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Post by Donnie White on Aug 15, 2006 8:42:05 GMT -1
TRIPLE INJURY WORRY
Kevin Blackwell has injury doubts surrounding three senior players following Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.
Shaun Derry struggled through the contest with a back injury, Steve Stone suffered a groin niggle, and skipper Paul Butler also collected a knock.
The trio will all undergo treatement ahead of Saturday's Elland Road clash with Cardiff City.
The boss is already without Richard Cresswell (knee), Kevin Nicholls (knee), and goalkeeper Neil Sullivan (thigh) while striker Geoff Horsfield is due to start a three-game on Saturday when Cardiff roll into town.
Eirik Bakke is another doubt for the visit of the Welshmen. He had six stitches in a knee injury following the clash with QPR last week.
From LUFC site
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Post by Tony Yeboah's Lunchbox on Aug 15, 2006 10:16:54 GMT -1
This i copied and pasted from WACCOE. Someone on there obviously got this from another article. Leeds United manager Kevin Blackwell was today waiting to discover whether Steve Stone is set for a six-week spell on the sidelines. The midfielder carried a groin injury through Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, and United's medical staff are waiting for the swelling to subside before completing a full assessment of the damage. Stone is a major doubt for Saturday's Championship game against Cardiff City. The former England international, 34, missed most of last season with an Achilles problem, but has shone in Blackwell's line-up this term. Stone was a contender for the man-of-the-match award at both QPR and Palace, and had treatment at Thorp Arch yesterday while the rest of the squad took the day off. Blackwell said: "We'll need to wait for another 24 or 48 hours to find out how serious it is." Shaun Derry was also being closely examined today after suffering a similar problem at Selhurst Park at the weekend. The midfielder required treatment during the interval at Palace but overcame his injury to complete 90 minutes, while Eddie Lewis is also carrying a knock.If this is the case, we are totally screwed. Stone has been arguably our best player in all 3 games so far and would be a damaging loss. Derry also is pivitol to us. Lewis perhaps we could cope with having Carole on the sideline but not the previous two. I think we are cursed this season.....Nicholls, Bakke, and now these two.......it never rains but it pours on Leeds United
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Post by Dr LuKas on Aug 15, 2006 10:29:03 GMT -1
We are always rife with injuries, it's not fair.
I mean how many teams have ever in their entire history bought a new promising player and the next day his out for half of the season or longer, like what has happend with us and Stone and Nicholls?
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Post by Tony Yeboah's Lunchbox on Aug 15, 2006 10:32:33 GMT -1
I don't know Lucus but we are totally screwed if we are missing Stoney and Dezza thats for sure. I don't know what it is, just hard luck.....they say when it rains it pours, well its thundering down on us at the mo.
Its looking a bit despertae for saturday now....i just wonder whether this means we will resurrect the Prutton deal and possibly Idiakez but it just seems to get worse for us each day!
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Post by Dr LuKas on Aug 15, 2006 10:39:52 GMT -1
We definatly need to make a couple more signings, things like this just show the lack of depth in quality we have. I mean we do have covering players but they arn't good enough I'm talking about Eniersson and Rui Marques etc. Hope if any good comes out of this it'll mean Blake and Beckford will get a run out, with maybe Westlake and Carole starting. All those players have something to prove and should play out of their skins to show they deserve to be in the first team.
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Post by Tony Yeboah's Lunchbox on Aug 15, 2006 10:44:32 GMT -1
We definatly need to make a couple more signings, things like this just show the lack of depth in quality we have. I mean we do have covering players but they arn't good enough I'm talking about Eniersson and Rui Marques etc. Hope if any good comes out of this it'll mean Blake and Beckford will get a run out, with maybe Westlake and Carole starting. All those players have something to prove and should play out of their skins to show they deserve to be in the first team. Well we certainly are gonna be up against it now.....its such a shame really considering the optimisim and tbh, they couldn't have got crocked at a worse time with our fixture list for the next month and a bit. Thinking about it, this is what we got available to us at the mo for saturday and this is discounting the injured players so we can understand the reality we are facing.. Warner Kelly Butler Killa Crainey Richardson Gregan Westlake Carole Healy Blake I think that could be KB's option
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Post by Joe on Aug 15, 2006 10:45:47 GMT -1
seems to me when it says players are 'doubtful' ,8 times out of ten they end up playing!
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Post by Dr LuKas on Aug 15, 2006 10:46:52 GMT -1
Just not a solid quality midfeild without Derry, Stone, Bakke and Lewis is it.
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Post by Tony Yeboah's Lunchbox on Aug 15, 2006 10:49:00 GMT -1
seems to me when it says players are 'doubtful' ,8 times out of ten they end up playing! Well yeah but we have to be realistic and move on with or without them. We have to have plans to accomodtae without them....if they are fit, we can then reshuffle but i'm not optimistic on the Stone front at all. Lewis may be ok.....Derry might make it also but i don't honestly know tbh.
