Leeds United: Optimism Personified

By Steve Barras

This season so far has been somewhat surprising; for me at least. I expected no more and no less than a season nestled safely in the bosom of mediocrity but Messrs McDermott and McCormack have worked wonders on my expectations. Did anyone actually foresee McCormack’s excellent eye for goal in this half of the season? I would have been quite content with 15 goals for the season, never mind halfway through December! Did anyone have the same foresight as McDermott when Alex Mowatt was brought through the Academy ranks? I certainly didn’t and I expected Chris Dawson and Dominic Poleon to grab their chances this season, the former hasn’t even featured whereas the latter has been disappointing at best. 
 
Eyes now turn to the Christmas period where we face five games in eighteen days but better men than I will comment on those elements, I want to concentrate on what happens afterwards; the January sales or the January transfer market if you would use the FA approved term.  

Apparently by then David Haigh and co. should have successfully acquired seventy-five percent of our famous club and should some seriously outrageous rumours be believed Mr McDermott will have the paltry sum of £40 million to wage war on the upper echelons of the Championship table.  

There are a few ways that this could turn out, some bad and some good so bear
with me. 

A. There actually is £40 million for McDermott to spend and he acquires the players that get us promoted. The players that are being touted as our future warriors are Nathaniel Chalobah, Max Gradel, Luciano Becchio and Adam le Fondre. Happy Days.    

B. David Haigh turns out to be the reincarnation of a as of yet un-deceased former chairman and rips the heart out of our barely healed chests. Not so Happy Days. 

C. David Haigh carries on the work of GFHC and leads us into a successful yet sustainable future. The probable outcome. 

D. David Haigh turns out to be the showpiece of an extremely violent mafia family and Elland Road becomes the first modern venue for the new and improved gladiatorial games complete with lions and tigers.  

Ok, the last one was a joke but my point is that the future is as uncertain as who you would actually wager between Michael Brown and a full grown lion, coming soon to you at Elland Road sponsored by David ‘the hatchet’ Hague. 

Seriously though, I have no clue who McDermott will bring in during the window but I have my suspicions, as we all do. Would he even spend the hypothetical
£40 million? Recent history suggests that he would not but maybe Gboly Ariyibi is just the beginning, I am as ever an eternal optimist and because of my newly found expectations for this season I can say without any sense of reserve that this could very well be our year. 

With that I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and if I don’t see you at the upcoming games then I will most definitely be writing on this site again in 2014, hopefully not about lions and tigers though.