First Team Squad

[1964white]

As of 25/08/14

Currently 33 Official First Team Squad Players

Goalkeepers - Marco Silvestri, Stuart Taylor, Alex Cairns

Left Backs - Stephen Warnock, Aidy White Charlie Taylor

Right Back - Sam Byram Gaetano Berardi

Centre Back - Jason Pearce, Scott Wootton Liam Cooper, Gisueppe Bellusci, Ross Killock

Centre Defensive Mid - Rodolph Austin Zac Thompson Lewis Cook

Centre Mid - Luke Murphy Alex Mowatt Michael Tonge David Norris, Tomasso Bianchi, Casper Sloth

Centre Attacking Mid - Chris Dawson Zan Benedicic

Forwards - Matt Smith, Dominic Poleon Mirco Antenucci, Souleymane Doukara Nicky Ajose Billy Sharp Noel Hunt Steve Morison Lewis Walters

[Genghers]

What's the maximum squad size in the Championship? If it's 25 (as in the Prem) then we seriously need to lose some players!

Can imagine we'll see Hunt/Morrisson out the door.
Hopefully Tonge and Norris (though as Tonge's played every game so far, I suspect he'll stay).

Mowatt/Dawson and Poleon will probably go out on loan and maybe Killock?

Even if all of them left we'd be on 25, and Hockaday and Cellino are still banging on about more players coming in!

[Brader]

Yeah i think its 25.

To be honest like you say, i can imagine a fair few of those on that list to be gone/go on loan. I cant imagine players like cairns will be registered for first team duties. Theres a second registration period at christmas too if you want to swap players in or out. I can imagine a couple of CM's to go on loan with the influx of new faces coming in.

[Dr.Leeds]

No limit in the Championship.

[1964white]

No limit in the Championship.

I didn't think there was a limit in the championship Dr, you only have to look at the championship squads in the LUFC programmes last season, many clubs had between 40 to 50 in their squad

[1964white]

The end is nigh......i think this will be the week when a lot of our players masquerading as Championship footballers will be shown the door.

White, Wootton, Austin, Tonge, Norris, Hunt, Morison, Poleon can go as far as I'm concerned

Don't be surprised if Byram & Pearce are sold by the end of August

[The Subhuman]

I thought Tonge "had to start" recently ..I'd keep Tonge he's useful off the bench, if you look back the positive comments regarding his performance on this forum have come when he's come off the bench.

[mav]

Goalkeepers - Marco Silvestri, Stuart Taylor, Alex Cairns

Left Backs - Stephen Warnock, Aidy White Charlie Taylor

Right Back - Sam Byram Gaetano Berardi

Centre Back - Jason Pearce, Scott Wootton Liam Cooper, Gisueppe Bellusci, Ross Killock

Centre Defensive Mid - Rodolph Austin Zac Thompson Lewis Cook

Centre Mid - Luke Murphy Alex Mowatt Michael Tonge David Norris, Tomasso Bianchi, Casper Sloth

Centre Attacking Mid - Chris Dawson Zan Benedicic

Forwards - Matt Smith, Dominic Poleon Mirco Antenucci, Souleymane Doukara Nicky Ajose Billy Sharp Noel Hunt Steve Morison Lewis Walters


I think the red can/will go, I also think lumping the likes of Ajose and Doukara as with the rest makes us seem more top heavy (but we are!) also counting Taylor, Killock, Thompson, Cook, Dawson and Walters makes it seem a far bigger squad than it really is.

They are hoping to break into the side this year yes, but do you really expect any of them too?

Them aside gives you

Goalkeepers - Silvestri, Taylor, Cairns

Left Backs - Warnock,

Right Back - Byram, Berardi (Berardi to cover left back?)

Centre Back - Pearce, Cooper, Bellusci,

Midfield - Murphy, Mowatt, Austin, Bianchi, Sloth, Benedicic (Rudi weakest here)

Forwards - Poleon, Doukara, Ajose (Poleeon weak link here)

Strikers - Smith, Antenucci, Sharp

21 plus kids seems a reasonable squad to me, (as long as it has balance and flexability) so at this stage I am not sure why we would look to buy more players unless it is to replace Rudi and Poleon?

