gdp's Comments

The Scratching Shed : The Word Of Ken: Post Deadline Day Special

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 20:44:10 +0000

Well, true. But at the same time Grayson's been very close (in his view) to signing 3-4 players. So clearly cash has absolutely nothing to do with our failure to sign anybody. I worry about Grayson. He's good with a squad, but when it comes to transfers I think he lets players and agents give him the run-around. Might be wrong, but it's the impression he gives what with missing out on a host of players every time. Puncheon, Kakuta, etc. We could've had a legendary team and that doesn't come cheap. But the new plan of attack was to leave everything to the last minute, when player/agent demands would drop. Well, it failed completely.

The Scratching Shed : The Word Of Ken: Post Deadline Day Special

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 20:37:55 +0000

Very disappointed to have lost Max so cheaply, but to actually know the price he went for is a big consolation. Feels a lot better. Recently Leeds has been acting more like China than a football club...

The Scratching Shed : Grayson Admits Whites Are Lacking In Numbers

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 20:32:56 +0000

I've always been a Max Gradel fan (well, since he arrived at Leeds), but he's definitely not in the same league as Kakuta. Real shame we couldn't sign him. So what [i]do[/i] we have? GK: All sewn up with two good keepers. Right-back: Tom Lees (who is more a centre-back?) and Paul Connolly Centre-back: O'Dea, Kisnorbo, O'Brien, Bruce, Bromby Left-back: Aidy White (who is more a left-winger?) and Ben Parker (ever injured.) The wings: Snoddy, Lloyd Sam... must be someone else??? Centre-mids: Michael Brown, Howson, Clayton, Forwards: Becchio, Keogh, McComarck, Somma, Paynter... And Ramon Nunez who's good enough for the first XI, but where? Clearly we need a left-back, but other than that our team isn't too bad. Need depth in centre-mid and the wing. It doesn't take away the fact that Gradel shouldn't have left for the reported E2mil.

The Scratching Shed : Boycotting Manchester United Game Won't Work

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 15:12:43 +0000

Sounds like we need professionals looking into Mr Bates' ownership. That's the only way we can succeed given those limitations. The problem is, I'm willing to bet The Guardian have done some minor digging, and HMRC haven't looked into Mr Bates despite the pressure to do so. Perhaps if we get hundreds of fans to write letters to their local MPs, the MPs will see it as something easy to curry favour with the fans through, and take up the slack.

The Scratching Shed : Boycotting Manchester United Game Won't Work

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 15:07:47 +0000

To the original post: hear, hear!

The Scratching Shed : Hope Leaves Leeds United On Deadline Day

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 13:05:50 +0000

I said a while back that with the looks of the teams coming down into the Championship and the likes of Leicester spending big bucks, I'd be sorely tempted not to spend anything this season and save it up to spend in a burst to get promoted once the better teams have gone up and the likes of Swansea have come back down. Could be that he's thinking the same? There's also the £12mil(I think?) that we'll owe if we get back to the Prem in a specific period of time. Could be that he'd rather we tick along making a small profit and not get promoted until the debts have expired. That way he can still invest in the clubs' assets and make some slow progress. I wouldn't put asset stripping past him but surely he'd make more money just keeping our squad together as if we didn't lose the likes of Max Gradel we'd be guaranteed promotion within a few years...

The Scratching Shed : Hope Leaves Leeds United On Deadline Day

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 10:52:49 +0000

http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Leeds_United/Leed... &http://www.wafll.com/leeds-united-badges.html Blue & gold stripes (darker than our current blue & yellow merch), with a big black bit in the centre (as mourning for Bates asset stripping our club!) and our original City crest in the middle? Or something like that. I'm sure someone else could do a better scarf...

The Scratching Shed : Hope Leaves Leeds United On Deadline Day

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 10:35:12 +0000

What on earth does a tele possess that's worth robbing, TSS? :P I'll admit I've pretty much given up on this season already. We looked good at times despite the poor final results. But the left-back position is as weak as ever. In fact, our only cover for Aidy White is the seemingly eternally injured Ben Parker! With Gradel gone we've a massive hole to fill on the wing (and Nunez would be better used in the centre of the park). Which makes me wonder if this wasn't always Grayson's plan, given he was trying out Alex Mendy in pre-season?

