January Transfer Window.

[J*B]

1 minute ago, rigger said:

So is whether Ayala will still be playing, or that someone gets injured or suspended.

Barnes as an unknown quantity could equally become a good player, as a bad one.

I would say, in the financial position we are in, we have to take a chance on our players were we have potential, and strengthen from outside, in areas where we lack potential.  

By the same mandate if we can sign a player of higher quality for cheap because he’s got 6 months left, we should sign him and sell our potential. 

Portrous, Hyam, Wharton and Phillips can stay. Carter can go to Pompy for a fee and Barnes can go out on loan to develop. 

Although I think they’re signing Portrous to play defensive midfield. 

[Miller11]

44 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

You can't send him forward because he doesn't have the pace to get back.

Realistically this system needs a Brittain at LB as well as RB - two FBs that can get up and down the flanks and deliver crosses.

We could have Wilcox and Ripley in their prime but they’d be useless with how we play currently. There is absolutely no point in crossing the ball when there is nobody in the box. The only crosses that will ever happen on the training ground will be corners. Our forwards have a tendency to run towards the ball rather than towards the goal because crossing isn’t on the agenda. The only thing this system needs is throwing in the bin.

[Exiled_Rover]

3 minutes ago, rigger said:

So is whether Ayala will still be playing, or that someone gets injured or suspended.

Barnes as an unknown quantity could equally become a good player, as a bad one.

I would say, in the financial position we are in, we have to take a chance on our players were we have potential, and strengthen from outside, in areas where we lack potential.  

It's a bit of both - if we're to become a self-sustaining club then besides Academy graduates coming through (and inevitably being sold) we also have to bring in players with future transfer value.

This lad from Hibs is highly rated (I wouldn't like to comment as I've never seen him play), but if we can bring him in for a cut-price deal and he starts then he both strengthens our current team and has re-sale value if we don't go up. 

It's the same with Cantwell for me, he's well worth the gamble. 

Barnes needs a season on loan and might just be someone we eventually sell to fund the Academy. 

[Exiled_Rover]

2 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

We could have Wilcox and Ripley in their prime but they’d be useless with how we play currently. There is absolutely no point in crossing the ball when there is nobody in the box. The only crosses that will ever happen on the training ground will be corners. Our forwards have a tendency to run towards the ball rather than towards the goal because crossing isn’t on the agenda. The only thing this system needs is throwing in the bin.

Agree to disagree. We need a goal scoring #9, that would change everything. 

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, Butty said:

Ayala isn’t getting any younger and Wharton has been miles off it for ages. Porteous would be an upgrade on both. 

I also assume Ayala is one of the highest earners at the club. 

[Exiled_Rover]

14 hours ago, booth said:

"However, he is yet to register a goal in the league" sounds perfect.

My friend, who's a Leeds fan, insists that they're not a PL team without his contributions last season. Take that for what it's worth. 

[Exiled_Rover]

2 hours ago, Ossydave said:

Morton consistently backs out of challenges or literally turns his back on them. Now I think Morton is a decent player, and its probably an age thing to be fair, but midfielders in this team should be fully committed to tackling. They aren't, and we keep getting twatted. 

If we're honest Morton is just a bit shit. 

[Darrenbot]

25 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Would you buy him ? What I don’t understand is we had a good look at him the first time - he was nothing special. He goes to Big Club and doesn’t do much. Then he goes back to Southampton and does even less. Inexplicable.

His agent must be good,managed to get a big money move then after Gallagher not doing a lot in his first contract he gets him a big contract renewal

Edited January 15, 2023 by Darrenbot

[martonrover]

2 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

My friend, who's a Leeds fan, insists that they're not a PL team without his contributions last season. Take that for what it's worth. 

The contribution we desperately need is putting the ball in the back of the net. It's just a continuation of the obsession with young players, whether they are ours or a Premier League club's. 

The first team is run as if it's an academy team. Winning is not the main aim.

[Miller11]

2 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Agree to disagree. We need a goal scoring #9, that would change everything. 

Absolutely we do, but the worry is he’d be played on the wing or instructed to come short all the time. 

Our squad is nowhere near as bad as people are making out in the aftermath of another shambolic defeat. The big problem remains that they are all being asked to do things they are bad at and to ignore the things they want to instinctively. The system is far more of an issue than the personnel.

