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Leeds: We Need To Dump Hock But Who’d Take His Place?

In a private box high in the East Stand at Elland Road after the match/debacle last night, Massimo Cellino and his inner sanctum very likely had a discussion, actually it was probably more of a presidential diatribe.

Cellino bought Leeds United to succeed, to take the club back to the promised land of the Premiership where it belongs, he will not abide failure and craves success like an alchy does booze.

Massimo has a huge desire, passion and ego, he asked Sky not to show the Boro game because his creation wan’t ready, he wants to show the world his creation, in all it’s glory, shiny and new and attractive.

If he reacts again in a similar way to post Millwall, expect the squad to grow fast with urgent need for trimming than the end of Movember.

He said at the beginning of the season that he would have a good idea of what’s what after three games, well here we are and we’ve seen crap, lucky & crap and in the first and third games the lack of fight was frightening.

What is the point of buying all these new, shiny, potentially exciting, technically adept players then sending out a team containing too many of the failed journeymen bought by those football dinosaurs Warnock & McDermott?

More crucially why feed caviar to a pig by giving Hock & Junior access to this feast of talent? Our leader made a mistake, he has to admit it now, get rid and move on.

I wavered a little, even considered that Hock might be a masterstroke appointment, I admit the lads are fitter than in previous seasons but right now realise that I was right first time and for all Hock’s hackneyed bulls*** about “putting a shift in”, teams will not get an easy ride against us, we will work harder than anyone else.

Hock and Junior are out of their depth, they must go now - it’s time to crack on.

More…

Leeds: Cellino May Be An Evil Genius, But He’s OUR Evil Genius

It’s simply not true, we rolled over far too easy against both Millwall & Brighton and beat Boro with a mixture of luck and sheer passion, driven by the crowd, sentiment and the bare chested Billy Sharp.

The big question is: which coach in his right mind will come to Leeds and work for our mercurial master? We fans demand a credible manager to get out of this division, we demand good football but most of all we demand that the lads who pull on the shirt play with pride in it.

The attempted midfield diamond last night had one major flaw, it left a gaping hole the likes of which hadn’t been seen since Jordan last gave birth, right down the middle of the pitch.

The turgid threesome of Austin, who can’t pass, Tonge, who can but has the engine of a 1963 Morris Minor and the legs of a 63 year old Tiller girl and Murphy who is the biggest waste of £1M since that chav lottery winner went on a spending spree, do not have the mobility, nous or apparent interest in playing what is now known as a false diamond, it certainly should not be for ever!

Paddy Kenny left this week by mutual consent, in other words, Massimo made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Mr. President needs to do the same with the rest of the contracted carthorses, Hunt, Morison, Norris, Warnock [I know, he was man of the match on Saturday, but back to disinterested dogs hit last night], Wootton & White [as soon as he is fit].

Assuming the Antonucci & Adryan deals are consummated successfully, the squad looks the strongest for years with the ability to play different formations, I quite fancy a new variation which would get our three best defenders on the pitch at the same time and hopefully stop the easy concessions.

5-3-2.

Defensive solidity, width & pace offered by wing backs. Press hard, pass & move, it can’t be that difficult for a squad brimming with talent.

Just get a proper coach in Massimo, please, now, for us but most importantly for you.

Follow Paul on Twitter, @SporcoLeeds

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image descriptionCOMMENTS

Paul 11:51 am, 20-Aug-2014

DAVID HOCKADAY has to go now. He has no idea, and we have some great players.

Henryv 12:32 pm, 20-Aug-2014

The Hock may go? We do not have any great players. We have some that are ok in this league, but we are still buying on the cheap, thinking more about the money than the player. If we had brought in 3 top players, instead of 10 unknowns, we may have made some progress. We have a batch of young midfield players - we might as well play them. Can it be any worse than last nights midfield??

Fj 1:18 pm, 20-Aug-2014

I think he'll go once we lose three on the trot. There are a dozen decent managers who are made for Leeds but I doubt they would even apply. Celliono doesn't WANT a top line name, because he wouldn't be able to dictate to them. The fact he used a fcking agent's recommendation is staggering...talk about gullible and I bet the agent got a kickback.

