Is ......... their history. Leeds United can’t wait - as Hecky said ‘they have supporters from all over but they still live in the 1970s’. While Hecky was at Leeds - probably his only success was to introduce a system to try and bring younger players through. It’s worked to a degree but its still not working properly because Leeds fans demand instant success. Leeds United, the club and supporters, believe they are a top Premeir club that’s found itself stuck in the Championship. There is an emphasis to get out of the Championship ASAP. They cannot wait for players to develop like Oduor, Halme, Wilks etc etc. They need success today. So they usually buy players in their prime that cost top dollar with big wages. A few years later and those players are older and become surplus to requirements - but still costing big money in wages. Another prime example is Sheffield Wednesday right now. So there is a scramble to try and off load players - which can be difficult to move on because of their wage demands. Those wages are crippling Leeds - hence their poor transfer window of loan players. Leeds United have just got rid of a shed load of young talented players because they cannot face the reality that they are just a Championship club.
Agreed. In all fairness I think they were expected to get into the Premier League last season till they screwed it all up like they do all the time. I still reckon we're better than our fellow Yorkshire clubs in the Championship... Young talented, determined side, no nonsense manager and a fan base who loves their club. Bring on tomorrow! COYR!
They got to playoffs last season and looked very good at Bristol on telly last week. Maybe they think they can do the same again by doing their strengthening in January to push them on. According to transfermarket they've spent nothing and sold players to the tune of £27m. Sounds like a they have a plan to me. You can't have 30 thousand fans turning up every week and playing the development players, especially at their prices.
Truth in that for sure, but I think it has more to do with finances. They (like most Championship clubs now) are scared of the EFl biting their arse over financial fair play regulations. The Birmingham point deduction last season put the shitters up them. I read an interview with the Leeds CEO yesterday and he basically said they cannot afford to have players "doing nothing" (i.e. developing and learning) and taking up space on the wage bill.
Before Revie, Leeds had no history. They only joined the football league in 1920 and until 1972 they'd never won the FA Cup. They've still only won it once - the same as us. Generations of Leeds fans have been deluded into thinking they're as big as Man United because of basically one good decade.
Generally agree with the above. They still think Man Utd are their biggest rivals — says it all. However, Leeds do still have an average att. of 34k, and Wendy's is about 24k; both gates we can only dream of. Let's be honest, if we were consistently averaging 34k gates every home game, there's a load on here that would be expecting us to win the Champion's League 'n all.
Yep. They have spent big time. And recouping some of that money now. Their owner isn’t wealthy enough to spend them into the Premeir (like Wolves owner did). But neither is McCabe at Sheffield - but they had a great manager. Not sure that this Bielsa fella has got the credentials. They were terrible against Bristol. And on that first half showing Bristol will be near the bottom come the end of the season. Out of the 6 Championship teams I’ve seen on the tele so far this season Bristol was far the worst.
I’d say for most of their existence we’ve been the bigger club . So they shouldn’t feel aggrieved losing players to us .
I agree that Leeds seem to have the wrong strategy. They are however in my eyes a team that should be in the top tier due to the sheer fanbase that they have. Both them and Wednesday massively underachieve. History means nothing in the here and now, but to fans it fills them with a sense of injustice that their team that was once title winners is struggling to get out of the second tier. I think if they go up they will stay up, perhaps not for a long time but they will establish themselves like Bournemouth and Palace seem to have over the past few years. PS see what happens when you make sensible posts? You get sensible replies
FFS !!!!!! Rubbish!!!! You’ve obviously swallowed all the propaganda thrown out by commentators (and Leeds fans). What’s the point in having any matches played if you are judged on gate attendances. If that was the case we may as well give the Premeir League title right now to Manchester United. Let me spell it out for you - Leeds United are in the Championship because they are a Championship club.
If we had gates of 34k, I’d be even more uncomfortable squeezing in at the side of the big lad next to me!
Did you notice the way the points penalty was dished out to Birmingham though? They were never going to get promoted, and giving them the deduction mid season, when despite the deduction, they were never going to be relegated made the penalty pretty harmless IMO. If the deduction had come into effect from the beginning of this season and they started on minus 12 points, now THAT would have been a statement of intent that would have had a serious influence on the behaviour other clubs.
Of course, and I agree. But most Championship clubs haven't seen it that way. It has had a serious influence on the behaviour of other clubs if you look at transfer activity in the window just gone. It's been a lot more considered. Not at all clubs, but most. At Leeds certainly.
To be fair Wednesday only averaged around 21,500 home fans last season which is really average. During the mid 80s leeds' support was shocking. Think their average 85/6 season was 13,500 ish, not much dfferent really than ours last season and we were in a division below. Nonetheless that is historical but in my opinion leeds havn't got much time left before their 70s support ( nation and worldwide) gets smaller and smaller. The sons and grandsons of those supporters will have grown up without leeds being succesful. Bournemouth and Burnley will have 98% more exposure worldwide now as a consequence of regularly featuring in the premier league. Kids worldwide don't really get to see much of leeds. Still they do have a good support base now, probably 20 times what Wednesday could muster. Edit: 85/6 season leeds average home attendance 12,715