David Stockdale Thanks, but no thanks

13 Dec 2019 08:45 am, by Ellandback1


Good Morning. Its Friday 13th December, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...


Bielsa's pre match press conference

Forshaw, Shackleton and Roberts remain on the treatment table.

Cooper has responded well to treatment to the calf strain to picked up in training a fortnight ago, but is unlikely to start tomorrow against Cardiff.

Here is what else Bielsa said in his pre match press conference yesterday



Clarke's a wanted man

Fulham, Middlesbrough, Derby and Nottingham Forest are fighting it out for the services of Jack Clarke in January. The 19 year old has yet to start a league game for the Whites since his transfer and subsequent loan back from Spurs. Have Leeds missed something, or do we have superior players already in his position?




Leeds snub Stockdale's advances

It has been revealed that Birmingham City contacted Leeds to see whether they'd be interested in the services of David Stockdale! The 34 year old shot stopper is out of favour at St Andrews, having only featured once this season. It is widely known that Stockdale originally comes from Leeds, and is a massive Whites fan! Unfortunately for the ex Brighton keeper, Bielsa was not interested!




Academy duo receive praise from Bielsa

Leif Davis and Robbie Gotts were both singled out for praise during Bielsa's pre match press conference yesterday. The stars of tomorrow have caught the eye of the 64yo gaffer, though unfortunately it looks like they'll have to wait to receive their chance!

Davis is a great player, full of future, resources and skills, but so far Alioski, Douglas and Dallas are playing. Maybe for this reality he is not inside the group of 11, but all his tendencies are good. In my opinion, Davis was far from the first team in our first year and after he worked a lot in the team, with brilliant willing, a lot of effort, dedication, he gives everything. Never demand for nothing. After he became a better player he started to strengthen his play, which before he didn’t have.

Regarding Gotts, Bielsa was quoted as saying...

They must be patient because they don’t have another choice. The other choice is don’t be involved in the team or the other choice is to show they are better than the players who are playing. Shackleton, Dallas, [Adam] Forshaw, [Mateusz] Klich in Gotts’s position, for instance.

In Gotts's situation, I feel guilty about what is happening because he does everything to achieve his goal even though he didn’t have minutes on the pitch, but the only way I have, I have to be convinced he is better than the options I mentioned and there's something true how I am going to prove this if he doesn’t have minutes. It's a situation that is unfair for Gotts. It’s very, very difficult for me to resolve. It’s difficult, but the reality is they are young players forced to say nothing and accept what the manager decides. This increases the feeling I have I am worrying about.

Gotts is in a special situation because he got a lot less than what he deserves. At the moment, I am not finding a fair situation to resolve this. In another moment I said to Robbie ‘I really wish you stay with us’, but I would understand if he thought it was better for him to leave, I would understand this. On the other hand I kept Gotts in the group because I believe he has options, but the situation I think Gotts is an option, doesn’t mean I am going to give him minutes.

This is more difficult when you have to manage the wishes of being human. Another thing is difficult to leave Leeds, it’s not convenient to leave here without thinking very hard, but I also understand in some situations the timing is key. Gotts is a player I admire for his skills and for his human qualities. I can say the same of Shackleton, Forshaw, Dallas, all of them. If any moment I think Gotts has no chance to overcome those players, I would tell him.

If Gotts understands he doesn’t want to stay here in Leeds, I would support him. He expresses himself a lot because it is something for a lot of players in the same situation. I could say the same about Alfie McCalmont and the other players as well. I realise you asked for those players about their futures, this model of thinking is for all the young players.




Its Friday the 13th!

Anyone superstitious? Do you believe that fate is something you could control by doing lucky things or avoiding doing unlucky things? Any strange protocol you go through before a Leeds game?nDo you believe in superstition? Do you have any stories you want to share?



View all Showing latest five comments of thirteen...

rab_rant wrote on 13 Dec 2019 05:38 pm

Superstition is one thing, but Apophenia is another, and I think
lots of people , especially gamblers let apophenia rule their lives. If you suffer
from apophenia then you see patterns and meaning in everything. You will see
the virgin mary on a burnt piece of toast, angels in cloud formations, crosses
inside potatoes. You just see patterns and assign special significance to them.

I have noticed that in the horse racing section young miss BB will often choose a
horse if it has Harry in its name. Perhaps she had a good experiance with someone
called Harry and she believes that if this horse wins she will feel good about Harry once
again.

Rather that write out my story about apophenia here is a little video I made which
explains how I won over 200 pounds by following an apophenic hunch. The thing is you
always remember the times when the universe delivers on an apophenic promise,
but quickly forget all the times that it did not work and your hunch ends in abject failure.

Irish Ian wrote on 13 Dec 2019 05:29 pm

Morning Folks,

If Clarke cant get game time with us then to be fair to him it is well that Spurs move him somewhere else.

Interesting that Bielsa feels that some of these lads are good but he cant find game time for them at the minute. Pity as that is how careers get stagnated, at some point they will have to move on for their own sake. Maybe the pressure of being in a promotion race causes this but it is a shame if decent talent gets missed. But imo there far far too many professional footballers in far too many clubs in the UK which leaves so many players disillusioned with the game. Gotts especially seems to be a bench warmer. Pity.

Superstition. One day many years ago I was out window cleaning. The job was an apartment above a bookies shop. Every time I went there would be people who wouldn't walk under the ladder..... I tried to tell them that their bad luck would begin not with walking under the ladder but once they entered the bookies. ...

Vacant looks ...

For interest sake.

Third light comes from the troops in the trenches when snipers on the other side.
Walking under a ladder somehow breaks a mystical triangle which somehow links to belief in a Trinity of Gods in Christianity, but that one may go back further.
Friday the 13th is a conflation of Good Friday and the number 13 which is somehow a bad number because there were 12 apostles
Touch wood comes from a belief that there are evil spirits in trees and also wooden objects that are listening to your every plan with a design to make life hard for you. ( Interestingly we now have Alexa and Siri listening to us instead with the idea to shove an advert in our faces every chance they have.

Etc

The Subhuman wrote on 13 Dec 2019 05:00 pm

weasel wrote: Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:36 pm Bizarrely the dreams were often long periods apart - think the first one was years before the 'death date' but every now and again another dream and always the same 'death date.' Needless to say was a little nervy on the day but went to work as normal. Nothing of any note seemed to happen on that date either to myself or in the world in general. Not had a dream about death since then though which in itself would seem strange.
Gregorian or Julian calendar ?

weasel wrote on 13 Dec 2019 04:36 pm

Ellandback1 wrote: Fri Dec 13, 2019 11:34 am In order to best understand your dream of dying, it is important to look at what is going on in your waking life that may have triggered such a dream.
Bizarrely the dreams were often long periods apart - think the first one was years before the 'death date' but every now and again another dream and always the same 'death date.' Needless to say was a little nervy on the day but went to work as normal. Nothing of any note seemed to happen on that date either to myself or in the world in general. Not had a dream about death since then though which in itself would seem strange.

weasel wrote on 13 Dec 2019 04:21 pm

Chilli D wrote: Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:00 pm I'm of the opinion that several of the U23's are already good enough for the first team but others on here don't share that opinion.
Tricky to know exactly what we have until they play for the first team as impossible really to judge how strong the U23 league is. Just look at our youth cup winning team that beat MU yet it was the MU youngsters that had the better careers.