Why we will not go up this season

[Leonickroberts]

You have actually strengthened my points but I am not going to list them all, nor quote as the resulting post becomes boring for forumers.
My posts are seen as negative and we are top of the table so will be deemed even more so.

A couple of key signings would strengthen our position but he will not sanction it. I am not a fan and not fooled by his PR, I am not alone in that opinion.

Anyhow, let’s keep this football up and hopefully our patience will be rewarded come May.

I don't necessarily think your posts are negative as such, I just think you're missing the point completely. It's not that he's being frugal and refusing to sanction it, it's that he clearly doesn't have the money - and if you really think spending money we don't have chasing dreams is worthwhile, clearly you can't have been a fan during the Ridsdale era. That nearly killed the club, and if you're honestly happy to risk that again, I'm clearly wasting my time.

He's invested in the club as a whole - he's bought the stadium back, spent money on the infrastructure and the staff after Cellino asset-stripped, revamped the academy, signed a fair few first team players (many who have been poor, yes), as well as hiring the most expensive manager in the club's history.

Radz is not an Abramovich or a Sheikh Mansour; he's never pretended to be. It's been very clear all along that he doesn't have a limitless pot of gold to throw around. He has, however, spent more money than he's taken out of the club.

He's made a lot of mistakes, no one is trying to deny that, but to give the man credit, he seems to learn from them. When he realised the managers weren't up to the standard, he didn't just go out and get a McCarthy or a Warnock, someone who knew the league, he goes out of his way to get one of the most revered coaches in recent history, spending huge amounts of money to bring him here. Last season he put undue pressure on TC and a new team, saying the play-offs were the absolute minimum expectation - he's kept his mouth quiet this year.

I think you're also forgetting that it's Bielsa himself who is saying we don't need three or four new signings, like you seem to think we do, to 'strengthen our position'. He wants a lean squad of 22/23 players - he doesn't have the room for 3/4 more, so why spend money on them? Bielsa is the one who has said he watched all our games from last season and was happy to work with 15 of the squad (BPF, Ayling, Berardi, Jansson, Cooper, Shaughnessy, Pearce, Phillips, Forshaw, Vieira, Dallas, Hernandez, Saiz, Alioski, Roofe) of the first team squad. He's brought in another 5 (Baker, Bamford, Blackman, Harrison, and Douglas), but lost Vieira, so already up to 19. He's brought Klich back in from the cold, finally seen Roberts in action, and is bringing Shackleton through. That's 22. To fit in with Bielsa's squad demands, we have maybe one more space.

Saying we need 3/4 more signings and claiming Radz is refusing to sanction them when the manager has insisted from day one he wants a lean squad of 22/23 players (2 for every position), which we already have, smacks of you trying to find a reason to blame Radz. If you want to blame anyone, blame Bielsa for not thinking we need these mythical signings - although given the start we've had, I somehow doubt anyone's going to be pointing the finger at Bielsa just now.

Great post, this. We don't need to get into the finger-pointing of the 'perennially-miserable' vs 'blinkered optimist' fan to be able to provide a balanced fact-based assessment of the situation, which to me this is.

It's worth separating out the baffling array of emotions we feel simultaneously from supporting Leeds - for my part (having grown up with the 90s rise and noughties fall) it's a case of expect the worst, hope for the best, and relish it when things are going well (because experience from my lifetime suggests they probably won't last).

[rss1969]

You have actually strengthened my points but I am not going to list them all, nor quote as the resulting post becomes boring for forumers.
My posts are seen as negative and we are top of the table so will be deemed even more so.

A couple of key signings would strengthen our position but he will not sanction it. I am not a fan and not fooled by his PR, I am not alone in that opinion.

Anyhow, let’s keep this football up and hopefully our patience will be rewarded come May.

I don't necessarily think your posts are negative as such, I just think you're missing the point completely. It's not that he's being frugal and refusing to sanction it, it's that he clearly doesn't have the money - and if you really think spending money we don't have chasing dreams is worthwhile, clearly you can't have been a fan during the Ridsdale era. That nearly killed the club, and if you're honestly happy to risk that again, I'm clearly wasting my time.

