What next for LUFC?

Leeds United news here, transfer rumours, club affairs, players, fans, etc.
Specific match discussions should go in the category below.
whitedancer
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Re: What next for LUFC?

Post by whitedancer »

Good post Halifax.
Personally I think bielsa has took us as far as he can, great coach improves players , brings on the youngsters,
But he normally moves on after 2or 3 years , after being found out , we need a creative midfielder( ie brooks from Bournemouth) for 2 seasons yet we just buy or loan wingers . Basically no back up for bamford who I feel also had a false season last season with no crowds. Let’s see what he does this season with crowds back and he starts missing chances, and he’s heading ability is awful. Dallas a good squad player very versatile but not a wing back especially against pace, also another year older. Can’t comment on the 2 centre half’s as 1 or both of them are always injured.(Koch & LIorente. On the plus side we have meslier, Phillips,raphinha.don’t think any of the rest would get in any other prem side. Looks like the under23s are resonably strong. But in my opinion we haven’t strengthened the first 11. But it is what it is and we are back in the prem,let’s see what the next 5 games bring , hopefully onwards and upwards but I have my doubts. M.O.T.
guitarmark
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Re: What next for LUFC?

Post by guitarmark »

Certainly a valid question - Not sure an answer is possible without many options/probable's/what ifs etc - I think there will be a levelling off process, certainly with regards to how much we can get out of the players we have - MB has a concept that inspires many other managers - What could MB do if he had access to the quality of players as per Man City, Chelsea - We concede to many goals and have to many shots heading towards our goal - Would this stat be reduced if the defence was that of Chelsea/Man City - We don't know - Maybe the game plan is sound, but the quality of personal is not as required

Don't want that to sound as a moan etc - We are all fans of MB and how he has changed LUFC over the last 3 seasons - We love the style of play - We've enjoyed many great moments - And I'm glad to be part of watching it - I recall many lows inc the 1st game I took my daughter to - Walsall - Mid week - raining and we lost 1-0 - She is still a fan and enjoys the journey we are on as well

The top 4 are on another level, for whatever reason - Even Arsenal and Spurs are struggling to join in that race - So not even sure what we can achieve in the next 2-5 years - I loved us to win something under MB even if it is the League Cup - I think for now I'm enjoying the journey and if that takes us to the edge of Europe then great - The question might be in 2-5 years time if we become say an Everton - Never now with any silver ware - Never now in the top 4 - Generally not in the relegation sector - But sooner or later that can become boring and no longer acceptable - I recall both Bolton and Charlton having 2/3/4 years of mid/upper table success under big Sam and Alan C - After a while the fans got bored with the same old and no further improvement - So there may well become a time when we have to be careful what we wish for

Not sure there is another MB out there - So as and when he goes, the question will be who comes in, what the style of play might be and can they achieve as much with the grade of players we currently have

Football is a funny old game - Look at the last 3-5 years of Arsenal under Wenger - Regular top 3/4 finish and always a place in Europe - No trophies - And the fans are bored and demanding more - Nearly every other club in the PL would have loved to have been in that comfort zone - Only 3 domestic trophies to win and in reality MUFC, MCFC, LFC and CFC are going to win 66.6-100% of these trophies each year for now - So empty cabinets for most clubs is a common journey - For the last 16 years our hope was to be in the PL - Maybe for the next 5-10 years our hope should be some comfort zone, coupled with the style of game we play, that on a good day will beat MUFC, LFC, CFC and MCFC and entertain - I live near Derby - They have hated us for years - But amazed how many local 'friends' enjoy the way we play - So for now let's be happy with this - Let's not be boring - But in reality I'm not sure if we'll ever have the funds to be a top 4 club

Football is somehow wrong that the likes of MCFC LFC etc can buy who they want from the likes of Soton, Villa, etc at anytime they want - The real skill is when Soton find VVD for 13 million - That is talent spotting - No skill spending 75 million - You find a gem like KP/Meslier and you know full well that sooner or later the big boys will be sniffing - The only thing we can do is to make sure they have a good contract and if/when they come, they pay us very well

Long may our journey continue - Long may we enjoy the style of play we have that many pundits also enjoy - I still stand by 'supporting Leeds is a passion, supporting Chelsea (or who ever) is a fashion - I'd love us to win a good trophy again and again and again - But for now if this is the norm, then I prefer this to the last 16 years
Costy
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Re: What next for LUFC?

