Playoffs is our destiny

[Cjay]

Disclaimer- Just my opinion, not meant as negativity just honesty.

After 11 games ive seen enough to imo say that we wont be top 2 at the end of the season.

1st- I think MB has to accept that a small squad isnt viable in this league, he wont and its to late now but i feel that it has and will cost us. We suffer to many injuries for it to work and i do think same as last season the style and training plays its part in the injuries. Furthermore, his unwillingness to rotate puts extra stress on the players but his insistence on a small squad makes rotation difficult.

2nd- A soft underbelly, was said about us last season and i still feel its true. You cant collapse like we did last season and ignore that in the way we have. Teams dont collapse like we did if there isnt an issue, imo its a mental thing and those players are still largely here. To win things you have to be mentally strong and have the right mentality.

3rd- Following on from 2nd, at the end of last season i expressed an opinion that the squad needed a clear out, we didnt do that. Clearout may seem extreme but quite a few of these players have been part of multiple squads that have ultimately failed to gain promotion. Once, twice, even three times in some cases, that imo shows a mental fragility that needs ridding from the club. Until we find players that can cope mentally with the pressure of being our players we wont progress.

4th- Individual quality lacking in key areas, same as last season. Largest problem imo, there are to many players in the starting 11 that are average talent wise. We rely on the style more then the individual (the total opposite of Fulham). Imo we have the balance slightly wrong, you need individual talent for those key moments. Of our cbs who are top level cbs? White, thats it, Berardi, Cooper are average at this level. Of our cms who are top quality in there role? Klich as a box to box not a ten, Phillips as a dm, but there is no natural number 10 (its astounding MB has allowed that given how crucial that Enganche role is in his teams). Of our wingers who are top level? Costa has been in the past and hopefully can be again but its years since he has shown that, Hernandez but he is 34 and is to old to carry the team anymore. Aside from them Harrison is very hit and miss and certainly isnt Harvey Barnes, Harry Wilson, Knockhaert, Cavaleiro etc. Jack Clarke has faded beyond recognition.

Up top we have Paddy who while talented he is not a proven 20 goal striker, and Eddie is a kid with very little experience, a lot to ask of a kid in his first season as a main striker.

Imo in the summer we had 4 areas that needed quality adding. 2 quality wingers added to Hernandez and Clarke (pre sale), a top level cb to partner Jansson, a quality number 10 (Pereria at WBA would have been ideal) and a natural proven goalscorer.

This season feels like we are banking on coaching, luck with injuries and the tactics to work.

We tried that last season and fell short, imo we will fall short again for the reasons above.

Key moments are often decided by talent not coaching, you cant coach a cool head, the right pass the right technique, that is where we fall down and its in those moments i feel that the lack of genuine class comes through.

Deeper squad, more quality in key areas and a clear out to rid what imo is an ingrained weakness in this group were what was needed if we wanted top 2.

Feel we are comfortable playoff level but i dont think enough was done to make us top 2 level and that is something the club from the board to MB will have to take responsibility for.

*just my opinion, not trying to upset anyone, feel free to disagree*

[SG90]

Completely agree with the above points. But Bielsa did want an enganche in Ryan Kent but the club opted against his wishes to sign Nketiah instead, who he clearly didn't want.

[SG90]

This just sums up Radz' arrogance for me. He thought we were promoted at Christmas last year, hence making no new signings in January, the documentary and Australia for pre-season, all things planned on promotion. This summer it was more of the same, these players were up there last year, so they will be again this season, so we don't need to change much. I said there's no plan for if we don't get promoted, only if we do. Next summer will be ugly.

[Norm]

I think we have the wrong owner and it all stems from that.
I've seen nothing from him to indicate he's really behind the club and it just seems he bought the club to make money, whilst failing to realise just what, and how much, it would take to get us to the promised land.
I see yet another season of mediocrity with occasional bright spots but I would love to be proved wrong.

[Irish Ian]

As usual cjay you have pretty much nailed it.

If we were to compare all our pitchmaps since Saiz left I reckon we would see a massive hole in the 'hole ' if you get my drift.

None of our players seems up to the job.

Two weeks to start finding a solution.

[Sara]

Meh.

[YorkshireSquare]

It's starting to feel a bit inevitable, but thats just the negative Leeds fan in me sneaking out. I just think we lack quality in key areas.

That said this is not a vintage Championship this season and we are more than capable of winning it. Norwich were doing worse than us this time last season and lost their game in week 12 too.