The Scratching Shed : LUFC: The Newcastle United Of The Championship

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:14:55 +0000

What gets me is what exactly we're doing with the income the club is generating. This club has the ability to generate revenue to match any other club in this league. And there aren't that many clubs being artificially pumped with money. There's no excuse for Leeds not to get playoffs this season. Yet it looks out of reach already. We sold Delph for roughly £6mil and there wasn't any discernable increase in spending on the squad. This year we've released no less than 14 players. Our incomings? Lonergan (who should be on roughly Kasper's wages), Rachubka, Andy Keogh on loan, O'Dea on loan, Brown.... It's hardly as if five players should be on the collective wages of fourteen, no matter how proven they are at Championship level. The answer is obviously the £7mil East Stand development, but am I the only one thinking there's a couple of millions going missing each season to no discernable black hole? We're not a mid-table team in either division. We're a Tottenham, not a Newcastle. But getting back to the Premiership is hard when you've got a brick wall to walk through in the form of the Parachute Payments.

The Scratching Shed : Sochaux Chairman: Gradel Move At 'Advanced Stage'

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:28:15 +0000

The question is, what's the pricetag? Schmeichel was being sold for £1mil in our media, £250k in Leicester media. And nowadays most people (now that there's less interest in it) people say about £750k. If Gradel goes we'll probably never know how much for. I just hope we don't get rid of him for less than £5mil. He may only have one year left on his contract but he's that good. Just think what he was like vs. Arsenal when Snoddy was locked out of the game by the same defence...

The Scratching Shed : Leeds draw Man Utd in Carling Cup

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:13:54 +0000

Never thought if Gradel fell out with anyone I'd even consider which I'd keep. But Nunez is the better long term prospect for me. Partly because he might actually sign a new contract, but still!

The Scratching Shed : The Ramon Nunez Predicament

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 11:48:10 +0000

It has to be McCormack. Howson would be my next choice but Howson tracks back better than Nunez would, and clearly is building a good relationship with Clayton. Two young English lads who are only going to improve - it's a good relationship. Snoddy's doing well again, and Gradel's not on his top form right now (in my view) but he still skins defenders every couple of minutes! So that leaves forwards. Keogh has been instrumental in the buildup to almost every goal since he arrived. He drags defenders away from play, gets into the perfect place to clean up lost balls, and has a sweet touch on him - definitely one we should look at signing permanently. That leaves McCormack who's a good striker on his day but while he's been scoring recently he's missed chance after chance too.

The Scratching Shed : Clayton Hammers Home Late Upton Park Equaliser

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:25:37 +0000

Seriously, TSS, you're blocking Aresnal in the filters now?! :) How about Arsene Wenger?

The Scratching Shed : Clayton Hammers Home Late Upton Park Equaliser

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:24:27 +0000

If Gradel goes then we're not getting promoted this season. So it would be pointless to spend on a replacement when we could plug the gap and farm the extra wages for a year. Seriously, the lad makes everybody he plays against (including Arsenal) look like schoolboys. Keogh did a great job today IMO. Virtually every opening we create now comes from Keogh dragging defenders away or getting into the perfect position to mop-up squandered play. Our first goal being a perfect example with Snoddy losing the ball the first time.

The Scratching Shed : TSS forums have moved

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:23:26 +0000

Does that mean I can be Canada? Or France? Or maybe Iran?!

The Scratching Shed : Leeds' unbeaten run continues in Norway

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:19:20 +0000

Just after he was starting to look much better at the end of last season, too...

The Scratching Shed : Leeds' unbeaten run continues in Norway

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:17:41 +0000

Great to have a good-natured friendly in Norway after last week. Perhaps we've built a team around players now injured, but the players should know the system well enough to be able to perform regardless. Is the problem perhaps that we're trying desperately to break Paynter & McCormack's ducks and it's just not working? If all our play is going through one man at the front and that one man is so low of confidence he can't kick straight, it's bound to blunt our penetration.

The Scratching Shed : TSS forums have moved

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:47:08 +0000

The actual blog is far more important than the forum. The forum's got a place and it allows a more in-depth discussion of things, but half of what's written there is covered here anyway.

The Scratching Shed : Andy Lonergan finally signs for Leeds United

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:37:17 +0000

Mainly because Rachubka was doing a solid job against L1/lower Champship opposition while Lonergan was part of a deal that saw him spend 3 months at Everton last season, after a summer where WBA had a £1.5mil approach for him rejected. Why's he left? Well we of all people should know: "The modest fee which PNE have received for him – just over 12 months ago they turned down a £1.5m bid from WBA – reflects the need to remove him from the wage bill in the wake of the drop to League One." (Lancashire Evening Press)

The Scratching Shed : Andy Lonergan finally signs for Leeds United

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:34:17 +0000

Ben Parker upfront would beat Paynter. We'd have him fall over injured at certain intervals to deflect the ball slightly. Leave the keepers clueless that would.