Quote Originally Posted by spaldy View Post
Not defending the crazy nature of LUFC recruitment the previous 4 years but you also have to put it in context. Just pointing out the failures, without context, really doesn't tell the whole story.

1) MB dictated a lot of the recruiting, or more importantly, lack thereof. There were many players that would not have been considered by him including, Piroe, Rutter, Byram, Ampadu, Kamara and Gnonto. Once you had a spot on the team you had it. Bamford, Ayling, Cooper, Roberts and Kiko were proof of that. Pontus and Aliosky were disposed of for almost nothing.

2) Many players weren't going to come to Leeds. Primarily the training rate and game expectations as well as a remote location that had been in the lower leagues for some time and had some sketchy owners.

3) we reeked of desperation and almost no longer term planning or vision. Who knew how long Radz was going to be committed. Celino, GFH, Bates, Risdale didn't exactly inspire confidence in past behavior. Relegation and change of owner might put us right back with a similar owner.

4) we had been out of the limelight so long many players had no real understanding of the the potential.

5) we aren't based out of London.
Nothing to disagree with there, but to be fair to both Ozleeds and myself, the debate isn't/wasn't about the quality of LUFC recruitment, but more a case of "When is it appropriate to critique/criticise a newcomer, before they join the club or when they have had, in Oz' words, "a fair go"?"

I'm one for prevention being better than cure, in all things. Given that "crazy nature" of LUFC recruitment you refer to (and I'd suggest it goes back a little longer than four years, Orta was appointed in May 2017 and the supermarket sweep approach was adopted shortly after, remember Sloth, Anita, Grot, Buoy etc etc?), then scepticism is the go to approach I'd be taking (and I suspect there are many others, just perhaps not as "vocal" as I am).

A more considered approach might have avoided the acquisition of many, but the two really high profile names I mention (Casilla and JKA) are by far the most expensive in waste of club funds one because he almost single-handedly costs us a chance of promotion in 2019, and the other because our management at the time didn't appear to know how to structure a commercially watertight contract.

We continue to waste money on below par players, for reasons that escape me, although my suggestion that last summers TW selection criteria would seem to be as logical as any other (are you American, have you previously been coached by Marsch, have you played for a Red Bull franchise, get all three your a slam dunk!). I suggested we were about to waste a great deal of money on such dross before a ball was kicked in the 22/23 season, and got roundly name-called as a result, and we all know how that ended don't we?

Will this years TW intake be any better, who knows. Of the list of newcomers, only Piroe, Ampadu and Rodon have played sufficiently often and for long enough to provide anything like a view of their LUFC performances, and of those, I stick by my view of all three, only Rodon (when he's not been suspended!) has been consistently good, the others sputter and spark, but theres no flame yet.