[1964white]

I thought Tonge "had to start" recently ..I'd keep Tonge he's useful off the bench, if you look back the positive comments regarding his performance on this forum have come when he's come off the bench.

Tonge is probably the only one out of the eight i'd consider keeping as he does like to play the ball on the ground, has neat passing even though he can be somewhat one dimensional with his passing. I did say he had to start for the Brighton game but tbh he was very poor in that game & not much better at Watford from my reporters at Vicarage Road. Now we have more options with the signing of Sloth & Benedicic must have regained some of the fitness he was lacking over the last couple of weeks. Then there is the likes of Cook, Dawson & Mowatt who all could come in for consideration in the coming weeks.
I said at the end of last season it wouldn't bother me if i didn't see many of the squad in a white shirt again & that included McCormack. Hopefully the jigsaw will be complete in the next few weeks & we'll see the new Leeds

[weasel]

What we are lacking is dynamic players or busy players if you prefer. An example of this would be Gordon Strachan who was always moving, not making long runs but always buzzing around, snapping at people when we didn't have the ball and always an option when we had it. Players like Tonge and most in our team are static players in that they pass but generally then aren't looking to receive the ball back, the easiest option for someone receiving a ball under pressure is to be able to return it back to the player who passed it but so often that player has switched off after making the pass rather than moving 2 or 3 yards to make the return pass easier and to create a bit of space for themselves. Our players either pass and switch off or pass and leg it as far away as they can so that they are 'in space.' Neither of those options are good for neat possession football or breaking down opposition teams by creating space in congested areas.

I liked Tonge as I felt he was one of our better midfielders in recent times and seemed to be overlooked too often. He isn't however suited to the style of play the club/Hockaday is looking to implement. Players like Xavi and Iniesta are classic examples of busy players making the game look easy. Something like 75% of their passes would be to each other as they used simple short passing and short movements to create space for each other so that when they play a longer pass they have time to be able to pick the pass and weight it just right rather than trying to squeeze a pass through a gap that isn't really there as an opposition player charges at them.

Some of the players in our squad are decent but not suited to playing this way. I dare say we will see more coming in and more and more of the squad from last year leaving, be it on loan, free transfers or mutual agreements.

[mav]

What we are lacking is dynamic players or busy players if you prefer. An example of this would be Gordon Strachan who was always moving, not making long runs but always buzzing around, snapping at people when we didn't have the ball and always an option when we had it. Players like Tonge and most in our team are static players in that they pass but generally then aren't looking to receive the ball back, the easiest option for someone receiving a ball under pressure is to be able to return it back to the player who passed it but so often that player has switched off after making the pass rather than moving 2 or 3 yards to make the return pass easier and to create a bit of space for themselves. Our players either pass and switch off or pass and leg it as far away as they can so that they are 'in space.' Neither of those options are good for neat possession football or breaking down opposition teams by creating space in congested areas.

I liked Tonge as I felt he was one of our better midfielders in recent times and seemed to be overlooked too often. He isn't however suited to the style of play the club/Hockaday is looking to implement. Players like Xavi and Iniesta are classic examples of busy players making the game look easy. Something like 75% of their passes would be to each other as they used simple short passing and short movements to create space for each other so that when they play a longer pass they have time to be able to pick the pass and weight it just right rather than trying to squeeze a pass through a gap that isn't really there as an opposition player charges at them.

Some of the players in our squad are decent but not suited to playing this way. I dare say we will see more coming in and more and more of the squad from last year leaving, be it on loan, free transfers or mutual agreements.

Agree, Movement and wanting the ball are what we have been missing when I have seen us, is this due to the players, the stick they get if they f**k up from the crowd or pressure from the coaching staff?

If it is down to the crowd or the players then the coaching staff are there to get them past this or ship them out if they can't.

[1964white]

What we are lacking is dynamic players or busy players if you prefer. An example of this would be Gordon Strachan who was always moving, not making long runs but always buzzing around, snapping at people when we didn't have the ball and always an option when we had it. Players like Tonge and most in our team are static players in that they pass but generally then aren't looking to receive the ball back, the easiest option for someone receiving a ball under pressure is to be able to return it back to the player who passed it but so often that player has switched off after making the pass rather than moving 2 or 3 yards to make the return pass easier and to create a bit of space for themselves. Our players either pass and switch off or pass and leg it as far away as they can so that they are 'in space.' Neither of those options are good for neat possession football or breaking down opposition teams by creating space in congested areas.

