To bid or not to bid?

 

Over the past couple of weeks twitter has linked Dundee United winger Gary Mackay-Steven with a possible move to Leeds. As far no media outlets have linked Mackay-Steven with a move south of the border. This does not necessarily mean it is untrue. It could be just “twitter rubbish” or it could have some substance.

It is no secret that Leeds do need at least one winger. The loss of Elland Road favourites, Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass, has been hard to take for Leeds fans. Add to that the lack of replacements and it has made the Leeds team lack width of any kind. IF Gary Mackay-Steven was to sign it would go some way as to helping the width problem at Leeds. Plus sunder Brian McDermott I feel he would flourish as a player due to McDermotts gift of getting the best out of people.

So what can we expect from Mackay-Steven as a player?

Well Mackay-Steven is regarded by many as an “old fashioned winger”, his main aim is to reach the byeline and cross the ball. Being predominantly left footed, he hugs the touchline and has a unique running style. A feature part of his game is to use many dribbling skills to gain advantage of his opponents. He is currently playing for Dundee United and is only twenty-two years of age. He has just under three years left in his current contract and is a Scottish under 21 international.

For me Mackay-Steven is a perfect fit for Leeds. A quick, young winger. I can’t see too many other alternatives to Mackay-Steven. If we were to sign him it would give a great chance of getting promoted and with the other signings made would be a huge sign of intent.

Who are the missing pieces of the jigsaw?

As the rumour mill starts to hot up and numerous names are linked with moves to us I look at where we need strengthening and who the missing pieces of the jigsaw are.

Goalkeeper is a position that could certainly be an area to be strengthened but isn’t by any means a priority. With the ever ageing Paddy Kenny, who had a bit of an indifferent  season and with rumours surfacing that Jamie Ashdown is growing tired of sitting on the bench after only 1 season at Elland Road it seems that McDermott may look to bring a keeper in.

The contenders:

Adam Federici-Reading

Adam Federici, A keeper who was a key part  of Readings 2011/12 promotion campaign under McDermott and in that same season he claimed the golden glove although since then it seems he has fallen out of favour with the Berkshire side after being dropped in favour of former utd loanee Alex McCarthy. He is thought to be one of the best keepers outside the premiership and if Leeds could pull this signing off it would be a great piece of buisness.Although the £1-2m valuation could prove to be a stumbling block.

The Australian International worked under McDermott at Reading

Simon Moore-Brentford

Simon Moore is another keeper who is thought one of the best outside the premiership and the Brentford stopper has been linked to many Championship and Premiership sides and at 23 years old he seems to fit the young hungry style of player that McDermott is looking for. Moore would be a dream signing for us and if pulled off it would be a major coup but with his valuation by Brentford believed to be around the £1-2.5m mark it remains to be seen if we can afford him. 

Moore,regarded as one of the best young keepers in the country

Centre back seems to be high on the list of priorities at Elland Road with only Jason Pearce,Tom Lees and Lee Peltier recognised as the only senior centre backs at the club.

The contenders:

Matt Mills Bolton Wanderers

Matt Mills is a player who has been linked ever since McDermott took the job.The powerful centre half flourished under McDermott at Reading but ever since a big money move to Leicester in the summer of 2011 his career has started to stagnate and appears surplus to requirements at Bolton, a move to Elland Road could be the perfect move for Mills although with a £1m asking price and wages in excess of £25k a week a move seems unlikely unless both Bolton and Mills reduce their demands. 

Has flopped since his £5m move to Leicester in 2011

Matt Upson-Unnatached

Matt Upson is another centre half who has been linked with a switch to Elland Road on a free transfer. The former England international who had a highly succesful loan move at Brighton last season could be a great short-term partner for Tom Lees and his experience could be invaluable at the heart of defence this season although at 34 there could be question marks over his fitness and whilst this deal,if it goes through, would be a gamble I think it’s a gamble worth taking.

Helped lead Brighton to the playoff semi-finals last season

The wing is a main issue that has to be addressed as it is a position we are lacking in dearly. Pace is what we are crying out for in this squad and last season with Paul Green,Ross McCormack, El Hadj Diouf and luke Varney often deployed on the wing and Ryan Hall who appears not to feature in McDermott’s plans. It appears we have no out-and-out wingers in the squad.

