Leeds United board read signpost and try to avoid Premier League 'but' with new direction - YEP 22/2/23

-


Leeds United title winner Tony Dorigo writes exclusively for the Yorkshire Evening Post as Javi Gracia takes on a huge, high-pressure job at Elland Road.

By Tony Dorigo

From a player's point of view, playing against Manchester United, managing to go up against a really good team and play well, those are actually easier games to deal with than the ones where the pressure is really on and you're up against a team that is really struggling.

That's what we saw. The two Manchester United performances largely took care of themselves, but then when you go up against a side who are playing under a lot of pressure, under a new manager, that's when you have to really show what you're about. Unfortunately, that just wasn't the case. The performance against Everton was hugely disappointing because they were no great shakes themselves and at times the quality of the game was pretty shocking. We couldn't really play with any fluency, couldn't string passes together and we were certainly on the worst end of any sort of chances that were coming in the game. So after that, you think right, something needs to be done, this is a signpost, some sort of direction needs to be given to the team and that's what the club has gone for with Javi Gracia.

His experience and his prior knowledge of the Premier League is absolutely key to his appointment by the board. When you look at the managers we were initially linked with, men who are very successful, doing very well right now but they were not men with Premier League experience. There was always a but. We don't need that right now, what we need is something secure, solid, something to cling on to and build from.

It might have been successful had it been Andoni Iraola or Arne Slot, but you would think that someone with Premier League experience has got to be a little bit ahead in terms of settling in and then getting the results we need.

We've got time but we do need someone now to hit the ground running, someone to understand what's in front of them, and to get on with things.

It is a huge job because the pressure is really on given the way that things have gone. We had a huge chance at Everton and they grabbed it. We didn't. We've got another one on Saturday against Southampton but eventually those chances will start running out. At the moment there's a fair number of games but when you start looking at the teams above and the points differences there is no room now for making mistakes or letting things slip. From that point of view, it is a huge job. I think the expectations that we all had at the start of the season was that this time around, we wouldn't be in the same position. Yet we're kind of in the same situation if not worse. So that just shows why the pressure is on.

What I think his appointment will do is have an impact on the atmosphere at Elland Road this weekend, which will still be intense and perhaps nervous, but had we gone into it managerless it could have been even more fraught.

It's amazing what can happen when a new manager comes in. By all accounts he's certainly a disciplinarian, which I think is good. He did rather well in his time at Watford and although these are new surroundings, a new situation, new players and for him a difficult job, for everyone else his arrival will be a huge lift. The players will no doubt embrace it and hopefully they can take some strength, belief and understanding into this game.

Popular posts from this blog

The huge initial fee Leeds are set to receive for Crysencio Summerville’s move to West Ham — Leeds United News 31/7/24

-
Will Butcher West Ham United are closing in on a deal to sign Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United, and Ben Jacobs has shared how much Leeds will receive for the Dutchman. The 22-year-old has been strongly linked with the Elland Road exit door all summer and was targeted as the one big sale Leeds needed to make before the Profit & Sustainability Rules deadline this month. But instead, Leeds sold Archie Gray for £40m to Tottenham. Leeds have since sold five more players in the form of Diego Llorente, Marc Roca, Kris Klaesson and Charlie Cresswell – raking in around £60m in total. But more exits were always likely and Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday afternoon that West Ham had agreed personal terms with Summerville, and talks for a fee were ongoing with the Yorkshire side. Now, the story has moved on with multiple sources claiming a deal is done between Leeds and Angus Kinnear’s old club. The Dutchman is expected to sign a five-year at the London Stadium, until Jun...
Read more

Leeds United board break silence after transfer window with statement on upcoming Elland Road development — YEP 2/9/24

-
By Joe Donnohue Leeds United have confirmed supporters' commemorative stones at Elland Road's Centenary Square will be replaced free of charge in a bid to improve their longevity. Beginning next month, Leeds supporters' personalised stones will be replaced with exact replicas, courtesy of a new company, to ensure of a 'much better quality' installation. The work is expected to take around two months to complete. An official club statement confirmed 'three larger stones dedicated to former managers Don Revie, Howard Wilkinson and Marcelo Bielsa' will also be installed, 'similar to those located in Bremner Square', while additional space for supporters to purchase new stones has also been factored into the project. “The club have taken on board recent feedback from supporters on the stones at Centenary Square, and we are really happy that we can now announce that all of the stones will be replaced," chief executive Angus Kinnear confirmed,...
Read more

Leeds United transfer state of play as Whites knock back low bid and assert wing pair stance — YEP 3/7/24

-
By Graham Smyth Leeds United are not actively looking to cash in on Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto and believe any further outgoing transfer business will be done on their terms. The Whites, who sold Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday for £40m, expect that there will be continued interest in wing pair Summerville and Gnonto as the summer transfer window progresses. Summerville has been a target for Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion but their interest has not yet materialised into a bid. The Albion did, however, send a £30m proposal for Georginio Rutter, which Elland Road chiefs rejected. Rutter is not expected to try and force an exit this summer and appears settled at Leeds after a far more positive second season in English football. The sale of Gray has helped put Leeds into a position where they do not need to sell star players and can dictate any moves that do happen. Club sources say they are not actively looking to sell the likes of Summerville o...
Read more