The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Monday 2nd December) Whites drop to third after inept display

[Ellandback1]

Good Morning. It's Monday 2nd December, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...


Whites drop to third after inept display

Over 7,000 travelling Whites fans were left bitterly disappointed after suffering defeat at the hands of Blackburn Rovers on Saturday lunchtime. The only goal of the game came in the 22nd minute when Tanaka clumsily brought down Dolan in the box. Todd Cantwell, a former Daniel Farke protégé converted from 12 yards. Without a 'plan B', Leeds were unable to break down a well organised (and packed) defence, not helped by continually losing the ball in the final third.

Regardless of the 300% disparage in wages, Rovers were good value for their win. They may have only had 28% possession, but they were far better organised, more inventive and carved out better openings, rocking the woodwork early on, whilst Gnonto also went close after a mistake by Pears.

The loss see's West Yorkshire's finest drop to third place on 35 points, identical to where they were at this point last season. Despite not having to deal with the likes of Leicester City and Ipswich Town, both Sheffield Utd and Burnley are showing consistency levels that will make Leeds fans very wary!





Farke berated over tactics

Daniel Farke's tactics were embarrassing at times, packing the left flank like a rugby scrum, trying to inch their way to Rovers penalty area, but instead, constantly getting in each others way. Acres of space would go to waste in other advanced areas making most Leeds attack look disjointed, lop-sided and muddled.

In spite of completing almost two and a half times the number of passes, the home side were not being pulled out of position so did not tire. Instead, Rovers were content to match and nullify wave after wave of attack knowing exactly what would happen next.

Leeds inability to deal with the 'low block' has cost them their third defeat of the season (all by one-nil margins). Unfortunately, Managerial options are limited at the moment, with both Michael Skubala and Carlos Corberán being touted about - not because either are particularly strong candidates, more so, there is nobody else!

[Tom the Cat]

I'm afraid that teams now have sorted us out. They park the bus from the first whistle knowing we have little chance to break down a packed defence and then hope for a break away goal. Sadly the lads that could make the decisive pass have moved on.

[Sean_Nile]

I wrote a long piece in the thread "viewtopic.php?t=47238" which pondered if the past predicts the future, as many pundits on here seem to suggest... and I argued against drawing conclusions from past results, however well constructed and logical they seem.

Many people on here have a fascination with horse racing and they study form as in indicator of the probability of success of a horse winning a race. They factor in trainer and jockey, the condition of the ground, the competition, the age of the horse, the weight on its back, even if the horse performs badly on a left handed course.

Weighing all those things up they back the horse that looks most favourable, and they look to tipsters to confirm their selection.

Why is it that with all the analysis that goes in to picking a winner, the horse we select does not win.

All this to say the past does not predict the future.

I had a treble of Chelsea, Man Utd, and Spurs who had just beaten Man City... they are certain to thrash Fulham, but all they could manage was a draw, the other two teams won. I lost... what a surprise... but results often turn out to be unexpected in my experience.

Horses and Managers are equally unpredictable... it seems that rarely can you back a sure thing.

As Abe Lincoln said "The most reliable way to predict the future is to create it."

[Ellandback1]

We absolutely didn't deserve anything from the weekend. My fear is we just don't learn by our mistakes.

[mentalcase]

Another very frustrating game, so predictable that even shite mediocre teams and managers can sort us out every game, some don't work out and we win, some however do, and we lose, emphatically to a 1-0 scoreline, simply because we continue to use excuses like, the international break, 3 games in a week, we trot out the same old tosh, yet blackburn had to deal with the same issues, blackburn beat a well organised side midweek away from home, then re-organised themselves for another top team and changed tactics again to get another 3 points, meanwhile, back at the ER ranch, we lick our wounds and blame it on everything but the truth.
I still personally believe we'll get promotion this year, but, we will get mullered bielsa style in the PL when the big boys of palace, everton, forest and brentford etc out wit us.

[pjm2019]

Time for the board to act and either Sack DF OR buy 2/3 quality players in Jan 25 otherwise we are not going up

[mentalcase]

Time for the board to act and either Sack DF OR buy 2/3 quality players in Jan 25 otherwise we are not going up

I don't think they'll sack him,and really there is no need to just yet, but if we don't go up they'll scapegoat him and gloss over their own lack of ambition.

[Ellandback1]

I don't think they'll sack him,and really there is no need to just yet, but if we don't go up they'll scapegoat him and gloss over their own lack of ambition.

Sheff Utd and Burnley are just looking more consistent, even though we have a stronger squad...

[whiteswan]

Sheff Utd and Burnley are just looking more consistent, even though we have a stronger squad...

Do they have a better Coacht?

[Carrick Dave]

I think AJS hit the nail on the head on another thread, if Farke does nothing at all we're on target for 89 points and 2 points per game, more or less. So why would he change a winning formula he trusts?

Fans mightn't be too keen on the way through but if the end justifies the means...

