sobering comments in these joyous times

cardboardbox?Youwerelucky

report from SQ Ball on the match thanks to Mally 57.

ACCORDING TO Ken Bates, the latest patriarch of Leeds United, the Bentleys, Mercedes and Ferraris will be returning to the club’s training ground if the players continue their rate of progress.
On the evidence of their erratic, often brainless offering for much of this match, the rusty old bangers will be chugging along to Thorp Arch for the foreseeable future.
But then one regime after another at Elland Road has lived in a self-styled dream land and the way their fortunes are shaping this season they should achieve the reality of promotion to the Championship.
Yet another late goal, this time from substitute Mark de Vries, plundered all three points when they might have been left with none. Eight times they have scored in the last five minutes of matches to sustain their extraordinary rise from minus 15 to within sight of the play-off places.
If Leeds are promoted, they will surely have to rebuild the team to make a fist of it in the Championship and many of these players will be parking their cars elsewhere.
They were outplayed in the first half, when Yeovil squandered a succession of chances, and even in the second, as they tilted the balance of the contest through sheer desire rather than subtlety, they ought to have conceded a goal to the normally reliable Marcus Stewart.
Leeds’ afternoon served to encapsulate the volatile life and times of their manager, Dennis Wise. These past few days alone, he has received an FA charge and a manager of the month award. Yesterday he toed the touchline anxiously, occasionally ranting at one of his players, or an official, or just someone to let off steam. Far from dreaming, he maintains, he sees Leeds’ challenge for what it is. “I always wait for the moment when it goes bad,” he said. “My first aim is to get us safe. You’re always going to get a sticky spell.
“Then we’ve got to catch the next group. I won’t even think or talk about anything more than that. We didn’t play at all well in the first half but in the second it was a different game. I told the players at half-time we had to be better and I’d make changes. I did, I brought on two more strikers.
“I do like a gamble. I try to win and put pressure on them. Why not? We win late because we keep going and the players believe they can win. Why not have a go?”
Leeds did have a go in that second half yet should have gone behind when Kevin Betsy squared the ball across the face of goal and Stewart inexplicably shot wide.
Leeds made the most of their luck and eventually forced the winner with their muscular bombardment. Jonathan Douglas delivered the crucial cross in the 89th minute and De Vries at the far post, looped his header over Romain Larrieu.

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weasel · Nigel Martyn Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 386

And these people are supposed to be fans. It's a disgrace that they are getting on the team's back because they have been so awful as to work hard for the shirt from the first minute to the last. The reason we have won so many games late on is testament to Wisey's fitness regimes but also the fact that the players we now have are all hungry to do well and make names for themselves, unlike the primadonnas of yesteryears.
Sure we may have ridden our luck a bit and we may only be beating div1 opponents but heck we are a team that has been assembled on a shoe string budget with the league refusing to give us an even break (never mind the points deduction the transfer ban was supposed to be a killer).
It makes me sick that people are always looking to knock the club, but from supposed fans.

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The league and the FA are fecking idiots

kevin177 · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 10:47 pm Post subject:

superb response from weasel.
this is a team that is built virtually from scratch, big high five for wise and poyet.
we are competing for 90 minutes and can only beat what is put in front of us.
teams are going to try and stifle a big name like leeds and it is up to us to counteract that and win the game which we are doing to such a fantastic extent at the moment .
long may it continue.
get of their bleeding backs ffs.

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HarryofOz · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 12:23 am Post subject:

While its probably harder to judge from listening to the radio than being at the match (though even that judgment is questionable as many people see what they want to see), I certainly don't recall Yeovil squandering a succession of chances during the game. Stewart missed a sitter before we scored and Casper made a couple of good saves but so did their keeper.

I said it during the Blackwell regime when all the Blackwell haters kept saying we were lucky to make the play-off final. You don't get to the top by luck. You may be lucky here and there but to constantly do the same thing - win our matches late - cannot simply be down to luck, it's simply something we are good at. We are obviously fit and we have players who can take their chances...that is not luck, that is application and ability.

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There's no 'I' in 'team'. But then there's no 'I' in 'useless smug colleague', either. And there're four in 'platitude-quoting idiot'. Go figure.

HarryofOz · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 2:02 am Post subject:

It seems that the post on SQ Ball came straight from the Telegraph

Telegraph

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There's no 'I' in 'team'. But then there's no 'I' in 'useless smug colleague', either. And there're four in 'platitude-quoting idiot'. Go figure.

Tanhilltimmy · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 6:13 am Post subject:

NE1 · Neither Shallow Nor Sexist Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 1570

I thought it was quite a well written piece of work and don't understnad your response Weasel Confused

BillH · Allan Clarke Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 510

TBH I think a lot of fans are in ostrich mode. The results have given them an excuse to turn a blind eye to the areas which still need work and the fact that we certainly haven't dominated this division in the way our results would suggest.

Hopefully this complacency from a section of the fans isn't shared by Wise and Poyet, who must know you can't rely on snatching a winner at the death and hoping the opposition strikers can't hit the proverbial barn door in every game. We need to start imposing ourselves on opposing teams soon.

