He once lifted the League trophy when only 14 players were used.
Michael looks at the business done and thinks we might just have got it right by accident.
Despite having some sympathy with the Martinez view that the transfer window should close the day before the season kicks off (although I note that didn’t stop him and Wigan signing players at the last minute) the one thing that is true is it’s all certainly exciting. From a Leeds United perspective, we needed midfield cover, we signed midfield cover. But the problem is you have to assess across the whole transfer window and notwithstanding my comments last week on us reining in our signings addiction its clear we have signed a potential whole new team.
Obviously sometimes the story is about what didn’t happen as opposed to what did but in this case those are peripheral matters. Davenport is a free agent so can still be added to the roster, Ward from Bolton could happen anytime over the next 3 months. In terms of non-outs, Robinson has set his stall out to see his contract run out and I don’t expect that to change. Michalik has perhaps done the right thing by him and can only be a good thing if he finds his form at Carlisle United and Sheehan moving off to Swindon Town, via a cancelled contract, bothers nobody. No the real story of summer 2010 is we have somehow added to the squad across all positions without spending much.
Before we look at this whole new team and consider whether it’s good enough for us I want to divert towards one of my pet hates, the “undisclosed fee”. I don’t know why any football club insists on these smokescreens but I do know Leeds United are a bad example of it. We all know that we don’t pay over £500k for players, I fail to understand what the club thinks is being preserved by not admitting it. Collins, Bruce and McCormack were clearly the only £300k plus signing this time around, everyone else will be under free except Clayton about £100k. What have we spent this summer? £1.4m at most, Leicester City spent twice as much as that on a Sunderland reserve yesterday! It’s time the FA and the FL banned this undisclosed nonsense.
Anyway back to us, lets for a minute imagine we had not dipped into the transfer market (yes unrealistic but a worthwhile exercise), our first 11 would look something like this: Higgs, Crowe, Naylor, Bromby, Hughes, Howson, Kilkenny, Johnson, White, Becchio, Snodgrass (I left out Kisnorbo and Parker because they were never going to be fit for the season start when the window opened). It’s not a bad 11, some issues with the full-backs but not necessarily a relegation side. Now let’s put the signings into a team. Schmeichel, Connolly, Bruce, Collins, Bessone, Sam, Clayton, Nunez, McCormack, Becchio, Paynter (and that’s not counting Watt on loan). Perhaps a bit attacking and the inexperience of the central midfield an issue but again would stand up in terms of sustaining our place in the championship. So the next question is what does the whole squad tell us?
I have come to the conclusion that Grayson didn’t have a major plan to improve the squad when the euphoria of promotion settled down, he simply took it player at a time, position at a time. In the end, if you factor in the young lads on loan elsewhere, the young lads staying, the players Grayson doesn’t fancy but are still on our books and the two potential post transfer window incoming to come, we have 3 players for every position, and in some cases, due to some flexibility in the players concerned, more than 3. This clearly will provide some with a rational for believing promotion is possible, and to some extent it probably is. That doesn’t change the fact we shouldn’t get wound up if we don’t get it or even give it a proper shot, but it does provide a little pressure for Grayson to show some variety in his team selections.
Whilst we all want a settled first 11, injury free and on form, there is no point having 20 expensively paid professionals sitting on their backsides. It is a long season, players will rise and wilt. Injuries, suspensions and maybe even unsolicited offers for our better players in January may force some shuffling of the pack. But it is a large pack and as discussed last week, time has come to settle that pack down to see how we go. The base has been constructed and it is now time to build a style and consistency that makes other in our division sit up and take notice. If this team ever takes the field this season: Schmeichel, Clayton, Kisnorbo, Bruce, Parker, Snodgrass, Howson, Kilkenny, Watt, Becchio, Somma, subs Higgs, Bromby, White, Nunez, Sam, Grella, Paynter then I might be quite pleased and impressed! Grayson has got what he wanted; he now has to use it well.
Michael Green.