I liked Tonge as I felt he was one of our better midfielders in recent times and seemed to be overlooked too often. He isn't however suited to the style of play the club/Hockaday is looking to implement. Players like Xavi and Iniesta are classic examples of busy players making the game look easy. Something like 75% of their passes would be to each other as they used simple short passing and short movements to create space for each other so that when they play a longer pass they have time to be able to pick the pass and weight it just right rather than trying to squeeze a pass through a gap that isn't really there as an opposition player charges at them.

Some of the players in our squad are decent but not suited to playing this way. I dare say we will see more coming in and more and more of the squad from last year leaving, be it on loan, free transfers or mutual agreements.

Couldn't agree more Weasel, we've lacked movement & pace for a long time, since our League One seasons tbh

[weasel]

Agree, Movement and wanting the ball are what we have been missing when I have seen us, is this due to the players, the stick they get if they f**k up from the crowd or pressure from the coaching staff?

If it is down to the crowd or the players then the coaching staff are there to get them past this or ship them out if they can't.

For me it is down to coaching from a young age. The mentality in Britain is not suited to patient passing and working better chances (less chances but better chances where the % chance of scoring is much higher). We do not crave the possession the way Spanish teams do for example and all we hear is that kids should play smaller sided games which is total b*llshit. The 5 a side type games are awful for this as it doesn't matter if a team loses possession as they will get it back in a few seconds after the opposition scores. How many 5 a side games end 1-0 compared to games that end in both teams scoring double digits? I occasionally see a bit of 'youth coaching' and it is appalling, kids at the ages of 4 and 5 using full size leather balls. How are they meant to control balls that are huge in comparision to their feet so it is all just about who is the most physically strong for their age.

This for me is why it doesn't matter that the U18s won their league. I don't care if they win at that level but how they play and I hope this is why Cellino has ripped the academy apart so that he can rebuild it and have kids progressing from whatever age in the right way.

So the option is cheap imports who have been brought up playing football the right way or expensive english players who find pass and move to be an alien concept. I hope Hockaday succeeds with trying to get us playing football, I know it will not happen overnight and it is a huge challenge and people won't give him time. He may be in the wrong job as no one knows if he can motivate, pick tactics etc but somewhere there should be a role for him at this club.

[MeeTa]

For me it is down to coaching from a young age. The mentality in Britain is not suited to patient passing and working better chances (less chances but better chances where the % chance of scoring is much higher). We do not crave the possession the way Spanish teams do for example and all we hear is that kids should play smaller sided games which is total b*llshit. The 5 a side type games are awful for this as it doesn't matter if a team loses possession as they will get it back in a few seconds after the opposition scores. How many 5 a side games end 1-0 compared to games that end in both teams scoring double digits? I occasionally see a bit of 'youth coaching' and it is appalling, kids at the ages of 4 and 5 using full size leather balls. How are they meant to control balls that are huge in comparision to their feet so it is all just about who is the most physically strong for their age.

This for me is why it doesn't matter that the U18s won their league. I don't care if they win at that level but how they play and I hope this is why Cellino has ripped the academy apart so that he can rebuild it and have kids progressing from whatever age in the right way.

So the option is cheap imports who have been brought up playing football the right way or expensive english players who find pass and move to be an alien concept. I hope Hockaday succeeds with trying to get us playing football, I know it will not happen overnight and it is a huge challenge and people won't give him time. He may be in the wrong job as no one knows if he can motivate, pick tactics etc but somewhere there should be a role for him at this club.

Well said, and spot on

[theleedsmango]

I love to watch Barcelona play but I don't think its effective in the lower leagues. The players who can generally play that style, and of course Iniesta and Xavi would be prime examples, don't tend to hang about in these parts too long.

I also think the shift is moving away from the Barcelona / Spain style possession as so many teams have it figured out how to play against. Generally you close down the one or two players in the middle and allow the rest to have the ball. This generally causes the ball to either linger at the back or forces the players to try riskier balls out wide. Fight fire with fire, in this case, patience with patience.

