Leeds Post Match Moaning

[EnglishOxide]

Why are people using an interview to beat Pearson with? Of course he was mardy and petulant in some of his answers. He just lost, and im sure hes not happy about it.

Judge him on performance and results. We are about where i expected us to be at the start if the season, it could be even better if we could break this blip with a couple of wins.

[deejdeej]

Think 2nd may be beyond us now, but our season is far from being over as some people are making out. If we win on saturday then all will be well again, until we lose next tues. Its a rollercoaster people, embrace it, we've a great chance of making the playoffs and if we do, who knows what might happen.

[Bob Weasel Fox]

Disappointed that's all

[MPH]

Couldn't agree more. Pearson is so condescending. Answering questions in front of the media is part of his job and the least Pearson can do is to accept that fact with good grace.

I don't know whether he's trying to model himself on Ferguson but if he is he should think again. Why? Because he's a million light years away from having Ferguson's licence.

Pearson thus far is a journeyman. Ferguson has the trophies to do and say more or less what he likes and, irritating though he can be at times, he's long earned the right to be respected.

Pearson needs to win things before he treats anyone with contempt...and then learn the sort of humility people like Sir Bobby Robson displayed.

We were only his second permanent managers job

[MPH]

Whatever your opinion of Pearson is , I dont think anything will be gained by him being sacked with just these few games remaining.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that he will be gone if we dont get promoted.

[Dan]

Again, very poor. Not a word of constructive criticism; no complaints at conceding from a corner, not a word on the lacklustre performance, nothing to suggest that he's told the players that more is required of them if we want to go up. He speaks as if they're fully meeting his expectations, but - what's worse - the feedback from the players suggests that this is the case, and they play that way too.

His actions over the past month or so have not hinted at a manager capable of winning this league and the players' constant bickering with fans or saying it was okay to lose in the Cup suggest that his slightly sour-faced defensiveness is rubbing off on them.

In the interview he simply wanted to return to complaining about the idiot who had a go at him, as if that was the message he wanted the fans to take home with them. Yes it was out of order but 'if you don't like it don't come' - why the 'you'? At times it felt like he was warning all of us rather than the one chap who lost his rag. And besides, who would seriously 'like' the way we're playing right now?

The results are not enough, on their own, for me to criticise the manager. But there's an apathy to his attitude which is alarming. I began to feel very worried after his post-match comments following the Wolves game ('I'll settle for this set of players' / 'we deserved the win') and it's all felt horribly predictable since then.

He said 'we'll see at the end of the season', as if he's decided that it's all going to turn out just fine. And I'm happy to give him the chance, until then at least. But I wonder if there's a little too much of the arrogance on his part these days, not quite enough openness to the possibility that, to earn promotion, we might first need to go back to the drawing board.

I fully agree with every word and I've backed Pearson all the way. I honestly think this last month is by a distance the worst he's had in charge of this club out of about 40 months.

[Dan]

Why are people using an interview to beat Pearson with? Of course he was mardy and petulant in some of his answers. He just lost, and im sure hes not happy about it.

Judge him on performance and results. We are about where i expected us to be at the start if the season, it could be even better if we could break this blip with a couple of wins.

Because quite frankly his attitude was ridiculous and I've been arguing with people who've slated his interviews, but I'm beginning to agree with them, is he losing the plot? It's like his standards have dropped immensely.

We've gone from looking the side who'd grab that 2nd place to a side who'll be out the play-offs within 3 games in the space of about a month. I'm not one for instant success at all costs but I'm sorry, that's woeful and there's no excuse for it and this ties into the interviews - simply because Pearson seems almost content with it.

[Soar Fox]

Why are people using an interview to beat Pearson with? Of course he was mardy and petulant in some of his answers. He just lost, and im sure hes not happy about it.

You do know that we equalised don't you??

[fox ache]

Post match interview on here http://www.bbc.co.uk.../21677999#asset

First chance ive had of hearing this, and to be honest, from all the comments, was expecting a lot worse !!!!!

[funkyrobot]

Why so flippant in your responses?

Don't you want a proper conversation?

I said SOME of the football has been top drawer.. Some has been pants too.

He needs to 'get on' with this one regional reporter. This is the reporter I mostly listen to re post match interviews. And I want them to be conducted properly so that I can hear meaningful answers.

If he can't do this after all this time then yes I would have no qualms in getting in a manager who can deliver both.

None at all.

Let's agree to disagree mate. I think that to propose sacking a manager who has a team competing near the top of the championship for not interviewing well is madness. That's all.

[Number 6]

I'm a big Nigel fan but his interview was shocking. I'm optimistically putting it down to the fact that he'd just been berated by a fan. I don't approach Saturday with any excitement now though. This team is now no longer creating chances. For me this is the most worrying thing.