The contenders:

Gary Macaky-Steven  Dundee Utd

Personally for me we should make Mackay-Steven our number 1 transfer target this summer. A very pacey winger with outstanding natural ability who last season tore defences apart with his amazing ability to take defences on. If Brian can pull it off it could prove to be one of our best signings for at least a decade and could become a real cult hero at Elland Road. And with a valuation of around £750k-£1.2m it seems to be a no brainer. Brian if in the most unlikely case that you are reading this then my message to is PLEASE SIGN HIM!!!

 Here is a clip of him if u haven’t watched him before.

Mackay-Steven should be our number 1 transfer target

Tommy Rowe-Peterborough United

Brian McDermott is a well-known admirer of the versatile midfielder/winger and it was reported by Peterborough’s outspoken Director of Football,Barry Fry, that Leeds couldn’t afford him “I’ve had Brian McDermott (Leeds manager) on the phone about Tommy and I’ve also spoken to their chairman Ken Bates and their chief executive Shaun Harvey, but Leeds just don’t have enough money’. Although with Bates and Harvey now out of the club and Rowe who is very keen on a move to Elland Road. The deal could now could be resurrected and if signed could prove to a very good signing. He’s believed to be valued by Peterborough at between £500k-750k. 

Rowe,24, is keen on a move to Elland Road

Albert Adomah- Bristol City

Adomah in the last week has been heavily linked with a move to Elland Road and with Bristol city being relegated last season it looks like he could be set to leave. The very quick and tricky winger is also a reported transfer target for Wigan Athletic and Bristol City claimed they have in fact rejected 2 bids from unnamed Championship clubs.  Adomah would be a great signing for us and at 25 he still has his best years to come. His valuation is believed to be between £800k-1.2m which for a proven championship winger doesn’t seem unreasonable at all. 

The former Barnet man wants to leave Ashton Gate for pastures new

Chris Forrester-St patrick’s

The U21 Irish international has been heavily rumoured to be on the verge of signing us but in the last few days it seems like a move is unlikely despite photo’s of family and friends congratulating him on a move to Elland Road

Is it a wind up?

If it’s true that he is signing for us then we can expect a very exciting young player and at the age of 20 he could be with us for many years to come. And if he can replicate his form at St.Pats then he could be a very good signing!  

The 20-year-old won the Irish young player of the year 2012

Some fans still would like to see another striker come in and I also think if possible we should look at a prolific goalscorer. Adam le Fondre has been linked but his price seems to be too much. I think we should look at someone like Nahki Wells from Bradford city as he is young and showed last season in Bradford’s famous Capital One Cup run last season what a talent he is and with a valuation of around £500-750k he could be a real bargain. Although I’m all for giving Dom Poleon a real chance if another striker doesn’t come in because whilst he’s still raw, he has pace, is very powerful and doesn’t lack confidence. He’s a different style of striker to Varney,McCormack,Smith and Hunt.  

Wells,23, was a stand out performer at Bradford this season

Poleon,Could be set for a key role next season

Let’s hope a couple of these signings come off!!!

By,

James Frudd, follow my twitter @frudd28

What a week…

Monday 1st July 2013.

To many of us Leeds fans this date had been circled on the calendar since it was originally announced that Ken Bates would step down as chairman of the football club on this day. So, waking up on that day I felt pretty good that he wouldn’t be around anymore and that maybe as a club we could move forward and start a fresh chapter in our history, and oh boy did we get that! First came out the news that only Bates had officially gone but Shaun Harvey had also stepped down as CEO of the football club, 2 of the consistent names in the current misfortune of this football club that I have loved for 27 years. After reading these articles and continuing with my day I was beside myself when I saw that we had only gone out and paid actual money for a player, but we signed a very good player for £1,000,000. The very next day, we completed the signing of Noel Hunt, possibly the worst kept secret in football that he was joining us but we completed it none the less. Then today came my favourite news. I decided to check my Twitter account on my lunch break and saw a tweet from Phil Hay saying that Gwynn Williams was leaving the club! This for me is absolutely the best news, now the 3 horsemen of the apocalypse are completely gone and the club is free of the Bates era. I’m not entirely sure what Gwynn Williams job at the club was, other than cause a lot of trouble for past managers and from what those managers have said since leaving the club, it virtually points at the fact that he was Ken Bates’ bitch!

