Continuity or bust – the Calypso blueprint for success

With three games behind us, Leeds fans have been exposed to the customary extreme highs and lows yet again. Disappointment at The Den followed by jubilation against our Yorkshire rivals on Saturday and an almost embarrassing defeat at the hands of Brighton on Tuesday night perfectly epitomises our inability to gain momentum. Consistently inconsistent once again, the need for some kind of prolonged, predictable form yielding good results and points continues to escape us. We at LUFC Calypso feel that only when we achieve this will a season of success await us, at this level and onwards.

After a quite frankly worrying opening day defeat at the hands of Millwall, fans can hardly be blamed for adopting such a negative outlook. However, 3 good signings and a home win against Middlesboro turned a fan base fearing for the worst to a group of speculative dreamers. This proved to be a minor blip as once again getting turned over at home on a Tuesday night was evidently too much to handle. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to establish that consistent results and acknowledging our strongest starting eleven is crucial in mounting a season that doesn’t end in a relegation battle. Dave ‘The Hock’ Hockaday has frequently mentioned the need for competition for places, and I do agree with this, but making changes for the sake of changes seems pointless. The much criticised midfield cohort needs stripping back, ousting anyone not good enough and developing those that are. The likes of Dawson, Mowatt and Cook either need the chance to establish themselves or told that this season has come a year too soon for them. Personally, the form of Murphy and Austin in particular is crying out for their replacement, giving them the reality check they need whilst also giving our young, homegrown talent the chance to prosper. Whether The Hock has the tactical nous, the bottle or the authority to go for such a strategy remains unclear, and I do appreciate that managing Leeds United from my sofa seems a lot simpler that it will be in reality. Even so, it’s time for Hockaday to stamp his authority on this squad whilst he still can.

Consistency off the field seems to be on the horizon, but you can’t help that feel that there might be more than meets the eye. Cellino is a complete enigma, impossible to predict or rely upon, but faith in his regime will remain until the wheels start to come off from our end. Financial stability and an endurable atmosphere must be created, and from the outside we as fans have no idea on either spectrum. High profile bust ups and fall outs have got to be a thing of the past, but I fear that Cellino’s confrontational nature will make that almost impossible. Managers with greater pedigree and respect in the game have come and gone in recent years, seeing their respective owners causing more drama than an evening down Walford high street. Ultimately this has proven too much for managers considered being up to the challenge, and although currently The Hock seems relaxed and unflustered, the cracks may begin to emerge. If this is the case, and the home dugout is graced by 2 or 3 managers every season, Cellino may well be navigating us towards self-destruction.

Our message for Cellino is simple – work out a formula to achieve success and see it through. Change it up too much and we’re asking for trouble. Tinkering and ensuring tactics do not become stale is absolutely necessary, but above all playing our strongest XI and giving a coach you trust time to stamp his authority is paramount. Oh, and no black current squash, purple or the number 17, but that’s a given.

A Calypso Season Preview

It’s that time again. With the national team filling our hearts with the barrage of depression and fury, it’s time to turn our attention back to Leeds United. The summer break has seen the wholesale changes that many fans had called for, with the squad, manager and everything in between seeming to have been completely revamped. As our perennial charge for promotion, or rather the inevitable attempt to avoid relegation, starts once again tomorrow lunchtime, we at @LUFC_Calypso took some time to access the changes at Elland Rd, casting our verdict on the season ahead.

The Manager:

Dubbed as the next Jose Mourinho by absolutely nobody in footballing history, Dave Hockaday’s appointment hardly made the United faithful jump out of their skin with excitement. Allegedly on roughly 10% of Brian McDermott’s 750k salary, it is clear to see strategy that the club president has taken. Thus, when it comes to making some kind of profound statement about the enigma that is ‘The Hock’, it proves to be very difficult indeed. At the end of the day, Hockaday is a man who knows a bit about football, so that helps. He’s not fancy, doesn’t interview particularly well, and has about as much charisma as Phil Neville in co-commentary, but he might just fit the bill for the direction we seem to be heading in. Who knows what direction that might be, but for now, our best bet is to sit tight and see how he fairs. If he fails in our first 5-10 games, I fear he’ll be handed his P45 in what will feel like a blink of an eye. That’s Cellino; that’s football.