Sorry but this is presumptuous nonsense. Where have I said I want the club to spend money that will put us in financial difficulty? I am not a fan of the club because I have a differing view from yours? What gives you the right to presume the above about my support without any evidence to back it up? Do you believe every word that comes from the owners of the club then?

He's invested in the club as a whole - he's bought the stadium back, spent money on the infrastructure and the staff after Cellino asset-stripped, revamped the academy, signed a fair few first team players (many who have been poor, yes), as well as hiring the most expensive manager in the club's history.

Any decent businessman would have purchased the stadium, that is just common sense. I am glad that happened but I will not laud him for it, when he comes to sell up he will get his money back and then some. Most of the players bought in have STOPPED us from investing this season, my point exactly.

Radz is not an Abramovich or a Sheikh Mansour; he's never pretended to be. It's been very clear all along that he doesn't have a limitless pot of gold to throw around. He has, however, spent more money than he's taken out of the club.

I do not expect an Abramovich, although it would be nice but Radz is not a Leeds fan is he? It is not for the love of the club that he has bought us. If you want any progress (and therefore the financial reward) you have to invest properly. Football clubs at this level do not make money or break even. They do in the PL but you have to get there first. Purchasing sub-standard players, wasting money on inadequate managers and then selling off your best players to balance things out is not good business.

He's made a lot of mistakes, no one is trying to deny that, but to give the man credit, he seems to learn from them. When he realised the managers weren't up to the standard, he didn't just go out and get a McCarthy or a Warnock, someone who knew the league, he goes out of his way to get one of the most revered coaches in recent history, spending huge amounts of money to bring him here. Last season he put undue pressure on TC and a new team, saying the play-offs were the absolute minimum expectation - he's kept his mouth quiet this year.

And if it works out he deserves a lot of credit for that but we are 6 games into the season.

I think you're also forgetting that it's Bielsa himself who is saying we don't need three or four new signings, like you seem to think we do, to 'strengthen our position'. He wants a lean squad of 22/23 players - he doesn't have the room for 3/4 more, so why spend money on them? Bielsa is the one who has said he watched all our games from last season and was happy to work with 15 of the squad (BPF, Ayling, Berardi, Jansson, Cooper, Shaughnessy, Pearce, Phillips, Forshaw, Vieira, Dallas, Hernandez, Saiz, Alioski, Roofe) of the first team squad. He's brought in another 5 (Baker, Bamford, Blackman, Harrison, and Douglas), but lost Vieira, so already up to 19. He's brought Klich back in from the cold, finally seen Roberts in action, and is bringing Shackleton through. That's 22. To fit in with Bielsa's squad demands, we have maybe one more space.

Bielsa also admitted he was disappointed to lose Viera who he saw as key to his plans. It is not just social media that questions our strength in depth, especially at CB. Most press conferences have contained questions about our lack of depth at the back. Baker, Harrison, Blackman & Brown are not our players. We have only bought Douglas & Bamford........this may well be enough but recruitment at other clubs might suggest otherwise and for me the jury is very much out on Bamford (I will add that Izzy Brown could be the key signing this season if he gets back to full fitness).

Saying we need 3/4 more signings and claiming Radz is refusing to sanction them when the manager has insisted from day one he wants a lean squad of 22/23 players (2 for every position), which we already have, smacks of you trying to find a reason to blame Radz. If you want to blame anyone, blame Bielsa for not thinking we need these mythical signings - although given the start we've had, I somehow doubt anyone's going to be pointing the finger at Bielsa just now.

Despite his reputation Bielsa cannot buy players that the club will not fund. If offered a huge warchest he would spend it. This is a main reason that the talks went on so long with him. He wanted to analyse the squad against what he could bring in to see if it was workable and he decided that it was. His last couple of roles have not worked out and at 63 having never managed in England, these will have been extra factors in our favour.

This is the very reason that I did not want to go through your original post and answer each point but your response to that has really angered me.

Your post is presumptuous and arrogant. You have attacked my intelligence and loyalty whilst dismissing my reasoning out of hand and then accusing me of wanting the club to get embroiled in another financial meltdown because I have another view.

And you are wasting your time?