[Guest ttfn]

It's starting to look like more than a co-incidence that our first unbeaten run in September/October and our second unbeaten run in December/January both featured games against Middlesbrough, Burnley, Hull, Bristol City and Huddersfield.

Evidently we're not learning from our mistakes. What's worse (and I agree with Dan LCFC on this completely) the style of play has gone to shit since Wood has come in. If you look back at that Huddersfield game (his first), none of the goals came from hoofs forward. We passed through them and he scored twice. Likewise against Bristol City. It doesn't work and won't work to smash the ball up to him.

This is all very reminiscent of after the Barnsley game. Delusions of grandeur etc.

[dannythefox]

Every interview Pearson does the fans are getting more pissed off with him, cheer up for god sake!

[MattyFromLE]

Here's my thoughts for what it's worth.

Before the game we all knew what Leeds were here to do. Get in our faces, waste time, foul and just generally play dirty. In the first half we dealt with this quite well and I thought we were the better team. The turning point for me was when Konchesky went off. People will ask "why didn't he put Whitbread on, and play 5-3-2" - I asked a similar thing.

I don't think we played too badly, we were wasteful in attack and generally contained Leeds quite well for most of the game. We didn't do too bad in the midfield battle, I don't think at any point did I feel that Leeds were particularly threatening other than that 10 minutes or so when they scored.

I think for the most part people are annoyed because Pearson perhaps should have been a bit more aware of the physical battle. When Marshall and Waghorn came on there was a noticeable difference. Waghorn puts himself about and is quite strong. He had a decent shot which should have led to a corner.

On reflection I think a point was a fair result. The ref didn't to anybody any favours, we needed a strong ref who was going to let the game flow. We got the complete polar opposite. It's always nice to get a last minute goal against Leeds, too.

Oh and one last thing. I wasn't that impressed with the Leeds fans in all honesty, they were loud but...pretty quiet in large parts?

[Ric Flair]

4-3-3 with 3 strikers and 2 lighweight central midfielders isn't going to work without a lot of practice, if ever. I said it before the game. Pearson's downfall will be his ignorance to our central midfield, it's cost us so many points in the 2 spells as a manager here. We've never had a tough defensive midfielder who can do the job of two players, that you need in this league unless you're prepared to play 4-5-1 with 3 central midfielders.

A point is better than none and we must improve quickly, but it's all looking very tense at the minute. I hope we look to strengthen in the middle of the park and out wide, both areas could do with support.

We're getting closer to 7th than to 2nd, worrying times.

[dannythefox]

4-3-3 with 3 strikers and 2 lighweight central midfielders isn't going to work without a lot of practice, if ever. I said it before the game. Pearson's downfall will be his ignorance to our central midfield, it's cost us so many points in the 2 spells as a manager here. We've never had a tough defensive midfielder who can do the job of two players, that you need in this league unless you're prepared to play 4-5-1 with 3 central midfielders.

A point is better than none and we must improve quickly, but it's all looking very tense at the minute. I hope we look to strengthen in the middle of the park and out wide, both areas could do with support.

We're getting closer to 7th than to 2nd, worrying times.

Spot on.

[MattyFromLE]

4-3-3 with 3 strikers and 2 lighweight central midfielders isn't going to work without a lot of practice, if ever. I said it before the game. Pearson's downfall will be his ignorance to our central midfield, it's cost us so many points in the 2 spells as a manager here. We've never had a tough defensive midfielder who can do the job of two players, that you need in this league unless you're prepared to play 4-5-1 with 3 central midfielders.

A point is better than none and we must improve quickly, but it's all looking very tense at the minute. I hope we look to strengthen in the middle of the park and out wide, both areas could do with support.

We're getting closer to 7th than to 2nd, worrying times.

I agree with the most part of your post. However, I don't think these are worrying times at all. We're in a play-off place for gods sake, not threatened with relegation. I know what you're saying, we need to be looking up not down - this is a tough league and teams aren't going to lie down and let the famous Leicester City walk all over them.

Depending on Konchesky's injury I think we need to look at a loan or two. Left back (or recall Schlupp/Moore) and perhaps a midfielder. That said, we still have Matty James to come back, who I think works well with Drinkwater.

[David Hankey]

Leicester City again flattered to deceive. Again too many players not firing on all cylinders and not appeared to be fired up. What is Pearson doing?

At the business end of the season we simply aren't doing the business. Kenny was certainly the busier of the two keepers but we shouldn't have made him look that good instead we needed to bury our chances as we'll have to do in the Premiership if we ever get there.

And what was Pearson thinking replacing Konchesky with Dyer as that decision alone could easily have cost us the game. Surely Whitbread would have been a more suitable choice, at least he has defending skills.

11 games to go and 33 points up for grabs, just how many will we get?

