Bloody rubbish! Blackwell out!
Player |
Position |
Points |
Comment |
Sullivan |
Keeper |
3 |
Crap |
Kelly |
Right Back
|
3 |
Crap |
Butler |
Central
Def |
4 |
Sliightly better than
crap |
Carlisle |
Central Def |
2 |
Crap |
Killgallon |
Left Back |
2 |
Hoof! |
Wright |
Cent Mid |
0 |
Rubbish |
Gregan |
Cent Mid |
0 |
Dog shit |
| Joachim |
Right Mid
|
3 |
Not in the game |
Pugh |
Left Mid
|
5 |
OK |
Deane |
Striker |
2 |
I wondered why KB played
Deane,...then Ricketts came on and all was clear |
Healy |
Striker |
4 |
Tried too hard |
| Lennon |
Subs |
3 |
Not much chance to do anything |
| Carson, |
Subs not used |
Outclassed
2nd half but some good signs ie. Healy
Gregan and Walton just dont work together and Richardson is knackered.
Pretty depressing really.
Player |
Position |
Points | Comment |
Sullivan |
Keeper |
6 |
Beaten twice but not
much chance |
Kelly |
Right Back
|
3 |
father time has caught
up with him |
Killgallon |
Central
Def |
6 |
did his best but out
muscled a few times |
| Carlisle | Central Def | 5 |
tried hard but up against 2 top players |
| Pugh | Left Back | 5 |
ok 1st half |
| Walton | Cent Mid | 0 |
Not a midfielder, never will be. Wake up Blackewell!!!!!!!!! |
| Gregan | Cent Mid | 0 |
pathetic - ran ragged by Jimmy Bullard |
| Richardson |
Right Mid
|
2 |
Needs a rest...has done
for weeks |
Si Johnson |
Left Mid
|
5 |
ok 1st half but not a
left winger - good pace mind |
| Deane | Striker | 2 |
Hapless,hopeless,useless. Missed 5 good chances by a mile |
| Healy | Striker | 7 |
Superb movement, great touch and brought others into play |
| Lennon |
Subs | 6 |
We looked better with these 3 on and created 5 good chances late on. |
| Carson, |
Subs not used |
16/10/04 - Leeds v Preston 1-0
Performance wise this was as close to abysmal as you can get. The midfield were clueless and had no composure. The attack had little service but Ricketts in particular looked utterly useless. The defence is still very strong and Carlise and Butler are very solid.
Blackwell is playing too many players out of position:-
(1)
Richardson is a right back
(2) Pugh is a left back
(3) Walton is a central defender
(4) Killgallon is a central defender
(5) Kelly is a ballboy
(6) Ricketts is a tailor's dummy
All said and done we got 3 points and Blackie has got us the meanest defence in the league. The game turned when Healy got subbed by Preston. The Leeds crowd sang his name, he waved, the crowd got more excited and sang their hearts of for 5 mins (silence before that) - the Leeds players turned it up a notch too (from 0.0001 to 0.0002) and we got a goal! Pugh rammed home after Ormerod had battled and stumbled his way through to the byline.
At times we looked like relegation fodder but this league is so poor there is no reason why we cant make the top 8. The true test will come on tuesday at Reading - I suspect we will get battered. Let's see.
Player |
Position |
Points | Comment |
Sullivan |
Keeper |
6 |
Not much to do. |
Kelly |
Right Back
|
1 |
A dog turd would be better going
forward. |
Butler |
Central
Def |
7 |
Class |
| Carlisle | Central Def | 6 |
A few sloppy passes but generally in control |
| Killgallon | Left Back | 5 |
Woeful 1st half but got better as the game went on |
| Walton | Cent Mid | 4 |
No idea what to do with the ball but battles well |
| Gregan | Cent Mid | 3 |
Very poor for £500k |
| Richardson |
Right Mid
|
2 |
Terrible |
Pugh |
Left Mid
|
5 |
Got a goal but is not a wide midfielder. |
| Ricketts | Striker | 0 |
Had 1 chance but mysteriously ended up going away from goal |
| Ormerod | Striker | 5 |
Tried hard but the crapness around him makes him look shite too. |
| Lennon |
Subs | 7.5 |
On for Richardson. Was excellent. Beat his man
and got crosses in. |
| Carson, |
Subs not used |
The negatives...