Man City and Chelsea's style is far more effective and they'll probably be the two teams at the top this season. Let the opposition hold on to the ball for as long as you want and then break when you get the ball. It's not pretty at times (although both those teams can make it look beautiful) but it's tactically effective. Germany showed it too in the world cup; everyone is responsible for defending and attacking. Barcelona, and indeed Spain, have seen their dominance fall slightly and neither team is effective without Iniesta/Xavi.

If we had Xavi and Iniesta style players and Guardiola coaching, i'd go for it. But given the players we have, we just need to make sure our passes are effective. Otherwise the other teams in this division will just wait till we mess up and break on the ball. Just because you have more of the ball, doesn't mean you have more chances.

[Twiggster]

He may be in the wrong job as no one knows if he can motivate, pick tactics etc but somewhere there should be a role for him at this club.

Toilets need cleaning at ER. Did we ever find someone to wash the kits?

[Ryan_LUFC]

What I like about our current squad size of varying quality is, we could potentially field competitive teams in the Championship and Leagues One and Two at the same time...

Championship Team:

Silvestri, Berardi, Pearce, Bellusci, Warnock, Cook, Bianchi, Sloth, Adryan, Doukara, Sharp.

League One Team:

S Taylor, Byram, Cooper, Del Fabro, C Taylor, Murphy, Mowatt, Benedicic, Dawson, Smith, Antenucci

League 2 Team:

Cairns, White, Killock, Wooton, Tonge, Ajose, Austin, Norris, Poleon, Morison, Hunt

[nickjett]

What I like about our current squad size of varying quality is, we could potentially field competitive teams in the Championship and Leagues One and Two at the same time...

Championship Team:

Silvestri, Berardi, Pearce, Bellusci, Warnock, Cook, Bianchi, Sloth, Adryan, Doukara, Sharp.

League One Team:

S Taylor, Byram, Cooper, Del Fabro, C Taylor, Murphy, Mowatt, Benedicic, Dawson, Smith, Antenucci

League 2 Team:

Cairns, White, Killock, Wooton, Tonge, Ajose, Austin, Norris, Poleon, Morison, Hunt

I think if we get the new italian boss, the first team will be this

Silvestri,Beradi,Del Fabro,Bellusci, (Another Serie A/B player),Sloth, Bianchi, Benedicic, Doukara, Adryan, Antenucci

[theleedsmango]

What I like about our current squad size of varying quality is, we could potentially field competitive teams in the Championship and Leagues One and Two at the same time...

Championship Team:

Silvestri, Berardi, Pearce, Bellusci, Warnock, Cook, Bianchi, Sloth, Adryan, Doukara, Sharp.

League One Team:

S Taylor, Byram, Cooper, Del Fabro, C Taylor, Murphy, Mowatt, Benedicic, Dawson, Smith, Antenucci

League 2 Team:

Cairns, White, Killock, Wooton, Tonge, Ajose, Austin, Norris, Poleon, Morison, Hunt

The truth is we don't know, Hock didn't know and I don't think Cellino knows, who the Championship main team is yet. I think Cellino is spreading the net out wide with these signings so that if a few don't make it in English football, then we've got the others. Working the odds and reducing the risk. Time will tell; but i'd rather have a cupful of diamonds than a barrel load of shite. We need to start cutting some weight off! Especially now that we are out of one of the cups.

[1964white]

What I like about our current squad size of varying quality is, we could potentially field competitive teams in the Championship and Leagues One and Two at the same time...

Championship Team:

Silvestri, Berardi, Pearce, Bellusci, Warnock, Cook, Bianchi, Sloth, Adryan, Doukara, Sharp.

League One Team:

S Taylor, Byram, Cooper, Del Fabro, C Taylor, Murphy, Mowatt, Benedicic, Dawson, Smith, Antenucci

League 2 Team:

Cairns, White, Killock, Wooton, Tonge, Ajose, Austin, Norris, Poleon, Morison, Hunt

Austin, White, Poleon, Morison & Hunt being L2 players is music to my ears Ryan