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Post by Tony Yeboah's Lunchbox on Aug 15, 2006 10:50:55 GMT -1
Just not a solid quality midfeild without Derry, Stone, Bakke and Lewis is it. Whats so annoying is we saw the potential on Sunday for what a good side we can be.....we created the chances at QPR but fucked up at the back.....Sunday we looked a team on a mission, and what happens.....we lose possibly 3 of 'em! Its never the crap ones either! Just hope we can manage somehow.
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Post by Joe on Aug 15, 2006 11:07:02 GMT -1
Just not a solid quality midfeild without Derry, Stone, Bakke and Lewis is it. Whats so annoying is we saw the potential on Sunday for what a good side we can be.....we created the chances at QPR but fucked up at the back.....Sunday we looked a team on a mission, and what happens.....we lose possibly 3 of 'em! Its never the crap ones either! Just hope we can manage somehow. sods law really that as soon as we show some potential, something comes to ruin it. Only seems to happen to Leeds Utd
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Post by Donnie White on Aug 15, 2006 11:09:21 GMT -1
I reckon Blackwell ran over at least one black cat on the way to his first day in the job!!
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Post by Donnie White on Aug 15, 2006 11:18:26 GMT -1
I think that it could be a chance for Carole to really show what he can do on the right if Stone's out.
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Post by jimbo on Aug 15, 2006 14:48:40 GMT -1
We definatly need to make a couple more signings, things like this just show the lack of depth in quality we have. I mean we do have covering players but they arn't good enough I'm talking about Eniersson and Rui Marques etc. Hope if any good comes out of this it'll mean Blake and Beckford will get a run out, with maybe Westlake and Carole starting. All those players have something to prove and should play out of their skins to show they deserve to be in the first team. Einarrsson is a great squad player and if given a proper chance could be a good player for us... and don't judge Rui Marques when hes hardly even played at the club ffs... and Beckford has been proving wasteful in front of goal in pre season, to be honest playing him would be a huge gamble, I reckon we should loan him out to a league 1 or 2 club so he can get used to playing more competitive football and actually prove if hes good enough........ My midfield if Derry, Nicholls, Bakke, Stone are out (how the feck can you say theres lack of quality cover in the squad when if all these are fit Blackie has one fucking hard decision).. Okay.... Lewis, Westlake, Einarsson, Carole... good enough for most teams in the Championship.... Lewis ahs that bit of quality, Westlake has the energy and drive about him, Einarsson is strong and great in the air, Carole has pace... looks a perfectly balanced midfield to me if worst comes to worst, we could also try out some of the youngsters, Camfield or Rothery and I doubt anyone would blame Blackie for doing so..... so please stop talking bollocks.... only worry is our strikeforce now....
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Post by WyomingWhite on Aug 15, 2006 15:14:17 GMT -1
It's interesting the Phil Hay states in tonights YEP, that "as careful as Blackwell is to avoid speculation, there are few hints of big signings on the horizon before August 31." Maybe good news is not far away.
To be honest, it looks likely that Stone will be the only player unable to play against Cardiff, so all is not lost. I'd go with the following for Saturday:
----------Blake---------------------- ----------------Healy--------------- Lewis, Westlake, Derry, Carole Crainey, Killa, Butler, Kelly
4-4-1-1
If Lewis, Derry and Bakke don't pass the fitness test afterall my midfield choice would be as below. I'd switch Carole over to the left and bring Richardson in on the right wing. Alternatively, if we feel adventurous we could play Healy out on the right wing again (just for this game!) and start Beckford and Blake up front in a straight 4-4-2. If it didn't work out we could always take Beckford off and bring Richardson on, moving Healy up front with Richardson going into the right wing position again:
----------Blake---------------------- ----------------Healy--------------- Carole, Westlake, Gregan, Richardson Crainey, Killa, Butler, Kelly
or
Beckford Blake Carole, Westlake, Gregan, Healy Crainey, Killa, Butler, Kelly
Here's the full YEP article:
United manager struggles with numbers game
Ban 'last thing' Leeds needed
by Phil Hay As he performed an urgent head count at Thorp Arch this morning, the implications of Crystal Palace were becoming worryingly clear to Kevin Blackwell.