So, GFH this week have swept the club with a breath of fresh air, I couldn’t give them anymore credit this week, maybe, this was their plan all along, to simply wait for the Bates era to completely end and then take the club forward, do you guys agree with that?

So, what next?

Personally I would love to see a couple more players coming into the club and GFH really setting their stall out by keeping the likes of Sam Byram, Tom Less and Ross McCormack, and stop us from being a selling club, this would be the major step forward in my opinion.

Hunt joins McDermott’s army

The worst-kept secret of the Summer has finally been announced today, as Noel Hunt signed a two-year contract at Leeds United to become our third capture.

Hunt was signed by McDermott for £500,000 back in 2008, and ever since McD was appointed Leeds manager we’ve been linked with the Republic
Of Ireland international. He was out of contract at previous club Reading, and claimed once Leeds were interested there was only one option for him. On signing him the boss claimed his “his desire and determination, and never say die attitude” will engage the fans.

Hunt speaking with McDermott and Paddy Kenny.

I think this is the type of player we we’ve been missing for the last couple of seasons. Hopefully his energy and perseverance will rub on to the other players, and he will also chip in with plenty of goals.

In other news Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for last seasons player of the year, Sam Byram.

The 19 year-old stormed onto the scene last season with a string of great performances either at right-back or right-midfield. He is the one player who I don’t want really want to see leave Elland Road, but could we honestly turn down say £6 million for the lad? That could bring in four or five top quality Championship players if fully invested into the squad.

When asked on an apparent £3 million bid for Byram, McDermott replied with “for which boot”. This gives me faith that he’s not going to be sold, or at least not be sold on the cheap.

Is Positivity at last at Elland Road?

As Noel Hunt’s is on the brink of becoming Leeds’ 3rd signing of the summer and with Mr Bates drifting off into the sunset, Leeds signing a £1m player and GFH finally looking like they will back Brain McDermott. Is the sleeping giant finally going to be woken up?

Elland road set for better days?

It has been a dream last 48 hours for us Leeds fans and who would have thought it after the news on Friday that we had to sell to buy and with the departure of Steve Morison on a season long loan to Millwall, optimism wasn’t a word that could be associated with the majority of the Leeds United faithful.

‘Legend’ was how Neil Warnock described Morison, 3 goals in 16 appearances and he was the 1st major casualty of Brian Mcdermott’s reign

But the signing of Luke Murphy,23, for £1m, our first signing over a £1m since that of Richard Creswell from Preston North End way back in 2005, has now seemed to of created a cloud of positivity over Elland Road and quite rightly so too. Brian Mcdermott described Luke Murphy as the best player in league 1 and the fact that clubs like Wolves and Blackburn bid for Murphy whilst not to mention Swansea, Everton and Aston villa were all tracking the highly rated 23 year old shows how much of a coup this is for us. Mcdermott said it was a significant signing and showed the clubs ‘intent’ and he’s not far wrong there. Murphy is a classy midfielder who played over 100 games for his hometown club Crewe Alexandra and also went onto captain the Lancashire based side. He can create goals and score goals and this was something we were evidently lacking last season,with his cultured style of playing and with the combative style of Rudy Austin alongside him it seems we have a great balance in midfield and also early as it may seem it looks as if finally we have replaced Johnny Howson. Murphy is certainly a player of quality and a player we should all be excited to watch next season.

A delighted Luke Murphy pictured here with his Leeds shirt after completing his £1m move from Crewe

Matt Smith also joined the club and was our 1st signing of the summer. His signing has somewhat divided opinion between Leeds fans and with the 6ft6 strikers somewhat modest goal record at Oldham its easy to see why.But on abrighter note I think the giant striker certainly will give us something different up top and Will help fill the void left by Steve Morison and could complement Ross McCormack very well. As I mentioned earlier whilst his goal scoring record is questionable,14 goals in 75 games at Oldham Athletic, his overall contribution to the team and with his work rate shown at Oldham , it could turn out to be a very shrewd acquisition by Mcdermott. I just hope we give him time to settle in and not judge him too quickly. But he certianly has some section of the fans to win over for sure.

