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Leeds United: Do It For Redders

Started on 19 October 2014 by Jack
Latest Reply on 7 March 2015 by OMGItsToddzy
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2014-10-30 22:55#197829 Jack : Ziechael: It's nice to have a fan of Leeds (like me) following this as you understand most of what is going on more :) Cheers mate

I'm pretty sure no-one knows what the hell is going on at Leeds at the moment lol. Please win the league, i'll take virtual success over reality at the moment!
Leeds have made some good signings, hopefully you can make the team glue together and finish in a play-off spot, good luck!
Walter: Shush, she's in the past now ;)

Ziechael: That my friend, is very true ;)

Zed: Play-offs might be bit too high, but at least it's achievable :D

Leeds Snap Up Doukara On Loan



Leeds United have secured striker Souleymane Doukara on a season-long loan deal, further adding to their shopping in Italy this summer.

The Yorkshire giants confirmed the arrival of Tommaso Bianchi earlier this week, with a few more looking likely to join before the season begins

Leeds have also signed goalkeeper Marco Silvestri, from Chievo Verona.

Now it is Doukara who they are adding to their ranks, with the player arriving on a season-long loan, with an option for Leeds to make the deal a permanent one should the initial loan spell pan out positively.

Doukara, who is under contract to Catania, relegated from Serie A last season, spent time on loan at Juve Stabia last term.



Leeds United's Official Twitter account announced: "We can now confirm that Souleymane Doukara will join the club on a season-long loan, with a view to a permanent deal."

Leeds are expected to continue adding to their squad from the Italian market, which club owner Massimo Cellino has preferred to operate in this summer.

The 22-year-old striker is United’s newest arrival this summer and head coach David Hockaday said: “I’d like to welcome Souleymane to Leeds United.

“He is a big, powerful and fast player with a hunger to succeed. He is exactly what we need at the club.”
Another good update!

By the way, I like the chants Leeds fans sing at their games: "LEEDS, LEEDS, LEEDS". I suppose there aren't many chants you can make with one syllable. :P

Whites Sign Up English Strikers


Leeds United confirmed the signing of Peterborough United forward Nicky Ajose today.


Ajose - United’s seventh signing of the summer - joins for an undisclosed fee and has penned a three year contract.

The former Manchester United youngster has over 100 Football League appearances to his name and has scored over 30 goals.

His spell with Peterborough was affected by injuries and saw him move on loan several times but he scored 17 goals for the Posh and Swindon Town last season.

Nicky also has international caps on his CV from when he played for England’s Under-16s and Under-17s. The striker is also eligible for Nigeria.

United head coach David Hockaday said: “Nicky was involved with a very good group of players in the Manchester United Academy and he was one of the high flyers in that group.

“He can play up front in a number roles and he is very talented. He is a super professional and is an ideal addition to our squad.”


Shortly after Ajose put pen to paper, Leeds United completed the signing of striker Billy Sharp from Southampton on a two-year deal.

The 28-year-old sealed his move to Elland Road this afternoon after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.

Sharp - a player linked repeatedly with Leeds over the years - has joined United after two and half years at St Mary’s and becomes the club’s eighth new signing of the summer.

Southampton said Leeds had paid an undisclosed fee for Sharp, though the two clubs have effectively reached an agreement which pays up the remaining year of his contract at St Mary’s.

The striker is due to train with United’s squad for the first time tomorrow and is in line to make his debut in Saturday’s Championship clash with Middlesbrough.

United head coach David Hockaday said: “Billy is a prolific goalscorer and is tried and tested at Championship level. He was desperate to come here and play for us. I’m delighted to welcome Billy to the club.”


Leeds also remain on course to complete a third signing in 24 hours with Liam Cooper in the process of taking a medical and discussing personal terms.

Leeds have struck a deal to sign the centre-back from Chesterfield for an initial fee of around £600,000.

Leeds Complete Summer Spending and Sack Hockaday




Leeds United have never had a busier transfer window. Even in the summer of 2007 when insolvency stripped the club to the bone, the recruitment of players was nowhere near as sweeping as Massimo Cellino's.

