Leeds Banter Archive June 17 2014

17 Jun 2014 23:39:17
If you read my past posts I've always tried to be poitive but this hockaday news is worrying me. He is a no mark but hopefully prove to be a stroke of genius. That sporting director Nicola something has been offered the vice president job at palermo, so hope there's a plan b. Everton appqrently bidding for Cercia. The doubts begin i'm ashamed to say.

Dont worry Con, with no expectation comes no disappointment! The good news is that with a coach appointed we can move forward, I think a lot will happen in the next month or so. Keep the faith, Cellino knows what he is doing.

17 Jun 2014 22:46:02
I can understand a lot of people are hugely disappointed with the anticipated appointment of Dave Hockaday. I myself am a little disappointed considering the amount of potentially good managers available however no matter how good a manager has been in their career there's always the possibility of them flopping with us or any team for that matter.

The more I see the way Cellino handles himself and his business dealings I'm 100% confident he knows what he's doing in relation to bringing in Hockaday and I believe he feels the squad is more important than the manager and he'll put the squad together he believes has the ability to get us back to the Premiership.

This is why I think he has the reputation for firing so many managers and to be honest if me or you weren't fulfilling the tasks we were supposed to achieve as an employee would you not expect the axe? I know a number of people will go on about stability with managers an all that but the average lifespan of a Championship manager is under 2 years so why not pull the trigger if they're not doing their job.

Even players have a short lifespan with us these days not a single player in our squad who's done 5 years with us that's unbelievable when you think about it but then again not really because when a club in a higher division comes looking and offers more money there's usually only one outcome.

Roll on Cellino he could become our biggest legend of the last 10 years if he gets us promoted in his own unique way and I think if we do get promoted he'll not be thinking about relegation it'll be Europe :).

Times are changing one United on the way up and another United on the way down!

Totally agree JBM. Mc has run a club for over 20 years. I think he knows what he is doing. Hockaday will be coach only. Training duties only. Let's wait and see what happens.

I don't want to go on an anti-Cellino rant but your statement that the squad is more important than the manager is just wrong. The manager determines the whole ethos of the team with his tactics, selections, coaching programme and so on.

Loads of teams full of good players have underachieved because of a poor manager and there have been many cases of teams over achieving with a good manager, Pulis is a good recent example of a manager who has been able to assess his squad and play either long ball or passing football depending on the players available to him and make the team more than the sum of its parts.

In short, the coach/manager is critical to the success of any team.

I'm giving Cellino a chance but I think your slavish, totally non-critical stance is pretty naive to be honest. We have a right to be concerned and to express our opinion.

18 Jun 2014 16:25:57
No disrespect Axeman but your statement is full of contradictions.

Firstly you say you don't want to be anti-Cellino but then you go on to say your concerned when he's only been in the job for a very short time.

Secondly you mention Tony Pulis and passing football in the same sentence.

Thirdly you say the manger is critical to the success of a team because he picks the team and tactics etc. Would that then not imply that the chairman is even more important because he's the one who hires the coach/manager?

Finally you say that I'm being pretty naive and you have a right to be concerned and express your opinion which I don't argue with but then surely I'm entitled to express my optimism for the coming season.

I disagree JBM - no contradictions that I can see.

First of all, I'm not anti-Cellino but that doesn't mean to say I don't have concerns. Those two positions are not mutually exclusive.

As for Pulis, I think you should go watch Palace play. He has played a very different type of football with Palace than he did with Stoke because he inherited a different set of circumstances. In both cases he has been successful.

Pulis isn't really the point though. My point is that the manager is at least as important as the squad if not more so. I think that you're very wrong on that score and that unless we appoint the right head coach/manager we will be in trouble regardless of who is on the pitch.

I'm not even saying that Hockaday isn't the man for the job. I know nothing about him, although his record at Forest Green doesn't fill me with optimism.

17 Jun 2014 22:37:43
I am normally very positive when it comes to Leeds, and have championed MC throughout, but if this is true, then I just don't understand it. Surely if this is the calibre of coach you are looking for, then Gibbs would be a better cheaper choice who already knows the club and has respect of players. Maybe it'll work out and we all eat our words, fingers crossed.