The President:

Massimo Cellino has already left an indelible mark on our illustrious club. Rumours of banning black current cordial, the colour purple and the number 17 epitomise the barmy, seemingly uncalculated strategy that the Italian possesses. Although Cellino does seem to be issuing false promises from time to time, I do feel that his intentions are ultimately good. He’s going to make a lot of mistakes, undoubtedly, but he might just make the occasional masterstroke. Financial stability and a ruthless streak are two commodities that haven’t been seen round our parts for an awfully long time, so to see these return to the fore is surely a good sign. Just how crazy the man is remains to be seen, but much like Hockaday’s situation, we can only buckle up and prepare for the bumpy ride. Regardless of the outcomes, there’s no doubt in my mind that this season will be an exciting one, and there’s something to be said for that.

The Squad:

First things first, the removal of the periphery, or ‘deadwood’, players is a hugely encouraging sign. The likes of Peltier, Pugh, Lees, Brown, Drury etc. have all been sent packing, and for the most part I feel this is a positive step. Clearing out the emotionally scarred and habitual underachievers was integral in forming a squad capable of, one day, fighting for promotion, and barring the odd individual we have done that. Ross McCormack was always going to leave, and Cellino has made an absolute masterstroke in pushing for possibly 5x the value GFH would have sold him for, making his decision to sell more than justified.

In terms of incomings, this has been mostly positive. Silvestri looks a very decent keeper, and Stuart Taylor looks like a capable understudy in the absence of Jamie Ashdown. Berardi will be great competition for Byram, and may allow him to make the move to midfield that many of us have expected. Bianchi has shown some promise in the middle of the park, and may add the tempo and class that has been lacking a bit recently. Benedicic comes with the reputation of being a hot prospect for the future, and if he proves to be a goalscoring midfielder he’ll win over the Leeds faithful in no time. Doukara and Ajose have some work to do to overturn preconceptions, but I feel neither are ‘poor signings’. If, and I seriously mean if, we sign Sorensen, I’ll feel a whole lot better about our squad, but we desperately need a striker capable of 15-20 goals at this level and beyond. Who knows what will happen in the market from now, but the current crop of newbies seem more than capable.

The general tone is that we have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen. Nobody does. But I’m not THAT worried about going down, and I’m not hugely optimistic about our promotion chances (if we have any), but the black clouds of the GFH reign of stupidity seem a fair distance away at the moment. Good luck everyone, it’s going to be a mad one. 

A Calypso Season Review

For many Leeds fans, including us, the creeping ever closer of the summer that promises so much provides a sense of childish giddiness.  The expected flurry of exports added to the mystery surrounding the inevitable Cellino ‘stamp’ on the current squad makes for excellent viewing and potentially a slightly improved chance of troubling the top of the table come May. Having said this, with the 2014/15 season put well and truly to bed, we at @LUFC_Calypso felt it best to first look back at our top 5 moments of an otherwise depressing season dominated by off-the-field sagas and unfathomably disappointing form on the pitch. Amongst the drivel that the United faithful endured for large parts of the season, it appears that there were 5 fairly positive things that occurred between August and May. Who knew?

1)  Ross McCormack

Unsurprisingly, this was the first thing that came to mind. Ross McCormack’s talismanic performances on the field combined with the emergence of leadership qualities that has allowed him to blossom in his increased role of authority has, all said and done, contributed to McCormack’s fantastic season. Certainly his best in a white shirt, McCormack’s rise to form has not gone unnoticed, unsurprisingly claiming all the awards available at the club, whilst also finding himself shortlisted for Championship Player of the Season and included in the Team of the Year. Whether he’ll be turning up for pre-season bright eyed and bushy tailed at Thorp Arch (when it’s re-opened) remains unclear, but we’re quietly confident that when he says he wishes to stay, he means it. Either way, a great season individually should be richly rewarded in some capacity, and for those groaning that he is simply a money grabbing footballer like many others, please don’t. Give him whatever money he wants and build a team around him. Simple.

