Leeds Banter Archive February 12 2017

12 Feb 2017 19:33:27
Look forward and not back, well that's what I'm telling myself. 15 games left, 45 points up for grabs, I believe that 25 should be more than enough to finish top 6. If we play like we did in the first half yesterday but score a goal or 2 then we will be fine. Relax brothers.

If we don't go up this season then at least we've got some good foundations to build on for mounting an assault next season. Rather than what usually happens, totally ripping a shocking team apart and pretty much starting from scratch.

12 Feb 2017 22:46:35
Good foundations? There mainly loan players lucas.

13 Feb 2017 07:32:53
Agree with Lucas. Our two top performers based on fans votes are ours. PH has the option to extend by 12 months, Bartley for me will sign because Swansea seem to be hitting form and keeping the goals out so he won't fit back in there. Bridcutt and vieira are both ours. For me if it's not this season, it must surely be next season. Garry has been clever in his signings making them loans because he knows that if they don't for some reason mix well with the players or perform to his style, he can wave goodbye at the end of the year, it'd be nice to see sacko or Barrow stay, because I like them both but sacko has shown more so far. And for me Pedraza is the only loan that we MUST sign for when Hernandez hasn't got the legs. Forgotten others such as Roofe, Ayling, Green, Berardi, Taylor (if he stays) are all our foundations. It's better to be 5th and fighting than 14th and out of it like this time last year. 25/45 would do me. 79 points is a very successful campaign, no matter where we finish.

13 Feb 2017 08:16:52
The core of the squad are ours; sign the loanees, and we have solid foundations. then add what we all wanted in the summer. CB and striker options.

13 Feb 2017 08:43:49
Martin I posted something similar a couple of weeks ago. if we don't go up we can't afford most of these players. i think clement will want Bartley back too, meaning we start again!

12 Feb 2017 15:17:44
Why haven't the strikers in the league who are better than Wood and get better service scored more goals? Bristol can score but are defensively vulnerable. Will be worried if we don't outscore them. Hopefully we will be back on track for playoffs, now we know top two is unrealistic

12 feb 2017 13:50:40
funny they said don't change your team for cup game . we did now losing . get back on track . before you blow it

12 Feb 2017 13:20:12
Fans are calling for us to get back to how we were against Derby. My view is that this is not good enough for the long haul. Against Derby we completed dominated the game and looked good in possession but that flattered to deceive. We only scored once and I don't hear anyone saying we could have scored lots more from the chances we made. There were not a lot of clear cut opportunities. In addition we had a couple of blips at the back which could have easily led to goals. This gave the small chance of us coming away with a draw or even a loss which would have been ridiculous in the circumstances. At the moment we have very few players who drive into the box from midfield. Sacko gets a lot of criticism for his delivery but in his defence much of the time when he gets behind defences he looks up and sees one white shirt surrounded by defenders. A superb eye of the needle pass always seems to be needed to get a result. Hernandez only drives into the box when he has the ball at his feet and sees the same as sacko. We need a box to box mid fielder with the engine of a Lee Bowyer. Someone with eye for goal but who also is not afraid to put his foot in when needed defensively. Vierra and Bridcutt are too similar and play too deep. Not sure what O'Kane's forte is at the moment. He looks competent but I'm not sure what his main job is. Scoring goals? Defensive midfield? Creating chances? He always seems busy but not sure how he contributes overall. Bristol City will be interesting but it could be another disappointment unless something changes dramatically. At the moment we don't create enough chances and with Saturday's back four we are likely to concede.

12 Feb 2017 16:36:59
I agree Hess But it is a major leap of faith for Gary to weaken his defence and prime a midfielder to create and attack for I fear everyone we have at the moment is primarily defence minded. I think the mans mindset is not to concede and hope we nick one at the other end and as we are sitting Fifth, who am I to argue. Maybe the tiki-taki will come next year in the Prem?

