Fairplay to Leeds

AndyG

Leeds Utd would not be one of my favourite teams but I have to give them their dues. They have been comfortable in the 1st season in the Premiership and although I hate to admit it have played some really entertaining football. I thought they might struggle but not at all. Plus they havent gone on a mental spending spree. Shows what a club can do with a good manager and overall set up. I hope we are on the road to follow their example

Cafc43v3r

AndyG said:

Leeds Utd would not be one of my favourite teams but I have to give them their dues. They have been comfortable in the 1st season in the Premiership and although I hate to admit it have played some really entertaining football. I thought they might struggle but not at all. Plus they havent gone on a mental spending spree. Shows what a club can do with a good manager and overall set up. I hope we are on the road to follow their example

They have done well and are great to watch.

Says a lot when £95 million isn't seen as a mental spending spree mind. 

AndyG

Yep it does mate. That's football for you 

AFKABartram

Yeah, cracking side to watch.

Probably turn out they’ve all got TUEs and supplementing more than a Holland & Barrett store 

AFKABartram

I expect them to struggle next year though unless they have a big squad overhaul

ShootersHillGuru

I think their fall from grace and time spent outside the Premier League have been a bit of an education and salutary lesson for the club and fans. Certainly the vibe I get living near Leeds is that they are very lucky to have Bielsa and are happy that the team is settled and not just a bunch of mercenaries. You don’t realise just how big a club Leeds United is until you live in the area. I don’t get the Berti big bollox attitude you get with Sheffield Wednesday.

ricky_otto

AFKABartram said:

I expect them to struggle next year though unless they have a big squad overhaul

Depends if they keep hold of Bielsa - he’s the key at that club. 

Cafc43v3r

ShootersHillGuru said:

I think their fall from grace and time spent outside the Premier League have been a bit of an education and salutary lesson for the club and fans. Certainly the vibe I get living near Leeds is that they are very lucky to have Bielsa and are happy that the team is settled and not just a bunch of mercenaries. You don’t realise just how big a club Leeds United is until you live in the area. I don’t get the Berti big bollox attitude you get with Sheffield Wednesday.

I have never seen the cable and telephone boxes you get at the street painted in team colours as regularly as I do in Leeds.  

Cafc43v3r

AFKABartram said:

Yeah, cracking side to watch.

Probably turn out they’ve all got TUEs and supplementing more than a Holland & Barrett store 

Funny enough they all seem to develop asthma after a year.  I am sure it's a side effect of the physical training, just as it is with all the cyclists........

Bedsaddick

They will always be Dirty Leeds to me. 

killerandflash

What's impressed me is the number of their players who stepped up from the Championship and looked comfortable in the PL

thai malaysia addick

Bedsaddick said:

They will always be Dirty Leeds to me. 

Or, nasty Leeds

AFKABartram

ricky_otto said:

AFKABartram said:

I expect them to struggle next year though unless they have a big squad overhaul

Depends if they keep hold of Bielsa - he’s the key at that club. 

I don’t think it makes a difference imo. They play with a level of fitness above others in their league. I see that as being sustainable for roughly two seasons before the players injure or burn out. 

AndyG

killerandflash said:

What's impressed me is the number of their players who stepped up from the Championship and looked comfortable in the PL

That is what I was trying to say mate. They went up and mainly stuck with the players from the promotion team. Alot of teams spend big when they go up but struggle and come back down

AndyG

I'm hoping to see us sign players this window that can get us promotion and hold their own in the championship so we dont have another major rebuild next year

Cafc43v3r

AFKABartram said:

ricky_otto said:

AFKABartram said:

I expect them to struggle next year though unless they have a big squad overhaul

Depends if they keep hold of Bielsa - he’s the key at that club. 

I don’t think it makes a difference imo. They play with a level of fitness above others in their league. I see that as being sustainable for roughly two seasons before the players injure or burn out. 

Last season was pretty much the first team any Bielsa team, not just Leeds, didn't blow up.  They were worthy champions but the break did help them.

Of course I can say that because I am not a female TV pundit.  She was right. 

Karim_myBagheri

sickening.

cant stand Leeds but they have certainly since Bielsa has been in charged played some great attacking football with loads of pressure on the opposition team. hope he leaves and they fall apart again. 

MStuartPerm

I wish they had finished bottom without a point. Part of the group of creditors who issued the winding up order against us in 84. 

Additionally, I work with a very smug Leeds supporter who disappeared when we beat them 1-0 (not that I say anything I never do when we win games against teams as I know keeping quiet annoys people even more and it always comes back and bites you on the Arse). He was online and emailing within 5 minutes of them beating 4-0. 

Once I knew they weren't getting relegated I lost interest in the premier league. 

ValleyGary

Don’t particularly like Leeds but enjoy watching Bamford and Stuart Dallas is the most underrated player in the Premier League.

AddickUpNorth

I despise Leeds more than I do Millwall or even Palace. Yep, I said it and I don’t give a rats ass what anyone thinks.

Leroy Ambrose

Cafc43v3r said:

AFKABartram said:

Yeah, cracking side to watch.