2)      Leeds United 4 – 0 Birmingham City

Although it may appear petty to dedicated one our highlights of the season on a victory against a team who left it to the final minute of injury time to avoid relegation, we feel it was simply nice to watch our beloved team finally turn up for a televised football match. With Birmingham offering little more than 11 shadows to pass the ball around (or through) for 90 minutes, we showed the supremacy that we once used to inflict on significantly bigger fish in a significantly bigger pond. All the same, it made for one hell of an afternoon. This was made all the sweeter by completing the double over the very same lacklustre outfit towards the end of the season, one of two teams of which we were able to inflict such misery upon. Depressingly, it was just as entertaining watching the misery of others as it would be to see our own outfit performing to the best of our ability. Nevertheless, an undeniable highlight.

3)      Matt Smith

As alluded to in a previous article, Matt Smith has proven to be a shrewd signing and worthy of the affection the majority of Leeds fans have given him towards the back end of the season. Stepping up when many, including us, belittled his ability before a ball was kicked, Smith’s  goal scoring efforts in a turbulent season highlighted that his future may well be bright. Whether he has the ability to lead the line for a promotion winning side is still cast into considerable doubt, but he has been a silver lining to an otherwise darker than dark cloud. One of the few who always gave it all whenever called upon, he’s been fantastic and well worth a new deal.

4)      Farewell, David!

Initially seeming like our knight in shining armour, David Haigh soon became the pantomime villain that everyone loves to hate. Seeing his departure from the club along with the rest of his cronies left a faint smile on the faces of all fans, and GFH’s reign of terror could not have come to an end any sooner. Whether in time, his position as the scapegoat will be either glorified or proven wrong is anyone’s guess, yet his smarmy persona was never going to be a good fit in the long term, and we won’t lose any sleep fretting over his absence in footballing or financial matters at our club. Under Cellino, the club can at least hope for an improvement on the traumatic reign of his predecessors. One thing is for sure, we’re all in for an exciting, but let’s hope it ends in a plethora of  wasted champagne and the rightful earning of our return to the Match of the Day billing.

5)      Its over!

Sadly, the end of the season itself may well be the resounding highlight. Going against the otherwise positive attitude emitted in the rest of this article, perhaps it is best, given the procession of horrifying form and frequent saga exposure, to write this season off as transitory and see where we are come August.  Putting the weekly agony endured to one side for 90 odd days will surely prove the necessary remedy to mount the promotion push that we all hope for. Having said that, it’s World Cup year, so in the meantime buckle up and wait for penalties!

Put up or shut up - Cellino's strategy must start now

As another season of mediocrity comes to a close, Leeds fans cannot be blamed for looking forward to the summer that should hopefully see wholesale changed to the club from top to bottom.  With Cellino promising great things and a return to the standard of football we have come to hope for rather than expect, it cannot be disputed that these hugely important changes are needed with a degree of haste. With this in mind, we at @LUFC_Calypso feel that it is time for Cellino to nail his colours to the mast, making the changes that we need whilst maintaining complete transparency, the major criticism levelled at GFH Capital throughout their turbulent tenure at the top of the LUFC hierarchy.

First and foremost, the long term future of the manager must be sorted. Offering subtle hints with minimal stature in support of McDermott offers anything but transparency, and these cryptic clues hardly assure the fans that Cellino has a coherent strategy in place ready to implement immediately. With fans still seemingly divided on McDermott, one thing that all fans will agree on is that Cellino must either back him or sack him. McDermott must either be given the level of finance to fund moves for players of a similar ilk those joining in January (ie Jack Butland and Connor Wickham), or this privilege must be given to the man considered the long term leader of our promotion push. Whether Cellino feels McDermott has got what it takes to bring this club back to the big time remains to be seen, but the on-field strategy must be based around a stable managerial selection.