[gessa]

Start of the season , Brentford were going to tear this division apart, sold but bought quality and were the dark horses we should all envy, they're 17th now, all these teams that are so much better than us and going to leave us in their wake are a maximum of 2 points in front of us, all's not well but we're not out of it by a long shot, no team in the division have won more games than us,only 2 have a better goal difference. Swansea were the darlings a few weeks ago, today they got beat by the worst team in the division. We lose we're awful, we win we got away with it, we were lucky.Berardi doesn't give that penalty away today, we win that match, fine margins. Think I'll keep the belief going a little bit longer thanks.

[Sara]

Think I'll keep the belief going a little bit longer thanks.

I think people's reactions say as much about their own psychology as they do about our chances of being promoted tbh.

[gessa]

I think people's reactions say as much about their own psychology as they do about our chances of being promoted tbh.

So very true.

[YorkshireSquare]

I think people's reactions say as much about their own psychology as they do about our chances of being promoted tbh.

A lot of it is down to supporting Leeds United for years.

Season after season of disappointment.

[Cjay]

Dont mean for this to come across as disrespectful i just cant think of a better way to phrase it.

Apart from total blind optimism and faith what makes people think we will be better then last season?

We have less points (2 less) have conceded 1 less goal with a deliberately more solid line up imo and have scored 6 less goals then at the same stage last season, not forgetting lost two more games.

And history tells us MB's sides are worse 2nd season.

Furthermore we are discussing the same issues that plagued us last season, surely that indicates things havent changed?

So im genuinely interested in why people think we will be better this season?

[whiteswan]

A lot of it is down to supporting Leeds United for years.

Season after season of disappointment.

Absolutely....49 years of it!

[whiteswan]

I think people's reactions say as much about their own psychology as they do about our chances of being promoted tbh.

Why? How?
What do you mean by that?

[Irish Ian]

Dont mean for this to come across as disrespectful i just cant think of a better way to phrase it.

Apart from total blind optimism and faith what makes people think we will be better then last season?

We have less points (2 less) have conceded 1 less goal with a deliberately more solid line up imo and have scored 6 less goals then at the same stage last season, not forgetting lost two more games.

And history tells us MB's sides are worse 2nd season.

Furthermore we are discussing the same issues that plagued us last season, surely that indicates things havent changed?

So im genuinely interested in why people think we will be better this season?

Hope springs eternal I suppose. Which is really the starting position for every football fan since the dawn of time.

I had ( and still do ) have high hopes for Costa to start to deliver, as I do with Douglas, but I think our best chance of the playoffs is if Harrison got a recall to City. (Put in a great cross for our goal today but then went back to taking too many touches, cutting inside rather than going down the outside and turning the defence around, he isnt learning fast enough. If MB sticks with him we are toast) Or was kidnapped by the mujahideen either would do.

Change the shape for one thing.

4-4-2 diamond suits us better than the fabled 3-3 -3 -1 or 3-3-1-3 or whatever.

Keeper (Kiko was good and bad today, he does seem to be allergic to using his hand, and could have easily conceded in the first minute) . No idea if the other guy is any use.

Ayling RB Coop and White CBs Dallas LB
Ali LW Roberts or Klich at the head of the diamond AFM Phillips DFM Costa RW
Bamstick and Eddie up top.

Question who uses up a loanee slot and pays a fee for a keeper who will only warm the bench?

But I think chance of a top 2is if Slavan Bilic takes over at ManU and WBA fold as a result.

[danhirons]

Hope springs eternal I suppose. Which is really the starting position for every football fan since the dawn of time.

I had ( and still do ) have high hopes for Costa to start to deliver, as I do with Douglas, but I think our best chance of the playoffs is if Harrison got a recall to City. (Put in a great cross for our goal today but then went back to taking too many touches, cutting inside rather than going down the outside and turning the defence around, he isnt learning fast enough. If MB sticks with him we are toast) Or was kidnapped by the mujahideen either would do.

Change the shape for one thing.

4-4-2 diamond suits us better than the fabled 3-3 -3 -1 or 3-3-1-3 or whatever.

Keeper (Kiko was good and bad today, he does seem to be allergic to using his hand, and could have easily conceded in the first minute) . No idea if the other guy is any use.

Ayling RB Coop and White CBs Dallas LB
Ali LW Roberts or Klich at the head of the diamond AFM Phillips DFM Costa RW
Bamstick and Eddie up top.

Question who uses up a loanee slot and pays a fee for a keeper who will only warm the bench?

But I think chance of a top 2is if Slavan Bilic takes over at ManU and WBA fold as a result.

I agree... Play offs if he goes back to city, mid table if he stays...