Probably turn out they’ve all got TUEs and supplementing more than a Holland & Barrett store 

Funny enough they all seem to develop asthma after a year.  I am sure it's a side effect of the physical training, just as it is with all the cyclists........

Sigh. There is nothing in asthma inhalers that is performance enhancing. Salbutamol has been proven time and time again to provide zero in the way of performance enhancement (hence the categorisation of it as a 'regulated' substance - similar to caffeine, rather than a 'banned' substance - such as EPO). And plenty of research to suggest that there is indeed a link between elite athletic performance and the development of adult asthma. If you want to look at something where abuse is absolutely rife, look at cortisone (banned in cycling, but commonplace in football, rugby and most other sports), or microdosing of steroids and EPO (both rife in rugby, and no doubt in football - though completely ignored by a complicit media who know which side their bread is buttered on)

Don't let any of that get in the way of a good old jibe at cycling though, eh?

Uboat

AFKABartram said:

ricky_otto said:

AFKABartram said:

I expect them to struggle next year though unless they have a big squad overhaul

Depends if they keep hold of Bielsa - he’s the key at that club. 

I don’t think it makes a difference imo. They play with a level of fitness above others in their league. I see that as being sustainable for roughly two seasons before the players injure or burn out. 

From chatting to Leeds fans they think he’s an absolute miracle worker. He’s transformed a lot of those players in a way that goes well beyond fitness. 

aliwibble

AddickUpNorth said:

I despise Leeds more than I do Millwall or even Palace. Yep, I said it and I don’t give a rats ass what anyone thinks.

I wouldn't go that far, but nah, sod 'em.

Chris_from_Sidcup

Cafc43v3r said:

AFKABartram said:

ricky_otto said:

AFKABartram said:

I expect them to struggle next year though unless they have a big squad overhaul

Depends if they keep hold of Bielsa - he’s the key at that club. 

I don’t think it makes a difference imo. They play with a level of fitness above others in their league. I see that as being sustainable for roughly two seasons before the players injure or burn out. 

Last season was pretty much the first team any Bielsa team, not just Leeds, didn't blow up.  They were worthy champions but the break did help them.

Of course I can say that because I am not a female TV pundit.  She was right. 

So how do you explain this season then? 1 defeat in their last 9 at the tail end of the season, including draws with Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea and a win over City.

Chris_from_Sidcup

Uboat said:

AFKABartram said:

ricky_otto said:

AFKABartram said:

I expect them to struggle next year though unless they have a big squad overhaul

Depends if they keep hold of Bielsa - he’s the key at that club. 

I don’t think it makes a difference imo. They play with a level of fitness above others in their league. I see that as being sustainable for roughly two seasons before the players injure or burn out. 

From chatting to Leeds fans they think he’s an absolute miracle worker. He’s transformed a lot of those players in a way that goes well beyond fitness. 

This is what Guardiola said about Bielsa:

"My admiration for Marcelo is huge because he makes the players much, much better. Still, I didn't meet one guy, a former player who speaks no good about him. They are grateful about his influence on their careers in football"

soapy_jones

The words fair and Leeds should never appear in the same sentance BUT been impressed by their efforts.

Henry Irving

Leko

'nuff said

Cafc43v3r

Leroy Ambrose said:

Cafc43v3r said:

AFKABartram said:

Yeah, cracking side to watch.

Probably turn out they’ve all got TUEs and supplementing more than a Holland & Barrett store 

Funny enough they all seem to develop asthma after a year.  I am sure it's a side effect of the physical training, just as it is with all the cyclists........

Sigh. There is nothing in asthma inhalers that is performance enhancing. Salbutamol has been proven time and time again to provide zero in the way of performance enhancement (hence the categorisation of it as a 'regulated' substance - similar to caffeine, rather than a 'banned' substance - such as EPO). And plenty of research to suggest that there is indeed a link between elite athletic performance and the development of adult asthma. If you want to look at something where abuse is absolutely rife, look at cortisone (banned in cycling, but commonplace in football, rugby and most other sports), or microdosing of steroids and EPO (both rife in rugby, and no doubt in football - though completely ignored by a complicit media who know which side their bread is buttered on)

Don't let any of that get in the way of a good old jibe at cycling though, eh?

I know there is that's why I said it.   Anyone that thinks football is clean needs to give their head a wobble.  It wasn't a jibe at cycling, if anything it was a jibe at anyone that thinks football is clean.

Cortisone is common in all sports, even cycling (or it certainly was), if you have got enough money, you can get TUE.   And funny enough, as you know, one of the main uses of corticosteroids is to treat rispority conditions, including asthma.  The big difference in football and rugby is you can provide the TUE retrospectively after a drug test. 

ValleyGary

Their translator should win a special award.

SheffieldRed

Who was the club that tried to put Charlton out of business in the 80’s....

charltonbob

SheffieldRed said:

Who was the club that tried to put Charlton out of business in the 80’s....

Leeds & palarse I believe although palarse did it at the same time as saving us from going bust apparently