15 Nov 2023 13:36:46
David Olearys imo one of or even perhaps best/ most impressive season for Leeds United was 1999/ 2000 when
1) the team finished 3rd in EPL
2) they had that 10 match winning sequence that included reaching the UEFA cup semis
3) They played throughout the season beautifully entertaining football
All of this on the following squad of journeymen and youngsters with virtually a zero net spend having sold JFH for £12 million
Nigel Martyn
Gary Kelly
Danny Mills
Ian Harte
Gunnar Halle
Alfie Haalaad
Lucas Radebe
Jon Woodgate
Michael Duberry
David Hopkin
Steven Mcphail
Matt Jones
Lee Bowyer
Bruno Ribeiro
Harry Kewell
Michael Bridges
Alan Smith
Darren Huckerby
DOL and this squad if anything considerably over achieved against better squads in that EPL season league (and in Europe) finished only below Man U and Arsenal who both had bigger, better, more expensive squads!
It was not until tne final 18 months of DOL 5 year tenure that Leeds United spent comparatively big on Ferdinand Keane and Fowler.
But with weaklink defensive full backs in Danny Mills and Ian Harte, DOL and Leeds United still greatly over achieved to get to Champions League semis
Comedy gold?☺️ for any poster on here to expect/ demand the Leeds United squad of 2000/ 2001 to become Champions League Winners over perennial Champions League Winners Real Madrid
and likewise to demand/ expect Leeds United overcome 2 very strong expensive EPL champions squads in multiple EPL champs Man U and Arsenal.
15 Nov 2023 15:47:46
O'Leary spent almost £100 million on new players in less than four years for no reward in terms of trophies.
Sorry Baz but that fact simply spells failure.
With all those quality players he failed to deliver Champions league football to facilitate Ridsdale s massive gamble when it really mattered.
No offense to him personally but he was a loser.
Ridsdales catastrophic mistake was not making Martin O’Niel manager after George Graham left.
15 Nov 2023 16:19:18
OP
1.Martin O'Neill turned down Leeds United.
2.Virtually zero net spend in Oleary first two very successful seasons which you conveniently again continue to fail to refer to
3.Sure Ridsdale in DOL final 18 months splashed cash £58 million on 4 players that weren't needed on Fowler, Keane, Johnson arguably even Ferdinand
4 But how much did Real Madrid, Barca and Man U spend over those 4 years?
5 What was definitely needed was quality fullbacks with pace who could defend well. never addressed
6 DOL very unlucky with injuries in 2000/ 2001 especially
7.Very few teams actually win trophies at all . even Liverpool have only won League once in 34 years
8.Leeds missed out on CL requalification in 2000/ 2001 finishing 4th from 3rd by one point .4th in subsequent years guarantees CL football
9.Sorry finishing 3rd,4th in EPL against super strong teams in Man U, Arsenal etc is NOT failure!
#OPcomedygold.
15 Nov 2023 16:23:43
Just to add OP you revere Bielsa bit how successful was he? . I mean really ??
Record defeats of 7 nil
Other defeats of 6 nil 6 2, 5 1, 4 nil, 4 1 multiple times
Relegation fodder under him
Bottled the playoffs out thought and beaten by Far Frank for gawd sake
You know .
15 Nov 2023 16:48:15
International break ???.
15 Nov 2023 16:53:39
You may interpret his tenure as unlucky I see it as a failure, opposing opinions I guess.
Martin O’Niel turned down leaving Leicester because he wanted to honour his contract unlike Mr. Graham.
Like Alan Sugar offering to pay Graham more money, Ridsdale should have done the same procedure for O’Neil, money talks.
O’Neil won the then called Coca-Cola cup the season before with Leicester, something that unlucky O’Leary was not able to do.
#O’learywonNada.
15 Nov 2023 16:55:18
Just because DoL didn’t spend the money on that squad, didn’t mean that money was not spent.
And the youth? Wilko.
15 Nov 2023 18:05:14
Err OP so getting through 18 games and 2 groups of death of Euro Champions League against the cream of Europe
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, ACMilan, Lazio, Deportivo, Anderlecht etc
That doesn't impress you
Yet you getting all giddy over the dubious ' accomomplishment ' of Martin Oneill winning one literally Mickey Mouse Coca Cola cup when they beat absolutely no team of any qualty in. the easiest route ever
2nd Round Scarborough
3rd Round York City
4th Round Ipswich
SF Wimbledon on away goals
Final Middlesbrough
Wow super impressive. not
You could not make it up! #comedygold ☺️.
15 Nov 2023 18:52:59
What MR MARCELO BIELSA did with that group of players was remarkable I nobody can say any different.
15 Nov 2023 19:11:30
Baz i do believe you are agitated by the fact O’Leary did not win anything with all that wealth of talent that he didn’t create, it was already done for him by Graham and with Wilko’s academy players.