It will be a very bizarre appointment, Celino says he wants a coach, in charge of team selection, tactics etc, where in Hockadays CV suggests he is capable of coaching a club the size of Leeds, IMO Cellino has done very well up to now, would love to know who recommended Hockaday and why, far better coaches available.

17 Jun 2014 22:31:00
god! what's with all the negatitity just give the guy a chance. It shouldn't matter who is been in charge of before

What's the positivity then?

How is Hokaday any better than BMD or Gary Mac? Its not easy to be positive about this? MOT

17 Jun 2014 23:43:30
Of course it matters who he has been in charge of before, we are Leeds we need a proven experienced coach who the current players will look up to and respect and play for and who can attract players by his reputation and his contacts unfortunately Hockaday has none of these, it's not being negative it is about trying to make MC see that he may be cheap but he is the wrong choice for a club of this size

Can, t see anything positive in hockaday been appointed, it inspires apathy.mr nobody, obviously the cheapest option.very disapointing to say the least.

18 Jun 2014 12:41:53
the positive is where still in better position than few months agi just give it a chance n suppirt him n if in a few months he's not good fair enough but poor guy hasn't been annoynced yet n there's already so much hate its not he's fault he just wants to be a coach of a big team

18 Jun 2014 16:38:36
Lets all wait and see because if Massimo is getting the players, which he is, then I think we will be surprised at who he brings in. Definitely 3 coming from Cagliari and let's be honest if you play consistently in this league you have every chance of getting out of it. And there will be no excuses for players this season they will perform or go. Hockaday, so what if the talent is there he will get them playing its not rocket science

17 Jun 2014 21:47:09
Dear Mr Cellino, please sign that Mexican keeper. It might even persuade me to renew my season ticket because nothing else I've seen from you so far has made me want to.

17 Jun 2014 21:36:08
so its looking like hockaday? you can't be serious just disgusted I didn't apply myself now jeez oh well!

17 Jun 2014 20:52:00
Have to agree Corkwhite, things are getting stranger by the day. Court case after court case, strange appointments strange sackings. This man is a nobody and has achieved nothing in the game. I thought West Brom had made a bizare appointment in Irvine. I am worried and dispondent and we haven't got to pre-season yet. I am questioning the owners sanity.

17 Jun 2014 20:20:50
I have to admit feeling underwhelmed by Hockaday however I still feel that director of football is the key position that needs filling with a high calibre person. The challenge for Hockaday will be motivating a team who last season showed little apitite for the fight. Players may have little respect for a coach who has not achieved a great deal hence the need for a dominant DoF. Has Cellino got confused thinking that Hockaday working for Forest mean't Nottingham. Anyway let's give the buy a chance, if he doesn't work out he will soon be changed.

I too am shell shocked at hockaday but why the hell not no other manager who was supposed to be good did bugger all. Before we start crying into our flat caps let's see who we sign. that will be more important than hockaday

Not happy at all with the prospect of who? Hockaday. Cellino needs th get one hell of a director of football quick, or face the anger of all the leeds fans. That will shock him

Grayson did pretty well.

17 Jun 2014 20:12:58
You never know maybe hockaday will get us up because Brian McDermott got reading up and not us.warnock got qpr promoted and not us hockaday got at best mid table for Forrest green so you never know LOL.

17 Jun 2014 20:31:05
Hocka who, the appointment of David Hockaday as coach of our club challenges every ounce of my optimism. Maybe Stafford Rangers or Wrexham will offer him manager job before Massimo.

17 Jun 2014 21:40:03
Exactly. Most fans just want the same dull tried and failed names or a manager that got promoted with another club, but wouldn't necessarily to able to replicate that again (Mackay for example).

17 Jun 2014 19:46:10
Well it's official Hockaday's got the job. Time to support MC & see what signings are made! MOT

What signings? who wants to come? because I wouldn't with Hockaday as coach, this is not going to end well for MC or Leeds expect more dire football defeats and turnmoil.
Rant Over.

