Shaw HX
29/6/2013 01:11:08 am
Hi Dave don't be surprised if BATES isn't behind all this we were never going to renew S.T with him around or is he still there ?
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Nigel
29/6/2013 04:36:55 am
I still believe Bates is a part of GFH
Rob
28/6/2013 08:30:13 pm
Like the post says i thought Morison would come good this year but to think warnock really agreed a 3 year deal on 17k a week makes me mad! Dont forget he also made brown play enough games to activate a years ectsention. That man was poison the worse manager i can remember since venables
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Emma Davies
28/6/2013 08:31:51 pm
Love the article nice positive and realistic post at the same time. Refreshing
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luke
28/6/2013 08:37:10 pm
Hunt may not score a lot of goals but if you've actually watched him play, he will be the one setting up 99% of our goals this year and he will be the one causing havoc for the opposition. Believe in Brian, his a quality manager and knows what his doing.
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deano
28/6/2013 08:48:05 pm
Sense in all the madness. Great work Bailey.
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Rodge
28/6/2013 08:50:13 pm
Ok we have no money we were hoodwinked yet agin
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LS 26
28/6/2013 09:20:09 pm
How do most teams get better by bringing through buying and keeping hold of there best players its not rocket science GFH need to invest heavy imo to secure promotion and i will not be invetsing in lufc till they do iam fed up of the circus thats lufc with the present and old regime.
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JDC
28/6/2013 11:51:22 pm
Your loss LS26 ... need directions to Huddersfield, Barnsley or even Sheffield ??
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dave
28/6/2013 10:17:56 pm
Do u think if we don't go up this year they will sell next got I hope
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Mr orange
28/6/2013 10:53:21 pm
AND SO SHINES A LIGHT IN A DARK AND WEARY WORLD !!!!
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Mr orange
28/6/2013 11:16:11 pm
Just want to add , i was a fan of Morison when he played for millwall and i always thought we could do with him , !!! So when a want away bechio was "swapped" this Jan i thought fair enough , but obviously something wasn't right with Steve and maybe you're right , up north isn't for him , but im glad he won't be able to play against us next year because i think he might just renew his form on his daily diet of jellied ells and chaz n Dave
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L.u.f.c 4 life
28/6/2013 11:23:09 pm
Morrison was shit hunt will graft n be a play maker gfh are lying bastards but wait a mo mcdermott is fucking brilliant so with poleon smith etc and maybe a couple more shut up n realise the futures bright the future is mcdermott back him n the team we have fuck gfh we know what they are n until we get investment that wont change were about football not politics
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Greg P
28/6/2013 11:28:38 pm
Great read writer, im glad im not the only light at the end of the tunnel leeds fan around MOT
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Ray
28/6/2013 11:31:00 pm
Spot on article. I couldnt have put it better myself regarding our situation. Unfortunately a majority of our fans will moan at everything. If we signed Cristiano Ronaldo they would complain that we didnt get Messi!
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Ray
28/6/2013 11:32:57 pm
Spot on article. Unfortunately we have a large bunch of fans that moan about everything. If we signed Ronaldo they'd whine we didnt get messi!
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L.u.f.c 4life
29/6/2013 12:01:30 am
We have what we have and yes ive moaned about gfh n there lack of honesty and false promises and yes it stinks but ill tell you what ,im gratefull they got rid of that cancerous old cunt bates .Having said that an baffled why they bouth a club such as ours and promised investment then didnt deliver did they think we wouldnt notice !!!! Any how as i said previously we have what we have until gfh next giro comes so we all should forget about them until they become remotely intresting enough for us to sit up n take notice .Brian mcdermott is what matters n we have to accept hes doing his best with what he has n lets not forget what that clown colin left us with itll take time to get rid and replace what he wants .We have waited such a long time to feel so exited about a manager n his playing style and i for one think if we get right behind his plan well be ok n the good times will return .After all it takes time to repair the damage previous regimes have inflicted on our club .We are chelsea man utd or city we are leeds and have had been crippled by poor desicions and bad business men and then the tenure of a lifelong chelsea fan who once said i will not stop until leeds united are out of the football league etc.We are on the up if u consider where we have been all these yrs so patience is what we need to have we have a top manager who in himself has the drive n enthusiasm to build a team that will play for leeds and love leeds ,morrison was a cockney millwall boy n a fish out of water in leeds so forget him n trust BMD and who he eventually brings in hes no mug .........
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Mr orange
29/6/2013 12:32:50 am
Well said lufc 4life
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Robflit
29/6/2013 01:00:34 am
How dare you use this forum to speak common sense! Internet forums are for irrational rantings and finger pointing!! ;-) ..... Very good article. We ALL need to get behind the team and manager and judge them by the league position next May.
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Compo's Style Guru
29/6/2013 02:07:09 am
A well structured argument and a good article. In all the carnage of last season we were in contention for the play offs and barring a string of last minute goals against would surely have been in the mix. Therefore, I believe the current squad (whilst not the best to grace the white shirt) does not require major surgery just the backing of a sensible manager and the freedom to play. I must confess to being confused by GFH and the way things have turned out. After all they are businessmen at heart and would surely have worked out how much the club would cost to run on a day to day basis. The obvious problems are the cost of renting ER & TA as well as paying off the debt incurred by the previous regime re: season ticket sales things the board should have budgeted for before purchase. What would be nice to hear from the owners would be the costs relating to ER & TA, and hope against hope who exactly own them, then, maybe we could gain some insight into why finances are so tight - this would be part of the so called transparency promised.
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Rob of Beeston
29/6/2013 05:16:55 am
repeat what a few have said top article. Just heard mcdermott on talksport and between the two of you i think we could win the premier league nevermind the championship!
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Julie
29/6/2013 05:18:24 am
I remember Smithy going dark days oh yes! Lets hope our Matt Smith will be a good signing!
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Steve H
29/6/2013 05:29:44 am
Brilliant article. I see the light too! MOT
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Imrul Hussain
29/6/2013 05:34:45 am
Great read K G well done
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Zoe
29/6/2013 05:37:44 am
Ross will get 15-20 next season mark my words. He did have a bad injury last season but i agree he missed some sitters. Love the positive words in the article, well thought out and seen from all angles MOT
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fraquar
29/6/2013 04:15:19 pm
Even if McCormack gets 20, they still need to find 50-60 more goals from the rest of this squad if they expect to be contending for a playoff place - and tighten the shot group defensively too.
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Greg
29/6/2013 10:31:30 pm
If reports are true today we have bid seven figures for highly rated Luke Murphy. The backtracking on twitter today has been legendary!
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Brilliant article that has clearly been written by a realist & a true fan.
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