Can he win some fans over? here pictured after scoring against Liverpool in the fa cup 4th round

The imminent signing of Noel Hunt on a free transfer from Reading will add depth to our Attacking options which already boasts the likes of Ross McCormack, Matt Smith, Dom Poleon, Luke Varney and El Hadj Diouf. Whilst like Matt smith his goalscoring record is rather modest, 33 goals in 145 matches, he is a player who Brian Mcdermott knows all about,having managed him at Reading, and his willingness to work for the team and his unselfish play could prove to be invaluable for us next year and it gives us another alternative to our other strikers. He is a very good replacement for Steve Morison as he is a player who will give it 100% unlike a certain Mr Morison. Another savvy piece of business from Mcdermott I think and no doubt he’ll very quickly become a fans favourite due to his willingness to play for the club and to give it his all every match.

Noel Hunt’s signing is imminent

With Mr Bates finally not in control of the club and GFH’s signal of intent over this last 24 hours, if we can keep onto our key assets,Sam Byram, Tom Lees and Ross McCormack in particular alongside a new winger and a centre back,rumoured to be Matt Mills from Bolton Wanderers, it could prove to be a very good season for Brain and the lads!

Bates is finally OUT!!

Lets stay positive and hope more good news is on the horizon, lets trust Brian and GFH to get the required players in and lets back our new signings!!!
MOT

Good things come to those who wait

8 tortuous year of Ken Bates’ reign as Leeds United chairman came to an end today as Leeds United announced a new chairman. In addition to the chairman Leeds also agreed a deal to sign Crewe captain Luke Murphy on a 3 year deal.

Salah Nooruddin was announced as our chairman today after the transitional period ended from GFH Capital’s takeover of Leeds United. Salah was appointed vice chairman in may, which gave hints it would be him to succeed Ken on the 1st of July. Another wonderful piece of news came when it broke that Shaun Harvey was to step down as Leeds’ CEO and David Haigh was to step up from director to Managing Director. Which shows GFH Capital’s intentions start a new life for the club.

In other great news today Luke Murphy made the switch from Crewe to Leeds, signing a 3 year deal. This signing is significant as it is the first time Leeds have paid over £1 million for a player in over 7 years. As well as paying over £1 million the signing of Luke Murphy also shows intent from the board and the manager. Murphy played nearly 200 times for Crewe and captained the side to the JPT last season.

After what has been the best day for Leeds United for a very long it is finally time to say the giant is awakening.

Leeds bid for Murphy?

According to BBC Leeds, Leeds United have submitted a seven figure bid for Crewe’s Luke Murphy.

The 23-year-old midfielder from Crewe is proving to be in demand this summer, with Wolves and Blackburn already having had bids accepted by Crewe.  It is now down to him who he joins out of the three clubs, if Crewe do accept Leeds’ offer.

Murphy is typically a defensive midfielder but also creates chances. I think this is just the kind of player we should be looking at, young with great potential. Beats Neil Warnock’s signings that’s for sure.

Hopefully he chooses Leeds over Blackburn and Wolves. If we do sign him this will bring some much-needed positivity to the club and hopefully mean that we’ve got some investment that will take us forward.

. Update: Luke Murphy is having a medical at Thorp Arch at 10 am this morning (Monday 1st of July) and barring any late twists, he should be a leeds united player.

The big Steve Morison mystery

If we are all to believe the papers and the rumour mill then Steve Morison is set to return to Millwall on a year long loan, posing the question, why? I just don’t understand the thinking behind this, I mean, he did have a poor start with Leeds United but to completely write off a player who came in midway through the season after not playing at all for Norwich last season is crazy in my opinion. Okay, if we have to sell players to get players in then I would rather lose him than Sam Byram or Ross McCormack. But, another reason why this is deal is so strange is that we are loaning him out! If he doesn’t figure in McDermott’s plans then why don’t we sell him?

The rumours are that we are offloading Morison to bring in Noel Hunt, is this just a massive sidestep? He’s certainly no better than a fit Steve Morison. I’m not saying that Morison is brilliant and I’m certainly not defending his lacklustre performances last season but I actually thought he would go onto have a better season this season. With a whole pre season and a full season of games he should have been much more effective.

What do you think about this deal? Let us know your opinions.