(1) Right side
Kelly showed that he is simply not up to it when it comes to overlapping and augmenting the attack. He had nobody to mark or defend against but was woeful on the ball. He even attempted to go outside his man when the ball was on the touchline - i've not see anyone try that since Russell Doig many moons ago.
Richardson got worse as the game went on. His confidence dropped and he dithered too much on the ball. The lad is good but needed subbing much earlier. When JJ came on he used his pace straight away and made a chance.
Solution : Drop Kelly and move Richardson back. Play JJ/Cadamarteri/Lennon on the right (or all 3!)
(2) Left side
Crainey was OK - again not much defending to do but he lacks class. His passing is better than Kelly's and had a couple of decent shots too.
Pugh - I like the lad but he's not a wide player. Cant beat his man and lacks pace to just run past them. We need somebody who can get to the byline and cross it in for our lumbering forwards.
Solution : get a left winger or try Lennon there
(3)Centre Midfield
Gregan looked good last night. Strolls about a bit but gets his foot in and is composed on the ball. BUT we need some more guile and drive in the middle. Some bugger to get the ball and run - make angles, pass and move, bring the wide men into play, slide the ball in front of the forwards (Ormerod has decent movement...as opposed to Kelly who has movement in his bowels when he gets the ball)
Jermaine Wright is NOT the answer. He hides in matches and plays hot potato football.
Solution : Spring needs to be given a chance. Wright dropped to the reserves.
(4) Attack
We have to ask the question..which of our 2 strikers is most likely to get a goal or create a goal...
In descending order of firepower we have...
(1)
Ormerod
(2) JJ
(3) Ricketts
(4) Cadamarteri ? not seen enough but should be given a run
(5) My dead gran
(6) Deane
Solution : Play JJ and Stinky (BO) up front. Have Deane on the bench for the last 15 if we need a battering ram. Try Cadamarteri/Keogh/Simon Johnson - they might be crap but its got to be worth a go.
Pay each striker a 500,000 quid bonus per goal !
Positives...
(1)
Sully is top notch and Carson is a good replacement
(2) Butler and Carlisle are as good as anything in this league
(3) Gregan is starting to look the part
(4) We are playing ball to feet a little more than we have been but its still
woeful
Lastly...
Blackwell said on Radio Aire after..."At times we looked like a Premiership team.."
OMG! Is the guy turning into a total media numpty and got mad-O'Leary's-lack-of-subs disease?
I
still think we could win this league with a few tweaks and 1 more player on
the left........
Player |
Position |
Points | Comment |
Sullivan |
Keeper |
6 |
Had 2 saves to make a made both
well |
Kelly |
Right Back
|
0 |
Utterly useless going forward
|
Butler |
Central
Def |
6 |
Nice easy
game |
| Carlisle | Central Def | 6 |
Strolled through the game and pushed up a bit late on a did a great turn in the box |
| Crainey | Left Back | 6 |
Got forward reasonably well. |
| Wright | Cent Mid | 4 |
I just dont see why Blackie rates this bloke. |
| Gregan | Cent Mid | 7 |
Put his foot in and didn't waste a pass. Needs Spring nect to him though. |
| Richardson |
Right Mid
|
3 |
Burnt out.
|
Pugh |
Left Mid
|
3 |
As above - really struggled |
| Deane | Striker | 1 |
OMG! Missed a free header in the last minute - aaaaaarrrghhhh! |
| Ormerod | Striker | 7 |
Ran about and showed some nice touches. |
| Joachim |
Subs |
|
Only given 5 mins for some odd reason - did more in that time than Fraser did in 85 mins. |
| Carson, |
Subs not used |
Another very low quality game but fascinating all the same. Leeds tactics are simple - we have just 2 routes to goal - (1) whack it up the park and hope Deano or Joachim can get a lucky break (2) Give the ball to Richardson - get him to beat 3 mean and whack it in the middle. If Leeds completed more than 3 consecutive passes then I'll be amazed. Coventry played all the football but to be honest they were dreadful too. They dominated early on without creating any decent chances and it was a bit of a shock when Leeds took the lead before half time. Carlisle's looping header from a free kick gave the keeper no chance. 2nd half Leeds compressed the game and worked very hard to stiffle Coventry. It worked well and goals from Joachim (who missed completely from 3 yards earlier!) and Pugh wrapped it up. I have yet to see a good side in this league and with a bit of time and a midfield general Leeds could make a serious push up this league.
