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.
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