Pre season and Leeds united

So the players are back finally and there is already negativity from the fans. Hardly surprising when the Manager says he’s going to have to sell to bring players in. This instantly sets off alarm bells of past years, the sales of Snodgrass, Gradel etc. McDermott says that he may need to sell to buy players, which members of Leeds United’s squad have good value? Sam Byram is the only stand out candidate. A lot of Leeds fans will say if we sell him then it’s same old same old and we’re showing no ambition but think about the other side of it. If we sold Sam Byram for £8m and it got put back into the team would you accept it? I know I would.

However from the outside right know it just looks as bleak as it has done for the past few years, no money or ambition. The only things that have changed this year from last are that Ken Bates is no longer in charge, a massive bonus and Brian McDermott. I heard all the stories this morning about us having no money etc and felt as disappointed as anyone. Then I turned on Yorkshire Radio and heard Thom Kirwin interviewing McDermott, it instantly made me feel more positive about the season ahead. Brian is a great motivator and sounded like he was really looking forward to the task ahead.

I think McDermott could still make some very good signings and the season ahead could still be a success, we shouldn’t be expecting instant success in the terms of promotion. As for the rumours of new ownership AGAIN I think the best thing to do is to let them get on with it until it happens. Remember how bad the atmosphere’s were at Elland Road when all you could hear was “Bates Out”? We don’t want that again with something like “GFH Out”. The players really need the fans support and it makes Elland Road a lot tougher place to come and get points for opposition sides.

The latest rumour is that Steve Morison could be going out on loan, I’m not sure if this would be good for Leeds or not. Getting rid of his high wages would be good but I can’t help think he could be good this season for us. Also if we are struggling to bring players in I’m not sure we should let players that we could use leave.

McDermott also said he had a verbal agreement with a player for them to become our second signing that should be done next week, all signs point towards it being Noel Hunt.

Squad review 2013/2014

We all know that as a team, we’re nowhere near good enough to challenge for a play-off place, let alone a top two spot. The majority of players signed by Neil Warnock aren’t even good enough to fit in a top half Championship side. But then again, I believe – despite them under achieving – we have a few (yes, only a few) decent players that do it the criteria Brian McDermott wants for the season ahead. In this article I’ll go through our squad and give my opinion on whether they’re good enough to stay at Leeds United ahead of an important season.

Paddy Kenny – When Warnock signed him, he said he was the best keeper in the Premiership let alone the Championship. Ever present in the league last season, Kenny made the odd mistake but who didn’t? Overall he was pretty solid. He kept us in plenty of games. I would definitely keep him ahead of next season and I think Brian will.

Lee Peltier – Lee was made captain when he joined late in the transfer window. He looked very shaky at the start of the season, especially when playing at left-back. He had come in for plenty of abuse with many fans blaming the captaincy, thinking it was too much pressure on him. As the season went on he was moved to centre-back and he majorly improved forming a decent alongside Tom Lees. Another player I would keep, but not as captain. Good enough back-up for Sam Byram, and adequate to fill in at centre-back when needed.

Adam Drury – We didn’t see a lot of Drury, to be honest. His appearances were limited under Warnock as he continued to persevere with Lee Peltier. Then in January we signed Stephen Warnock, and he was very solid! Was part of Norwich’s promotion side, but he’s getting on a bit now. I expect him to see out his contract at Elland Road without being a regular in the first-team.

Tom Lees – Another decent season for one of United’s youth product. He was solid enough to keep his place whilst Jason Pearce and Lee Peltier had to fight for the other central defensive spot. Young and still improving, Lees will definitely be at Elland Road next season.

Jason Pearce – Looked alright at the start of the season, but you couldn’t help but notice how he panicked on the ball, even under no real pressure. The amount of times he just hoofed it straight out of play or straight back to the opposition. He was asking for the fans to moan, really. He will probably stay at Elland Road but I am hoping we bring in another defender, someone like Alex Pearce.

Paul Green – I was rather excited when we signed Green last Summer, i really rated him at this level. Looked good against Wolves until he went off injured. He returned at the end of October. Green played relatively well out of position on the right-wing, he himself probably knowing we lacked the pace needed to hit teams hard on the sides. When McDermott came to Leeds he played Green as a holding midfielder in a diamond formation. He flourished in my opinion, picking the ball up from the back four, starting off the majority of our attacking moves. On a personal note I hope he stays because as I said I really rate him at this level.