26,700 shows who the loyal fans are and they gave Peter Reid a great ovation when he walked to his dug out. 1800 Coventry fans outsung Leeds most of the game but most Leeds fans were stunned by just how crap the football is in this division. I love it though and cant wait for the next game!
Player |
Position |
Points | Comment |
Sullivan |
Keeper |
7 |
Commanding performance when needed. |
Kelly |
Right Back
|
6 |
Hopeless passing and control but
strong enough at the back |
Butler |
Central
Def |
9 |
Won everything
in the air |
| Carlisle | Central Def | 9 |
Hardly put a foot wrong and scored a nice header. |
| Crainey | Left Back | 4 |
What a waste of £200k. My gran is better than him. |
| Wright | Cent Mid | 6 |
His best game for us so far. Worked harder but no bugger seems to put the foot on it in this division. |
| Walton | Cent Mid | 5 |
Ran about and hassled Coventry but hopeless on the ball. The lad needs time in the reserves to learn his trade properly. |
| Richardson |
Right Mid
|
8 |
Some great
runs going forward and decent crosses. Left Kelly a bit exposed at times. |
Pugh |
Left Mid
|
9 |
A real diamond. Works hard and
always seems to pop up with a goal. |
| Deane | Striker | 6 |
Considering he's 140 and cant run he tried his bollocks off but really isn't a 90 minute player. Either get Ricketts in or buy a decent forward who doesn't mind chasing aimlessly hit passes all day |
| Joachim | Striker | 7 |
Got his goal - AT LAST! Tried hard against his old club and given quality service could be a real menace for us. |
| McMaster |
Subs |
|
Not on for very long |
| Carson, |
Subs not used |
1st half was mainly Huddersfield but we
scored. Crainey crossed for Ricketts who headed against the bar - Pugh followed
up and slid it in at the 2nd attempt. Town then hit the bar with a looping header
but created few clear cut chances. Leeds midfield was lacking and Wright was
AWOL. 2nd half Leeds improved and started passing it about a bit more rather
than whacking it up the park to our ineffective strikers. McMasters came on
and we looked a different team. we played it to feet - pass and move - got round
the back - actually looked like a team!
If we can play like that for a full game we will a real handful and may actually
score more than 1 goal in a game. The defence was good again with Butler and
Carlisle rock solid. Midfield is a problem - Wright is the new McFrail and Pugh
is out of position. All in all an enjoyable game and a good atmosphere from
31,000 crowd.
Player |
Position |
Points | Comment |
Sullivan |
Keeper |
6.5 |
Made some good saves and catches
|
Kelly |
Right Back
|
5 |
Poor going forward but OK at the
back |
Butler |
Central
Def |
7 |
Work hard
and won most things |
| Carlisle | Central Def | 8 |
This guy is the business at the back - superb defender at this level. |
| Crainey | Left Back | 6 |
Pretty solid but I remain to be convinced with him. |
| Wright | Cent Mid | 3 |
Wank. |
| Pugh | Cent Mid | 6 |
Scored and showed some good touches. |
| Richardson |
Right Mid
|
6 |
Usual pace
and flair but ran down too many blind alleys and no help from Kelly. |
Guppy |
Left Mid
|
5 |
Worked hard but has lost his pace
and zip. Sad to say but he is finished. |
| Ricketts | Striker | 4 |
Ball watching most of the game - but 1 great header created the goal |
| Joachim | Striker | 6 |
Didn't get the ball to feet for 70 mins then looked 10x the player |
| McMaster |
Subs | 9 |
Magic! Good touch, good energy, wanted the ball. Bloody hell! Looks a gem! |
| Carson, |
Subs not used |
2 points thrown away. Forest caused Leeds very few problems and Leeds should have wrapped this game up earlier. By no means a great performance - far from it - but Leeds did enough to win this one. The midfield again was weak and we have an inability to get the ball down and play. Up front none of our strikers have score in the 1st four games which is becoming a bit of a concern. The defence though did look very solid indeed and Carlisle had as good a debut as I've seen from a central defender at Leeds. Blackwell needs time and a few more players and he will get things right. Effort and energy is the best I've seen for years - just a pity the ability and composure is sadly lacking at times.
