leeds fansSo, yesterday afternoon I was sat enjoying a beer on a rare and peaceful trip back to Yorkshire when a thought dawned on me. I am bored. I lusted for something more than a cold Mexican, tequila based drink and a casual toke on an unhealthy bine. I needed football, not the Brazilian or Mexican leagues that the bookmakers throw at us as a ‘betting opportunity’ not a devastatingly disappointing U21’s international tournament, but football, real kick the ball score a goal football, with my comrades echoing the chants of our forefathers, I yearned to shout out ‘Marching on Together’ only my stream of conscience and politeness to my friends neighbour’s prevented me.

So the absence of football has really driven me to write this article, because I am meandering, I’m fairly bored, and I want to look on the brightside of the spectrum, what’s to look forward to, not what’s to reflect on. Let’s begin.

Transfers

Well, let’s start with the facts, zero players have been bought, zero have been sold. This week Davide Somma was unsurprisingly informed he will not be offered a new contract with Leeds, some see this as a mistake, personally I think it’s the right move, as great as a servant to the club he has undoubtedly been, Brian McDermott needs to make his mark on the squad and bring in the players he feels we need for promotion, Somma is just too unreliable with injuries. Simple fact.

Interestingly I think is the boss speaking to YEP this week confirming that he has made approaches for four players, two under 24, all out of contract, hardly the awe-inspiring summer that many of the more optimistic Leeds fans had hoped for, but I see this as a positive move. He has targeted who he wants and is making positive strides towards attaining them when in complete honesty, most players, agents and club officials are enjoying their mojito’s and 30+ degrees temperatures on the beaches of distant lands.

His list for Shaun Harvey is still existent and is being worked on, but I wouldn’t expect activity until at least June 17th. I’d like to take a moment and stick my neck on the line, this will definitely result in copious amounts of abuse in the comments section below, but I’m quite vexed at the amount of ‘life long Leeds fans’ who are taking to twitter to pessimistically post about the activity, financial power and investment that GFH are inputting into the club. This is their first transfer window in which they have had time to plan properly for the club to go forward, so give them a chance, let them say yes or no to McDermott’s list before you start to slag them off without merit. If I’m wrong come September 1st, well, I’ll apologise then, but our motto is ‘Marching on TOGETHER’ let’s not forget it.

So to summarise, the transfer window has been boring, really boring, I won’t speculate on rumours because 99% of them are complete and utter codswallop, so I’ll wait and see who we sign, and when we sign them before making any judgments on GFH or McDermott’s credentials.

Pre Season tour

So, pre season has been confirmed and the mighty Whites venture to Slovenia, and I have decided to do just the same with my comrades. Eastern Europe has always fascinated me, but my social network has restricted me to partying in Greece and Spain, so I am relishing the prospect of seeing the Mighty Whites touring the little known nation. A tip to any Leeds fans flying in may also be to fly to Rijeka in Croatia, spend a night on the Adriatic sea and then catch a two-hour train to Ljubljana and work it from there, much cheaper and another country visited.

I believe it will be a splendid trip, nostalgic of the European days (kind of) and a great excuse for hundreds/thousands of northerners to descend on a great Eastern European city. Drinking, laughing, singing, soaking up the rays and watching the beautiful game. What better way to spend the summer?

Pre season will undoubtedly give us an insight into the meticulous planning nature of the premier McDermott, but it should also allow us to prove to the new boss how much we are backing him and his ideas, taking the numbers we most certainly will all around the UK and Europe will inspire that ‘hunger’ he has mentioned already, I think it will be a pretty key word this season, hunger will.

So let’s hope we see some new faces, and let’s start this 2013/14 campaign with a cracking pre season before we hit the ground running for the season.

Early Season prediction

Well, this will prove decidedly difficult to predict without sufficient evidence of investment or any player signings, however I think I will employ realism into my prediction for next season, last season was hellish, there are few other words to describe it. It was a slow, expensive and painful torture.

This season though, it will almost certainly be different, to begin the manager knows how to get the players passing, an art we avoided for nigh on a year. Secondly, he’s not a mug, he is the type of manager to tell players how it is, chop and change teams accordingly and allow the youth to develop and actually utilize them in the first team. The ex scout is adaptable and open to ideas, I think we have to remember this is his first job outside of Reading FC, but if he employs the same philosophy as he did down in Berkshire, then we will hardly struggle to be a force to be reckoned with in this league. I predict a healthy mix of youth, experience, known talent and developing talent. A serious contender for the top end of the table.

As I mentioned previously, this season will most definitely be defined by the investments that GFH are prepared to make in the Leeds United playing staff, if McDermott’s list is purchased we shall have a quite unassailable squad, if partially, we may find it difficult, if not met at all, expect a tough season. We all know we lack firepower and a strong spine of the team, so ensuring that these players are purchased is of paramount importance to the clubs chances of promotion come next season.

So, an early pre season prediction from me is this : 5th place finish.

A final thought:

I hope you didn’t mind reading my meandering thoughts, but I am sure you’re as suitably bored at the lack of football as I am.

So summer continues, and the ‘Where’s Salem’ saga drags on, here is to hoping you all have a good one, and here is to hoping we have a solid, progressive and successful summer of transfers and pre season!

Adios amigos, until next time.

MOT

Follow me on twitter @adamgeary1 please, I’m desperate, and we can talk about Leeds, please?!