sheehan gone

[Manwell Pablo]

Look, if he didn't want to stay, then what can we do? He hardly covered himself with gold when he was here anyway. I admit, he'll be decent in this league, but other than his quality set pieces he doesn't offer anything defensively that we couldn't get from someone else.

I just hope we get a player in who has Sheehan's set piece ability alongside the correct attributes they need to play in their position.

Indeed, it was his choice to go. He was offered a new contract and turned it down, he has as good as admitted he was sent out of loan for reasons other than football. From what I can gather, that reason being he's a grade A twat.

It's pretty much doubtless he'd be good at this level but life goes on.

[HarboroughFox]

http://www.leedsunited.com/page/NewsroomDe...1336513,00.html

can't really blame him!

[MikeyT]

Im presuming im in a tiny majority here, but apart from his free kicks and crosses i didnt really see alot else in his game!

I shall await the barrage of hate!

[teblin]

Im presuming im in a tiny majority here, but apart from his free kicks and crosses i didnt really see alot else in his game!

I shall await the barrage of hate!

Not at all, as a defender he is poor.

[Bert]

Mattock is still young for a move and there's no reason Beswick and Mattock couldn't develop together.

But Mattock, so far, has still not shown his real potential in the left-back berth and his positioning when dealing with diagonal crosses still concerns me. However, Mattock has plenty of time to learn and we all know that Clapham will always be what he is, steady but forgettable.

Comparing Beswick to Mattock you have to remember the two have played in the same successful Academy team and I think I'm right in saying Mattock was moved to full-back from wide left-midfield so that Beswick could be accommodated.

In all the games I watched both play I'd never say that Mattock was more influential than Beswick. They made a formidable partnership on the left not least because they could switch positions so easily. But, player ratings-wise, Beswick would probably have shaded it though memory fades as time passes.

What is certain is that, in all those games, Mattock would regularly be seen on the edge of the opposition box and even getting to the opposition goalline, happy that Beswick - who rarely finished an under 18 match without a goal or assist - would provide cover. Mattock rarely does that for the first team, mostly, I'm sure, because he can never rely on getting adequate cover.

Or, Maybe because that wasn't his priority when playing first team.

[MikeyT]

Not at all, as a defender he is poor.

At least one person agrees with me!

[Webbo]

They've probably picked the last piece in their title-winning jigsaw today.

The best we can hope for is second place.

If the signings settle well (famous last words!), it's not entirely beyond us.

I'm not so sure. Leeds declined last year after Poyet left for Spurs. Gary Mac comes across as a bit of an easy touch with the players to me, too soft. That with the fact that they don't have a 15 point deduction to fire them up this season makes me think that they won't be the force they were last year.

Obviously they will be contenders, but I don't think they'll be the nailed on certainties that some people think.

[Manwell Pablo]

I'm not so sure. Leeds declined last year after Poyet left for Spurs. Gary Mac comes across as a bit of an easy touch with the players to me, too soft. That with the fact that they don't have a 15 point deduction to fire them up this season makes me think that they won't be the force they were last year.

Obviously they will be contenders, but I don't think they'll be the nailed on certainties that some people think.

Leeds have got no chance now, Ultras tipped them to win.

[Bryn]

Sheehan wasn't bad but... imagine it was us coming up against Gradel with Sheehan at left back... how much faith would you have had in Sheehan not having the piss ripped out of him?

[Ric Flair]

Sheehan wasn't bad but... imagine it was us coming up against Gradel with Sheehan at left back... how much faith would you have had in Sheehan not having the piss ripped out of him?

There aren't many full backs outside the Premiership that wouldn't be given a torrid time by Max. All being well, when we face Leeds, Gradel is playing for us. I shall be going all in on a red card for Big Al.

[Thracian]

Or, Maybe because that wasn't his priority when playing first team.

There is no mystery about priorities in the first team or otherwise. When the opposition have the ball you're defending. When your team has the ball you're attacking.

This idea that forwards have to close people down and work back when possession is lost but defenders can take a break when their team is attacking is just nonsense and is just the sort of mentality that has got us exactly where we are.

[The People's Hero]

There is no mystery about priorities in the first team or otherwise. When the opposition have the ball you're defending. When your team has the ball you're attacking.

This idea that forwards have to close people down and work back when possession is lost but defenders can take a break when their team is attacking is just nonsense and is just the sort of mentality that has got us exactly where we are.

Do you ever get bored of peddling this crap?

[Moreton]

There is no mystery about priorities in the first team or otherwise. When the opposition have the ball you're defending. When your team has the ball you're attacking.

This idea that forwards have to close people down and work back when possession is lost but defenders can take a break when their team is attacking is just nonsense and is just the sort of mentality that has got us exactly where we are.

