Leeds v Accrington Stanley : Team/Reports/Ratings

[MOTliam]

All the negativity is starting to get really old now.

Seconded. We just won a game, albeit against Accrington, but its the first game of the season that we've won. Surely this should be making us happy!?

I for one am still optimistic about the season ahead. This is miles better than many previous seasons. Give Hockaday a chance at least. We'll go nowhere by booing and not getting behind the team

[leedsmad]

All I'll say is, a win is a win.

[Twiggster]

Anyone taking ANY positivity out of this half hearted "win" is deluded.
We "beat" a 3rd division side on our own turf and struggled to do so...
If you are happy tonight, enjoy that. :sing:

[drsdadsotherson]

Anyone taking ANY positivity out of this half hearted "win" is deluded.
We "beat" a 3rd division side on our own turf and struggled to do so...
If you are happy tonight, enjoy that. :sing:

No positivity in a win?

There's no need for quotation marks around the words win and beat, because they are simply factual statements. Not even the most miserable or cantankerous soul in the world can change that.
We did not struggle to win. I watched the whole thing. The first half was very positive indeed with some lovely passing moves and positive play. Doukara was very good, with strong passing, ball retention and two very neat finishes. Tonge was impressive and Pearce was superb at the back. Cook REALLY impressed with his pace and some delicate touches.

Things went downhill (and how!) with the introduction of a certain Hunt who I believe only managed once to control a ball that was passed in his direction. I also believe we left the changing rooms at half time overconfident and feeling that no more needed to be done to win the game. As it turned out that was correct, but it's not something I like to see from my team in any case. Pride comes before a fall as they say.

So the positives:
1. We are through to the next round.
2. We won.
3. There were some encouraging individual performances.
4. The first half showed some nice team football.

Now then Mr Twiggs, can you explain why I am deluded with those positives? Can you EMPIRICALLY deny them without the use of that bloody emoticon?

Of course you can't. Cheer up old bean, it wasn't perfection but it was enough.

[Dr.Leeds]

Back from the game. Should have won far more comfortably but some encouraging signs. Possession football. One touch then passes that mostly found their target. Most played with their heads up and patiently looked for opportunities. Good to see the new guys involved.

S Taylor 7 Solid back up. Rarely troubled but made a couple of decent saves. Commanded his area well.

Beradi 5 Looks OK. Nowhere near as potent as Byram going forward. Insane challenge for his red card though.

Wootton 6 More convincing than his recent appearances. No big errors as far as I saw. Doesn't suit the Kisnorbo bandage though. Bench at best if we do sign Bellusci / Cooper

Pearce 7 Kept a reasonable handle on their forwards. Dominant in the air.

C Taylor 7 Charlie has definitely filled out from the promising runt that made his debut under Grayson. Defended and got forward well. Couple of half decent crosses.

Tonge 6 Short passing game seems to suit him.

Bianchi 7 Not quite the Rolls Royce performance I was looking forward to on the Dundee reports but composed, mature and confident. Linked well with Taylor but looked for passes on both sides. Decent mix of long and short passes.

Cook 7 This lad has a future. Quick, committed, determined. Stays on his feet well under pressure. Peach of a pass for Doukara's second.

Ajose 7 Again pacy and committed. Runs and harries defenders. Has an end product. Early days yet but looks a significant upgrade on Hunt and Poleon in that role. Game died when he was replaced by Hunt.

Smith 6 As you know I'm a fan but not his best game. Few chances in the first half as he was constantly pushed in the back under crosses. Better second half. Should have scored from Taylor's cross late on.

Doukara 8 This lad is a unit. Built like Hasselbaink. Fair acceleration on him. I was worried about his first touch early on but settled into the game, particularly after his well placed first goal. Lovely first touch and finish for his second. Plays well outside the box too. MOM.

Subs

Benedicic 7 Good control and running. His second or third touch was a sublime ball up to Hunt who would have been through had he controlled it.

Poleon 6 Came on just as we lost our forward momentum. Unlucky to be called offside a couple of times when he looked to have timed his runs very well.