12 Feb 2017 18:16:46
Keeping the goals conceded down so we can nick a win with the odd is a good plan given our early season performances until Cooper plays then its a bit iffy. He is awful at set plays and makes other mistakes during the game. When he is not doing that he can look sound.

12 Feb 2017 08:16:42
This will upset the wood lovers but he simply is not good enough as any decent strikers e.g mc badge kisser even Beckford could create from nothing and although wood can score he needs pinpoint crosses or passes to do so, so for me I would give ant and or roofe a long run up front

12 Feb 2017 09:10:10
Absolute nonsense, strikers need service and support, yesterday he had none. With service and support he has scored 21 goals. Antonnson has had limited opportunities but has not demonstrated the ability to lead the line. Roofe is getting better and although not playing his favoured role has only scored twice. Taking what you have written, shouldn't Antonnson has made chances out of nothing against them Cambridge and Sutton ? You can't have it both ways Crofton,

12 Feb 2017 09:25:48
An attacking central midfielder with a eye for goal wouldn't go a miss

12 Feb 2017 09:34:34
If in doubt, slag wood off! No service yesterday, one chance agaisnt Huddersfield, no service against Blackburn - obviously his fault we're having a blip!

12 Feb 2017 09:35:07
I think both your arguments have valid points. agreed service and support are vital and their main job is to tap in and be there for rebounds etc, but truely great strikers do create something out of nothing, by to be fair that doesn't just stop with strikers. all great players do that in their respective positions

12 Feb 2017 11:34:19
Would agree Curahee but you don't tend to find truely great players plying their trade in the Championship

12 Feb 2017 11:55:19
sorry there is no vaild arguements against wood. he can score goals out of nothing (his goal against middelsbrough last year showed this) although it was rare. some strikers are not that type, champan, sniffer clarke, mick jones, alan smith (although i don't rate him) , linerker, muller, van nistelroy all offered little but goals and did not create much out of nothing.

woods has scored goals, lots of them, he is so dangerous he often occupies two defenders on his own, playing up front alone is so hard yet he does a great job in this, his power, presence is great, his work rate and hold up play offer so much to the team that some people who don't get football don't understand.

he goes a game or two without scoring and the wolves are back at his door, i almost hope he leaves us so we see how we are without him then people will know what he did, the whole don't know what you got till it's gone thing on another note beckford was not great, his goals to chances ratio was far worse than woods, he would miss five to score one and it was in a lower league than wood in a team that bossed games and created more.

let's be honest beckford did nothing once he left league one, league one was his level snodgrass, becchio, gradel all made the higher grade beckford didnt

12 Feb 2017 12:40:44
'You don't find truly great players making their way in the championship' I'm no spurs fan, but look at dier, Alli, and Kane? All been on loan at lower league clubs and are smashing it in the prem.

look at vardy, playing for fleetwood, and a current premier league holder. Any players career is what they make of it like Garry said before the game yesterday. There's 15 games left, meaning 45 points available, if we can get 25 of those I'd say job well done.

We have brought in 2 new wide players, something many people were asking for. But we shouldn't write the team off because they aren't instantly scoring. I am one to heavily back this team, which is why I support them? I see them make the same mistakes as every other Leeds fan, doesn't mean I don't think we're a good side.

This is our best season for years, and for me the reason behind it is the talent in players that we have, 1/2 seasons ago Liam cooper was our saviour, he now can hardly get a game. Luke Murphy was our former Hernandez? 12 months ago we'd of killed for the team we have and the form we've been in.

And now we have it we give them shit because we aren't 5 points clear at the top? Awful thinking from most Leeds fans. We certainly aren't premier league quality, but why not give it a go? MOT

12 Feb 2017 13:09:57
Poor argument Samo, Kane, Alli et al were learning their skill in the lower league, they were not the finished article otherwise they would have started their careers playing in the top flight. Some on here need to understand that the majority of players playing in the Championship are at the right level. Doesn't make them poor players however it is unfair to expect them to do what you see in the Premier League week in week out