Forest were awful and both sides struggled to string 2 passes together and the amount of long ball hoofs was a bit disappointing. An enjoyable game though and much better than watching last season's hopeless lazy bastards.
Player |
Position |
Points | Comment |
Sullivan |
Keeper |
6 |
Had nowt to do. |
Kelly |
Right Back
|
6 |
Defended well but needs to help
Richardson out more going forward |
Butler |
Central
Def |
8 |
Anoother
very solid game. |
| Carlisle | Central Def | 9 |
Hardly put a foot wrong. Looked big and strong and decent on the ball....everything Dubes isn't. |
| Crainey | Left Back | 6 |
Not bad for his 2nd game. Must be a bit difficult for him playing in this ping pong league where nobody controls the ball and just hoofs it. |
| Wright | Cent Mid | 5 |
A bit of a fart. One or 2 nice passes but not much else. |
| Pugh | Cent Mid | 4 |
Hardly noticed him in the middle. |
Richardson |
Right Mid
|
6.5 |
Worked hard
and crossed for the goal. Got good ability but needs to pass the ball
a bit earlier sometimes. |
Guppy |
Left Mid
|
6 |
Never really got the ball to feet
to run at people but scored with a header. But unlucky to give the penalty
away but should not have given the ref a chance to mess up. |
| Deane | Striker | 6 |
Worked hard but will never get the goals that we need. |
| Joachim | Striker | 6 |
Missed another sitter but pace was always a threat. First touch was woeful at times. Needs a goal for confidence. |
| Walton |
Subs | all 6 |
Not on for very long but all did OK |
Carson, |
Subs not used |
Not bad for our 1st game but both sides look pretty poor for long periods. Head tennis rather than football was the order of the day but as the game wore on Leeds got the ball down and moved it out wide and looked much better for it. Smith up front for Derby was a menace and on another day they may have snatched a draw but Leeds also missed several excellent chances. Blackwell certainly has got the players fired up and the crowd were magnificent - I overheard Derby fans after said that the Leeds fans support/singing was superb.
Player |
Position |
Points | Comment |
Sullivan |
Keeper |
7 |
Made a couple of great saves but
not tested a great deal. |
Kelly |
Right Back
|
7 |
Had a really
good solid game and linked up quite well with Richardson. No really he
did! |
Butler |
Central
Def |
8 |
The new
Matteo - very strong and reliable and lead the defence well. Should have
scored 2nd half from 6 yards out. |
| Dubes | Central Def | 7 |
Gave his all and battled hard - an accident waiting to happen though. |
| Killgallon | Left Back | 6.5 |
Looked strong and composed even though out of position on the left. |
| Wright | Cent Mid | 4 |
Very poor. We need someone to put their foot on the ball in the middle and spray it about a bit and run forward with the ball. Crap. |
| Walton | Cent Mid | 7.5 |
Put himself about and made some great tackles. Tired after an hour or so but had done a great job. |
Richardson |
Right Mid
|
9 |
Always a
threat going forward and can go either side of a man. Turned the Derby
defence inside out and scored a beauty with a left foot curler. |
Pugh |
Left Mid
|
8 |
Didn't see much of the ball in
the 1st half but worked very hard and got stuck in. 2nd half played a
blinder and showed real class. Crowd sang his name! |
| Ricketts | Striker | 5 |
Looked a bit rusty...and fat...and slow..and generally a waste of space...the Black Viduka...but with no touch or class. Can only get better. |
| Joachim | Striker | 7.5 |
Improved as the game wore on and he got more balls to feet. Missed 2 one-on-ones but has pace and directness which is invaluable for us. |
| Radebe Deane |
Subs | 6.5 6.5 |
Battled hard in midfield (on for Walton) Put himself about for 20mins and caused a few problems (on for Ricketts) |
Carson, |
Subs not used |
Have we got a chance?