Hunt 3 I'd love Noel to turn things round but his guest touch was awful, wasting several good forward balls from Bianchi and Benedicic in particular. Don't agree with booing him but if he doesn't score soon he'll be so far down the pecking order he'll be off

Overall, should have turned our first half possession into more goals. Need to stop pratting around with it on the edge of our own box. I can understand Hockaday wanting to give players some game time but subs tonight killed our game.

[Twiggster]

Doc and DDOS - you have said nothing with your reports (glad to have them and thanks, BTW ), other than confirm my feelings about our club ATM, after listening to the game.
Especially both your comments that the subs were crap and hunt especially.
WHO made the subs?
Bloody obvious that the coach/manager - whatever you want to call him - has not got a frikken clue.
We should have beaten a 3rd division club comfortably on our own turf, FFS - not clinging on at the end.

The smoggies will be rubbing their hands with glee, ahead of Saturday's game...

[Dr.Leeds]

Hockaday has a lot to do to convince me he is the man for the job. His style of play is an improvement though and his post match comments show that he has got a clue.

He will need consistent results to stay in the job given Cellino's track record but with more additions due and many players rested tonight it's far from the disaster you are suggesting.

[Twiggster]

Hockaday has a lot to do to convince me he is the man for the job. His style of play is an improvement though and his post match comments show that he has got a clue.

He will need consistent results to stay in the job given Cellino's track record but with more additions due and many players rested tonight it's far from the disaster you are suggesting.

UMMM - WHO was rested tonight exactly? All the main players were in the team or on the bench.

Chatting with those at the game tonight, Fukaday came close to blowing a comfortable win with his subs.
"we just lost all shape in the 2nd half, when the subs came on" was the most damning comment and echoed Eddie's full time comments.

I can't repeat the comments they made about hockaday on here, but **************** ************ will have to do.
Get that twat out of my club.

[Crude]

UMMM - WHO was rested tonight exactly? All the main players were in the team or on the bench.

Chatting with those at the game tonight, Fukaday came close to blowing a comfortable win with his subs.
"we just lost all shape in the 2nd half, when the subs came on" was the most damning comment and echoed Eddie's full time comments.

I can't repeat the comments they made about hockaday on here, but **************** ************ will have to do.
Get that twat out of my club.

Because that has NEVER happened to the club before The Hock was appointed, right?

[1964white]

Doc and DDOS - you have said nothing with your reports (glad to have them and thanks, BTW ), other than confirm my feelings about our club ATM, after listening to the game.
Especially both your comments that the subs were crap and hunt especially.
WHO made the subs?
Bloody obvious that the coach/manager - whatever you want to call him - has not got a frikken clue.
We should have beaten a 3rd division club comfortably on our own turf, FFS - not clinging on at the end.

The smoggies will be rubbing their hands with glee, ahead of Saturday's game...

May I ask......Who is instructing our players to play football as oppose to hoofing the ball anywhere as was the case under previous managers ?

[danhirons]

I really worry that our new passing style of play will work well against those teams in the lower divisions with less quality, but when we play the teams of a similar standard ie in the Championship it just won't work - either because of the tactics themselves lack an attacking threat or the players aren't good enough for the system. Either way, I hope it's just something that the team improves and develops throughout the course of the season, but at the moment I feel we lack an real difference to last season...oh well it's very very early days so I feel even if we are sceptical, we need to get behind the team and the manager to at least say he got a fair crack of the whip

[1964white]

I really worry that our new passing style of play will work well against those teams in the lower divisions with less quality, but when we play the teams of a similar standard ie in the Championship it just won't work - either because of the tactics themselves lack an attacking threat or the players aren't good enough for the system. Either way, I hope it's just something that the team improves and develops throughout the course of the season, but at the moment I feel we lack an real difference to last season...oh well it's very very early days so I feel even if we are sceptical, we need to get behind the team and the manager to at least say he got a fair crack of the whip

Many sceptics don't do fairness & are not prepared to give Hock a chance as I experienced last night

Fed up of all the negativity after only two games

[Martyn]

A passing style is great providing that it is passing with a purpose. I have read that Forest Green under Hockaday were described as being a lower league version of the Arsenal of a few years ago, passing the ball all match but never having a shot.

