We are going to sign people, so we can talk about incoming transfers here. Blackwell has completed his first signing, with Danny Pugh from the red filth. he's on a two year deal, no idea what he's making.
I can't imagine he would be making very much. A young player who has been in and out of the first team.
Looks like Barry Hayles will be making the switch from Fulham to Leeds. He scored 18 goals a couple of years ago when Fulham was promoted from First Division to the Premiership.
Hayles looks like one of those players that struggles in the Premeirship but can really shine in Division one.
http://www.leedsunited.com/article....edback=&Title=Trio+On+Hitlist&navlid=newsroom Certainly no secret about it now. Hayles, Tiatto, and Butler are featured in this article. Other names dropped were Julian Joachim, Paul Gerrard, and Steve Simonson. I personally believe that Leeds should really look to the USA to find some talent. McBride and guys like these are cheap and effective players. The difficulty will be to find someone who wants to come and play division one.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=302343&cc=5901 He scored 27 goals last year in division two. This would be an interesting pick-up. He's out of contract, but any English club would have to pay a transfer fee. Port Vale is afraid that if he goes oversees then they won't see a penny for his transfer fee.
QPR central defender Clarke Carlisle is set to sign with Leeds according to the websites of both clubs: http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10373~530914,00.html http://www.leedsunited.com/article....e=Whites+Close+In+On+Defender&navlid=newsroom Carlisle came to QPR from Blackpool in May 2000. Mid-season knee injuries to Carlisle and central midfielder Richard Langley played a large part in QPR's relegation from Division One in 00/01. Both players were injured in late January against Fulham and Carlisle missed both the rest of that season and all of 01/02 due to the injury. In 02/03, he started 32 (2 subs) in the league, including a start in the play-off final that we lost in extra time. This season, Clarke was suspened for a match for not turning up for training and then admitted an alcohol problem. He went into an in-patient treatment program and didn't play for us between August 25th and October 21st. Overall, he started 32 matches (1 sub appearance) in our promotion campaign this year. He's originally from Preston and his family and daughter live up north and he's expressed a desire to leave London and get closer to them. Obviously, getting to be closer to his family and with a bigger club made the move a natural one for Clarke. That being said, I hope we exploit him for a couple of goals at Loftus Road and Elland Road this season! He's a smart, strong, good defender. And a smart fellow too, having once won a "braniest footballer" competition. There are questions about his pace, but he's generally a top-notch defender and, at 24 years old, if he keeps his act together off the field, could still fulfill what was once regarded as Premiership potential. Good luck to Clarke (except for twice this season, of course).
Thanks for the skinny Atouk. Was he one of the best defenders in division two last year and how do you think his game will translate to division 1?
Carlisle looked good for QPR in Division One back in 00/01 when he was just 20/21 years old and should be able to perform well in that division now. A slow return from injury (he was out 1 1/2 years in total after suffering a setback during rehab) and the fact that we lost in the play-off final last year are probably the only reasons he hasn't returned to the division sooner. He and Dan Shittu were our two first-choice center backs and have certainly been one of the better pairings in Division Two over the past two seasons when both have been healthy/available. That being said, the general concensus among QPR fans is that his form never quite reached what it was before the injury. Whether that's due to a residual loss of speed from the knee injury, his personal problems, or some other factor is hard to say. Carlisle had a largely injury-free season this year. He played no part in 13 of our 46 league matches, but 10 of those were during his alcohol rehab period, so he missed very little this year due to other injuries (missed two in a row in April, but came back for the final three matches). In the first half of our promotion-clinching final match at Sheffield Wednesday, he came off with an ankle injury, but I haven't heard that it's anything serious. Overall, he's got a good combination of skill and size (6'3, 175), will rarely get beat in the air, and will get you an occasional goal off of a set piece (only one this year, though). QPR fans have had some issues with his pace and form this season, but I expect that still puts him among the upper crust of Division Two. Of our two, Shittu may be a bit quicker, but Carlisle probably has better ball handing/distribution skills. If you're interested in getting a quick flavor for his performances this year, I'd recommend the match reports at this site. You can see a number rating and quick blurb for each game. Unfortunately, you will see some like this: "Once again he was caught out for pace and he is starting to look like a player with one eye on which club he'll be joining in the summer. 6/10" "An amazing piece of defending to keep us level in the first half but he went to sleep a few times in the second half and should have dealt with the Luton goal better than he did. 6/10" But others like this: "Got his first goal of the season and was superb once again at the heart of the QPR defence. 8/10" "Played well at the back and was very impressive when he went up front. 7/10" "A lot has been said about him and his desire to leave the club but he continues to give everything on the pitch and despite playing with an injury and out of position for 25 minutes he was still our best player. 7/10" I think you've got a solid Division One starter who may still have potential to get better if things stay well for him off the pitch, although he won't likely be your quickest defender. To get a taste of what some Rangers fans are saying: http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=925&p=16&style=2&forumId=3672&action=1&replytoid=536759147 http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=925&p=16&style=2&forumId=3672&action=1&replytoid=536760764
I think that Atouk gave you most of the info you need on Clark. He certainly won't arrive at Elland Rd without some baggage. You should be most worried about his lack of pace and overall health. If fit, he's a physical defender that reads the match well. I think its key that he plays with one or two others in defence that can make up for his lack of pace on occassion. We noticed that he was really exposed when two quicker players left the side (LB Forbes and CB Sh!ttu). He could end up being a solid Division 1 defender if his fitness and personal life stay in order. Some Rangers are upset at his lack of loyalty, leaving after we stood by him when he was in rehab(s), but this is football and professional decisions were made by the two clubs and player - good luck to him. Looking forward to playing the Whites this season.