Rodolph Austin – Really hyped up when he signed for the Whites, his YouTube videos showed us he was a box-to-box tiger in the midfield. He started well but then as the season went on, you could tell he was getting tired, injury probably played a part in that, as well as the fact he’d played near enough every week since January. Hopefully he gets a break in the Summer and comes back refreshed and raring to go.

Steve Morison – Little game time at Norwich was probably the main reason why he looked unfit at Leeds. I’m hoping that once he plays a full pre-season he’ll come back stronger. I’ll reserve judgement on our number 9 until then.

Luke Varney – Suffered a lot of abuse from fans in the first half of the season. Was a lot better as a player towards the end, his goal against Spurs in the FA Cup showed he has some kind of quality. Has good quality in the air, something he showed against Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road. Decent enough as a squad player, his best position is definitely up front.

Jamie Ashdown – Was very good back-up to Paddy Kenny in goal for Leeds. He put in some great performances in the cups, performances that had the fans wanting him to play in the league. I expect him to stay ahead of next season, that’s the position where we don’t probably need improvement.

Aidy White – Hasn’t played much this season, I don’t think he’s good enough for this level. He’s a half decent left back but Stephen Warnock is much better in my opinion. Will be good back-up for a few years but I reckon he will end up in League One. I don’t rate him as a left-winger either.

Stephen Warnock – Signed in January from Aston Villa, a great signing in my opinion. Easily good enough at this level, and probably at a bottom of the table Premiership side. Again another position where we don’t really need to sign anyone.

Danny Pugh – Useless. The only word I can use to describe him. Spent time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, I expect him to leave the club in the Summer.

Michael Brown – Not sure if we’ve taken the option of the one-year extension, hopefully not. I just don’t like him. We brought him on to shore up the midfield but we lost more points when he came on the field. Hopefully he’s either gone in the summer or is nowhere near the first team.

Michael Tonge – Getting on a bit now, had a decent season at Leeds. His goal against Sheff Wednesday was a real highlight! I’d probably keep him on as a squad player but we really do need a young, quality playmaker to sit in that midfield. Maybe 5 years ago Tonge could’ve done that job.

David Norris – Like Green, I was happy when we signed Norris. Getting on a bit but he kept it simple in the midfield, picking it up and passing it on. Again, I’d probably keep him as back-up.

El-Hadji Diouf – There was plenty of controversy surrounding the signing of Diouf in the Summer. He turned the majority of fans’ opinions round though. His quality on the ball really showed. His composure helped the whole squad at times in games. Would definitely keep him, along with McCormack probably the only players who can play in the ‘hole’.

Sam Byram – What can you say about this lad? What a first season in professional football he has had. By far our best player whether it was at right-back or right-midfield. Scored a few goals and created plenty of chances, along with solidarity at the back. Going to be a big player in the future, hopefully with Leeds.

Dominic Poleon – In my opinion Poleon is the of the most exciting prospects at Elland road along with Byram and Lees, he showed what he can do against Watford on the final day of last season. He is a strong lad even though he isn’t the tallest. His main attributes are power and pace, exactly what Leeds need. I think he will be a very important player around the squad next season if he comes back fit.

Ryan Hall – Hall is a difficult one, he was signed under Warnock as “One for the future.” At 25 he should be in his prime! He hardly played enough to be judged but when he did he looked average except for half an hour away to Huddersfield, earning two assists. Maybe there is more to come from him but right now he doesn’t seem good enough, I wouldn’t be surprised if he moved on.

Chris Dawson – We’ve seen one appearance against Derby County, where the young lad did quite well. Hopefully he’s going to be involved more next season. His performances for the under 18’s have given us all high hopes for the future.

Ross McCormack – Got to keep him. Without a doubt our best player technically. Played in an average squad last season, hopefully it’ll be different this year and he’ll play alongside players who are equal in terms of quality.

So overall the majority of players are only good enough to be squad players at this level. McCormack, Byram, Diouf, Kenny and maybe Morison would probably slot into any Championship side. But we definitely need improvements and hopefully GFH are there to back McDermott and bring the players he wants to build a squad capable of a top two finish. A new commanding centre-back, a playmaker in the midfield, two new wingers who can get behind a full-back and deliver a cross, and another striker.