Wise, Wise words

[Finnegan]

There is no mystery about priorities in the first team or otherwise. When the opposition have the ball you're defending. When your team has the ball you're attacking.

This idea that forwards have to close people down and work back when possession is lost but defenders can take a break when their team is attacking is just nonsense and is just the sort of mentality that has got us exactly where we are.

Ideally, sure, but all things in moderation. You wouldn't want a striker that can't score (his first role) and you wouldn't want a defender that couldn't defend (his first role.) Sheehan is a defender that cannot defend. Unfortunately for the boy he doesn't really have the mobility or skill to ever be much of a winger, either, despite his obvious talent at delivery.

He always struck me as a one-trick-pony, really. Like we were playing with 10 men for the sakes of a set piece taker.

Mattock and Clapham seemed to have their attack/defend ratios a lot more balanced than any other full back we played last year. Stearman was absolutely shocking at this.

[Thracian]

Ideally, sure, but all things in moderation. You wouldn't want a striker that can't score (his first role) and you wouldn't want a defender that couldn't defend (his first role.) Sheehan is a defender that cannot defend. Unfortunately for the boy he doesn't really have the mobility or skill to ever be much of a winger, either, despite his obvious talent at delivery.

He always struck me as a one-trick-pony, really. Like we were playing with 10 men for the sakes of a set piece taker.

Mattock and Clapham seemed to have their attack/defend ratios a lot more balanced than any other full back we played last year. Stearman was absolutely shocking at this.

I see little point in labouring my views on Sheehan now he's left - but just wish I had a video of his last reserves match to illustrate how wrong you are (in my view) about his range of abilities, including his defending.

Mattock tries to attack but with little consequence in the first team so far and Clapham just goes through the motions of attacking.

As for Stearman he has nothing special for the first three months but second half of the season he never faltered in his efforts to defend keenly and attack with determination.

Clapham continued to be anonymous and Mattock was shifted in and out of the side by a manager who didn't seem to have the faintest idea whether to play the bloke or not.

[Finnegan]

I never witnessed Sheehan do anything for the first team that Mattock and Clapham didn't (set pieces aside.) And at the end of the day, that's what matters.

Your performances in the reserves are somewhat irrelevant if you can't take it to the next logical step.

[Thracian]

I never witnessed Sheehan do anything for the first team that Mattock and Clapham didn't (set pieces aside.) And at the end of the day, that's what matters.

Your performances in the reserves are somewhat irrelevant if you can't take it to the next logical step.

I don't see reserve performances as irrelevent at all but more a picture of the material you have to work with and improve on.

However, and in case you've not noticed, set pieces count, as was emphasised in the plainest of terms when Sheehan left.

And, while I'm sure you wouldn't want me to relate chapter and verse of Sheehan's considerable list of creative moments perhaps I could make it much easier by asking you to mention the notable contributions Mattock or Clapham made.

For such a supposedly accomplished defender I do remember Mattock being seriously at fault for two goals (Blackpool away and Hull at home, I think) and nearly a third (at Blackpool) but I'm happy to wait for your comments on the positives.

[act smiley]

I see little point in labouring my views on Sheehan now he's left - but just wish I had a video of his last reserves match to illustrate how wrong you are (in my view) about his range of abilities, including his defending.

Mattock tries to attack but with little consequence in the first team so far and Clapham just goes through the motions of attacking.

Clapham's attacking instincts were rather limited, I'd agree, although I don't think he was dreadful in terms of how it affected the team's attack as he wasn't wasteful and would often play tidy simple passes to a more attacking player.

However, Mattock's attacking I would actually say is better than Sheehan's ever was. I think he's much better at making a decision on when to make a run, which passes to make and crucially isn't so one paced. At Bristol City away is a good example, it was glaring that every time we tried to break through Sheehan he'd trundle forward, get closed down at the half-way line and try a complicated pass that never worked - his deliveries were non-existant simply because he couldn't get there. When breaking with Mattock it would be a quicker run, committing players then making a simpler pass that would create space. This would potentially be why the reserve team performances might have appeared better than first team, because to me he clearly couldn't cope with that extra half-a-yard of pace. A friend of mine who I dragged along who wasn't a Leicester fan's opinion were pretty much the same, its not just related to expecting too much from hype, or anything.

Mattock isn't a flashy attacker, but I do feel he does help the team going forward more than Sheehan did, set pieces excepted. Obviously set pieces are an important part of the game, but I think that the extra quality Mattock has both attacking and defending (though you're right in highlighting some areas for improvement) more than makes up for this. Don't get me wrong, I'm a bit disappointed he's chosen Leeds as its a position we've not much depth at, and I think at League One level his weaknesses wouldn't be exposed so badly, but I think his general play will hold him back to an extent where its not a huge loss. If its a 6-figure sum at tribunal, then its just a case of "oh well, no big deal" in my eyes.