A couple of good signings in January wouldn't go amiss though.

[mentalcase]

Sheff Utd and Burnley are just looking more consistent, even though we have a stronger squad...

Yes and both can grind out sloppy 1-0 wins to gain all 3 points, we don't have a plan B which is a big concern as it was still the same last season.

[Broad Ford]

results often turn out to be unexpected in my experience.

A £10 stake on Sheff UTD finishing top 2 returns £26, Burnley returns £36 and a bet on Leeds returns only £11.11

DF's lopsided left side approach to the attack is another repeat of last season and it failed. Do we agree that it'll fail again. Why hasn't he a plan B if the team fail to execute plan A better? He could begin the second half with Gnonto as a 10 feeding James on the right, Rama on the left with a physical Joseph as the 9. A Leeds fan at work agreed that a tough lump of wood up front can pay dividends. Low blocks can be stretched out of position by using both wingers equally and not just the left. Take off the head holding Aaronson as he often beats himself up in disbelief, knowing he squandered yet another chance.

Money needs spending in January or Tanaka, Gnonto and Rama will be heading out to greener pastures. We need as a minimum a left back, creative midfielder and reliable striker to improve away results and become genuine promotion contenders. I'm remaining hopeful until the Jan window closes, but if these bizarre tactics, team selections and subs continue into January, along with a lack of transfer activity they'll be another fire sale because there is gold in them pennines.

[Prisoner37]

DF has already said we are not shopping in January.

That was a mistake last year. Ipswich signed Kieffer Moore and the rest is history.

A Moore type player would be a target man when we are being done by the low block and we end up just crossing into our Diddymen.

[andrewjohnsmith]

As above, I did say our current point average will get us to 89 (89.4). And that should be enough for promotion.

But we can't rest on that. We stick with the same plan and some coaches seem to have it sussed. That said, most teams don't have the quality to make it count, even if they do have a plan. But some teams will get lucky and others will hit us on an off day. There has to be tweaks to the tactics. Maybe tweaks to the line ups with players that bring something different.

Farke did say it would be a quiet January. He didn't say we'd do nothing. He did say he didn't want to upset the squad harmony. But we have to be (quietly) looking for the right player that can add a little bit extra. There is no natural alternative to Aaronson at the 10. Bringing in another 10 would not disrupt the current harmony. We also have to be working towards being a premier league team. That's not a gamble. If we don't get promoted, we sell what we need to sell. But, assuming we get promoted, this squad is going to need about 6 key players. And why not look at getting a couple of those in in January?

[1964white]

DF has already said we are not shopping in January.

That was a mistake last year. Ipswich signed Kieffer Moore and the rest is history.

A Moore type player would be a target man when we are being done by the low block and we end up just crossing into our Diddymen.

A ridiculous comment to make!

How to get our fans back up in one senseless statement.

You can guarantee the Blunts & Burnley won't sit on their laurels.

If we do attempt to wing it, I hope we fail. It would serve them right.

[Ellandback1]

Do they have a better Coacht?

The Blunts certainly have a better recruitment team. Think they have 3 or 4 players we were after, and barely spent a penny

[Ellandback1]

DF has already said we are not shopping in January.

That was a mistake last year. Ipswich signed Kieffer Moore and the rest is history.

A Moore type player would be a target man when we are being done by the low block and we end up just crossing into our Diddymen.

We could have signed Moore during the Summer, but again, the Blades beat us to him, just like they did with Rak-Sakhi, Gilchrist and O'Hare.

Keifer Moore is a bargain at 2m at this level - big target man, intelligent footballer, can hold the ball up...

[The Subhuman]

We could have signed Moore during the Summer, but again, the Blades beat us to him, just like they did with Rak-Sakhi, Gilchrist and O'Hare.

Keifer Moore is a bargain at 2m at this level - big target man, intelligent footballer, can hold the ball up...

Ramazani is better than Rak Sakhi, Solomon is better than Rak Sakhi, Gnonto is better than Rak Sakhi, James is ...well you get the idea

Joseph was going to be our striker (should still be) look at how much of the club advertising used Mateo. Then he was benched without him losing form

[Ellandback1]

Ipswich and Southampton have quite a lot of talent which aren't getting a game, that could go out on loan:-

Ben Brereton - Southampton
Ross Stewart - Southampton
Maxwel Cornet at Southampton, on loan from West Ham
Conor Chaplin - Ipswich
Gorge Hirst - Ipswich

[mentalcase]

Ipswich and Southampton have quite a lot of talent which aren't getting a game, that could go out on loan:-

Ben Brereton - Southampton
Ross Stewart - Southampton
Maxwel Cornet at Southampton, on loan from West Ham
Conor Chaplin - Ipswich
Gorge Hirst - Ipswich

Don't think any of them are as good as Joseph, maybe Brereton could do a similar job, he lnows how to score in this division as well.
I was dumbfounded when the fraud came on before Joseph and still cannot fathom out the reason.