Leeds United Football Club - It Didn't Happen Overnight
United boss Kevin Blackwell believes he now has one of the best squads in the division - but it's been a long hard haul to get to this stage.
Even before the season had begun, Leeds were being told they faced another relegation scrap, and with over twenty players having left since the start of the previous season, Blackwell would admit that was a fear he too harbored, especially given the fact that he needed to find at least 14 new players at the start of the season.
Eight months on, with survival virtually guaranteed, he has managed to assemble a group of players whose sights are now set much higher. The play-offs are where they're all aiming at now.
Of course not every signing has worked out for the long term. Injury dealt full-back Stephen Crainey an early blow as it did Nathan Blake, just as the striker was getting into his stride, whilst John Oster's personal indiscretions put paid to his chances of staying on longer, but on the whole all have had some good input into the season.
The key recent arrivals of David Healy, Sean Gregan and now Gylfi Einarsson, Michael Gray and Rob Hulse have all signs that things are moving in the right direction once again, and Blackwell admits he's got a squad to compete with every team in the division.
"I do think so now," answered Blackwell, "I am not about to dispute that, but that was not the case in June.
"If you think about it we are sitting here with arguably one of the better sides now in the division right now, and we have done it in five and a half months. That takes some doing and we haven't done it through being extravagant in any way.
"We have just slowly worked the loan market, brought some free transfers in and the players have done everything I have asked them to do. All of a sudden with Eirik and Seth coming back and the acquisition of Gray and Hulse, it gives me four new players and that is a big part of the squad.
"It hasn't just happened, it's been worked on and we have had to develop it. We have a good squad now and that's all credit to the staff here, the Chairman and the previous board. Sometimes people can't see it until it creeps up on top of them, well, now I think I have got a decent squad."
"People need to give you the opportunity to develop, and that's what we are trying to do, because we are still building the club back up."
The boss is also confident that he has built up a squad with a healthy spirit of competition between them. That competition could be increased even more if he is successful in bringing in a winger before the end of the season.
"I think any club has to have a situation where the person in charge of the shirt loses it himself. That's what I want. we are a massive club and we have to make sure that when players come here they have to fight to keep their shirt and they don't become an automatic choice because it leads to complacency.
"We are starting to get a squad now that is competing for places. If a player does not do the business I have one or two options for change, and that hasn't been the case before."
United boss Kevin Blackwell believes he now has one of the best squads in the division - but it's been a long hard haul to get to this stage.
Even before the season had begun, Leeds were being told they faced another relegation scrap, and with over twenty players having left since the start of the previous season, Blackwell would admit that was a fear he too harbored, especially given the fact that he needed to find at least 14 new players at the start of the season.
Eight months on, with survival virtually guaranteed, he has managed to assemble a group of players whose sights are now set much higher. The play-offs are where they're all aiming at now.
Of course not every signing has worked out for the long term. Injury dealt full-back Stephen Crainey an early blow as it did Nathan Blake, just as the striker was getting into his stride, whilst John Oster's personal indiscretions put paid to his chances of staying on longer, but on the whole all have had some good input into the season.
The key recent arrivals of David Healy, Sean Gregan and now Gylfi Einarsson, Michael Gray and Rob Hulse have all signs that things are moving in the right direction once again, and Blackwell admits he's got a squad to compete with every team in the division.
"I do think so now," answered Blackwell, "I am not about to dispute that, but that was not the case in June.
"If you think about it we are sitting here with arguably one of the better sides now in the division right now, and we have done it in five and a half months. That takes some doing and we haven't done it through being extravagant in any way.
"We have just slowly worked the loan market, brought some free transfers in and the players have done everything I have asked them to do. All of a sudden with Eirik and Seth coming back and the acquisition of Gray and Hulse, it gives me four new players and that is a big part of the squad.
"It hasn't just happened, it's been worked on and we have had to develop it. We have a good squad now and that's all credit to the staff here, the Chairman and the previous board. Sometimes people can't see it until it creeps up on top of them, well, now I think I have got a decent squad."
"People need to give you the opportunity to develop, and that's what we are trying to do, because we are still building the club back up."
The boss is also confident that he has built up a squad with a healthy spirit of competition between them. That competition could be increased even more if he is successful in bringing in a winger before the end of the season.
"I think any club has to have a situation where the person in charge of the shirt loses it himself. That's what I want. we are a massive club and we have to make sure that when players come here they have to fight to keep their shirt and they don't become an automatic choice because it leads to complacency.
"We are starting to get a squad now that is competing for places. If a player does not do the business I have one or two options for change, and that hasn't been the case before."
