Ayling to Leeds (confirmed)

[keflav]

A bit of a shame to see him go as part of our promotion season, but think we have better players in the position so right to let him go if hes not going to be a regular in the team..

Also can't help feeling the Cheltenham incident did him no good and was always going to be on borrowed time after it...

 

 

[I Am A Cider Drinker]

Was part of THAT aside from 2 years ago so will always have fond memories, not a defender for this league though, so good business by city, can't wait for Tomlin, Kodjia and co to come up against him.

[Nogbad the Bad]

1 hour ago, Port Said Red said:

And a defender (was it Alan Hay?) . The suggestion at the time was that they were given to us as sweeteners for a deal to buy Gerry Gow as a replacement for Billy Bremner. Before that deal could be done, Don Revie became England Manager so we got them all for nothing and kept Gow as well :).

Hay was 4 years later, from Bolton.

Only Mann and Shaw arrived in '74.

[samo II]

Well, shame to see him go, but I can't fault the logic; with less than a year on his deal, and another right back in on loan, plus back-up in place, getting a fee for him makes sense.

Will never forget his goal against Bradford away in the title winning season; put the game out of sight of them, and us into the Championship.

Best wishes, Luke; hope you do well (apart from when we play you, of course).

[Port Said Red]

12 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Hay was 4 years later, from Bolton.

Only Mann and Shaw arrived in '74.

Fair enough, I am sure there was a third player though, possibly didn't make the grade?  But the story was from Les Bardsley

[CliftonCliff]

When I started this thread, it was in fact more about EP football coverage than Ayling himself, so as the writer of the OP it I guess it is incumbent on me to issue a formal apology to Mr. Stockhausen, who I had never previously criticised in print and who, ironically, has turned in the end out to be right about this particular issue. In future I'll do as I've done in the past and keep my opinions about the standard of journalism in our local newspaper to myself, but those opinions haven't altered despite the final outcome on this occasion. We'll never know whether he had knowledge of this deal in advance or if he was merely indulging in speculation (which was my suspicion and the cause of my irritation). Certainly, if he had a source, he never indicated as much. Maybe, on the sheer law of averages, if you write enough speculative stories, one of them will eventually turn out to be correct.  

[Gillies Downs Leeds]

1 hour ago, Frenchay Red said:

Pity.

Better footballer than Matthews, IMO.

Hope LJ knows best.

Agree probably better footballer but Matthews his far more disciplined as a right back imo.

[Swede]

Shame to see him go but Cotts got him in specifically for a 3 5 2 formation so once that was ditched he really became a squad

player.

A great player on the ball but as a right back or a centre back in a back four or a holding midfield player? Is he the best player at the club currently for those positions, probably not.

I liked his style moving forward but as with Agard if they're never going to force the Manager's hand in first team selection [injuries aside] then its probably best to move him on.

It will be interesting to see if we have anyone coming in as replacements, that will be the measure if we've got it right as the replacements for LA & KA will have to be better [on paper at least] then we'll have an indication that the squad is evolving.

Good luck Luke

[Nogbad the Bad]

34 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

Fair enough, I am sure there was a third player though, possibly didn't make the grade?  But the story was from Les Bardsley

Can't think who it could be.

Cheesley and Hunt came in together in Dec. '73 so with Shaw and SuperMann that was 4 signings in 6 months. Almost unheard of in those days.

No doubt LB had the inside info., can only think the 3rd one was only going to go through in the event of any deal for Gow being actually completed.

Leeds hardly used any reserves (Madeley and Bates covered most positions) and Shaw and Mann's young defensive counterparts at the time were the likes of Byron Stevenson, Peter Hampton and Frankie Gray.

So maybe one of them?

[Charlie BCFC]

14 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Getting found out?

Sorry, but that is nonsense. At League One level in a championship winning, 99 point team, Little was excellent and contributed his fair share of assists.

Surely the real argument is that he hasn't yet proved that he could be consistently effective at our current level?

Last season he started 10 games and in those when he was fully fit, he did OK.