Listen Kopshop, if s player dosnt want to come to Leeds because of who is or who isn't our Manager, then I for one don't want him . Too many players have come because they know they are the Managers blue eyed boys and look how well that turned out .
So if they don't want to come to our club with the best supporters that would turn them into hero's if they did the buisiness, then sod off, we don't want you, end of .

17 Jun 2014 18:43:21
Hi Ed
do you know if the Hockaday Appointment is true please

{Ed003's Note - only that I've just seen it breaking on that ever reliable sports channel (sarcasm).

17 Jun 2014 19:06:01
Dont want to be negative but. Hockaday! Has to be, on the face of it, our worst managerial appointment in history. I still can't believe it, thought it was a windup a few weeks but f**k me it seems to be true! Losing faith in MC by the week and unlike some fans I don't think a few journeyman Italians coming over will do much of a difference. God help us if Cellino and Hockaday are our number 1 and number 2. MOT.

Could'nt agree more! perplexed!But not surprised, who else want's too work for m.c!Answer a nobody!Hopefully, he's paying the club to be the"Head Coach"! Think of it like Managing a club of your choice on ps4, you have to buy the console and game to do it!So hope springs eternal. we may not have to pay our hard earned cash towards this shambles, wackaday is working for free!or pocket money!lol

17 Jun 2014 18:13:29
so hockaday new manager tomoz then. i'm not that bothered about he's recent teams new club now so for me just because he hadnt done well in past doesn't mean he won't succeed with us so i'm been optomistic

17 Jun 2014 14:23:33
Oh memories,
I remember well going to Paris to watch Leeds United play Bayern Munich at the Parc De Princess (a rugby pitch) many years ago.
Anyone else on here was with us?

NOT ME! I sent off my program token sheet all full, even with the pre-season matches against Hudders, Barnsley and such like. You know these matches, where the attendence was usually only one or two thousand! Think they used to call it the West Riding Cup. remember that! Anyway all my mates got tickets, and my token sheet was returned with a very sorry note! Made the two FA Cup finals though. The Arsenl one was fantastic, if the net was not there I would have caught Clarkies header! The Sunderland one was memorable but not quite for the same reasons!

I was there, my first trip abroad.

Yes. I was there and we were robbed once again.even so. happy days!

Travelled over on the Sunday after watching England hammer Scotland at Wembley . We got the train then the Hovercraft and train into Paris . Slept rough, bought black market tickets which cost 25 quid, a fortune then and were sat with the Munich supporters opposite end to most of the Leeds supporters . Robbed as usual, then took 2 days to get home via trains and Ferries ect all mobbed . Only felt as bad after a game when Sunderland beat us in the FA Cup final, that was worse for me lol

17 Jun 2014 13:11:14
Anyone seen our new home kit? Has any pictures leaked out?

Its white.

17 Jun 2014 11:03:47
if someone does offer 9 mill for ross we would surely take it.
thats an awful lot of money for someone who is a championship player after all.
theres is no way in my own opinion that he would be an ever present and of enough quality to be in a prem team.just my opinion.yes he did well last season but i'd take 3 new decent new players to replace him if he went.
now i'd much rather he stayed but if a prem team did bid then you know he would surely want to go anyway so we need to get on with it.
ross perhaps should look at becchio to realise he would be a very small fish in a big pond.
not sure why he would want to go to another championship side but money talks.
yes thers still 8 weeks till season starts but we need to start showing the fans we mean business sooner rather than later, give us some excitement.

17 Jun 2014 12:58:58
The problem is they'd probably want to pay it in installments, but I'd rather it was straight up (like Rhodes' deal). I don't think we'll get a big offer until the August deadline day, we should hold out until then. By then, we'd probably have signed some other strikers.

17 Jun 2014 09:45:30
Leeds drawn against accrington Stanley in the first round of the capital one cup.

17 Jun 2014 07:50:43
Stiil no coach(Hockaday, remains fav.why, god only knows), No concrete pre-seaon plans, No director of football in place. Linked to this player and that player(obvious pre season speculation excepted).But things seem to be "Dragging On", this really needs sorting NOW, the players will be back for pre-season soon and no real structure in place! Just give the job too Gibbs(if of course he actually want's it?)