Interesting discussions down the board

1. Leeds are excellent. And doing Farke for not being able to compare with one of the most illustrious managers in world football, who only has a 30-year head start on him, is a bit ridiculous tbh. As long as Bielsa doesn't go AWOL and their board doesn't mess him about, they'll walk the title.

2. Underrating our opponents then leads folk like Jim to insist it's all individual mistakes, ergo we could be so much better under someone else. Nope. I look at our squad and I think "total mediocrity". I also look at it and, in a whole bunch of cases, think "who are these people?" Which highlights Webber's poor recruitment - but more than that, really highlights our lack of cash, meaning every signing is a gamble.

3. Are we going down? No. There's a whole bunch of poorer sides in this league: among them, our neighbours, who have a much worse squad than we do. But if the fans turn against Farke, that's where we could spiral out of control. Unlike meca (though of course I see where he's coming from), I think the board will act if we're in the bottom three after 10 or 12 games.

4. My biggest criticism of Farke remains his going three at the back, tightening us up, only to throw that straight out this season. That makes no sense to me at all. I don't think he knows his right system or his right team. That's not inexcusable as the turnover's been so huge - but it's hardly to his credit. Going three at the back changed the game in midweek - so why didn't we stick to it?

In the end though, as I'll never tire of saying, it all comes back to the owners. It's their lack of ambition which is causing this; their total disinterest in passing us on to someone with the cash needed for this league. Bielsa didn't just join Leeds because of their history; he did so because of their owner's ambition. It's unthinkable he'd have joined someone like us because we're quite happy pottering around in the middle of this division and being a soft, cuddly pushover.

This is professional sport amid far and away the most competitive club structure in the world. Fail to take risks (by which I mean, with the ownership), and we will fail. Fail to move with the times, and we will fail. Keep entrusting our future to a bunch of well-meaning, financially overwhelmed patricians, and we will fail. And while I can't see it happening this season, a year or two more of this drift, and we will end up back in League 1.

And then what?

Posted By: thebigfeller, Aug 25, 17:18:21