Green Shoots of Progress at Leeds United

Article by Gwyn Hughes

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Isn't great to see so much transfer activity at Leeds United these days? Well it is for us Leeds fans who have endured so many disappointments and false dawns in recent years.

With four new players in already and two just waiting for the formalities of red tape to be unwound, the team is certainly going to look different from last season. All we need is a proven way of playing successful football, and I think we've seen the green shoots of progress in the last game against Swindon. One of the most exasperating elements of United's play last season was the inability of the players to do the simple thing of holding on to the ball. Watching Leeds last season was like watching a pub team that was told to just kick the ball from danger from defence. Nine times out of ten, the ball would land with the opposition again and we were immediately put under pressure again. It wasn't even route one football. It was just sheer panic and no-one was prepared to take responsibility of playing the ball out and starting a build up to an attack on goal. If we did score from such a strategy then it was down to pure luck rather than a clever plan to get a result.

I'm sure all the fans want to see the type of football that all the other teams (League 1 and 2 included) seem to have cracked. All too often I saw Leeds be shown up by teams who I would never have dreamt of losing to. I have to admit that this must be down to the manager, because whatever dross he has to work with he has to find a way to not lose games. Or perhaps the set of players he had just weren't listening and did whatever they thought was the way to play. Either way, things had to be changed and I for one am glad that the new regime are trying to change not only the personnel of the team but also the wasteful culture that had embedded into the Elland Road set up.

Recent results have been a good measuring stick as to whether the team is headed in the right direction or not. Mansfield was a disaster and we all started to lament that things haven't changed and that we are already cannon fodder for the rest of The Championship clubs. With that kind of performance I could not argue against it, though I did hang on to a miniscule crumb of comfort that Cellino still has other players to buy, there was a wholesale of substitutes used, and there seemed an unhealthy amount of players from last season still playing for the club.

Against Chesterfield, our next friendly, there seemed not a lot of difference by what I was hearing. Again I read a lot of the doom merchants writing their disappointments at how two penalties saved the day for us. That might well be the case but they were bloody good penalties! But I was heartened that this seemed to be a work in progress. Our new signings Bianchi and Beradi were only briefly used in these games, so this performance also had the shadow of last year's team on it, and I dared to hope that when the new players start to get involved in games, then we will see whether this team can play and succeed in the coming season.

By the time the Swindon game came along, I was expecting a better performance and I think that's what we got. By all accounts, the hoof-ball tactics have now been replaced by what we all want Leeds to be better at - passing the ball. By all accounts it seems that Leeds players have finally figured out the simple rules of competent football. I am very encouraged by this change of philosophy and we must praise David Hockaday and his assistant for that. Perhaps Hockaday's last stint as a manager at Forest Green came unstuck because he didn't have high enough quality players to work with. Perhaps all this time there was a footballing genius underneath after all. I need further proof before I start banging on my chest singing Marching on Together.

As well as the welcomed change of tactics, I am much encouraged about the new signings we have so far. Bianchi seems well at ease on the ball and has already shown that he is a good footballer. Doukara may finally be our quick striker who will not be afraid to run at defenders, something we all hoped Cameron Stewart could have done for us. With Vivani and Benedicic on the verge of joining, and if they can secure Agard from Rotheram and make an improved offer for Liam Cooper of Chesterfield, I think we will be in good shape. There is an enormous list of players that Leeds are interested in signing at the moment which is something that we are not used to. But it is an exciting period, which instils hope to us all. The next couple of weeks will be just as exciting and I can't wait for the season to start.

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