Injured Byram set to miss big kick off
YEP 23/7/13
by Phil Hay
Leeds United manager Brian McDermott admits he will be ‘surprised’ if star turn Sam Byram is fit enough for the big Championship kick-off at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on August 3.
The talented right-back is on the rehabilitation trail following a niggling hip injury which affected him at the end of last season and forced him to miss this summer’s Under-20 World Cup with England after originally being called up.
He has yet to feature in United’s pre-season programme – and the game against the Seagulls in just 11 days time is likely to come too soon for him.
McDermott, whose side play their penultimate pre-season friendly, at League One side Stevenage this evening (7.45pm), will continue to monitor the fitness of Byram, who was an ever-present last term before being forced to miss the final two games.
Keeper Jamie Ashdown and El-Hadji Diouf, who also haven’t played in any of United’s five pre-season fixtures so far, will also miss tonight’s trip to Hertfordshire.
On the likelihood of Byram being ready for the start of the league season for United – who yesterday named former Blackburn Rovers deputy chief executive Paul Hunt as their new acting CEO – McDermott said: “I’d be surprised, Sam has been out quite a long time now. There is always a hope, but I’d be surprised.
“Dioufy is looking better and is doing a little bit more, but not a lot.
“Sam is still doing his running, but we need to step him up as soon as we possibly can and Jamie Ashdown is going to have a injection and we’ll see where he is on Thursday.“
Meanwhile, McDermott has revealed he held a productive meeting with his players yesterday morning in the wake of Saturday’s hugely disappointing 1-0 friendly loss at Walsall on Saturday – a day he promptly labelled as his worst since taking over as Elland Road boss.
Now eager to draw a line in the sand following the poor Saddlers showing – United’s third successive pre-season reverse – McDermott is demanding two far more positive performances from his players in their final two pre-season games – at Stevenage and at home to Bundesliga side FC Nurnberg at Elland Road on Saturday.
McDermott said: “We had a meeting on Monday morning and talked about what is required in whatever game we are involved in.
“It was a good meeting, everybody’s got a say at the club and it is important that we all have our say. We have to remember that there is two weeks to go till the start of the season and we want a good performance on Tuesday. “It wasn’t good on Saturday, but we know that and have to accept that and we have to move on now.
“That is what pre-season is for, that’s why we have pre-season games. Sometimes you get a game that isn’t quite right and you learn from it and move on really quickly.”
Meanwhile, McDermott has revealed there have been no fresh transfer developments - having revealed at the weekend that he needs to remove players from the club’s wage bill to bring in new recruits.
He said: “There’s nothing concrete yet. There’s no point me saying anything of any relevance. There’s nothing concrete as we speak.”
meeting on Monday morning and talked about what is required in whatever game we are involved in.
“It was a good meeting, everybody’s got a say at the club and it is important that we all have our say.
“We have to remember that there is two weeks to go till the start of the season and we want a good performance on Tuesday.
“It wasn’t good on Saturday, but we know that and have to accept that and we have to move on now.
“That is what pre-season is for, that’s why we have pre-season games.
Sometimes you get a game that isn’t quite right and you learn from it and move on really quickly.”
Meanwhile, McDermott has revealed there have been no fresh transfer developments – having revealed at the weekend that he needs to remove players from the club’s wage bill to bring in new recruits.
He said: “There’s nothing concrete yet. There’s no point me saying anything of any relevance.
“There’s nothing concrete as we speak.”
by Phil Hay
Leeds United manager Brian McDermott admits he will be ‘surprised’ if star turn Sam Byram is fit enough for the big Championship kick-off at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on August 3.
The talented right-back is on the rehabilitation trail following a niggling hip injury which affected him at the end of last season and forced him to miss this summer’s Under-20 World Cup with England after originally being called up.
He has yet to feature in United’s pre-season programme – and the game against the Seagulls in just 11 days time is likely to come too soon for him.
McDermott, whose side play their penultimate pre-season friendly, at League One side Stevenage this evening (7.45pm), will continue to monitor the fitness of Byram, who was an ever-present last term before being forced to miss the final two games.
Keeper Jamie Ashdown and El-Hadji Diouf, who also haven’t played in any of United’s five pre-season fixtures so far, will also miss tonight’s trip to Hertfordshire.
On the likelihood of Byram being ready for the start of the league season for United – who yesterday named former Blackburn Rovers deputy chief executive Paul Hunt as their new acting CEO – McDermott said: “I’d be surprised, Sam has been out quite a long time now. There is always a hope, but I’d be surprised.
“Dioufy is looking better and is doing a little bit more, but not a lot.
“Sam is still doing his running, but we need to step him up as soon as we possibly can and Jamie Ashdown is going to have a injection and we’ll see where he is on Thursday.“
Meanwhile, McDermott has revealed he held a productive meeting with his players yesterday morning in the wake of Saturday’s hugely disappointing 1-0 friendly loss at Walsall on Saturday – a day he promptly labelled as his worst since taking over as Elland Road boss.
Now eager to draw a line in the sand following the poor Saddlers showing – United’s third successive pre-season reverse – McDermott is demanding two far more positive performances from his players in their final two pre-season games – at Stevenage and at home to Bundesliga side FC Nurnberg at Elland Road on Saturday.
McDermott said: “We had a meeting on Monday morning and talked about what is required in whatever game we are involved in.
“It was a good meeting, everybody’s got a say at the club and it is important that we all have our say. We have to remember that there is two weeks to go till the start of the season and we want a good performance on Tuesday. “It wasn’t good on Saturday, but we know that and have to accept that and we have to move on now.
“That is what pre-season is for, that’s why we have pre-season games. Sometimes you get a game that isn’t quite right and you learn from it and move on really quickly.”
Meanwhile, McDermott has revealed there have been no fresh transfer developments - having revealed at the weekend that he needs to remove players from the club’s wage bill to bring in new recruits.
He said: “There’s nothing concrete yet. There’s no point me saying anything of any relevance. There’s nothing concrete as we speak.”
meeting on Monday morning and talked about what is required in whatever game we are involved in.
“It was a good meeting, everybody’s got a say at the club and it is important that we all have our say.
“We have to remember that there is two weeks to go till the start of the season and we want a good performance on Tuesday.
“It wasn’t good on Saturday, but we know that and have to accept that and we have to move on now.
“That is what pre-season is for, that’s why we have pre-season games.
Sometimes you get a game that isn’t quite right and you learn from it and move on really quickly.”
Meanwhile, McDermott has revealed there have been no fresh transfer developments – having revealed at the weekend that he needs to remove players from the club’s wage bill to bring in new recruits.
He said: “There’s nothing concrete yet. There’s no point me saying anything of any relevance.
“There’s nothing concrete as we speak.”