Mighty Leeds Weblog

Yorkshire Evening Post 12/7/15 Uwe Rosler remembers clearly his first year of transfer business at Brentford: 16 players in and 16 players out. The transition was a full-blown revolution and it pleased him to know that Leeds United would not need the same surgical treatment. Where pre-season friendlies were concerned, the club’s head coach also thought that less was more. Rosler set a limit of five games this summer and any additional matches in the fortnight before the season starts will be used to give fringe players a little more game time. It’s a far cry from Brian McDermott’s Tuesday night game at Stevenage and David Hockaday’s midweek visit to Swindon. In his initial assessment of United’s squad, Rosler realised two things. Firstly, that he was generally pleased with the players available to him but secondly, that for all their ability, those players would need concerted schooling in his style of play. The training pitch was where Rosler believed the telling work would be d...

leedsunited.com 10/7/15 Uwe Rosler admits he is still "finding out about the players" but says he saw a marked second-half improvement following his side’s 1-1 pre-season draw at Harrogate Town on Friday evening. The hosts had opened scoring in front of a capacity CNG Stadium crowd, with Cecil Nyoni stabbing in from close-range after a deflected free-kick had fallen kindly into his path. But United, having made 10 changes at the break, came out for the second half looking to assert their authority on the game and duly equalised within just four minutes of the restart through Steve Morison. Half-time substitute Souleymane Doukara, who was utilised on the right of a front three, beat his marker before setting up Casper Sloth to deliver an inch-perfect cross for Morison to guide home with a flying header, as the first friendly of the summer ended all square. Rosler said: "Everybody got 45 minutes with no injuries – that’s a positive thing. "In the second half we ...

leedsunited.com 10/7/15 HARROGATE 1 (Nyoni 32), UNITED 1 (Morison 49) (7.30pm) Harrogate team: Crook, Ellis, McGurk, Pell, Colbeck, Nyoni, Thirlwell, Turner, Daniels, Clayton, Thewlis. Subs. Bloomer, Coates, Cadman, Worral, Bower, Emmett, Speight, Hunter, Johnson. United team (first half): Silvestri, Byram, Wootton, Bellusci, Cooper, Phillips, Mowatt, Ajose, Antenucci, Erwin, Wood. United team (second half): Silvestri (Horton 74), Berardi, Bamba, Killock, Taylor, Sloth, Bianchi, Cook, Doukara, Morison, Sharp. United subs: Horton, Walters, Drury, Coyle. United began their pre-season schedule with a visit to local outfit Harrogate Town, and Uwe Rosler, taking charge for the first time, named different sides for each half on a glorious summer’s evening at a near-capacity CNG Stadium. The first half saw summer signings Chris Wood and Lee Erwin both handed their first United starts in attack, while Nicky Ajose also returned for his first game in Leeds colours since last August ha...

Yorkshire Evening Post 9/7/15 Leeds United have revealed their kit for the 2015-16 season – minus a shirt sponsor. The club’s new strip will go on sale on Saturday after they unveiled the design at a Q&A session with head coach Uwe Rosler and a number of first-team players. Italian sportswear firm Kappa is beginning a five-year deal to supply Leeds’ matchday and training kits, replacing previous supplier Macron. Macron’s own deal was due to expire at the end of next season but United are embroiled in a contractual dispute with the company and brought Kappa to the table last month. Leeds owner Massimo Cellino previously used Kappa to produce Cagliari’s kit during his time as president of the Sardinian club. Next season’s strip is predominantly white with blue trim but it was unveiled last night with the unusual absence of a shirt sponsor, owing to a separate legal dispute. Current sponsor Enterprise Insurance has an agreement running to 2016 but its logos look set to be mis...

Yorkshire Evening Post 9/7/15 Phil Hay Leeds United head coach Uwe Rosler said the addition of another midfielder to his squad was crucial after revealing that Luke Murphy would miss the start of the new season through injury. Murphy will be absent for up to seven weeks following a minor knee operation and the loss of the 25-year-old ahead of Leeds’ first summer friendly has intensified Rosler’s search for players in his position. United’s boss expects Murphy to sit out all five of United’s pre-season fixtures and admitted that he had little prospect of recovering in time for the opening match of the Championship season at home to Burnley on August 8. Rosler has other central midfielders available to him, including youngsters Alex Mowatt and Lewis Cook and Italian Tommaso Bianchi, but Leeds opted to release Jamaican international Rodolph Austin at the end of last season. Asked if Murphy’s injury would force him to look for midfield cover, Rosler said: “We lost Rodolph Austin and ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 4/7/15 Phil Hay Neil Redfearn is set to part company with Leeds United, it is understood. Redfearn and the club are negotiating a settlement which will end his six-and-a-half-year spell as a coach at Elland Road. The 49-year-old’s departure is still to be finalised but the recent breakdown of his relationship with United owner Massimo Cellino will see him move on in the coming days. Redfearn, who first joined Leeds’ academy coaching team in 2009, finished last season as head coach but was replaced in that role by Uwe Rosler in May. Cellino is believed to have pushed for a parting of ways in the aftermath of Rosler’s arrival, despite suggestions that Redfearn would remain at the club. Redfearn’s contract – agreed when he became head coach last November – gave him the right to resume his old job as academy manager this summer. Speaking on the day of Rosler’s unveiling, executive director Adam Pearson said: “Neil’s been offered the appointment back in charge...

Yorkshire Evening Post 3/7/15 The Professional Footballers’ Association has asked the Football League to impose a transfer embargo on Leeds United as punishment for non-payment of wages owed to Cameron Stewart. The players’ union wants the League to bring sanctions against United amid the long-standing dispute caused by Stewart’s aborted transfer to Elland Road last summer. Leeds are facing a bill in excess of £500,000 after pulling out of a deal to sign Stewart from Hull City a year ago. The winger agreed a three-year deal when he joined Leeds on loan midway through the 2013-14 season but problems with the paperwork saw the Football League return the contract to Elland Road. The original deal had been signed by former managing director David Haigh - one of United’s ‘authorised signatories’ at the time - but Haigh quit that role in April 2014 and was no longer registered as a signatory with the Football League. Leeds owner Massimo Cellino refused to issue a replacement contract a...