If you guys get your hands on Steve McPhee you have a great prospect, but we deserve a decent fee for him. That agent of his David Masanneh is despicable and I am sure he is entirely responsible for the pitiful bid of 50k (later upped to 75k in 3 stages). Do you guys despise agents as much as we do?
Julian Joachim has passed a medical and will be signing on July 1'st. I've always thought JJ was a decent player when he was at Villa, but haven't heard much about him lately. He's only 29 and has first fivision experience. All in all, i think this is not a bad signing.
No, should I? All I know is that we were nearly shafted by that Gianni Paladini git, who tried to take us over for 2 and 6 pence and now we're being given the runaround by this upper class twit David Manasseh over the McPhee deal. Who represents Kewell?
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=303760&cc=5901 Danny Cadamarteri is close to signing according to soccernet. Leeds' site isn't affirming anything yet. An interesting point about the article below is this... I might be looking into this too much but it sounds like they don't have very much faith in Simon Johnson. http://www.leedsunited.com/article....sner+Won't+Add+To+Speculation&navlid=newsroom
http://www.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,54-1140324,00.html Looks like we're also going after Ricketts from boro... Possibly part of a Viduka deal.... Looks to be almost done as he is at Leeds getting a physical..
http://www.leedsunited.com/article.asp?article=210240&blnFeedback=&Title=Ricketts+Signs!&navlid=newsroom Leeds is saying that Ricketts has nothing to do with a Viduka deal. This seems like a good move. He has the credentials to be a very capable D1 striker and he comes over for nothing unless we are promoted.
Danny Cadamarteri - 3 goals in 14 appearances. Julian Joachim - Can't find his numbers Michael Ricketts - 2 goals in 7 appearnaces. (21 goals in 25 app. 4 years ago in D1) Here are some of the numbers I've been able to pull up on the three new strikers. Ricketts is a 6'2" big guy and JJ is tiny but apparently has great speed. My guess is that they will start up top. Cadamarteri is coming off a injury season. I'm just hoping Milner has a monster year.
Boro gave on Ricketts pretty quick; they just signed him last year for 3.5 million pounds. I think he will be quite good in D1. A good signing to replace Viduka.
Ricketts? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha*wheeze*hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Not planning on returning to the Premiership for a while then?
In today's German weekly sports magazine "Sport-Bild" (at least biggest sport magazine in Europe) there was a report that Leeds United asked Borussia Dortmund whether German U-21 national David Odonkor is available for a loan or even a permanent deal. Sport-Bild is not the most serious magazine but on news like these they don't write BS, I guess. Odonkor is a versatile player that prefers the right side. He started as a forward but due to his really bad hit/miss-rate he was put to the right wing/right midfield. He is FAST LIKE HELL, but still lacks good cut-in's. Even played one match as right-back (against Bayern Munich last season). If he developes and works on his weaknesses he could become a solid to good professional. http://www.schwatzgelb.de/statistik/mannschaft.php3?zeige=steckbrief&id=20
http://www.leedsunited.com/article....e=Whites+Linked+To+German+Ace&navlid=newsroom Leeds' site is also reporting their interest in Odonkor. He sounds like a real player. It says in this article that he's stuck behind a couple of great players and therefore isn't seeing much action. I'd love to add a guy like this even if it has to be on loan like Jermaine Pennant last year.