Cellino promised Leeds a new team and a new squad and United have both. Fifteen signings exceeded his own estimate of how far he would go in repairing a dressing room he used to speak about with dismay and expletives. “It will be different next year,” the 58-year-old said during his first interview with the local newspaper. And different it is.

the transfer deadline passed at 11pm last night and Cellino will feel that his first transfer window at Elland Road gave him much of what he was looking for. By the middle of last week, Adryan - the Brazilian signed on loan from Flamengo - was the one remaining target he cared about.



He wanted Dario Del Fabro, the teenager from Cagliari, and he wanted Nacional striker Brian Montenegro but Adryan was the golden ticket; his must-have transfer as August ticked away. In the 24 hours before yesterday’s deadline, Cellino’s priority was a new head coach, after sacking David Hockaday so soon after joining up at Elland Road.



It is indicative of his style of ownership that Adryan, Del Fabro and Montenegro arrived at a time when Leeds were without a first-team boss. It is also true that other deals - Marco Silvestri, Tommaso Bianchi, Souleymane Doukara - were set in motion before David Hockaday began his fleeting reign as head coach in June. They complain at Elland Road about the legacy of players left behind by Neil Warnock and Brian McDermott, and a small part of the summer was devoted to backing out of McDermott’s offer of a three-year contract to Cameron Stewart, but this is Cellino’s squad and his to answer for.



Back when the window first opened, the Italian’s biggest worry aside from the state of United’s finances was the shocking state of their defence. In the four months it took him to buy Leeds from Gulf Finance House, he saw six goals conceded to Sheffield Wednesday, five at home to Bolton Wanderers, four against both Reading and Bournemouth and three at Watford on the evening after his takeover went through.



Cellino rated Sam Byram but wanted Gaetano Berardi to provide a second option at right-back. His opinion of Paddy Kenny was low from the outset - influenced by the view of others at Thorp Arch - and the purchase of Silvestri from Chievo was as much a priority at the start of the summer as Adryan became at the end of it. But the barrage occured at centre-back as Leeds threw money at Giuseppe Bellusci, Liam Cooper and latterly Del Fabro. Leeds paid Catania £1.4m for Bellusci, their most expensive buy in a decade. Cooper’s move from Chesterfield cost £750,000.



The net spend at Elland Road has been skewed by the £10.75m sale of Ross McCormack to Fulham - 15 per cent of which went to Cardiff City through a wise and profitable sell-on clause - but United’s investment in players and their commitment to future payments is substantial. Every one of the loans negotiated by Cellino was arranged for the season with an option to sign the players permanently. Adryan will cost £2.5m if Leeds want to keep him next season, and the proposed signing of Frederik Sorensen from Juventus - one of several deals which collapsed at the death - would have set the club back £400,000 in a loan fee alone. Casper Sloth, from Aarhus, came in at £600,000.



The failed discussions with Sorensen were typical of the way Cellino approached his targets. He always looked for unerring commitment he got from Silvestri, Bianchi and others. Two attempts by Sorensen’s agent to alter the terms of his contract when Leeds thought an agreement was already in place angered Cellino and saw Sorensen fly him to Turin hours before the season began. Federico Viviani’s on-off move from Roma took a similar course: complicated, delayed and ultimately unsuccessful. Viviani’s agent blamed absent paperwork but later said that Viviani had wanted to joined Latina anyway. Cellino accused the 22-year-old of lacking “the balls to come here.”



Cellino never classed striker Ross McCormack as a 30-goal player but he believed that the Scotland international would have been worth 15 this season. Among the other strikers he had in mid-July, Cellino was not so sure. Billy Sharp and Mirco Antenucci were brought in for immediate impact. Montenegro offers a bit of insurance. In that area of the squad, Leeds have been stockpiling to an unprecedented degree. It is easy to forget that when Cellino first bought United, they were losing £1m a month and the wage bill was giving him sleepless nights.



United’s midfield was the only part of the team that Cellino declined to overhaul. He liked the idea that Lewis Cook, Leeds’ exceptional 17-year-old, might grow into that role quickly. Casper Sloth and Zan Benedicic are a similar sort of attacking midfielder and out-and-out wingers never seemed to be on the agenda. But Montenegro can operate out wide and Antenucci too.