My hunch is that LJ doesn't expect to need him any more often than that so is fine with him in the squad as Matthews' deputy.

True he was excellent in league 1 but in the championship when going forward he was ok but defensively he was shocking and made a lot of silly errors.

[CliftonCliff]

9 hours ago, Flint says No said:

True he was excellent in league 1 but in the championship when going forward he was ok but defensively he was shocking and made a lot of silly errors.

The "silly errors" we're made - persistently - by Cotterill. Ayling played in the way he was instructed to play - as a wing-back in a 3-5-2 system that was wholly inappropriate for the Championship. Ayling was repeatedly caught upfield by counter-attacking teams that exploited the space in behind. This was plain to see for 15,000 spectators but not, apparently, to the manager, who was sacked as a direct consequence.

This subject was done to death last season. Your assessment of Ayling is unfair and wide of the mark. He is actually a very good, experienced Championship footballer who will be missed and Leeds have got themselves an excellent signing at an attractive price by current standards. I very much doubt LJ wanted to sell him.

Edit: And by the way, he would almost certainly have played some part tomorrow at Burton, possibly even starting, as LJ's comments this morning regarding Matthews' lack of fitness confirm. Our only fit right back currently is Little. Would you have picked him ahead of Ayling?

 

[GrahamC]

25 minutes ago, CliftonCliff said:

The "silly errors" we're made - persistently - by Cotterill. Ayling played in the way he was instructed to play - as a wing-back in a 3-5-2 system that was wholly inappropriate for the Championship. Ayling was repeatedly caught upfield by counter-attacking teams that exploited the space in behind. This was plain to see for 15,000 spectators but not, apparently, to the manager, who was sacked as a direct consequence.

This subject was done to death last season. Your assessment of Ayling is unfair and wide of the mark. He is actually a very good, experienced Championship footballer who will be missed and Leeds have got themselves an excellent signing at an attractive price by current standards. I very much doubt LJ wanted to sell him.

Edit: And by the way, he would almost certainly have played some part tomorrow at Burton, possibly even starting, as LJ's comments this morning regarding Matthews' lack of fitness confirm. Our only fit right back currently is Little. Would you have picked him ahead of Ayling?

 

I think the posters comments refer to Little, Cliff.

[CliftonCliff]

37 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

I think the posters comments refer to Little, Cliff.

Oh dear. How embarrassing. Senior moment, I'm afraid. Thanks for setting me straight, Graham, and my apologies to FSN for taking issue with something he never said in the first place. (I've had that done to me in the past - it can be very irritating!)

I do stand by my opinion of Ayling, though, for what that's worth.

[Major Isewater]

18 hours ago, Im_over_ere said:

Don't forget Terry Cooper, a legend of a manager if not a player. I believe he came direct from Leeds, but maybe a freebie.

Middlesborough, I think , 30,000 quid .

[Charlie BCFC]

8 hours ago, GrahamC said:

I think the posters comments refer to Little, Cliff.

Very truelook at the comment I quoted. I rate Ayling very highly.

[CliftonCliff]

1 hour ago, Flint says No said:

Very truelook at the comment I quoted. I rate Ayling very highly.

Yep, I know. Lost the plot there. Sorry mate. 

[Thatwasclose]

Knew he was going to be offloaded after his embarrassing episode at the races earlier this year. 

[Port Said Red]

9 hours ago, Thatwasclose said:

Knew he was going to be offloaded after his embarrassing episode at the races earlier this year. 

People keep saying this as if he was the one pissing into a glass, as far as I can see and has been reported, he just happened to be on the same balcony as the idiot from MK. Bit like being a passenger in a car when the driver commits an offence.

[Tipps69]

43 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

People keep saying this as if he was the one pissing into a glass, as far as I can see and has been reported, he just happened to be on the same balcony as the idiot from MK. Bit like being a passenger in a car when the driver commits an offence.

In fairness, law of averages would say he was going to leave eventually, that's just the way football is, very few players stay at a club very long, so for him to make out that it was obvious he was going, he's right, eventually he was pretty  much odds on that he'd be leaving us!!