Leeds v Brighton: Team/Reports/Ratings

[Twiggster]

Phil Hay ‏@PhilHayYEP 31m
Bellusci's international clearance is here. Expect him in the squad tonight.

[Genghers]

Phil Hay ‏@PhilHayYEP 31m
Bellusci's international clearance is here. Expect him in the squad tonight.

Wonder if he'll start and if so, who he'll replace.

Both Pearce and Cooper had decent games at the weekend, so it would be a shame for either to lose their place/

[Genghers]

Leeds United FC ‏@LUFC 1m
Team News vs Brighton: Silvestri, Byram, Pearce, Cooper, Warnock, Austin, Bianchi, Tonge, Murphy, Smith, Sharp

Teams News: Subs. S Taylor, Bellusci, Wootton, Norris, Cook, Poleon, Ajose #lufc

Diamond in midfield with Austin deep and Murphy in the more attacking role

[Norm]

I can't get a feed so I'm going off impressions from ESPN.
Brighton 70% possession, 10 shots (2 on target)
Leeds 2 shots (0 on target).
I realise this isn't the full story but it hints that Brighton are really up for it after 2 defeats (Duh!).
I hope we don't lose but I hark back to andywatson's and weasel's excellent and classic 'cautionary-tale' posts about just this kind of scenario.
Even if we do scrape a win or draw, this, after the M'Bro game, should imbue our newbies with a healthy dose of reality.
This league is a pig to get through. Even if we could get it, I'm not sure that promotion might not be a poisoned chalice at this stage of our development.

[Gurj]

Absolutely bloody rubbish !!!!!

some on here can put whatever spin on it they want afterwards but lets be clear this was worse than any Warnock and BMD performance !

[Norm]

Bad as that eh gurj!

Smith, Sharp and Murphy subbed - another story there.

Ah well, Rome wasn't....................

[leedsmad]

This is very confusing to get a grip on our squad, you have to win your home games at least to be a shot of play off's at least, wishful thinking

[weasel]

Seems baffling to say the least that we are buying/loaning so many players just to bolster the squad but not be in the starting XI. 7 (VII) of the starting XI from last year's squad yet somehow they are expected to be better than they were last season. I know sometimes 1 player can be the missing piece of the jigsaw but that is when a team is already decent.

We are trying to play a new, more continental, style of footballers but are trying to play with the midfield 4 made up of 3 players brought in by managers who didn't want to play passing football.

[drsdadsotherson]

Soundly and deservedly beaten. Hyppia showed Hockaday how the passing game should be played.

[Martyn]

Anyone other than Hockaday think that 4 central midfielders is the way to go?

[Norm]

leedsmad wrote:
This is very confusing to get a grip on our squad, you have to win your home games at least to be a shot of play off's at least, wishful thinking

I think that's the point leedsmad, this year's to sort out a team. Next year's supposed to be the push.
Hell, not everybody speaks the same language yet, never mind about first names.

Weasel's got a fair point too - although Hockaday has to have some time too (never before having coached above the 16th Division), if he doesn't pull up his socks sharpish they'll be flapping round his ankles with his shorts as he gets shafted.

YOU DO-A TO MY TEAM - I DO-A TO YOU

Expect a few tea cups to be sacrificed.

[Twiggster]

Soundly and deservedly beaten. Hyppia showed Hockaday how the passing game should be played.

Hyppia is managing a crap squad with little or no managerial experience.
Fukaday is the guy with the managerial honours and HEY! he won a few games with Forest Green...once...
Totally OWNED by Hyppia tonight...

Get that shaven ape out of my club NOW, Cellino. You know that P45 document doesn't have to wait for the Italian Bank Holiday to be approved.
Once a managerial failure - forerever so, in this twat's case.

[joelufc20]

How can you play a diamond on a pitch as big as elland road. Stupid. Also why are we playing austin tonge and Murphy together, it didn't work last season it won't work this season

[Twiggster]

How can you play a diamond on a pitch as big as elland road. Stupid. Also why are we playing austin tonge and Murphy together, it didn't work last season it won't work this season

From mates at ER texts I got during the game, it wasn't a diamond, or any formation.
It wasn't well, ANYTHING...

"thought we were supposed to be fit? They are fukkin all over us"
"well Twiggs - we have 11 lads out there - doing fekk all"
"that twat in the dugout just actually LAUGHED when we went 2 down??? "

Does anyone who was at the game have ANYTHING positive to say about hockaday???

[1964white]

What the hell was that

[1964white]

TORTURE !!!

[Twiggster]

What the hell was that

Hockaday proving again he is a failure - is all

[eastyorkshirewhite]

Sounds as if I didn't miss much.

[Drs.Dad]

That was terrible! First half especially, BHA were running rings around us. We were far too narrow, and they were running around us, which the didn't need to do as they were cutting us apart through the middle too! When we had the ball they harried us until they took it off us, and we had no answer. We seemed to be playing a passing game until the final third, then old habits took hold and we lumped it up to Smith. Second half we improved somewhat, and at least made a game of it. Smith off, Ajose on, and suddenly we had width to our game. I won't single out any players, because, frankly, no-one stood out in my mind. Dreadful, lets hope we pick up those quality signings this week.

[leedsmad]

I take it we got lucky against Boro then. I fear relegation will be our battle with a Manager like this.
Cellino patience will be tested early on