Whitetillidie 1:56 pm, 20-Aug-2014

I agree with some of your comments such as the old guard still being around, especially Austin BUT do you seriously think a big named coach could get anything more out of these guys at the moment. For starters he has new players who have to bed in, get to know his best side, formation etc. Our two centre backs have played 2 games together!! We still have new faces coming into the squad and I for one am not going to judge the coaching team until we have played ten games at the very least. Against Brighton AND Middlesbrough we played some great football in the second halves. Yes I know we have witnessed a lack of conviction for the other periods BUT you can see the kind of philosophy Hockaday is trying to instil in this team. Will it work? Who knows BUT he needs to be given a chance and time for his first team to gel. I have been as down heartened as any other Leeds fan over the years but I for the first time in a decade have hope of great things and that will only come with stability and an owner like Cellino who has our great club in his heart and not just a way of making a quick buck. MOT

Mr orange 2:09 pm, 20-Aug-2014

can anyone explian to me why it was when our keeper had the ball and was about to take a dead ball kick all our players ran over to the right side of the pitch ??!! they bunched together like a cub football team and it was from this "tactic" that the young brighton loanee found himself in acers of space on thier right hand side to have a free run on our keeper and score , then at 1-0 down Leeds were never coming back against any team that can pass a ball ; this "tactic" was repeated all night and if this is a eg of comedy daves grand plan then off ya pop is what I say.

yorxman 3:03 pm, 20-Aug-2014

Just look at the difference in stature between the 2 coaches last night, worlds apart! Since the promotion of 2010 our midfield has disintegrated so much so that we simply get over run in every game whoever the opposition. Austin will never be good enough but the fans love him cos he puts a 'Batty' type tackle in every now & again...wake up people that will not get us anywhere!

Tyler75 4:55 pm, 20-Aug-2014

Dear Massimo I applaud your root and branch restructure of our troubled club. I appluad your commitment and significant activity in the transfer market. I applaud your passion. Please admit that your gamble to prove everybody else wrong by appointing The Hock has failed - we need to move on. He wasn't good enough at Forest Green Rovers and doesn'rt even come close to competent at LUFC - by all mean get in a 'coach' that you can work with rather than a British style 'Manager' but please make it someone who understands tactics and can coach and get the respect of the players you've assembled. It might be wirth giving Gary Macalister call. Grazi and Forza Leeds.

Leeds Mick 10:50 am, 21-Aug-2014

The fact that norris and hunt still merit selection this season says it all really. Hock and junior are a couple of blaggers who must piss themselves laughing at how they got away with it. We DID get lucky against boro mainly because on the day they were worse than us and Warnock played out of his skin. He would be a better cb actually. Rudy gave the ball away spoiling any good work he'd done and his time may be up. I,like many other supporters love Rudy,he never hides,he's always busy and he comes across as a humble,modest and totally decent bloke. Admit you got it wrong Massimo,watford are going to DO us. Pulis would guarantee promotion and for those who think he's a long ball exponent,look at Palace last year.

JDC 11:19 am, 21-Aug-2014

Trouble is: who'd want to work for such a mercurial boss? Too many to mention I suppose judging by the way he managed, and changed coaches at Cagliari. Maybe it's time to install an Italian coach and promote Neil Redfearn as his assistant. I'm really sorry for DH / JL but I really don't believe they have the nous to be successful at ER. DH has shown his pedigree by his team selections and subsequent comments in his post match interviews / press conferences ... and the next time he says, "the lads worked hard, they put a shift in" or "we are a work in progress", I'll probably need a new laptop as this one shatters into many pieces as it hits the wall.

Mark benson 11:30 am, 21-Aug-2014

Nobody worth mentioning will come to leeds to be told by the president/chairman/owner/bus driver what to do in his job. We now are drooling over the signing of a 29 year old serie b/c player cos he says he's proud to sign for leeds. Where are the top quality championship players? The premier league players taking a chance in a lower league? And I'm getting a little worried about the ground buy back. If Cellino's conviction in Italy is upheld he fails the owners test. £11 million in the bank I bet will cover the money he's put in the club so far so he's edging his bets. And hockaday is only there as a trainer and will be demoted rather than sacked with some serie c has been as coach. I know it's a rebuilding time but since Cellino's so media savvy why not tell us the reasons behind all this? MOT

