That pretty much sums up my feelings Kev ,except with last nights debacle, it is clear that Blackie has lost both the players and the fans, and for that reason, and that reason alone I am sorry to say he must go now !!
Sorry Blackie and thanks for everything but goodbye !!!
Dave
"Lewis, KM (Kevin)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
"Lewis, KM (Kevin)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Over the years I have been a quiet but faithful defender of Kevin Blackwell.
I think he is an honourable man, who talks a lot of sense. Separating the 'club', from the 'team', I also think he's done great things for Leeds United as a football club.
I honestly think the fact that the club still exists is in no small part down to him. If he hadn't somehow put together a functioning team from nothing 2 years ago, and convinced many people that the club was not in terminal decline. I think Leeds United might not exist in the same way as it still does.
Ken Bates may be a dodgy character, but he is a football chairman and he would not have come to Leeds if he didn't think they had a future football wise. I'd prefer a chairman with a bit of passion for football, vision and financial acumen, (he has somehow reduced the debt by fair means or foul) than another like MacKenzie, or Krasner.
On the football pitch, most people though that Leeds were likely to go down again, but Blackwell somehow got the team into mid-table, and persuaded those that matter that the club was a viable proposition.
With the finances in better shape last season, he managed to achieve some good results and get into the play-offs comfortably. The football wasn't brilliant, but better than we saw for the previous 2-3 years.
However it started to go wrong in the last 10 games of last season. It seems that just when he & the team were in a position to make a late run for automatic promotion, they froze. The goals dried up. Instead of going for it, he seemed to be quite happy to hold back and cruise into the play-offs, hopefully keeping something in reserve.
It didn't work. Apart from a battling victory at Preston the play-off performances were of a team that didn't really believe in themselves. This feeling had reached the supporters. Most supporters I spoke to before the Watford game didn't really believe we would beat them, they were there in hope rather than expectation, and knew that the team had not played well for the previous dozen matches.
This season, the start we have had has to be considered terrible. The mitigating factors of unlucky late goals, playing reasonable football, injuries, lacking a big striker when Horsfield was suspended just don't wash. A team that doesn't score goals will not win many games. There should be enough variety and tactical options to be able to adjust when certain players aren't available. There should be a plan B, and plan C but in reality I don't even think much of a plan A..
I would never shout for a manager to be sacked, you never know who you might get and over the years Leeds have had a lot of bad managers being replaced by someone even worse. However, I do believe that in the last 6 months Kevin Blackwell has used up all the credit he earned in the previous 2 years football-wise. I can fully see now why people would want to replace him, and the main reason I am not fully in that camp, is that I am not very keen on any of the likely alternatives. Curbishley aside, and I've no idea if that is a real possibility, I'd rather keep Blackwell than any of the other people mentioned, unless it gets to the stage where he is a liability, with a negative effect on the team.
2 points per game from now on would actually get Leeds to 85 points for the season. Comfortably in the play-offs and a total that could get you automatic promotion. It should not be beyond Blackwell and the current team to get 2 points per match.
I would like to be able to give him another 5 games, with a target of say 10 points. However with the international break coming after 3 more games, that would be the ideal time to make a change, giving Bates a couple of weeks to size up a replacement.
So Kev, I think you've got 3 games left - all toughies too. 6 points should be the target, but considering 2 of those matches are away, 5 or even 4 points might give you a stay of execution long enough to try and pick up a few wins from some easier games in October.
KOT.
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oh alright then :-)
