One of these men controversially wants to sign “good players”. No, really.
In a shock move that will sweep away well over a decade of tradition, Leeds United boss Steve Evans has signalled a sea-change in the Elland Road club’s transfer policy. Boldly, daringly even, Evans has stated his intent to depart from well-established practice and sign the type of player not seen in the United team for many a long year.
Always a man to speak his mind and think the unthinkable, the Leeds boss is quite explicit in his revolutionary plans – and these plans, remarkably, are already underway. For today, Steve Evans has revealed that the Whites have held advance talks with summer targets that he controversially categorises as “good players“.
Clearly, Evans is aware that this would be a radical departure from normal practice at Leeds, but insists that these “good players”, bizarre as this might sound, can help to form a good team that can be contenders for promotion to the Premier League. “Good players can be central to competitive league performance”, maintained the ebullient Scot. “Don’t get me wrong, we’ve done OK with the players we’ve signed before. But there’s a school of thought out there which holds that there’s a place for good players in a winning manager’s strategy. That’s something I’m prepared to at least try.”
Leeds fans will be well aware that the club’s usual transfer policy is unsullied by words like “good”. Our squad has mainly been built on solid Yorkshire/Italian traditions characterised by words like “cheap”, “free”, “past-it” and “crap”. The abandonment of these sterling attributes will not be met by universal acclaim. One Elland Road insider expressed grave doubts in the wake of Evans’ controversial remarks. “Is not set in stone, my friend”, our source confided. “Good might mean expensive, for sell, not buy. Is like paying taxes – not necessarily way to go. You can buy a journeyman for your bench, but you can’t buy promotion, my friend.”
Some fans, too, remain unconvinced by this latest statement of transfer strategy. We interviewed a typical supporter as he headed for the White Hart for a lunchtime libation. “Pull the other one, lad”, quipped the cynical one, cynically. “We were promised a beautiful season and that seemed a bit unlikely. Now look what bloody happened there. Then we were told that we had the Sam Byram money, and more besides, to compete in the January transfer window. And what did we end up with – three million profit and chuffin’ Wootton at right back, that’s what. Now they say they’re going to sign “good players”. You bloody what?? That’s the biggest whopper I’ve heard yet, and I’ve interviewed Ken Bates.”
Steve Evans’ P45 is described as “pending”.
Life, Leeds United, the Universe & Everything 
But Steve we have signed ‘good players’ – Bellusci and Berardi, for instance, would not look out of place in the leading Championship sides; Silvestri too, albeit with qualification. As for Mr Wooton, he has been solid defensively in an unaccustomed role, and presumably is only disliked so much because he is not Byram. Two very good attacking players, and we would not be far off, in my opinion.
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Yep that Evans man can make his mouth say anything i still cant figure out how they get the strings fro where il duce sits down to the technical area on the west stand side which il duce controls him with
As ive said in a previous comment Evans is so far up cellinos arse all you can see is his feet
Until this pair of jokers leave the long suffering fans cant believe a word either of em say just lies lies and damned lies
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And you wonder why Cellino chose Steve (“honest”) Evans as a melon!
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I’m honestly not having a go at Evans – I think that, left to do his job, he’d do a good job. And I think he has a better eye for a player than most of our recent managers.
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I think ”pending” is the most relevant word here… I thank you.
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‘Pending’ applies to most Managers of nearly great clubs in this Division MBW (and to Rotherham, it seems). Nevertheless Evans and Celllino seem a good ‘fit’ to me; and if the FL allow Cellino to stay, I suggest that he will stick with him. Though as I have stated elsewhere in this blog, it the active and vocal minority section of our support that concerns me more. Cellino at least has money to lose; I cannot see any such restraining factor amongst them.
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I accept you’re absolute ‘take’ on Evans post match comments and I’m sure he has total passion and conviction in his statement.
Surely the massive problem we all have, is that 99.9% of all involved here do have expectation, see reasoned progression within the team, have common sense, are not particularly warped of mind and vindictive, are fairly logical, have loyalty, are honorable and can put a pack of lego together to build something with no gaps, but do not understand why Cellino certainly can’t be or do this and has no concept of running an English Football Club.