Rusty 11:40 am, 21-Aug-2014

Great players? who? Not yet they aren't. They will be. Most aren't fit. We do not have Cellinos squad until the wood is gone. Then, and only then may we begin to judge with any level of accuracy, otherwise its just nonsense verging on the ludicrous. No one can yet judge either team or coach. If 3 apples are green then ALL apples are green? Seems like someone needs a lesson in patience as the rebuilding has yet to begin in earnest. It is sad to see the "BUT I WANT THIS NOW" attitude firing up the easy to fire up backward fans that we have that still think it is 1974. Rubbish polemic and like shooting fish in a barrel. Perhaps you should tune yourself to be a bit wiser. 3 games and you start to talk utter balls. What coaching credentials do you have my friend? As for the deadwood if MC is paying them he will expect them to play until they go. So Pulis will guarantee us promotion will he? Most likely his ego and MCs ego would not work together as this is why he has left Palace (do your research). I know better than my employer...etc. MC would be ok with that would he? MC/DH/JL have a long road ahead to get the foundations of the club right still let alone the sharp end. Please give the structure a chance to develop before you knock it down. If you continue in this vain then you are doomed to fail. This is the major problem with "feeling sorry for themselves" LUFC fans. Curb your aspirations and look at reality through your perspectacles. If DH gets us 8 wins on the bounce you will jizz all over his face once again like a typical journalistic sycophant so give the bloke some space. If it happens it happens, no need to be a cunt though.

todgertownwhite 12:05 pm, 21-Aug-2014

Agree totally with Rusty,most teams at this stage of the season have their teams in place,used to playing together,unlike us who are still buying a team.It's not magic, it has to be given time to establish,find you best blend of player that gel together, and bingo we start playing.

Frustratedbutpatient 12:40 pm, 21-Aug-2014

I felt compelled to write but Rusty has just said everything I wanted to say. The fickle hordes need to take a breath. Hock might not be right, Cellino might be nuts, but 3 games......for goodness sake!!

Jas 1:50 pm, 21-Aug-2014

Against Brighton first half we resorted to the hoofball tactics which is always the case when Smith is on the field, Can we blame Hockaday for that when its the fans crying out for Smith to be played, Pearce, Warnock, Byram, Austin, Tonge, Murphy spent last season playing hoofball to Smith and it seems the resorted back to that as soon as he was on the field, Second half with him replaced they were forced to play the style of play Hockaday wants them to play and we were much improved, The hoofball mentality seems stuck with those players and quite simply they let the fans down not Hockaday in the first half against Brighton. Drop Pearce for Bellusci, Warnock for Taylor, Austin for Cook, Tonge for Mowatt (when hes fit), Murphy for Dawson or Benedicic, I would rather see us bed in those young players who havent got the hoofball mentality than stick with these clowns who forget everything said and done on the training ground as soon as Matt Smith walks onto the field. Hockaday has said time and time again how he wants us to play and its going to take time, At times we have seen signs of that in the side but to see the players forget everything that Hockaday is trying to get into them as soon as the big man starts a game is a fucking joke and thats down to the players on the field noone else, They know what the coach wants and how he wants them to play but resort to long balls to the big man and who is the one who suffers when that happens........Oh thats right Smith goes off at half time because the rest of the cunts behind him forget how to pass when hes on the field. You fans keep on calling out for Smith to start games and time after time we will see the same shit we saw under Warnock and McDermott until those players are replaced, Starting with that piss poor excuse for a midfield. Austin i am a fan of his work rate and attitude but he cant pass at all, Murphy cant pass cant defend barely attacks no idea what hes doing in the team, Tonge just too old and doesnt have the legs, Get those 3 replaced we 3 midfielders who demand the ball and are comfortable on it like Bianchi and we might get some service to the attack other than a giant hoof down field. Hockaday isnt my choice neither but we could have the best coach in the world he would be about as good as Hockaday if everything he does is forgotten by the players as soon as he brings on Smith and thats exactly what happened against Brighton in the first half.

Leeds Mick 5:42 pm, 21-Aug-2014

Is there a moderator on this site who can edit some of the disgusting phrasology in the comments? I thought it was just west ham who had the brain dead support? Seems i was wrong.

Leeds G 11:55 pm, 21-Aug-2014

Here's my random selection in no particular order. Tony Pullis [will sort any squad out and a tactical genius who knows how to make a club rapidly rise the divisions. The downside is he wont want to be disrespected by the randomness of Cellino's best intentions. Brian Deane [would make a super number two currently manager of Sarpsborg 08. He is the equivilent of scums giggs] Roberto De Matteo...Fuck it just ask Maldini to have a go.

Ropey Wyla 11:20 am, 22-Aug-2014

Hockaday is still the coach and until he isn't we should back him, personally wouldn't want Tony Pulis to replace him for what should be obvious reasons, Gary Mac isn't a bad shout but I would rather not have anyone who has had a go already.