[TrentFox]

Think most bases have been covered, so not really sure what can be added .... but having my say will make me feel better, at least. Grim watching last night. Leeds did everything that we need to do but seem to have stopped doing, particularly away from home. They worked their socks off. Nasty Leeds ? I'd love us to be nasty Leicester ! Compacting and flooding the midfield isn't a crime or a below-the-waist tactic - it works for a reason ... and we should try it - again, particularly away from home. NP could learn from Warnock. Our lack of confidence / 'smile' has been alluded to, and I buy that. But it makes the reaction to a grim post-match interview slightly OTT. If players are lacking in confidence, then as a leader it's NPs job to try and nurture that. Slating his players publicly isn't going to do that. And before someone jumps in with the obvious, neither is slating them privately. Admittedly, his manner was not what we wanted to hear after a potentially fatal month of results in our pursuit of auto's, but he is what he is. Could he be better with the media ? Yes. Could we be more tolerant of what he is and what he isn't ? Yes. Some middle ground everyone, please. Of the positives, we improved in the second half, (not difficult), and we kept going with tenacity to the very end. Of the negatives - and there were plenty - our standard / style / brand of football has fallen off a cliff compared to the early parts of the season. We almost seem to have gone back to 'square pegs and round holes'. What is the point of Kane as a wide midfielder ? For me, and I always enjoy a different take on things, depsite the criticism of his stubborness, NP is not being stubborn enough at this stage of the season. 11 or 12 games to go is not the time to be farting about with new systems. He's missed that opportunity. If he believes in 4-4-2, then that's what he should go with. My caviat on that is that he should recruit the players that suit that system. I'm not sure we have done that.

[flowwolf]

People need to wake up, a point against Leeds is an average result. The way some people are acting you would think they thrashed us 5-0

It a bloody wonder they didn't.

[ibbosuk]

This is not about the football we have played this season. Some of its been top drawer.

It's about the fact that Pearson couldn't even be arsed to explain things to the fans basically because he's a mardy twat when being interviewed by Stringer.

THAT'S my gripe tonight and I say this to him. Respect us, give US answers, grow up or Fook off out of here. Stringer is doing his job, no more, no less.

I agree, Pearson has achieved the bear minimum here, given the resources at his disposal. I always find his interviews cringe worthy, "Don't like it don't bother" What a fvcking attitude!!!

Pearson you are a complete CVNT!!...

[MC Prussian]

We really lack an experienced midfielder who can lead the team as a unit. A guy with enough Championship or even Premier League games under his belt who knows what it takes to turn things around at such a crucial point of the season.

Isn't there a Kevin Phillips sort of guy around who fits that profile?

[marbelladave]

Morning all……

I am not quite sure what to say as for the first game this season that I have seen we simply did not look good enough.

It was not about the formation, setting up negatively or being outnumbered in midfield, none of the usual reasons for a poor performance seemed to apply last night.

We set up in a somewhat lop sided 4-4-2 with Kane well forward on the right and Knockaert narrow right. We started like a train, we were all over Leeds and I thought we were certain to get the first goal, but after 10 or 15 minutes it all fizzled out. Leeds scrappy, spoiling style got them back into the game and we simply did not know how to deal with it.

For the first time this season I thought those calling for an experience player in midfield might actually have a point. Not that King and Drinkwater had poor games, they didn't, but there was a lack of drive and purpose throughout the team that was really obvious. Our shape started to fall apart a bit too, Kane largely disappeared, Knockaert wandered off his flank to no real purpose and we became narrow, the play congested and as is often the case in these situations we started to lump it long.

Bringing on Dyer for Konchesky was an attempt by NFP to give us some width on the left, which did not really work until the last 15 minutes or so when he and De Laet finally got forward with some purpose. Given his obvious limitations Dyer did ok and the Leeds goal simply showed that we still have not learned how to defend corners, an issue that we have had all season.

Overall a disjointed and somewhat lethargic performance from City and we were devoid of ideas, the only positive was that with Leeds scuffling and niggling throughout I though our players did well to keep their heads and they came incredibly close to getting the win that their late rally might just have deserved.

[dynamark]

Could one of you learned folk explain what the ref did wrong in blowing for half time when we were about to take a corner .As far as Im aware he is under no obligation to add on time for us to carry on or does the ball have to be in play.Could not really see a situation where we would be allowed a few more seconds

[leicesterlad1989]

Sorry for probably repeating what others have said, but just too many pages to get through...

I think the balance of the team was wrong from the start. It was made twice as bad second half by bringing Dyer on at left back and for the majority of the half we had no shape what so ever. I actually felt sorry for Dyer, clearly not his fault. I think Pearson got the tactics completely wrong last night.

What I want to know is why play Kane on the wing? We lack a striker to bring off the bench to make an impact, and we have 3 more than capable wingers. Marshall looked improved last week at Blackburn.

Why did Dyer play left back? Wasn't Whitbread on the bench?