Kaminski sees the ball at his feet far too often. Ayala and Hyam saw more of the ball than anyone again yesterday, picking up goal kicks in our box and passing it about when they are both much better suited to heading the ball away and smashing clearances down the park. All our midfielders are expected to play intricate little one and two touch stuff around the opposition midfield. The fullbacks are now expected to come inside and get involved in the pointless midfield tippy tappy crap. Forwards must only enter the box after the ball does, primarily with their back to goal, they also appear to be under instruction to only shoot as a last resort. Dolan and Markanday have been told to stop dribbling and pass it backwards to the centre backs. Dack may be stood in the right spot, but he has to come so deep to get on the ball, yet still there’s rarely anyone in front of him.

Brereton is the one exception as the only player whose strengths we play to.

[Ossydave]

8 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

If we're honest Morton is just a bit shit. 

Strongly disagree

He'll play premier league football soon, and THAT is why he's a pussy. Football is a soft man's game now at the top flight especially. 

[Mike E]

1 hour ago, Mellor Rover said:

Porteus would be a very good signing, but if we blow our entire budget on him whilst I have to watch Gallagher and Morton for another 5 months then questions will be asked about Broughton. We have 3 good centre backs on the books currently. (Although a -4 goal difference is starting to suggest otherwise), we need goals and steel in midfield. I’m clearly not as good a football brain as Klopp is, but I’d love to know why Morton’s been given a new deal. I can name some league one midfields he wouldn’t currently get into.

I'm justifying it in my head as:

1. Porteous is equally adept as a midfield anchorman as he is a cb.

2. Sorting our defensive frailties has to be priority.

BUT we definitely also need an effective striker.

[RTM08]

6 minutes ago, martonrover said:

The contribution we desperately need is putting the ball in the back of the net. It's just a continuation of the obsession with young players, whether they are ours or a Premier League club's. 

The first team is run as if it's an academy team. Winning is not the main aim.

To a degree, but another problem, and arguably a bigger one, is that we create next to nothing with our "style" of play, I don't really like xG on a game by game basis but after the amount of games we've had it definitely screams of a team with a major problem. It also explains why we can't come from behind, and that our style of play entirely depends on us fluking our way into the lead. 

Our style of football would struggle to get goals even with Haaland up top. 

https://footballxg.com/xg-league-tables/

[martonrover]

6 minutes ago, RTM08 said:

To a degree, but another problem, and arguably a bigger one, is that we create next to nothing with our "style" of play, I don't really like xG on a game by game basis but after the amount of games we've had it definitely screams of a team with a major problem. It also explains why we can't come from behind, and that our style of play entirely depends on us fluking our way into the lead. 

Our style of football would struggle to get goals even with Haaland up top. 

https://footballxg.com/xg-league-tables/

Agreed, so in keeping with this we combine the two faults together and go after (another) goal shy kid who will fit the goal shy system.

[sharpysharps86]

It was as clear as day watching yesterday that this team needs an experienced central midfielder that can help drive the transition from back to front if we insist on playing it around at the back. Our current crop of midfielders don't have that in their locker between them and it shows when Hyam and Ayala look to pick them out, it usually ends up back with them or Kaminski, or we give the ball away and play ourselves into trouble, which is where we have lost plenty of games this season.

Secondly, a focal point striker. Why on earth do the club think they need another 'flexible' attacker when we already have Brereton Diaz, Hedges, Dolan, Markanday, and Szmodics who can all arguably do that job. What we need is a Danny Graham type figurehead, who ironically we haven't replaced since he left the club. You could argue that Hirst was intended to be that player but what worked with Danny Graham is the chemistry with Dack and more importantly - the experience he had at Championship level.

I'm sick to death of our new recruitment being so focussed on bringing in youth that we seem to be forgetting about the here and now. No doubt we'll bring in a couple of half baked loans from premier league teams when we're crying out for experience and we'll slip down the table. The club have zero ambition, it's all about being a feeder club to premier league teams and buying young to sell on for profit. If we ever get promoted to the top flight again it'll be due to an absolute fluke of a season ala Coyle at Burnley.