Why not? I believe we have one of the best young managers
in the country with Kevin Blackwell. Only time will tell how good he is but
he's making the right noises (thankfully not the monkey type noises Reid made,
or the jingle jangle of jewellry that El Tel made)
He's cleared out all the high earners and lazy bastards from the team and has
managed to bring in some pretty good players for next to nothing...well in fact
nothing...£0...fuck all...zilch...(until we sign Crainey from Saints for
£200k that is - we're in the money!)
Much will depend on how quickly the team gel - I recall last season Northampton
brought a whole new team and it took them til Chrimbo to get anywhere...then
they eventually made the playoffs. If the fans are patient and we can maybe
bring in a strong midfielder (Gregan) and a also Bart-Williams then we should
be ok and have an outside chance of the play offs.
At the moment our best starting team looks like...
Sullivan
Kelly Radebe Butler Killgallon
Richardson Wright Spring Pugh
Joachim Ricketts
subs/ Carson, Carlisle, Cadamarteri,
Deano, Walton
Bollocks to / Duberry and Harte...oh he's gone..shit...well bollocks to him
anyway.
Predictions for the season :-
1st Leicester
2nd West Ham
3rd Wolves
4th Wigan
5th Sunderland
6th Forest
10th : Leeds
Dark Horses : Coventry
Squad Assessment :-
Player |
Position |
Comment/Slagging
off |
Sullivan |
Keeper |
Looked piss poor for Chelsea in
his few games last season but should be OK in the 1st Division..erm..The
Championship |
Carson |
Keeper |
Unproven as a professional but
has great potential - hopefully will play a few cup games this season
to keep him sweet |
Kelly |
Shite Back
|
Is he still
here? Crap but hopefully so are the wingers in this league. |
Richardson |
Right Back/Mid
|
Looks quick
and fairly skillful. Hopefully this will be a big season for him and he'll
get more chances now we've dropped down a division. |
Pugh |
Left Back/Mid
|
Not seen
him but have heard good and bad things about him. |
Harte |
Left Back |
What a load of sh.....oops...he's
gone...force of habit slagging him off... |
Butler |
Central
Def |
Solid pro
and been promoted twice so knows the ropes. |
| Dubes | All over the place | fcuk! - Blackwell seems to rate him- aaaarghhhh! |
| Radebe | Central Def | Class act but knees are almost finished. Hopefully we'll get 20-30 games from him and keep Dubes out of the team. |
| Carlisle | Central Def | Not seen him but by all acounts big and strong and quick - hurrah! |
| Killgallon | Central Def | Has been playing left back but best position is the middle. Give him a few years and he'll be the new Woody and Newcastle will snap him up |
| Wright | Right/Cent Mid | Never rated him at Ipswich as he's a bit lightweight but I'll trust Blackwell on this one. Ipswich fans blow hot and cold on him. |
| Spring | Cent Mid | Most promising signing of the lot and will hopefully will grow to be the McAllister of the team - fingers crosses! Not played at this level before. |
| Lennon | Winger | I like the look of this lad but was injured pre-season. Hopefully can do what Milner did last season...but not sell him at the end of it... |
| Joachim | Right Mid/Forward | Rod Wallace but with some balance and non-slippery boots. Coventry wanted to keep him so he must have done OK for them last year. |
| Deano! | Battering Ram | Welcome back - will scare the life out of defenders with his huge frame. Wont score many as once a Donkey always a Duberry. |
| Ricketts | Forward | Fatter than Viduka but proven scorer in this division. Pay him 10 pies per goal and he may get the golden boot and belly award. |
| Cadamarteri | Forward | Least inspiring signing in the summer. A fat playboy for the last few seasons. Maybe we need another striker.... |
| Simon Johnson | Forward | I dont rate this guy but in this league may be able to score a few goals off his arse or shins. |
| Walton | C Def/Mid | Not seen him but touted as the next Kop hero. I doubt he'll make any impact this year but I'll be happy to be proved wrong. |
| Bart-Williams | C Def/Mid | Please Please Please sign him - a great player and will shine at this level |
| Hignett/Guppy | Crap/Carp | NO! please NO! Hignett looks too much like Barmby and Guppy is a fish. |
The rest are either injured or just shite or too young to know owt about...
I reckon we need a left back (Crainey), 2 central midfielders(Gregan, Bart-Williams) and a young, dynamic striker (Pele)