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Dougie Freedman might have welcomed the chance of some introspection over the international break – but his side return to action against Sheffield Wednesday with the same old problems to resolve.
Managers seldom welcome the interruption of a free weekend at this stage of the season but for a man like Freedman, facing intense pressure to turn round another disappointing start, it arrived like manna from heaven.
Once it became clear that defeat at Elland Road had not been the fatal blow to the manager’s future that some predicted, the fortnight immediately became an opportunity to recover and rebuild.
And the Scot would have every right to feel more confident of chalking up a first win of the season tomorrow than at any other stage in the last month.
With midfield lynchpin Mark Davies cleared for action and left-back Dean Moxey fit again after a bizarre double injury, two key components are now available for selection.
Added to that, the loan arrival of Owen Garvan adds yet more experience, compensating slightly for the continued absence of Kevin McNaughton and David Wheater.
That Freedman was given the green light to sign Garvan from Crystal Palace and make a move for Nottingham Forest’s Greg Halford before his injury so quickly after the emergency window reopened tells its own tale.
Firstly, it demonstrates the level of security the Whites boss still has despite the frustrated masses on the terraces now looking like a majority.
Freedman could have signed both Garvan and Halford on longer deals but chose to hold off.
In any event, Garvan will now return to his parent club before Christmas – which could potentially create its own problem – but the manager probably feels it is worth the gamble, given the importance of the next two home games.
Chairman Phil Gartside has held his tongue in regards to growing speculation over Freedman’s position despite invitations from the local press but he will know full well that the natives are restless. For the over-riding feeling among most Wanderers supporters is not so much that the team is not good enough, but whether the men in charge are.
Wednesday arrive a side in good form, having enjoyed their best start to a season since the days of John Harkes, Chris Bart-Williams and Kevin Pressman in the early 1990s.
Stuart Gray’s side have conceded little at the back and in man-mountain Atdhe Nuhiu have one of the division’s in-form front men.
Regardless of the size of the task, however, it is hard to imagine that anything but a win will appease the fans.
And that might boil down to whether Freedman has used the extra time with his squad wisely.
Though Chung-Yong Lee, Adam Bogdan and Tim Ream were away on international duty, the majority of the first team has checked in on a daily basis since last Tuesday at Euxton.
That has given Freedman a chance to iron out some of the issues that have plagued his side in the first five games.
Pin-pointing the exact problem has not been easy.
Defensively, Wanderers have not kept a clean sheet since April, while up front, that long-running dilemma of wasting goalscoring chances showed no sign of letting up at Leeds.
The addition of Garvan suggests Freedman also acknowledges an issue in midfield, where the lack of possession prior to the defeat at Elland Road had been flagged up by many a discontented supporter.
While non-footballing issues involving Jermaine Beckford and Jay Spearing have gained their fair share of headlines over the international break, the hiatus has given everyone a chance to draw breath.
But there is no let up in the fans’ desire to see things improve on the pitch and in that respect the next 90 minutes could be the most important of Freedman’s reign since his side missed out on the play-offs by a hair’s breadth exactly 496 days ago.
Source
Managers seldom welcome the interruption of a free weekend at this stage of the season but for a man like Freedman, facing intense pressure to turn round another disappointing start, it arrived like manna from heaven.
Once it became clear that defeat at Elland Road had not been the fatal blow to the manager’s future that some predicted, the fortnight immediately became an opportunity to recover and rebuild.
And the Scot would have every right to feel more confident of chalking up a first win of the season tomorrow than at any other stage in the last month.
With midfield lynchpin Mark Davies cleared for action and left-back Dean Moxey fit again after a bizarre double injury, two key components are now available for selection.
Added to that, the loan arrival of Owen Garvan adds yet more experience, compensating slightly for the continued absence of Kevin McNaughton and David Wheater.
That Freedman was given the green light to sign Garvan from Crystal Palace and make a move for Nottingham Forest’s Greg Halford before his injury so quickly after the emergency window reopened tells its own tale.
Firstly, it demonstrates the level of security the Whites boss still has despite the frustrated masses on the terraces now looking like a majority.
Freedman could have signed both Garvan and Halford on longer deals but chose to hold off.
In any event, Garvan will now return to his parent club before Christmas – which could potentially create its own problem – but the manager probably feels it is worth the gamble, given the importance of the next two home games.
Chairman Phil Gartside has held his tongue in regards to growing speculation over Freedman’s position despite invitations from the local press but he will know full well that the natives are restless. For the over-riding feeling among most Wanderers supporters is not so much that the team is not good enough, but whether the men in charge are.
Wednesday arrive a side in good form, having enjoyed their best start to a season since the days of John Harkes, Chris Bart-Williams and Kevin Pressman in the early 1990s.
Stuart Gray’s side have conceded little at the back and in man-mountain Atdhe Nuhiu have one of the division’s in-form front men.
Regardless of the size of the task, however, it is hard to imagine that anything but a win will appease the fans.
And that might boil down to whether Freedman has used the extra time with his squad wisely.
Though Chung-Yong Lee, Adam Bogdan and Tim Ream were away on international duty, the majority of the first team has checked in on a daily basis since last Tuesday at Euxton.
That has given Freedman a chance to iron out some of the issues that have plagued his side in the first five games.
Pin-pointing the exact problem has not been easy.
Defensively, Wanderers have not kept a clean sheet since April, while up front, that long-running dilemma of wasting goalscoring chances showed no sign of letting up at Leeds.
The addition of Garvan suggests Freedman also acknowledges an issue in midfield, where the lack of possession prior to the defeat at Elland Road had been flagged up by many a discontented supporter.
While non-footballing issues involving Jermaine Beckford and Jay Spearing have gained their fair share of headlines over the international break, the hiatus has given everyone a chance to draw breath.
But there is no let up in the fans’ desire to see things improve on the pitch and in that respect the next 90 minutes could be the most important of Freedman’s reign since his side missed out on the play-offs by a hair’s breadth exactly 496 days ago.
Source
