24 Jul 2013 14:09:15
Looking at our current crop of players I honestly feel that GFH's target of promotion to the top flight by 2015 is completely achievable:

Paddy Kenny- Say what you will about him but he is, at championship level, a top class goalkeeper.

Sam Byram- Obviously the stand-out talent at Elland Road, and if Leeds can keep him away from the hands of PL clubs, he will continue to be an amazing asset for us.

Tom Lees- Every season Tom develops more as a player, and at only 22, he is one of the best and most promising defenders in this league.

Stephen Warnock- A PL quality left-back; what Stephen lacks in pace he more than makes up for in experience. His dead balls will be key to any success in the coming seasons.

Rudolph Austin- A poor man's Yaya Toure. He is a strong commanding midfielder that can power past players with ease as well as helping defensively. Last season a combination of International games and club games for both Leeds & SK Brann led to fatigue, meaning we didn't see the best of old Rudy.

Luke Murphy- One of Brian's summer targets, and if the price has anything to go by, the most promising one. I, like many can't wait to see Luke hit the ground running this season; both vision and a variety of passes are what we know he will surely bring. and still only 23.

Paul Green- Looks to be adapting to his 'new' more defensive role at Leeds, a position he made his own at Derby. Last season we saw him injured and playing on the right of midfield often, one of the key examples of Warnock playing players out of position.

Luke Varney- Inconsistent yes, but can play in several positions and is good enough to win points on his own this season. (Proved by his performance at Stevenage).

El Hadji Diouf- An extremely quality player at this level and possibly higher. Diouf's passing and hold up game gives Leeds a new dimension to go forward. Not to mention his ability to win free-kicks by the art of. falling.

Ross McCormack- Ross was injured for a good chunk of last season, but we saw glimpses of what he can do; the Tottenham goal the pick of the lot. He could easily grab 20+ goals this season if he avoids injury.

Dominic Poleon- Seems to have come into his own in pre-season (forgetting a few 'how did he miss that' moments at Stevenage). Fast, Strong and only 19. Could be vital in any success for years to come.

Obviously there are other players I have not mentioned (Hunt, Smith, White, Dawson etc. ) however it's just proof our squad is good. Yes, we are lacking wide players and a solid CB to pair with Lees, but it's not all doom and gloom at Leeds. We need to ship off some dead-wood such as Drury, Pugh & Norris (the latter 2 being linked with Preston & Bournemouth respectively) to free up some funds, but with the RedBull possible investment, cheaper tickets, new marketing schemes & a quality scout turned manager, I really feel the future is bright. (white).

1.) 24 Jul 2013
Agree with most but defiantly not austin, overated and all he does is shoot terrible player. sell him please leeds! also varney didn't get points on his own, open your eyes and your see they were all basics goals v stevenage created by others.

2.) 24 Jul 2013
Luke Varney has the chance to thrive this season without the 'hoofball' tactic! His goal at Tottenham was evidence enough he can play well. And I agree about Austin's shooting, he needs to cut that out of his game a little!

3.) 24 Jul 2013
I thought austins wayward passing was the problem, but do agree he had extra long season last year. Was halfway through a season before he came to leeds, then hell of a lot of round the world travelling for internationals. Hopefully he can regain some form and fitness

4.) 24 Jul 2013
Rudy is a beast all these fans saying he is terrible get a grip when he first joined leeds he had already played half a season over in norway then without any rest he had pre season with us then got a bad injury vs watford and was rushed back by you know who and to top it of had to fly all over the world to play for jamaica

5.) 24 Jul 2013
At the start of the season Rudy was our best player and when he got injured we came off the rails.

6.) 24 Jul 2013
Good post. It is good to see positive posts. I agree we have the basis of a good team. Shipping out any of these key players I think would be a mistake.

7.) 25 Jul 2013
Good post and I agree with most. Austin for me though is a weak link. Ideally I would like somebody in there to replace him. Injuries is another factor. The players you list should have us near the top 6, but we ain't got a great deal to bring in if we lose anybody.