Leeds News 24/7Writer: 
Date:Sunday May 6 2007
Time: 7:13PM
UK time is: 00:53:25
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The Season Through My Eyes
Leading up to the playoff's against Watford I smelt trouble. The football and swagger had deserted us from February onwards. I hoped more than expected a return to the Premiership. The Preston semis worried me. Starting games 4-3-3 after playing 4-4-2 for the majority of a season smacked of either desperation or trying to fit players in. 4-3-3 against Watford on a big pitch saw us undone 3-0 nil. Blackwell's days were numbered in my book.
Closed season was to be a very important time. The squad was at the end of its '2 year plan', and we needed a real change in many areas to give us some youth and stamina. Kevin Nicholl's looked a good deal only to get injured. Jon Douglas, a good signing if a little on the raw side. Jermaine Beckford may turn out to be a gem. On the whole very disappointed, but to be fair we were still wrestling some big debts. Ken Bates also says he got Blackwell every player he wanted barring David Nugent, who was too expensive.
I fancied a good outside chance of the playoff's again providing the teams who were relegated from the Prem had a bit of a hangover.
6 games in I wanted Blackwell out. I took a lot of flak from workmates for this but I knew we had deep rooted problems. Pre-season looked it had been done round a card table.
Not long after he was gone. John Carver took over and after a win in his first game I believed we had un-earthed another David O`Leary. For all we know he was, but if the players are over weight unfit, its difficult to put any performances together. The call for Dennis Wise came after the 5-1 drubbing at Luton Town.
I am a fantastic believer in giving chances to fresh blood. Dennis had my vote. The messages just a few weeks after confirmed what I was saying. The squad was phenomenally unfit. We had to battle on until January`s transfer window. Then we would sign the 3-4 players needed to push up the league. Relegation was not in my considerations.
Tore Andre Flo, Alan Thompson, Robbie Elliott, Casper Ankergren along with the recently signed Tresor Kandol and loanee's Matt Heath and Graham Stack. Not perfect but definitely ok for 5 months. This along with a fit again Nicholl's gave me some short term belief.
Performances picked up even if results didn't. They will come. Surely. For the first time this season we were competitive in games and had a chance to get the points we needed.
It was March before I really started to fear for relegation. Nicholl's, our captain developed a yellow streak. At this point if I had seen him in the street I would have cracked him. Furious. Everything is going wrong.
By the end of March we were doomed. I was resigned to it. Then we kicked in. I started to believe again. Right up until the 88th minute against Ipswich.
Blame. For me the blame lied squarely with the squad. End of. Wise had given us the spirit. Bates had his hands tied financially. We roared the team home and away. The players were to blame. Never has our proud white shirt been worn by such an incompetent bunch of impostors. None of them were Leeds United players, they were just players. You have to be a Leeds fan to know the difference.
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Your Comments
Good article Canila. You may need a couple of seasons in Division 3 to sort things out I reckon. Sounds like your lads should have been wearing your orginal YELLOW and blue kit rather than soil the all white outfit.
cropped
Fantastic article, I agree with everything you said. I also thought there was big trouble before the season kicked off, we signed a lad from Millwall (Livermore) and he up and left before he had time to get to know his team mates. I think there was a lot of in house trouble that never came to light and it took the mole incident and then the disgraceful Nicholls firstly slagging off the team then saying he never wanted to play for us before we finally started to look like a team who was up for the relegation battle.
dazza71
Great article Canila, nice to see you on here posting dude!
LUFC1
brill article, agree with everything you have said, not sure if we can come straight back up...
Super-Leeds
people judge the ability to succeed in a league by their current club status. football is a simple game of using the correct players with the correct tactics, regardless of how crap things are off the pitch . If finance were all important they would deliver all the silverware to stamford bridge every year
canila
Is that gazza in the blue and white wig
yorkshirepride1
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