Pete Sasqwax 11:26 am, 22-Aug-2014

Personally, I'd be happy to have Gary Mac back. I don't fancy a 5-3-2, I'd much sooner see a 4-2-3-1 with one of the deeper midfielders being adept at fitting into the defence in order to allow the full backs to push on (Byram in particular). The positive thing about all this is that we know Cellino has no qualms about sacking the coach at will and therefore if we get a few more performances like Brighton Hock will be gone immediately

JDC 12:15 pm, 22-Aug-2014

Ropey Wyla ... I know it's early days to be calling for Hockaday to be changed, but can you honestly say that you're totally satisfied with his team selections, i.e. relying on the old guard from last season, tactics and substitutions and finally his public face ... press conferences and post match interviews? As far as a replacement is concerned, there are a number of options open to Cellino but, and it's a big but, he has to be sure when the next appointment is made ... 1. Hockaday was second choice behind the academy coach at Reading. If he still believes that to be the case, perhaps he should delve into his £10.75m from the sale of RMcC and pay the compensation to get him. 2. Gary McAllister with an Italian as his assistant ... Benito Carbone? 3. An Italian of his choice ... Paulo Maldini, who must be high profile enough to satisfy the most demanding Leeds fan. 4. Neil Redfearn with Benito Carbone as his assistant. One thing that worries me about DH is that his emphasis seems to be only on fitness and "putting a shift in", without any mention of skill and natural talent. Would anyone really want DH to be telling Mirco Antelucci or Billy Sharp how to score goals?

Notfamousanymore 1:02 pm, 22-Aug-2014

I dont think Hockaday should ever have been appointed. I cant judge whether he is a 'good' or 'bad' coach. In his favour, he uses subs which McDermott and Warnock seemed inacapable of doing. He talks intelligently. His problem, for me is a lack of credibility. He isnt an unknown 35 year old whiz-kid like Villas Boas. He's an unknowln 55 year old. There's a difference. He isnt an untested former top level player (Carbone, Del Piero). He's an untested lower level journeyman. Right or wrong, it's just not a profile which actually works now. You dont have to be a great player (Wenger, Mourinho) but if you are not you need to be younger, and radical. Given that he's spent 20 years kicking about as a lower level coach after 20 years as a lower level player...he's not got the credibility. And that for me is the beginning, middle and end. Talk of Pulis is fatuous. He would last 10 minutes with Cellino. It needs to be someone who will be a coach, and fit with the continental style of business manager, football director, first team coach. Benny Carbone seemed to tick all the boxes for me. Gary Mac might work. Dont know where Maldini came from -- sounds a bit unlikely!

Bert Lusconi 1:13 pm, 22-Aug-2014

Oh dear Mr Sherman's up and down more often than a brides nightie regarding his views on David Hockaday. It's also interesting, given that our humble correspondent states that he "work[s} in finance" and the Big C is a convicted fraudster, (any connection between the previous two facts is purely coincidental) that Mr Sherman, unfortunately like most Leeds fans posting to message boards, sees David Hockaday as a legitimate target. Whereas the big C, who actively sought out Mr Hockaday; wined him, dined him and then (taking a leaf out of Mr Sherman's sexist lexicon) effed him over in the press appears to be able to do no wrong. Talk about being in thrall to power, privilege and wealth!

paul 3:45 pm, 22-Aug-2014

sack HOCKADAY approach David O'Leary the player's that Massimo brought in are not good enough they don't have a plan of formation or knowledge of who to pass it to they pas it to the other side then they score hello conference

paul 3:47 pm, 22-Aug-2014

sack Hockaday approach David O'Leary

Roger 3:59 pm, 22-Aug-2014

Get in Toni pullis simples

Tommy 5:28 pm, 22-Aug-2014

Whilst to some extent I agree with the article it fails to say who would be prepared to work under Mr Cellino for both the wages offered and the input the coach would be able to put in re player sales. DH and JL get a lot of abuse but when "unknowns" with limited experience and knowledge of this league are appointed they are on a hiding to nothing.Too many people (including myself) can't wait to put the blame on them. I am sure if MC is prepared to listen and learn he will get Leeds back where the Club and it's fans belong.And I honestly don't know any Football Supporters who wouldn't support his philosophy of attracting players who are not "chasing the money" One thing I really don't understand and because of it DH deserves some credit is that from Day One MC said he would buy players and his coach would train and get them ready for games but we really only started buying in the last four weeks,given the majority of players are from the Continent they will need time to get upto match fitness and settle in their new surroundings.This can easily be shown by Sharp,Cooper and Ajose who have slotted in faster than the other signings.

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