The potential is there, the hard work is in place, but a bit more is needed. IMHO it is the midfield that needs to improve. They work hard, but of those who have played there so far this season only Thompson is capable of controlling the game, and he's not been at the races. Maybe da Costa can do the job instead.

weasel · Nigel Martyn Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 386

I don't think there is a complacency, it is hardly like we are steamrollering teams 3-0 week in week out but we are winning. The lads are grinding results out and sure there may be flaws but I'd rather have the bunch of honest players we have now than various lazy players who think they are better than they are.
The article for me was very negative and gave no credit at all to what the players/management have achieved. No matter what position we end up in the lads deserve full credit for what they have done so far. Hopefully as a team we will build and improve, whether that is with the players we have getting better or whether players come and go only time will tell.

I doubt anyone at all expected us to make such a great start to the season. It is hardly like we were relegated with a team of superstars that were miles better than the division standards. But for such negativity you have to question what fans want from the team, 10 wins out of 10?

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The league and the FA are fecking idiots

BillH · Allan Clarke Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 510

I hear what you're saying by my belief is that the time to be handing out credits is when the season is over and you have a final result, not after 10 games. During the season it is a time to analyse where there is room for improvement and see what needs to be done to get better.

I thought the article was reslistic and didn't get carried away like most of the comments I've seen of late.

raveydavey · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 2:16 pm Post subject:

I'll take a lucky win over an inept defeat any day.

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BillH · Allan Clarke Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 510

halfaperson · Allan Clarke Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 760

One thing we seem to forget is that this team has had only ten games to gel. Any new team would struggle to find some form in that short period. Its true we haven’t found that form. By crickey the rest of the league had better watch out when we do

nlag · Guest

Ahem.....Match report please Smile

cardboardbox?Youwerelucky · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 7:30 pm Post subject:

BillH - I agree with you (and it was the reason I made this post)

Generally the concensus has been that we haven't been the better team in the majority of the games we have won (and I can only go on the reports made by posters on here and other sites)

Don't get me wrong I am absolutely DELIGHTED with the results so far but as BillH says luck does eventually run out (and christ WE should know that by now as Leeds fans)

When you consider the number of last gasp wins that have also seen the opposition missing "sitters" then we could very well be looking at much less points (and different views from the fans)

What I would like to see is the performances coming through as well as the results - 10 games isn't many for the team to "gel" but we now should be seeing signs - and we should certainly be dominating many of these teams in this division

What is very encouraging is that we seem to have played the majority of the teams we expected to be there or thereabouts at the end of the season and already taken points off them whereas Leyton Orient (as an example) had played very few "contenders" when they were top and have suddenly come unstuck against the better sides

This may seem like an odd statement but for me I am still waiting for Wise to convince me that he truly is top level management material - I absolutley give him credit for what appears a MUCH better team spirit and a much better fitness level for our team and thankfully last seasons first half / second half Jekyll & Hyde performances look to be behind us - I hope that we get stronger & stronger as the season progresses and the team DOES begin to put in dominating performances.

As I said before you can't fault the results at all - and each win has to make us more confident and I hope we keep up this winning streak going but I think ignoring the performances is very dangerous and I would hate to see us suddenly go in reverse when lady luck decides we have had our fill for the season

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weasel · Nigel Martyn Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 386

I think after the last few season's we are overdue some good fortune, perhaps we are getting it all in 1 go Wink

It does seem however that 'good' teams get the luck, often it seems to be the teams at the tope that get the dubious penalty etc (don't forget we haven't had one of them yet) or snatch the late win. Look at the season where Manure won the treble and they scored twice in the last minute v Liverpool and Munich to snatch wins from defeats, without lady luck (inspired management to some) they could well have had nothing.

Wisey has made substitutions at least 3 times this season that have paid off (twice this week and Flo v Southend). To me that is a combination of luck and knowing the players and also having players that don't sit on the bench and sulk but come on and want to win and want to be a part of making the name Leeds big again.

In time I think the team will gel. The most disrupted part of the team has been the midfield (Douglas's ban and international absences, Hughes's injury, Thomson's injury, Westlake's injury etc) and it shows. The defence (and keeper) has largely been unchanged (occasional swop between Hughes and Clapham at leftback) and the strikerforce have been the same and it shows as these parts of the team have been succesful, when the midfield gels hopefully we will turn in the performances that will mean that luck isn't as big a feature in our results.

At least most of us on here are a lot more positive than we were on the eve of the season where I think we all felt that we'd be lucky to finish top half.

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The league and the FA are fecking idiots

Cockney White · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:00 pm Post subject:

HarryofOz · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:01 am Post subject:

How anyone can say that a team with a record of 9 wins and 1 draw from 10 matches has been lucky, is beyond me.

_________________
There's no 'I' in 'team'. But then there's no 'I' in 'useless smug colleague', either. And there're four in 'platitude-quoting idiot'. Go figure.

BillH · Allan Clarke Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 510

HarryofOz · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:24 am Post subject:

Bill, there always is an element of luck in any sport - the difference between the ball hitting the post and bouncing out or bouncing in. That's sport. But the fact that we have scored so many late goals is indicative - its something we are good at. I can't say I'm happy waiting for last minute goals and you are right sooner or later, we won't get that crucial late one, but there's no reason to assume that we won't be scoring earlier goals as well.

_________________
There's no 'I' in 'team'. But then there's no 'I' in 'useless smug colleague', either. And there're four in 'platitude-quoting idiot'. Go figure.

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