Talkes a lot of sense does Dom.
----- Original Message ---- From: Dr Michael Benjamin <[email protected]> To: LEEDSLIST <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, 11 August, 2011 14:39:50 Subject: [LU] Matteo ublished on *Thursday 11 August 2011 16:24* Whatever else can be said about Saturday’s defeat to Southampton, it’s only fair to point out that Leeds United were beaten by a decent team at St Mary’s. I’ve played Southampton many times in the past and I always found it a difficult club to visit. They’ve ridden the wave of promotion from League One and they look like a side who are confident, sure of themselves and in the habit of winning matches. That game was no gimme and losing there should not have been a complete disgrace. The problem with Leeds United’s performance was that it fell short on so many levels and in so many departments. As displays on the first day of the season go, it was pitiful. You expect players to be bright, bubbly and full of spark when a new term begins but Leeds were unbelievably flat and devoid of imagination. That does not bode well for the 45 games to come. Did I see that result coming? To some extent yes, as my comments throughout this summer will show. I’ve questioned the club’s transfer policy and stated many times that the squad at Elland Road, and the defence in particular, were weaker than they needed to be. I didn’t want to see Leeds take a beating at Southampton but, like most of the supporters, I wondered if it was a possibility. The past few months have inspired little confidence in a side who should have been seen as major contenders for a play-off position. Some 3,000 fans made the journey to the south coast, a fantastic following who I’m sure were full of optimism in spite of all that’s gone on. My Facebook page on Saturday morning was awash with hopeful predictions and confident comments. But by full-time, the shift in mood was obvious and negativity rife. The travelling support were badly let down and understandably made their feelings plain. I’m obviously aware of the criticism flying at the Leeds chairman, Ken Bates, and it’s clear enough that the majority of the fans want to see more money spent on the team at Elland Road. I’ve said exactly the same since the end of last season and the manner of Saturday’s display proved that the point we’re making is a valid one. You get the feeling from time to time that football supporters as a whole are credited with very little knowledge or common sense, but a lot of them read the game very well and the complaints I hear about the squad at Leeds – that Simon Grayson’s resources aren’t deep enough and his defence isn’t good enough – are spot on. It’s not a case of asking Leeds to spend money for fun. It’s a case of asking them to spend money which, in my view and the view of many other people, needs to be spent. Without that investment, I really fear that this season will pass the club by. The defence is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. In two competitive matches so far, it has looked no better than it did in the Championship last term – the same mistakes made by the same players. For the life of me, I cannot understand why so little work was done to the backline and why it is once again threatening to be the club’s undoing. After the game against Southampton and the win over Bradford City in the Carling Cup, I heard Simon talking about the need to eradicate mistakes and felt a sense of deja vu. How many times has he said that in the past 12 months? If his players can’t learn then, as ruthless as it sounds, they need to be replaced. Loyalty can only stretch so far and it’ll do Grayson no good in the long run to persevere with players who are letting him down regularly. He was let down by so many at St Mary’s that it’s easier to mention those who didn’t. Adam Clayton had a tidy game in midfield and the goalkeeper, Andy Lonergan, made a couple of very good saves. But I’m struggling to be complimentary about the performance as a whole. Routine Ken Bates took his share of criticism but some must be aimed at the team too. I hope the players don’t think that the abuse thrown at their chairman vindicated or excused their display because in my eyes it didn’t. Southampton on the other hand played very well and it’s important to say that. It wasn’t as if Leeds lost to a woeful team. But what disappointed me more than anything was United’s inability to make Southampton fight for the points. It was far too easy and far too comfortable, the sort of loss that really hurts. If nothing else you should always go down fighting. To my mind, Leeds need to learn the art of grinding out tight, scrappy, horrible wins. Successful teams usually play good football but all of them have a knack of taking three points from nothing games. Whenever I watch Leeds, I always feel that they need to play extremely well to win a match – the old concede two but score three routine. It’s so rare to see them steal a 1-0 win from a match with a couple of shots on goal and 90 minutes of boring football. Those games don’t create a great spectacle but they’re the bread and butter of promoted sides. As much as I admire Leeds’ attacking ethos, I’d still argue that the team suffer from an imbalance because of it. Even after Tuesday’s defeat of Bradford, a turgid 1-0 win over Middlesbrough this weekend would be exactly what the doctor ordered. It sounds ridiculous to be talking about must-win games after one league match, but I honestly feel that Saturday’s fixture falls into that category. There’s a lot of anger among the club’s support and a bit of a poisonous mood around Elland Road. The longer Leeds go without a league victory, the worse it’s going to get. We all thought August would be a vital month and it’s starting to look that way. Judge us on results, clubs always say and ,trust me, these supporters will. ●* Leeds are 23/20* to beat Middlesbrough on Saturday and can be backed at 9/1 to win 2-0 with Sportingbet. For a bigger payout get on Max Gradel to score first and Leeds to win 2-0 at 33/1. Don’t forget to claim up to £100 in free bets when you open a Sportingbet account. * Prices correct as of 10/08/11 Dr Michael Benjamin, Community Psychiatrist ------------------------------- myRay: On-line Self-Help CBT http://www.myRay.com ------------------------------ Mental Health: http//www.MyDoctorExplains.com -------------------------------- Auditing || Quality Control http://www.MyDoctorExplains.com/alamo/ -------------------------------- Blog: http://www.DrMichaelBenjamin.com _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] MARCHING ON TOGETHER (There's it) _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] MARCHING ON TOGETHER (There's it)