Next, Cellino’s lofty ambitions to buy back the stadium. Cellino has got his work cut out to sort the financial turmoil that the club has been plunged into by David Haigh and his cronies, and buying back the stadium may be one way to do so. Loan payments are sending our finances into a spiral of financial disorder, and it goes without saying that this must be sorted as quickly as possible. In terms of future strategy, we cannot continue to be dragged through the mud and barely making ends meet. Our wage will this season is the 4^th largest in the division, and the largest of those not receiving parachute payments of some kind, and for a club sitting in 16^th this is absolute madness. Supposed reports of Noel Hunt’s £25k a week salary outed this season really highlight the strategy that Cellino’s United should avoid at all costs. True or otherwise, I’m sure that he will.

Finally, the current crop of underachievers needs tearing limb from limb. Despite improved form in recent weeks, this pleasant surprise doesn’t even remotely make up for months of poor performances and results alike. With a whole host of players out of contract in the next 12 months, United fans en masse are hoping that Cellino’s intentions to dismantle this group beyond recognition is put into practice. On this subject, it goes without saying that the major success story of this frustrating campaign has been our talisman Ross McCormack, and with fresh interest in our star striker almost inevitable over the summer it is time for Cellino to show his real intentions. Sell our best player this summer and there is nothing to base our promotion aspiring squad around. The situation is crystal clear to me, but I’m less convinced it will be to Massimo Cellino.

For Cellino, it is time to ‘put your money where your mouth is’ and start acting on the methodical strategy that our club so desperately craves. For now, it’s time to sit back and wait for the magic to happen. 

The calm before the storm: Cellino’s United

Despite notching up another defeat at the weekend to extend our horrific run of form, the Leeds faithful have finally been rewarded with some promising news. Bar dotting the Is and crossing the Ts, Massimo Cellino has seemingly overcome the firm hand of the Football League, at least for now, and Brian McDermott and his squad can finally focus on playing football for a change. Whether you’re a fan of Cellino’s or not, it is undeniable that this was the best possible outcome from an uncertain situation, and with administration kept at bay, this turn of events will almost bring with it some financial benefits. However, we at @LUFC_Calypso feel that the changes will be more noticeable in other areas, and Cellino’s successful acquisition will allow the Italian to make his mark in more ways than one.

McDermott: The hugely disappointing form displayed from a team lacking confidence, desire and skill to name a few attributes may well cost McDermott his job. Floundering in the bottom half, and looking over our shoulders rather than up the table yet again, a large proportion of Leeds fans have seen enough. Continuing with baffling tactical displays, it appears that no amount of chopping and changing can improve the fortunes of his lacklustre squad, and it remains to be seen whether Cellino’s patience will run out. Speaking on Sky Sports earlier, he insisted that Brian will be given the chance to make amends, but one thing is for sure; if Cellino feels a change is necessary, he will not hesitate (just ask departing Cagliari boss Diego Lopez). For us, it’s a question of when and not if. However, despite continued speculation about McDermott’s future and his eagerness to sack him before even taking ownership on that fateful night in January, the two seem to have built up some kind of rapport. In terms of a potential replacement, many suspect that Gianfranco Zola may be being lined up as a replacement, with the two Italians working together at Cagliari in previous years. However, @LeedsUnitedIta has highlighted their inability to see eye-to-eye (Cellino refused to offer Zola an extension to his contract while playing at Cagliari), and this may not be the match made in heaven we all thought it might be. Watch this space.

The Squad: It is with no amount of hesitancy whatsoever that Cellino will tear this gutless squad limb from limb come the summer. Drunken rants down the phone to White Leeds Radio last month proved that Cellino is well aware of a fact that Leeds fans have known for months – our squad simply does not cut it at this level. McDermott or otherwise, we fully expect plenty of incomings and even more outgoings this summer, and you can’t help but feel that the squad of 2014/15 will have a much greater European feel to it. Despite his continental persuasion, the highly entertaining yet controversial “interview” with WLR seemed to suggest that Cellino was looking for young, English internationals, yet whether that will be possible is another story. Either way, we fully expect to see the deadwood, underachievers of our squad shipped on quickly and unceremoniously. In other words, don’t expect a Michael Brown testimonial.