Problem is we know this team is capable of beating the best teams around us (Norwich, west brom last season and this, derby both times in the league etc.) we just aren't consistent enough against the weaker teams both last season and this. I'd like to see bielsa change his style against the weaker teams, we don't need 80 per cent possession against these sides

[leic white 63]

A lot of it is down to supporting Leeds United for years.

Season after season of disappointment.

exactly.

15 years in the championship and counting......

my patience is wearing thin.

pretty patterns but toothless.

[WhiteRose]

The writings on the wall for this season all the omens are there. I'm not happy about it of course and I'll try to enjoy the season but I have no expectation that we will go up.

I'm not saying Bielsa should be sacked but if this inconsistency continues on till christmas then the board will certainly need to consider whether it's worth a change given he will be off at the end of the season anyway.

[weasel]

Certainly valid points but we need to be careful not to jump to wrong conclusions. A couple of weeks ago the whole attention seemed to be on our home form whilst the away form was brilliant and people were saying we found it easier playing away. A couple of lethargic away performances where we have created very little and it shows that the knee jerk reactions were based on too small a sample size. We have had 2 poor performances this season in my opinion, Charlton and Millwall yet how different it might have been yesterday if we had VAR. At Charlton might it have been different if the ball hadn't rebounded into the net of a Charlton player who knew nothing about it? So the panic sets in but it is 2 key moments and as such again it is a small sample size.

I do feel the team selection yesterday was poor. No way I would have brought Ayling back in and pushed Dallas into midfield. We already had one enforced change in defence but to make another just creates more uncertainty. It then also meant uncertainty in midfield too with Dallas in a strange role and then the whole midfield isn't quite sure how it affects their role. I would have either played Tyler Roberts in the no.10 or Bamford with Eddie up top.

There is no need to panic just yet, certainly room for concern but not yet panic. We have always done sh*t at Millwall so no change there, it is the other matches we need to focus on. For some reason teams become bogey sides, in the 80s and 90s we seem to always struggle against Oldham and Barnsley and for whatever reason it seemed like no matter how these teams were performing the rest of the year they put in their best performance against us.

Maybe this time the international break has come at a good time for us. A couple of injured players might be fit for our next game and player such as Roberts and Ayling can have a couple of weeks to really get back up to full fitness. Hopefully Berardi's red is overturned, that may see bacon prices rise though, or we can have Ayling partner White with Dallas back in at right back so there is only the 1 change to the previously settled defence.

We also need to not forget the WBA performance. We showed a backbone in that game and also did it under a lot of pressure having previously squandered points at ER.
It does look like this season will be a rollercoaster ride and not the smooth sailing it should have been but hey ho let's strap ourselves in and let the torture continue!

[leic white 63]

Certainly valid points but we need to be careful not to jump to wrong conclusions. A couple of weeks ago the whole attention seemed to be on our home form whilst the away form was brilliant and people were saying we found it easier playing away. A couple of lethargic away performances where we have created very little and it shows that the knee jerk reactions were based on too small a sample size. We have had 2 poor performances this season in my opinion, Charlton and Millwall yet how different it might have been yesterday if we had VAR. At Charlton might it have been different if the ball hadn't rebounded into the net of a Charlton player who knew nothing about it? So the panic sets in but it is 2 key moments and as such again it is a small sample size.

I do feel the team selection yesterday was poor. No way I would have brought Ayling back in and pushed Dallas into midfield. We already had one enforced change in defence but to make another just creates more uncertainty. It then also meant uncertainty in midfield too with Dallas in a strange role and then the whole midfield isn't quite sure how it affects their role. I would have either played Tyler Roberts in the no.10 or Bamford with Eddie up top.

There is no need to panic just yet, certainly room for concern but not yet panic. We have always done sh*t at Millwall so no change there, it is the other matches we need to focus on. For some reason teams become bogey sides, in the 80s and 90s we seem to always struggle against Oldham and Barnsley and for whatever reason it seemed like no matter how these teams were performing the rest of the year they put in their best performance against us.

Maybe this time the international break has come at a good time for us. A couple of injured players might be fit for our next game and player such as Roberts and Ayling can have a couple of weeks to really get back up to full fitness. Hopefully Berardi's red is overturned, that may see bacon prices rise though, or we can have Ayling partner White with Dallas back in at right back so there is only the 1 change to the previously settled defence.

We also need to not forget the WBA performance. We showed a backbone in that game and also did it under a lot of pressure having previously squandered points at ER.
It does look like this season will be a rollercoaster ride and not the smooth sailing it should have been but hey ho let's strap ourselves in and let the torture continue!

good post.