His first window over, a left-back goes down as one of the few specific assets Cellino failed to land. He accepted a few weeks ago that sourcing a good-enough option and a club willing to trade would be difficult, and the sprightly form of Stephen Warnock made him question if a replacement was needed anyway. One of the lessons learned by United’s president this summer was that his squad cannot be a foreign legion. It needs English blood and English nous, at least in small doses. And after so many transfers, it need to settle down and integrate. A concerted attack on the transfer window was always inevitable in Cellino’s eyes. The second and bigger part of his plan involves putting the pieces together. That job starts here.

August: Superb Month Lands Redfearn Job




After an outstanding win record of 100% in his first seven games, Neil Redfearn has landed the Leeds United job on a permanent basis, owner Massimo Cellino has confirmed.

Neil Redfearn took control of Leeds first team affairs first in a 2-0 win against Millwall at The Den in front of a crowd of just over 19,000. Alex Mowatt and Souleymane Doukara bagged the goals that day.

Since being the fan favourite that he is, Redfearn was already very likely to be in the running for the permanent job at Leeds in the first place, but results such as the 5-0 wins over Brighton & Hove Albion and Premier League side Leicester City, Redders as the Leeds faithful nicknamed him has endeared himself further to the Leeds United fans.

Redfearn has been an integral part of the growth of Leeds ever since joining in 2009 as an academy coach after departing his youth team coach role at York City. He has developed players like Fabian Delph, Tom Lees, Sam Byram, Lewis Cook and Alex Mowatt from academy players up to very capable - sometimes Premier League standard players.

Fixtures


Millwall 0 - 2 Leeds United


Sky Bet Championship
The Den
Att. 19,136


Souleymane Doukara (24)
Alex Mowatt (76)

Leeds United 1 - 0 Mansfield Town


Capital One Cup 1st Rnd
Elland Road
Att. 9,347


Brian Montenegro (79)

Leeds United 1 - 0 Middlesbrough


Sky Bet Championship
Elland Road
Att. 27,513


Stephen Warnock (71)

Leeds United 5 - 0 Brighton & Hove Albion


Sky Bet Championship
Elland Road
Att. 26,060


Adryan (5)
Souleymane Doukara (18, 71, 88)
Gaetano Berardi (28)

Watford 1 - 3 Leeds United


Sky Bet Championship
Vicarage Road
Att. 17,477


Adryan (39)
Mirco Antenucci (pen 45+1)
Souleymane Doukara (46)
Matej Vydra (73)

Leicester City 0 - 5 Leeds United


Capital One Cup 3rd Rnd
King Power Stadium
Att. 26,091


Rodolph Austin (39)
Brian Montengro (50, 77, 84)
Mirco Antenucci (70)


Leeds United 3 - 2 Bolton Wanderers


Sky Bet Championship
Elland Road
Att. 29,958


Mirco Antenucci (pen 31)
Lee Chung-Yong (70, 89)
Sam Byram (87, 90)

League Table



As you can see, we are comfortably leading the way in the Championship by winning all five of our league games possible, gaining fifteen points out of fifteen. We're the joint top scoring team, tied on fourteen goals with second place Wigan as they scored at least three goals in each game, apart from against Cardiff, in which they drew 1-1. Along with that, we are the joint second least conceding team, alongside Norwich, Blackburn, Brentford and Wolves who have all conceded three, but Middlesbrough lead that table by only conceding two.
We are going to try our best to be as consistent as we can in the league, but with a possible cup run on our hands, it may be difficult.

September



Following our 5-0 thrashing of Leicester, we get a teasing third round draw in the Capital One Cup as Chelsea will try and test our class at Stamford Bridge later in late September. The fixture is just three days after we play an intense Yorkshire Derby as we take on Huddersfield Town at Elland Road in front of a possible 30,000+ crowd. Being honest, I don't see any form of challenge beyond Chelsea in September but we can't get ahead of ourselves after seven games unbeaten, we need to take each game as it comes.

Awards


Manager of the Month - Neil Redfearn


It was inevitable that I won the Manager of the Month award, after leading my side to five straight wins in five. Wigan's Uwe Rosler came in second place, with three wins and two draws, with Wolves' Kenny Jackett coming in third place with the exact same statistics.

