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!

The Loan Ranger - how has McDermott performed in the loan market?

The most recent January transfer window was an extremely frustrating experience for Leeds fans, as rumours circulated that GFH were unable to pay the wages of existing players, let alone new recruits. Since its closure, however, takeover negotiations have seemingly progressed (albeit at an alarmingly slow rate) and it is clear that new money has been pumped into the club to fund loan signings. Whether this new investment is coming from owner-to-be Cellino is yet to be confirmed, but the club has evidently received significant new financial impetus. The arrivals of Butland and Wickham, two young home-grown talents with Premier League credentials and international ambitions, are a refreshing statement of intent from McDermott and whoever is currently bankrolling the club. These moves provide stark contrast to the earlier signings of Kebe and Stewart, however, who are yet to find their feet at Elland Road. This week at @LUFC_Calypso, we take a look at our new loan signings since January and analyse the benefits they could bring to the dressing room.

Jack Butland is unquestionably a very exciting talent with a bright future ahead of him, and LUFC’s ability to capture his signature certainly raises eyebrows over who is funding his Premier League wages. Butland has already put in credible performances at Middlesbrough and QPR, and he will undoubtedly be a positive defensive influence as we reach the business end of the season. Our defence is notoriously leaky, so his command of the box and organisation should tighten us up at the back. Butland’s arrival is especially impressive considering the raft of promotion chasers that would have wanted him, and credit must be given to McDermott for persuading him to join up with us.

Similarly, Poyet announced that Wickham was attracting attention from at least 5 teams, so his decision to pull on the white shirt for the rest of the campaign is very pleasing, all the more so given the adoration he was receiving at Hillsborough. Finding the net 8 times in 11 games, Wickham showed his potential in spades
during his second spell at Wednesday, and his link up play with fan favourite Ross McCormack on his debut at Loftus Rd was one of the more encouraging things to come from the stalemate. Wickham is on a reported £25,000 per week at Sunderland, a wage that trumps any of those currently on the Leeds United books, and so these loan signings, while exciting, have also sparked a serious concern: if Cellino is refused approval by the football league, could we be faced with yet another financial meltdown? A calculated financial risk though it may be, these signings could prove invaluable in our pursuit of the playoffs.

While Butland and Wickham’s debuts have filled Leeds fans with hope and excitement, Kebe’s continued selection after his loan move in January is causing consternation among the Leeds twitter family. Under McDermott at Reading, Kebe’s blistering pace and pinpoint crossing were pivotal in their late surge up the table towards promotion but, since his arrival, he has looked more like a man who can’t remember where he’s parked the car than an incisive, match-winning speedster. He has been indecisive, lacklustre in possession and lazy when tracking back. As fans, we must accept that he needed time to regain match fitness after bench-warming at Palace, but he has had more than enough game time to find his feet. Alarmingly, McDermott’s insistence on selecting him while Poleon and Ariyibi remain untested suggests an unprofessional display of loyalty and, while McDermott brought in the wingers we so desperately needed, he must be blamed for his inability to get them playing how we need them to. Wickham compliments a wing-based style of play perfectly, but Kebe simply is not providing the required level of service.

With talk of another incoming loan, we remain optimistic that we will bring someone in who can generate winning momentum going forward. What do you think of Wickham and Butland? Would you drop Kebe? As always, let us know your thoughts at @LUFC_Calypso!