It should stand to reason that a club who finish one season in the Championship Play-off final will be finely honed at the start of the next, but time stands still for no man and least of all Leeds United's boss. After only three games and a mixed bag of results, Blackwell's squad is trapped on the tissue side of thin. Richard Cresswell and Kevin Nicholls were certified absentees before the opening week of the season, and Leeds have reluctantly added Geoff Horsfield to that list after deciding to accept the red card he received at Selhurst Park on Sunday. United were unconvinced by the decision of referee Rob Styles to dismiss the on-loan Sheffield United striker after Horsfield appeared to swing an arm at Palace defender Mark Hudson, but a shortage of conclusive television footage prevented an appeal before yesterday's deadline. The club were unwilling to pay £750 to fund their challenge without a solid case, and Horsfield would have risked an increased suspension – potentially doubled – had the Football Association considered his appeal to have been frivolous. Recommended His three-match suspension could yet be stretched if the FA decides to investigate his subsequent exchange with linesman Phil Sharp, who recommended the dismissal to Styles, but Blackwell has already resigned himself to losing Horsfield until the visit of Wolves to Elland Road on September 10. Next week's Carling Cup first round tie against Chester City, however, should limit the 32-year-old's absence to two league fixtures. To compound Horsfield's ban, Eddie Lewis, Shaun Derry and Steve Stone returned from the 1-0 defeat to Palace with injuries, the latter's damaged groin serious enough to make him highly doubtful for Saturday's Championship meeting with Cardiff City. Neil Sullivan may return to training before the end of this week, but Leeds have so far proceeded through their first three matches without a second goalkeeper on the bench to cover for Tony Warner. As much as he may wish to turn to the loan market, United's finances will provide their manager with limited leeway. Blackwell said: "The last thing we need right now is injuries and suspensions. I've got a small squad as it is and the Palace game has thrown up a few problems. "We've had to accept Geoff's red card because the video footage we had didn't show the incident clearly enough. It would have cost the club money to appeal, and there was also a chance that the FA would add another game to his ban if they thought it was frivolous. He'll be missing now, and a few players are carrying injuries. "It hasn't helped that we've had two long trips to London and back in the space of a week, but that's out of my control. We'll patch them up and get them ready for Saturday." It will not help Leeds that Cardiff will arrive in Yorkshire with their squad bulging and their tails up after two wins and a draw from three matches. The Welsh club – guided in part by the hand of Peter Ridsdale, their deputy chairman – are in the middle of a purple patch on and off the field, but they are also an intriguing example of the strange world of football finance. Less than 18 months have passed since City were bailed out by a loan from the Professional Footballers' Association with their debts and wage bill rising and administration looming. And yet during the recent close season, Dave Jones comprehensively out-spent Blackwell. Double Cardiff's signings entered double figures and included veteran striker Kevin Campbell, whose wages are unlikely to have come cheap. Jones funded many of the arrivals by selling Cameron Jerome to Birmingham, but the £3m fee forthcoming from St Andrews is a similar amount to that raised by Blackwell through the departure of numerous members of his squad, in particular Rob Hulse. His three permanent captures – Nicholls, Sebastien Carole and Ian Westlake – should have left money in United's pot, but the transfer window will close in a fortnight, and the worst-case scenario facing Blackwell at present is a squad of 15 fit and senior players on Saturday. Leeds captured Hayden Foxe on a short-term deal last week but missed the signature of left-back Mo Camara, and as careful as Blackwell is to avoid speculation, there are few hints of big signings on the horizon before August 31. After taking four points from three games, a steady but unspectacular haul, Saturday's game with Cardiff at Elland Road might seem like the ideal moment for a resounding victory. But Blackwell said: "It's too early in the season to start talking about must-win matches. I don't see the Cardiff game like that – it's another chance for us to continue the improvement that we've made during the first three games. "I've taken so many positives from the way we're playing and it's just unfortunate that our numbers are dwindling. We haven't spent the money that the likes of Cardiff have, but they were very busy in the summer. It's another tough game in a long line of tough games. "We always put pressure on ourselves but you have to be realistic – there are 43 games to go. The must-win games will come a lot further down the line."
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Post by jimbo on Aug 15, 2006 15:17:44 GMT -1
The below is from tonight YEP, it's interesting the Phil Hay states, that "as careful as Blackwell is to avoid speculation, there are few hints of big signings on the horizon before August 31." Maybe good news is not far away. To be honest, it looks likely that Stone will be the only player unable to play against Cardiff, so all is not lost. I'd go with the following for Saturday: ----------Blake---------------------- ----------------Healy--------------- Lewis, Westlake, Derry, Carole Crainey, Killa, Butler, Kelly 4-4-1-1 If Lewis and Derry don't pass the fitness test my midfield choice would be as below. I'd switch Carole over to the left and bring Richardson in on the right wing. Alternatively, if we feel adventurous we could play Healy out on the right wing again (just for this game!) and start Beckford and Blake up front in a straight 4-4-2. If it didn't work out we could always take Beckford off and bring Richardson on, moving Healy up front with Richardson going into the right wing position again: ----------Blake---------------------- ----------------Healy--------------- Carole, Westlake, Gregan, Richardson Crainey, Killa, Butler, Kelly or Beckford Blake Carole, Westlake, Gregan, Healy Crainey, Killa, Butler, Kelly Sounds good news..... wonder who could be lined up!?! To be honest I reckon Derry will play, but I never thought of playing Richarsdon in right mid instead of Stone but I've always liked him and I think he'd do well.... if Derry is fit the only change that will most likely happen is Carole for Stone....
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Post by BW on Aug 15, 2006 18:40:22 GMT -1
You think things are bad here??
Look at what as happened at wolves and then you'll realise things ain't so bad.
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