Player of the Month - Sam Byram


After single-handedly winning us three points in our final game of August against Bolton with two late, late goals Sam really deserved to pick up this award following other outstanding performances throughout the month. Byram picked up an average rating of 8.00 with two goals, three assists and one Man of the Match award this month. Leeds striker Souleymane Doukara narrowly came in at second place after hitting home five goals in five appearances, along with an assist and a Man of the Match award, he picked up an average rating of 7.66 throughout August. Wigan's Oriol Riera finished off the competition, coming in third with four goals and three assists in five games, picking up an average rating of 7.60.

Young Player of the Month - Adryan



The skillful Brazilian on loan from Flamengo has been one of many standout players this month. He has wowed the home fans at Elland Road with some very electric skills and pace, something The Whites have been lacking for years. The 20-year old from Rio de Janeiro bagged two goals and two assists throughout August, with an average rating of 7.80. Middlesbrough's Ben Gibson came in second place with an average rating of 7.28, with some great solid performances in the back line for Boro. Nottingham Forest's Britt Assombalonga rounded off the competition with two goals and one Man of the Match in five games, picking up an average rating of 6.96.

Leeds Record Historic Victory



It was an electric atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge last night as 5,000 of the following Leeds fans travelled down to London for what is the most significant of the last five years for The Whites.

Just two years ago, Chelsea took Leeds apart in a 5-1 win at Elland Road. Two years on, Leeds United put Chelsea to the sword with a 3-1 win for the Championship leaders.

A star-studded Chelsea line-up containing the likes of Eden Hazard, Loic Rémy and Ramires were embarrassed by Doukara and co. in front of their own fans. Three goals were put past The Blues keeper, Petr Cech - two from Souleymane Doukara and a rare goal from center back Giuseppe Bellusci to put Leeds through to the fourth round of the League Cup.

Whites' boss Neil Redfearn was left shell-shocked as he shook hands with José Mourinho after the match, he is probably still unaware of what he pulled off last night, today. Before the game, Mourinho had been talking about how his continental stars were going to put high-flyers Leeds in there place, when in fact, completely the opposite happened.

Chelsea dominated possession and took more shots throughout the entire game, but Leeds were too clinical for Mourinho's men. John Terry was to blame for the first goal from Doukara in the third minute of play after the Senegalese man seized on a mistake from the former England skipper.
Leeds' second came from a Stephen Warnock free-kick as it was whipped in from almost the half-way line, fell at Doukara's feet before being tackled by Terry, it fell at the feet at Schurrle who's attempted clearance hit Italian center-back Bellusci in the chest and it slowly rolled over the goal line to make it 2-0.
Doukara then doubled his tally with a tidy, placed finish into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
Loic Rémy gave Mourinho's side a glimmer of hope in the 81st minute as he slotted away a close-range finish past Marco Silvestri but Chelsea would go on to lose 3-1.



Doukara was awarded Man of the Match after being mobbed on the pitch by delirious Leeds fans, he caused the center-back pairing of Kurt Zouma and John Terry all kinds of problems with his ability in the air and strength on the ball. Him and Antenucci are building up a real understanding after netting 13 in 18 games as a pair - with Doukara scoring nine goals in as many games.



This was the 103rd time the two sides have met in their history, with Leeds winning the most games in whole with 40 wins and 29 draws against Chelsea.

Some really good detail, and excellent results to boot! What a great win over the Blues :D

September: Good Form Continues


Neil Redfearn's side's superb start to the season continued as The Whites won three out of their four league games as well as a historic and memorable display against Premier League strugglers Chelsea.

Leeds started September shortly after the international break at St. Andrews as they took on Birmingham City in the Championship. Goals from striking duo Mirco Antenucci and Souleymane Doukara ensured that Neil Redfearn's men went back to West Yorkshire with three points in the bag as they venture further into their chase for a top-flight return. Somewhere they haven't been for almost ten years.
After a 2-0 win over Bournemouth came the Yorkshire Derby. Leeds United vs Huddersfield Town at Elland Road, just three days before their Hollywood tie against Chelsea. They left Leeds for London buzzing after a narrow 1-0 win over their neighbours, with Souleymane Doukara yet again delivering the goods for Leeds.