David Haigh: Already the subject of intense speculation, we cannot see the Cellino-Haigh relationship standing the test of time whatsoever. Again, through the phone call with White Leeds Radio, Cellino made his feelings perfectly clear, describing him as the devil amongst other things. With Haigh now becoming the Chief Executive until the end of the season at the least, it would come as no surprise to see Haigh instantly removed and crawling back to the teat of GFH Capital with his tail between his legs. This would only increase Cellino’s approval rating as GFH continue to be eaten alive by the United fans on social media.

It doesn’t take a genius to uncover the general trend of Cellino’s predicted actions. Mr Cellino’s cutthroat stance towards all aspects of a football club may well precede him, yet it appears that to all intents and purposes, Cellino will instigate wholesale changes to the club, changes that will be viewed by the majority as absolutely necessary. The shambles that GFH have created off the field is in desperate need of alteration, and Cellino is certainly the man for the job. In terms of the on-field disappointment, the role of Brian McDermott still seems to split opinion. Only time will tell on that front.

Before we let ourselves dream of landmark signings and half-time calzones, let’s see if we can try and win a football match first.

As always, we would love to hear your feedback and opinions on our article – follow and tweet us at @LUFC_Calypso to join the debate!

Judgement Day - reflections on a turbulent day at Leeds United

As the Leeds fans en masse waited with bated breath, the news that we had all expected was confirmed, seemingly putting an end to Mr Cellino’s agonisingly slow and dubious takeover. With fans taking to Twitter to bemoan a lack of transparency from the club and urgency from the Football League, the clouds are seemingly rolling in to spell more times of despair ahead for the club we all love so dearly. To add to the ludicrous state of affairs , the departure of hot prospect Connor Wickham combined with the Neil Warnock ‘hokey cokey’  that saw him imminently placed to take charge at Forest, only for a breakdown in negotiations. We at @LUFC_Calypso reflect on another up-and-down day in our never-ending pursuit of some kind of normality.

The inevitable rejection of Massimo Cellino’s takeover that was confirmed this morning can be looked at it two ways. On the one hand, the impending doom that may well catch up with us sooner rather than later has left a sizeable chunk of United fans anxious to say the least, and with murmurs of administration and another tedious season in League One starting to be at least a possibility, who could blame them. However, it has to be said that despite Cellino seeming to be the lesser of two evils, his dirtied hands approach is certainly something that, in an ideal scenario, would be avoided at all costs. I am the first to admit that these circumstances are far from ideal, but hope springs eternal with the farfetched idea of an honest and wealthy financial backer making him or herself known, so perhaps it is best to consider this a near miss rather than a disastrous disappointment. Provided ‘Beeston Dave’ Haigh has stuck to his word, the financial security of the club is not in immediate jeopardy, so who knows what will come of our club once we are finally rid of the GFH Capital shackles that have left us fans in a state of semi-permanent rage.

Moving on from the Cellino debacle, it is a great shame to see Connor Wickham recalled to parent club Sunderland. Despite the more pessimistic amongst us, it does appear that former United comrade and now Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has recalled him for footballing reasons, and not through request by us due to financial impoverishment. Although he failed to replicate the scoring form he showed at rival club Sheffield Wednesday, it is hard to criticise him given the form of this team-mates and the few performances he made, never mind his ousting to the wing for his final few appearances. Ever the optimists, fellow forward Matt Smith seems to have re-kindled his form, and perhaps he can really stamp his authority on the starting XI and turn a good first season into an excellent one. This current squad is crying out for someone to take it by the scruff of the neck and be the catalyst for an upturn in form, and I feel that he could be the man to galvanize a timid and tiring squad.