It was the players that made O’Leary look like a fantastic manager, unlucky you say, on contrary he was very lucky.
15 Nov 2023 19:18:23
International break #stircrazy.
15 Nov 2023 19:29:56
O' Leary didn't win a trophy, the team was really good, but lacked a midfield lock picker. Gary Mc Allister was available and went to Liverpool for peanuts and they won four trophies.
15 Nov 2023 20:17:27
No OP just righting your many wrongs ( as usual) ☺️.
15 Nov 2023 20:55:24
If you look at DOLs managerial career away from Leeds he lost more than he won.
Looks like players made him look good just as much as he was the reason we did well.
15 Nov 2023 21:10:13
OP This is an alteration of your previously held notion that the players under DOL were "misfits". You now refer to them as a wealth of talent.
15 Nov 2023 22:32:16
Canada
Just had a quick gander at DOL record at the Vile on Wiki . He took over from Graham Taylor when Vile had just finished 16th
DOL three EPL seasons at Villa were 6th, 10th then 16th.
Caveat : Deadly Doug the Villa ownee sold a large amount of players ( eleven) within one year of DOL appointment not replacing them.
The Don and Wilko forever number 1 and 2 but DOL 3rd best Leeds United coach/ manager in achievements in my opinion .
15 Nov 2023 22:34:59
Yesss George very well remembered. ???☺️. there. was big hood ha about it
No surprise re OP notorious
#comedygold.
15 Nov 2023 22:40:29
That was simply a wrong choice of word of something I wanted to describe which should have been the indiscipline and underperforming players in the second part of season where everything was going wrong.
Bowyer and Woodgate mess Smith and Mills reckless indiscipline on the pitch then even O’Leary with his outrageously named book titled Leeds on trial.!
He definitely lost the players after that ridiculous self serving book of his.
Baz you talk about “you couldn’t make it up” your damn straight about that.
We had a team that could of eventually challenged Arsenal, Man U and Liverpool, it was a small team but it was wasted and thrown away by naivety, indiscipline and recklessness.
I’m sick of arguing about this story because some people just don’t want to see the truth.
15 Nov 2023 23:30:45
The book came out in 2002 OP . 5 months before DOL left Leeds .
the fact is though that you have disregarded all that preceded it the fine achievements of 1997,1998,1999,2000 and 2001
And the truth is that throughout Man U and Arsenal were better than Leeds United and everyone else
As for ' misfits" . yes re Woodgate and Bowyer to ab extent BUT Bowyer to be fair was found NOT guilty. Woodgate only a lesser charge of affray.
And leave off Smith he was feisty. and got cards . but his aggression won him many battles against defenders and Leeds many games . as did for example supreme winner Roy Keane .
15 Nov 2023 23:34:09
As for the title of book . the publisher and editor were Arsenal supporters.
16 Nov 2023 02:19:24
Baz it doesn't matter how it's Parcells up about players being sold etc (I notice you didn't mention coming 16th after buying loads of new players! ) He simply lost more than he won so was poor at vile.
The Leeds team under him did exceptionally well, whether it's down to him is debatable, he certainly should get credit but I think he also had good players.
Would they have been good without him, I think so, but we'll never know for sure.
16 Nov 2023 05:23:39
Canada . over a 38 games league season final league positions are a very good barometer of how good a side is
DOL did well to get 6th and reasonable to get 10th for Villa .
But yes DOL record at Leeds United was far, far superior
16 Nov 2023 09:30:00
We’ll never know if we had a more experienced manager than O’Leary, what would of happened to Leeds Utd, but one thing for absolute certain was that yes we did soar with the eagles for a brief moment in time but we did crash down and wallowed with the pigs for a very long time. after.
Not saying that was all O’Leary! s fault but the question is, would have been in a better position long term with the possible safe guidance of a experienced manager?
16 Nov 2023 12:09:41
What you mean OP an experienced manager like your idol Mr Bielsa . he wouldn't have even played Alan Smith and Jon Woodgate for starters
Give over.
16 Nov 2023 14:00:31
Baz, I’d have Marcelo Bielsa over David O’Leary one thousand times. Look what he did with little to no money in the Championship and what lucky O’Leary achieved with 100 Mil and some of the finest youth players that this country has ever seen.
Nothing but a hollow SF in the CL and a relegation bound team.
16 Nov 2023 14:52:45
Yeah OP . really miss watching Bielsa Leeds United team being destroyed repeatedly those 5, 6, 7 nil defeat thrashings etc were so fulfilling in a ' relegation bound team "
£150 million spent what a waste.
16 Nov 2023 15:09:39
Bielsa got Leeds promoted on a negative spend! Enough said.
16 Nov 2023 17:25:37
I’d have Bielsa over DoL a million times at least.
16 Nov 2023 20:01:58
Shouldn’t even be comparing Bielsa with O’Leary the difference is embarrassing.