samo II

Despite this could have a big say in the outcome of the relegation scrap due to our games against Huddersfield and Stoke. If (big if) we can manage to take the nine points from those two plus Rotherham we’d have a healthy non-playoff total; add in a win against Norwich (an ask) and we’d have our second best points total since returning to the championship.

They never were ‘expecting’ a top six spot even with Pearson, I don’t think. While it’s happened now, that was just the language they needed to try and soften the sacking, and the timing was as they knew we stood a good chance to beating Weds and QPR and didn’t want to sack a guy they didn’t like who had us at the brink of a playoff spot. But it’s gone now: the sour taste remains and I’m not suggesting we forgive and forget, but Manning didn’t fire Pearson, and we have to see what he is about. Without being flippant, you hope it’s a Ranieri scenario where what Pearson built ends up the foundation for what his successor achieves, as he’s undoubtedly left a better legacy than the he arrived to, but we can only see. I’ll be disappointed if we go into the tank now, but equally can’t imagine without injury luck changing and some dramatic and unexpected spending that we’ll be challenging, but stranger things have happened. He has my support as they all do at the start.

Good luck to him, I suspect he’ll need it as he enters a difficult situation, mainly due to fan reaction. I suspect this too, which will feel like an extra slap in the face to Pearson. He may end up an excellent head coach for us, and I of course hope he does, but I’d suggest he also kind of needs to succeed now (by which I mean immediately) or the whole end of the Pearson era and the reasoning for it will hang over him.

Outstanding article; really excellent. And I think it’ll be even more interesting when that graph of the wage bill fills out to cover 22/23 and this season (barring a huge spend in Jan under someone new). I’d wager the Pearson Era then looks even more impressive if you then marry it with the average points per season graph (and why not throw in an games-played-per-player average over the top too; imagine that dipped with all the young guns); the contrast of what Pearson wrung out of what meagre resources he was gifted in a league where cash really is king most if the time will, I bet, be stark. Yes; we were not the greatest show on earth, but most fans could see the progression, and understand that building something in a league where sides are still fed by the mega riches of the Prem via their parachute payments wasn’t going to mean instant success and might take steady not sudden progress. I literally pity whoever comes in next; they are either going to be a yes man who is just here to bank some coin, or they are on a hiding to absolutely nothing, because unless the scenario utterly shifts, they simply can’t be expected to achieve what is asked. As such I can’t believe anyone of sufficient quality to achieve this batshit idea of being promotion candidates this season will be interested. But, all told; great article @Ron W - hope it gets a lot of clicks because as embarrassing as it might be for us, it’s pinpoint accurate in every way.

I’ve been quiet/busy and not posted a lot for probably the length of Pearson’s tenure, but that likely says a lot about how content I was with his management of the club - I felt the playing side was in good hands, even at the low points, and frankly relished watching us hold our own with large numbers of young, homegrown players or relatively unknown players making up the squad. Now? I’m worried. After the weird end to LJ’s time here and the straight nightmare that was Holden’s tenure I thought there is no way we’ll get a quality appointment now; we look like a basket case. Falling arse backwards into Pearson was our saving grace, but now I’m pretty certain we have no plan. And that is the kicker; anyone in their right mind could see promotion was and could never be the goal with the constraints Pearson had - unless there was some major factor everyone watching the on pitch product was blind to, and had somehow evaded the media completely, we don’t have the playing resources to seriously sustain a playoff or top two run, so if the bar Pearson didn’t meet was that target, and with a team mainly of youth he had blooded and essentially hand-reared to be first teamers, then gods help whoever comes in next as unless they get a war chest the likes of which I simply don’t believe we can muster, they are on a hiding to nothing. Faith is very much broken in the ownership - this feels like an inflection point tbh; very much like when we were a championship last, when we gave McInnes no support, then expected SO’D to make bacon butties out of pig shit - neither gaffer inspired me, but both were stuck with a sticky wicket - and we all know where that took us. Ownership need to make the appointment of their lives now. Problem is; I think they already had, and they didn’t know it.

My best mate is an Ipswich fan and after watching the game this week, and saying we were one of the better teams they’d played (and he’s not one to pull punches on stuff like that: a spade would have very much been a spade were we shit), he said the same comparison when talking about Pearson. Being based in the north I know several Leeds season ticket holders who said similar in terms of us being one of the better teams they’ve seen at Elland Road (and again: they are not the like to be kind if given the opportunity), so several are surprised we’ve got rid. It’s funny when opposing team’s fans recognise our gaffer is doing a good job in a tough league but our owners have no such sense of perspective.

Second this; hell of a player to have to cover for injury. Long term; likely won’t be here, but certainly a solid option to have for the remains of the season.

Subbed

Longer talks than therapy. Chief Exec going to come out having completely sorted this lad’s issues: he’ll end up needing to pay us!

Gutted, but good luck to him. Hope he makes a name for himself; seemed a good lad.

Any similar moves in recent years as benchmarks? 10m with add ons seems like what I would expect, but maybe I’m behind the times and that’s not enough for a player of his age and potential.

10 points from eight games is alright going tbf. Throw another win for a draw and you’re talking solid top half average points.

Poor woman.

Hard no from me.

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. Think all football fans who’ve had good times under a manager or with a player have a tendency to hark back to them when things go south. But I think with Pearson, we’re probably proving a decent project for him due to a number of factors; as you say, he’s worked under restrictions that have granted him time, and he’s been mainly shrewd in his buys and blessed with solid youth players, so would be surprised if he’d leg it to a bigger club in a difficult situation at the drop of a hat.

Glad it’s at home and is a game where we can play some of those outside the immediate starters.

They might think both. Hopefully we’re the former.

It’s basically tradition.

Will be there 3rd choice too as their starter is injured.

All about those late round Prem games. It’s why I’m pleased we have Wycombe; even looking at the cup as just an income generation opportunity, be decent to get to the next round and pick up a top tier side at home.

Bloody hell. Busy till just now, look at the score at cruising at the half? Guessing Coventry aren’t playing starters?

One of my favourite players to watch in his day - all the best in his recovery.

The saying ‘never mistake for malice that which can be explained via incompetence’ applies here, I think. Doubt this ref has an agenda against us, but I’ve zero doubt believing he’s absolutely shit at his job. Officiating has felt awful the last few years in the Championship.

Deserves it for the dive (because that’s what it was) when the guy stood on his foot.

HNM, Palmer, COD… For me they represent last of the echos of the old way of doing things, where it was more like accumulating lottery tickets and hoping one would pay off a la Webster, compared to building a team. The model was flawed anyway, as several of the best sales we made weren’t ‘assets’ brought in but players developed here like Bobby Reid and Joe Bryan, but those in charge still thought it would be the way we’d progress, despite key figures getting shipped out regularly. Feel somewhat sorry for HNM as he likely got sold a bit if a line, but despite that - need to be practical: can’t be having someone taking up a key role/starting position when they likely are gone as soon as they can. Better lose minutes go to players who are committed; just makes sense.