Finally, in a bizzare turn of events, for a brief moment Leeds fans expressed a wry smile at the seemingly imminent appointment of Neil Warnock at Forest. The rumoured appointment was met with sheer joy from the United faithful, and with a potentially tasty return to his old stomping ground next month, the hostility that he would have receive made the prospect all the more enticing. Watching him further capitulate an otherwise promising promotion-pushing squad towards a depressingly dull hoof-ball mentality and mid table mediocrity would have been met with smiles all round. Alas, not to be.

All in all, whether it be good or bad news, today marks a new chapter in the riveting story of how our beloved club continues to flirt with financial turmoil, and although we’re all crying out for some kind of continuity, we are instead forced to accept that there is no easy way for Leeds United, so it’s time to get on board with all the farcical plot twists and cross our fingers that it will all be over soon. Roll on Bournemouth away…

Tweet us your thoughts… @LUFC_Calypso!

Stability or shake-up? The axe looms for McDermott

Despite the majority of Leeds fans being ecstatic at the sight of Brian McDermott arriving for training the Monday following the Deadline Day debacle, it seems his position with both the club and the fans looks in serious jeopardy. Reinvigorated and with a point to prove, McDermott looked a revitalized man, on a mission to restore our club to its position of former glory. However, another annihilation at the hands of relatively weak opposition sees many fans look at McDermott in a whole new light. From zero to hero, from hero to zero, his sacking seems a question of when, rather than if, although the question of ‘who’ sacks him also remains to be seen.

With the embarrassment of Saturday afternoon seeming to be the tip of the iceberg for many impatient fans, McDermott may well have fought his final battle. Showing what many fans have described as ‘tactical ineptitude’ and  a lack of a cut-throat, ruthless streak that all winners seem to have, the man heralded as Leeds United legend six weeks ago now sees himself an outcast with the large majority of the fans on social media. Looking over his shoulder at a second sacking in as many months, the stats are unable to save McDermott’s blushes. Fitting the pattern of sacking our manager when promotion is beyond our reach, Simon Grayson and Neil Warnock may well sympathise. However, looking at the various statistics of the last 3 men not able to take us back to the big time, the results make interesting reading, with all 3 experiencing the same fate for not achieving our ultimate goal at the first attempt.

Whether it is McDermott who deserves to take the brunt of the criticism or the players, it seems more and more likely that Brian will pay the penalty for mid-table stagnation for another successive season. Recent form and the reputation that proceeds Mr Cellino makes it seem likely that yet another change of manager will happen, and not many will or can complain about it in terms of the recent form being shown under his leadership at the moment. What can be considered debatable is whether any manager is going to achieve the success we all crave in less than 2 seasons, and perhaps, much like Nigel Pearson at Leicester, a manager needs to be given a sizeable transfer kitty and 3 or 4 seasons to build a side capable of promotion. Though the McDermott’s fate may hang in the balance, the decision on whether McDermott deserves more time to build is the subject of intense twitter debate. However, it seems that those teams in the mix are either recently relegated from the top flight or have been consistently improving (and investing) for several seasons, often with the same man at the helm despite relative failures along the way. One man who is mooted by many of the fans as the ideal replacement is Malky Mackay, yet even he was granted a 3 year plan and remained in the hot-seat despite play-off heart break.

Amongst the chaos that seems to break out on a weekly basis at Leeds United, we feel that the promotion blue print that many clubs are adopting with their manager is simply not being adopted at Leeds United. Whether Brian is our man is far from clear (and many of you have criticised our attempts to defend him), but stability and continuity often pave the way for future success. If he is sacked, there won’t be many complaints, but his successor must be given more than 12 months and 1 full season to get us promoted.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, and Leeds United certainly won’t be either.

Do you think that Brian McDermott should be sacked? Do you feel that any manager, Brian or otherwise, can achieve success in their first season with Leeds? Tweet us @LUFC_Calypso to let us know your thoughts!