Poor Mr Evans… Like everyone before him and including ourselves….
‘We are all doomed’… until Cellino goes. He’s not fit for purpose.
Yes… I did say that.
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I am not sure reasoned progression is possible at a club like ours. We did not have it in the 1980s, for instance; it took a ‘big bang’ to get us up (pardon the metaphor). Home grown players promise such progression, but they do not have the patience nor the modest appetites of players of yore; we invest too much in them as well. So far as I can tell, Cellino underestimated the challenge he faced at Leeds. Even without his hands tied by the FL or even the fiscal drag of the debt GFH loaded on the club, it would be tough for him – and any other owner of relatively modest means. I am not sure Imwant to go so,far as to say there is no ‘concept’ for running LUFC, but I’m certain that, absent a very rich owner, there is not one ready-made.
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I think at this point, we’d take a relatively impecunious billionaire who wasn’t barking mad.
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When Wilko stuck his neck out and signed Strachan, he then became Leeds highest paid player ever, on £3000 per week and that gamble was totally worth it and so was signing other big-name players, who were also willing to step down a division, which could still happen today, if realistic wages were offered.
I know we don’t want to have the same financial problems again, that put Leeds where they are today, but sometimes you have to pay proper money for inspirational quality, like Strachan and other players.
The current Leeds team is a cheaply put-together, bunch of square pegs in round holes and things have sunk so low at Leeds, when Evans and his misfiring players, all seem to think that a draw is now as good as a win. How can a team dare to be called outstanding and still only draw a game?
People clearly have their heads buried in the sand, if they are now accepting draws, rather than wins.
EIGHT wins, so far this season, is relegation form, for the non-committed, mid-table draw specialists, who don’t seem to have the initiative, nerve and bravery, which is needed to actually win a game.
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I know all fans are frustrated. I empathise. But not one word about what was a pretty good performance against a team that might well be in the Premiership next year? It’s a shame we’ve sunk so far we can’t even enjoy a game due to the long term ramifications of our decline and neglect and wondering where our team will be in years to come. Oh well: let’s see if Watford are any better than the Smoggies.
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This wasn’t a match report.
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An excellent performance which the publicity stunt failed to overshadow – except for outsiders, of course. Also little mentioned is the fact that we now have the best defence for 10 years and that’s without our best right back, Berardi. The horrors of 5 goal plus thrashings at home, on current showing, are now a thing of the past.
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As Leeds fans, we should be after rather more than avoiding five goal home tonkings to celebrate. Our league form this year so far has been grim in the extreme – blog to follow on this sad subject.
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Cellino must go because there is no way the club will ever move forward regardless of how we progress. The man is not trusted, he is absolutely unprofessional and as long as he remains, the whole club will be in turmoil. I have never know such animosity almost bordering on hatred running through Leeds United.
Coach after coach has been put through the ringer, never given a fair chance by fans who have no shame in hurling insults on someone who is in the same rotten position as the loyalist supporters.
We may have players who are not up to scratch and they never will be if they are subjected to the same verbal abuse often dished out to our rivals with venom. I wonder how many dads on this site would tolerate their kids being ridiculed and sworn at on a regular basis.
There is no billionaire out there coming to the rescue, there is no coach in the wings waiting to perform a miracle because he will have the same rotten tools to work with as long as Cellino is in charge. Get used to it, because just like one or two teams in the Premiere League we are just making up the numbers, cannon fodder. Get behind the team, get behind the coach and show some appreciation now and then. It’s amazing how far just a little encouragement can go.I can’t believe some of the diabolical opinions on the game against Boro, you would think we got hammered 2,3,4 nil. They call themselves true fans? Do me a favour.
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I am in agreement with much of what you say. The problem goes deeper than Cellino – we have had three ownerships since coming down, none of which have satisfied a vocal minority of our fan base. Which leads me to ask whether any sensible person would wish to own our club any more. The same goes for players – they are rarely if ever good enough for us, or are subject to double standards.
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I honestly think Cellino is up against rather more than a minority. As to which faction is the more vocal – that’s a moot point.
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