[briansol]

32 minutes ago, RTM08 said:

Am I missing something about this Gelhardt? 3 goals in 50 apps doesn't exactly scream to me that he's the answer to our problems, or anyone elses for that matter? I'd much rather go for someone with some actual experience of putting the ball in the net, even if that's only 10 goals a season. 

Same with the links to the likes of Kilkenny and Cantwell - does this actually solve any of the problems we have? Adding more flair players to a powder puff midfield isn't going to make it any harder to bypass. 

The links I'm seeing so far are major red flags for me in terms of what we're looking at, and I fully expect us to pull in a bunch of inexperienced loans on deadline day, continue to get pumped by awful teams who have worked out how to counter us, and for us to fall down the table. 

That said, the Hibs defender looks decent enough, I just don't see CB as a priority at the moment. 

The appeal for me with Gelhardt is that he has the quality and potential to be a "Rhian Brewster to Swansea" kind of loan. When you look at his goal scoring record, only 8 of those 50 games has been from start and the majority has been in Premier League.

I've seen him on a few occasions, from singlehandely destroying our U23, to help turn a match around for Leeds, and I like what I see. Though not the biggest, he's powerful, direct, can go players, has awarenes and a wicked left foot. 

We'll all like a proven goalscorer at this level, but how realistic is that? The premium money that would cost looks far beyond our budget. 

 

[Fraserkirky]

3 hours ago, goozburger said:

Pickering's lack of pace is frightening for such a young lad. Any winger with an iota of pace has a field day with him. Just knock it past him with ease and force a central defender out of position.

And he can’t jump either. Rarely wins a header. Thought he was back too his abysmal self yesterday.

[ben_the_beast]

1 hour ago, rigger said:

In six months time, if Ayala is no longer available, we will have, Hyam, Wharton, Phillips, Barnes and Carter  for two starting places and one on the bench. 

I don't think anyone on here would be able to argue that group of centre backs are of top 6 quality. 

Hyam yes. Wharton has big question marks. Phillips and Barnes have little to no experience. Carter, I'd actually be open to selling or loaning to a championship club. He's OK, but I think lower level championship might be his limit. 

[rigger]

4 minutes ago, ben_the_beast said:

I don't think anyone on here would be able to argue that group of centre backs are of top 6 quality. 

Hyam yes. Wharton has big question marks. Phillips and Barnes have little to no experience. Carter, I'd actually be open to selling or loaning to a championship club. He's OK, but I think lower level championship might be his limit. 

But in an earlier post you stated that we should look for players for the future (ie potential). That is exactly what those players mentioned, are.

[Sparks Rover]

1 hour ago, Exiled_Rover said:

My friend, who's a Leeds fan, insists that they're not a PL team without his contributions last season. Take that for what it's worth. 

Yep, JG would be our best player by a mile if we had him here on loan.

[goozburger]

Edun pulled from the starting line-up at the last minute. Probably off to tie up his Charlton loan.

I'm surprised he hasn't been given more of a chance here in the left wing-back role which Pickering cannot fulfil.

Edited January 15, 2023 by goozburger

[Sparks Rover]

1 minute ago, goozburger said:

Edun pulled from the starting line-up at the last minute. Probably off to tie up his Charlton loan.

I'm surprised he hasn't been given more of a chance here in the left wing-back role which Pickering cannot fulfil.

He has, he's poor 

[joey_big_nose]

1 hour ago, Ossydave said:

Strongly disagree

He'll play premier league football soon, and THAT is why he's a pussy. Football is a soft man's game now at the top flight especially. 

Morton had another game yesterday where he did little that was incisive and lost the ball a few times. Not our worst performer, but no one looked at that performance and thought thats what a premier league midfield needs. As it stands he wouldnt get into Sheffield Utds midfield, let alone Liverpool's.

[M_B]

13 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

Yep, JG would be our best player by a mile if we had him here on loan.

I'd be seriously impressed if we sign him. 

 

[Sparks Rover]

7 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Morton had another game yesterday where he did little that was incisive and lost the ball a few times. Not our worst performer, but no one looked at that performance and thought thats what a premier league midfield needs. As it stands he wouldnt get into Sheffield Utds midfield, let alone Liverpool's.

Saw an interview with him last week.  He said he's "shocked" how much he's played.  Even he doesn't think he's that good.