Post by Costy »

Excellent post. Being a football fan is a strange thing. Look at someone like Norwich now. They will have been desperate to get in the premier league and last season will have been great for them - winning most games, playing good football, achieving success. Now that they've got it though, they're probably miserable at the way things are.
For what it's worth this season does look a bit more open in terms of who will actually win the league, but top four is virtually nailed on already. Their squads are just too strong. Like you say, spending fortunes to bring in the best players is hardly brilliant management/coaching. It would be so refreshing to see a Klopp or a Guardiola test themselves by dropping to the Championship or a lower end prem team and seeing what they can really do. I'm willing to bet they wouldn't achieve what Marcelo has achieved with us, which is nothing short of amazing. It won't happen though.
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Selby White
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Re: What next for LUFC?

Post by Selby White »

Guitarmark, If we had a "post of the year" award on here I would be nominating yours.
Excellent read :thumbup:
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NottinghamWhite
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Re: What next for LUFC?

Post by NottinghamWhite »

Selby White wrote:Guitarmark, If we had a "post of the year" award on here I would be nominating yours.
Excellent read :thumbup:
This exactly my thoughts :clap:
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Davycc
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Re: What next for LUFC?

Post by Davycc »

Great post :thumbup:
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yorkfan
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Re: What next for LUFC?

Post by yorkfan »

Great post, sums things up perfectly for me. :thumbup: :clap:
Clarke One Nil
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Re: What next for LUFC?

Post by Clarke One Nil »

I’m delighted with the overall direction of the club, particularly given where we were for the previous decade and a half. I haven’t enjoyed watching Leeds this much since I was a child during the Revie years. As a bonus, I am enjoying the football in a child-like way while admiring the new stability of the club as an adult.

Any project on the scale of bringing a mid-table championship football club to be an established Premier League club that is realistically challenging for trophies will take years. In the context of the crazy finances at the top level of the Premier league, I would estimate up to ten years.

Radrizzani has been clear that he is working towards a medium-term priority of establishing Leeds as a solid Premier League club, with increasing but not ridiculous income and expenditure, then moving on to challenge for Europe when that can be done on the same basis, and eventually being in a position to realistically challenge for trophies.

While doing that, Bielsa has us playing exhilarating football that we haven't seen for decades, with a sense of camaraderie and loyalty in the squad. We’re both improving existing players and gradually investing in players that would have been well out reach a few short years ago, and more and more of our players are winning international caps (a mixed blessing but a positive sign).

Meanwhile the planned investment in the stadium, and the ongoing investment in the youth teams and the way they are playing, provides more grounds for optimism, while the return of the women's team and various local activities are strengthening further the link between the club and the wider community.

Obviously I’d love Leeds to win every game and have a perfect start to each season, but that’s not going to happen. I’m very happy with the gradual improvement year-on-year that is happening, particularly given the style of football we are playing, and there will always the proverbial ups and downs. That said, I don't even see the season so far as being a down, just the start that we have had and we now get on with the plan.
guitarmark
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Re: What next for LUFC?

Post by guitarmark »

Thanks for the nice comments
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Leonickroberts
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Re: What next for LUFC?

Post by Leonickroberts »

Really glad you've asked this question Halifax, I was going to do something similar (and brilliantly comprehensive answer Mark). Also nice to see this not descending into a partisan culture-war argument that splits people into two extreme positions (#BielsaOut vs #RealFan) :D It's possible to be both pro-Bielsa, and also recognise that he, and the club have limitations that need to be addressed.

I'm in no rush to see Bielsa go anywhere, and the question for me is what the club's transition plan for a post-Bielsa world looks like. He won't be here forever (hopefully he'll walk off into the sunset rather than a sad departure), which means at some point a new manager will have to take over this squad. How do we ensure that the squad they inherit will work for somebody other than Bielsa? The answer for me is that irrespective of squad size, we clearly need more quality in both the starting 11 and matchday squad. This is essential whoever is managing, as there's clearly a shelf-life on Klich, Cooper, Ayling and Dallas. In my view players like Roberts also aren't currently good enough. This means that in spite of the general sense of 'moving in the right direction' and all the excitement about the u23s, we're going to need a pretty hefty squad overhaul next summer.
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