Fixtures

Birmingham City 0 - 2 Leeds United


Sky Bet Championship
St. Andrews
Att. 14,721


Mirco Antenucci (pen 12)
Souleymane Doukara (30)

AFC Bournemouth 0 - 2 Leeds United


Sky Bet Championship
Dean Court
Att. 11,831


Adryan (62)
Brian Montenegro (90+1)

Leeds United 1 - 0 Huddersfield Town


Sky Bet Championship
Elland Road
Att. 37,890


Souleymane Doukara (56)

Chelsea 1 - 3 Leeds United


Capital One Cup 4th Rnd
Stamford Bridge
Att. 37,521


Souleymane Doukara (3, 24)
Giuseppe Bellusci (13)
Loic Rémy (81)

Brentford 2 - 0 Leeds United


Sky Bet Championship
Griffin Park
Att. 8,643


Harlee Dean (63)
Tommy Smith (90+4)


League Table



Despite slipping up against Brentford, we retain our lead at the top by three points, with a game in hand to possibly go six points ahead should we win that game. The league seems to be shaping up now we've played ten games or so and you get the feeling of what the table will look like in May 2015. Watford and Wigan seem hot on our tail with Middlesbrough also looking threatening now, we can't be too complacent but we must have confidence to be able to achieve anything this season.

October



October sets us up with tough challenges such as Reading, Norwich and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Both Norwich and Wolves are lurking around the final play-off place at the moment and will pose a threat, especially if we are still league leaders at that time. We have a League Cup tie against Wigan Athletic for our last game of the month, and in fairness, there are some real underdogs still in the cup, teams such as Bristol City, Millwall and Bournemouth are still in the competition and will be buzzing for their ties against higher opposition.

Awards


Young Player of the Month - Adryan


Another outstanding month from the young Brazilian has won him yet another award of this kind. After four games in the league, Adryan scored one goal (vs Bournemouth) and one assist, picking up an average rating of 7.20. The 20-year old has earned himself many deserved plaudits so far through his flamboyancy and his unpredictability, previously unseen at this level of English football. Huddersfield's Murray Wallace came in second place, picking up an average rating of 7.35 at center-back whilst Brentford's Moses Odubajo came in third with one goal in four games, with an average rating of 7.05.
Quality story so far mate. Will be following
Brilliant stuff, love this thread

MOT
Neal: Thank you Neal, that Chelsea match got me buzzing :D

Inquisition: Thanks, I hope you continue to enjoy :)

joshleedsfan: Thanks, great to have some Leeds fans reading this :)

Whites Look for Striking Alternative



There are reports coming out of Italy that Leeds United have shown interest in Sassuolo forward Leonardo Pavoletti. The Italian was linked with a move to the Championship side in the summer but he remained in Italy. However he has struggled to get playing time this season and could be looking to exit the club when the transfer window reopens in the New Year.

Italian sports newspaper Tutto Mercato Web have reported that Leeds sporting director Nicola Salerno is monitoring the situation with Pavoletti. Leeds are interested in signing the player in January but they want an answer from the player and his agent as soon as possible. After Leeds failed in their attempts to sign him in the last window the club don’t want to be turned down again and have to look for last minute alternatives. Leeds will therefore be hoping for a decision from Pavoletti in the next few weeks and if a deal doesn’t look like it will materialise then they will look elsewhere for a new forward.



A few days ago the player’s agent had confirmed Leeds had tried to sign him in the last transfer window but his client made the decision to stay with Sassuolo. He also said Pavoletti believed he would get more games when he returned from his successful loan spell at Varese - who he scored 20 goals in 36 matches for - and that they will sit down with the club’s board to discuss his future with the Serie A side.

The 26 year old has yet to start a league game this season. The player thought he would be involved more this season after his successful loan spell with Varese and due to this Pavoletti's agent Danilo D’Ambrosio said he will sit down with the club in January to discuss his future. Leeds are aware of his situation and will look to take advantage of this in the New Year.

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