Some of that may be forced on us by the lack of a target man striker, it will be interesting to see (if Sharp arrives) how or if that evolves.

[Kyle_5351]

UMMM - WHO was rested tonight exactly? All the main players were in the team or on the bench.

Chatting with those at the game tonight, Fukaday came close to blowing a comfortable win with his subs.
"we just lost all shape in the 2nd half, when the subs came on" was the most damning comment and echoed Eddie's full time comments.

I can't repeat the comments they made about hockaday on here, but **************** ************ will have to do.
Get that twat out of my club.

How on earth is Hockaday supposed to find out who is in form/what team is going to work best together, if he doesn't make any subs? Yes, I will admit Hunt probably isn't the first option I would look at, but really that's all the game was imo; another game to get the team to work together and find what works the best. Games like these against lower opposition, this early in the season gives the guy an opportunity to tinker a little bit.

It starts to carve a really good indication as to who the first team starters are and who we don't want coming off the bench. More game time like this, no matter if we "just won" on the scoreboard, is only a good thing.

As you said, it seemed as though we were winning comfortably at half time, so really this is a great positive to take away from the match. We need to understand the negatives and you are quite right about them, but a lot of positives also came out of this game.

[hibbi86]

it feels like the vast majority of leeds fans want to the coacha and the team fail so they can say "i told you so" and have something to moan about. The negativity is actually pathetic in my honest opinion, everyone hated the hoof ball brand of football we have played for the passed 3-4 season yet some guy comes in with the idea of getting the ball down and play and people still arent happy.

Players need time to adapt to a new system they are not used to playing gee give the coach and the players a chance weve won 1 and lost 1.

People are forgetting that cup football is like a lottery and alot of the lower league teams find that little bit extra against the bigger teams. Leeds were comfortable for the vast majority of that game if we stick to our principles we will come out the other side in a much better state than when we went in.

[YorkshireSquare]

I think we should take the positives from the first half.

Disappointing that we let them get back in but we are through. Still early days with a new squad, new manager and new style of play. All I ask is for effort and improvement every game.

[Martyn]

it feels like the vast majority of leeds fans want to the coacha and the team fail so they can say "i told you so" and have something to moan about. The negativity is actually pathetic in my honest opinion, everyone hated the hoof ball brand of football we have played for the passed 3-4 season yet some guy comes in with the idea of getting the ball down and play and people still arent happy.

Players need time to adapt to a new system they are not used to playing gee give the coach and the players a chance weve won 1 and lost 1.

People are forgetting that cup football is like a lottery and alot of the lower league teams find that little bit extra against the bigger teams. Leeds were comfortable for the vast majority of that game if we stick to our principles we will come out the other side in a much better state than when we went in.

Now that's a little naive I'm afraid.

I don't know any Leeds fans masochistic enough to want the team to fail, or if they do then they are not true fans. What there are is a load of long-term Leeds fans desperate to see some success coming back to Elland Road and disappointed that the owner doesn't see the manager/coach as important enough to invest in.

Hockaday is not here because he is some kind of wunderkind coach, he is here because he was the cheapest option available, as we saw when Reading asked for compensation to release Cellino's original choice. (Forget the revisionism of the 5 hour meeting where he was offered the job, that is a rewriting of history).

[hibbi86]

Its hardly naive, take a look around you people are slamming the team and the coach when we have barely kicked a ball. You only have to look on the MOT forum to see that. Go on twitter and other social media sites and you will see it is rife.

We win and our second game and yet people are still castrating the coach and some of the players.

[Martyn]

So you are saying "the vast majority" of posters on here want the team to fail? Sorry, that is nonsense.

[CptCrash]

They had a number of free headers and whenever thay took the ball into the box we looked very disorganised. Worrying to be honest, very worrying.

Fair play, Dakoura took the two chances really well, Smith won almost everything 2nd half. Bianchi some nice touches but will need time to settle into the ENglish game before he can start to dictate matters.