What a

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Yep - we had a few sliding door moments too.

Slot and Iraola were both managers we looked at but couldn’t persuade.

We were in for the likes of

Ben White
Gvardiol
Cunha
Paquetta
Bowen
Watkins

I think Farke works well in the EFL as it’s all about his system and not the players and if the players are as good as we have then his system will work.

Joffy has alluded already to some of the limitations of how Farke manages a squad.

The idea that he is a good top tier coach would need a lot more evidence for me.

[spaldy]

A couple of issues here. I think Farke is a different issue from the squad. If we make the prem and we want to be a player then we need a better manager. I'm all about Loyalty but there are very few, if any, players that he makes better. This is the opposite of Bielsa that made quite a few players way better than they would be under the average coach. That's not going to work with our squad in the prem. We need someone that can take them to the next level and keep them there. Farke can't do that.

Not sure the squad, under the right coach, needs the overhaul that some say we do. With a stud coach like some of the teams listed on this thread that were in the EFL with us many of our players would be more than adequate:

Gnonto
Ramananzi
Tanaka
Rodon
Strujik
Joseph
Solomon (if we can sign him)
James
Gruev


I think the right coach probably brings out the best in Rothwell (if we sign him) and some of the youth players that have never been given a chance. I don't think Piroe is quick enough and Byram may not want to go another year. I think this squad, as is, including the coach, is good enough to avoid relegation. Not really something that you want to strive for but better than Sotown and Ipswich's fate.

[whitestomper45]

A couple of issues here. I think Farke is a different issue from the squad. If we make the prem and we want to be a player then we need a better manager. I'm all about Loyalty but there are very few, if any, players that he makes better. This is the opposite of Bielsa that made quite a few players way better than they would be under the average coach. That's not going to work with our squad in the prem. We need someone that can take them to the next level and keep them there. Farke can't do that.

Not sure the squad, under the right coach, needs the overhaul that some say we do. With a stud coach like some of the teams listed on this thread that were in the EFL with us many of our players would be more than adequate:

Gnonto
Ramananzi
Tanaka
Rodon
Strujik
Joseph
Solomon (if we can sign him)
James
Gruev


I think the right coach probably brings out the best in Rothwell (if we sign him) and some of the youth players that have never been given a chance. I don't think Piroe is quick enough and Byram may not want to go another year. I think this squad, as is, including the coach, is good enough to avoid relegation. Not really something that you want to strive for but better than Sotown and Ipswich's fate.

That list i think is stretching it a bit to say they are all PL standard, if they are some are at the very lower end. Joseph is not fully functioning in the Championship, him and James suffer from poor awareness (maybe greed) with their on ball options, Solomon stands out a mile when he is in attacking third compared to them. Also the PL players being that little bit quicker as McCormack found out when he left us, he suddenly lost his biggest asset..speed.
With PSR restrictions, more than ever it will all be about staying up. Promoted teams are limited on what they can spend, the gulf between PL and Championship is ever widening as can be seen by tables.

Bogle is improving, he didn't seem much rated by Blunt fans, tho maybe some sour grapes. Struijk seems better also to me. Rothwell has proved a good signing, i'd rate him mostly 7 out of 10, not sure how he would do in PL.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

We had so many sliding door moments both during the Bielsa years in the PL and then post Bielsa.

We tried to get in Slot and Iraola who are both tearing it up in the PL.

Player wise we were in for so many who have turned out to be excellent- Watkins, White, Gvardiol, Paquetta, Cunha etc.

It?s not that we didn?t spend money it?s just we didn?t spent it wisely and often over paid.

Rodrigo 30m
Adams 25m
Aaronson 25m
Sinisterra 22m
Rutter 30m (which at the time seemed way too much for that stage of his development).

We seemed to be useful at bringing in free transfers or hidden talent players (the current scouting system seems better at that).

Have to respect the Brighton and Brentford models of identifying value others don?t see and then selling on at a profit whilst keeping the pipeline flowing.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Sorry site was glitching and not showing first post had worked so posted the second one instead and now see it had actually worked.

What with the apostrophe glitch this site seems to have more gremlins than the movie

[Monaco_Totty]

A couple of issues here. I think Farke is a different issue from the squad. If we make the prem and we want to be a player then we need a better manager. I'm all about Loyalty but there are very few, if any, players that he makes better. This is the opposite of Bielsa that made quite a few players way better than they would be under the average coach. That's not going to work with our squad in the prem. We need someone that can take them to the next level and keep them there. Farke can't do that.

Not sure the squad, under the right coach, needs the overhaul that some say we do. With a stud coach like some of the teams listed on this thread that were in the EFL with us many of our players would be more than adequate:

Gnonto
Ramananzi
Tanaka
Rodon
Strujik
Joseph
Solomon (if we can sign him)
James
Gruev


I think the right coach probably brings out the best in Rothwell (if we sign him) and some of the youth players that have never been given a chance. I don't think Piroe is quick enough and Byram may not want to go another year. I think this squad, as is, including the coach, is good enough to avoid relegation. Not really something that you want to strive for but better than Sotown and Ipswich's fate.

Fair to say coaching a bigger club presents challenges like dealing with larger & more complex squads, navigating inner-political pressures within clubs, plus the added difficulty of balancing player development with immediate results required & then keeping key players in transfer windows. All while maintaining a consistent level of required performance under constant 24/7 pressure.

So not an easy gig & regardless of what other clubs fans may say Leeds are a club that still attracts constant attention & to be fair Farke has handled matters well thus far.
But alleged decent Coaches (like Postecoglou at Spurs) show PL management requires immediate results or else, rightly or wrongly, your outta the door.

Maybe its better that coaches do continually move on as it could be considered beneficial for coaches to move onto new teams at certain points in their careers & can provide opportunities for career advancement, fresh challenges & exposure to different coaching styles.

But it all depends on the specific situation & should be balanced with the potential disruption to a teams stability & player development also, as many players often fail to adapt to new imposed coaching scenarios too.

Of course a successful Coach will alert newer opportunities to so quite a conundrum thought wise to achieve the perfect balance.
We are top of the League but the football we play has its critics regardless.😳

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Farke is not alone is trying to play risk free football as it makes picking up points a lot easier but sometimes I just wish we?d take more risks in the final third.

That conservative mindset can the bleed into other aspects.

If you have a young squad one might hope being able to develop and help players realise their full potential was one of the requirements that club had and one of the skills the coach has.

Take Joffy who after two games looks happy and transformed. Charlie Cresswell seems to be doing pretty well at Toulouse too

[Billyni]

Put a puffer jacket on Southgate, pull it up round his ears, swap him with Farke, and nobody would notice.

[Monaco_Totty]

Charlie Cresswell seems to be doing pretty well at Toulouse too

Watched him play against Lyon away on Tv last week & after a shaky start he settled well into the centre of the back 3 that Toulouse operate with.
The role allows him to watch & able to judge better when to commit his tackling, so hes now not so reckless as others around him are mopping up threats, so Charlies started using his brain into producing more consistent measured performances after an early season shaky start.

Just shows in time that pastures new can often benefit those who are willing to accept such demanding challenges to reboot the brain cells. 👍

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Watched him play against Lyon away on Tv last week & after a shaky start he settled well into the centre of the back 3 that Toulouse operate with.
The role allows him to watch & able to judge better when to commit his tackling, so hes now not so reckless as others around him are mopping up threats, so Charlies started using his brain into producing more consistent measured performances after an early season shaky start.

Just shows in time that pastures new can often benefit those who are willing to accept such demanding challenges to reboot the brain cells. 👍

Nice one MT - shows what actual proper game time does for a young player.