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Leeds United: It’s players’ fault - Snodgrass INTERVIEW
Robert Snodgrass has spoken of his frustration at Leeds United’s faltering season and defended caretaker boss Neil Redfearn, insisting the club’s players are to blame for their disappointing league position.
The Scotland international voiced concern over the absence of a “winning mentality” among the squad at Elland Road after a 2-1 defeat to Coventry City cast United six points adrift of the Championship’s play-off places.
Redfearn and his team came in for fierce criticism at the Ricoh Arena on Tuesday night, with Redfearn jeered after substituting goalscorer Ross McCormack in the closing minutes of the game, but Snodgrass refused to deflect attention from a laboured performance against the Championship’s bottom side.
United have won just three of their last nine league matches, and Snodgrass said: “It’s very, very frustrating right now.
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“There’s not really anything to say, apart from that it’s the players’ fault. We as a team know we need to be better. We can’t sit around and blame anyone else. It’s down to us, the players. We know exactly what to expect in the Championship. It’s our second season here and we should know what to do.
“There’s enough talent here for us to go and win matches but it’s down to getting the mindset right – the mental approach to the game. You need a winning mentality and I don’t think we’ve got it right now. That’s what it takes to be up there at the top.”
Leeds have been under Redfearn’s control since the club sacked former manager Simon Grayson, but Redfearn – a member of United’s academy staff – is unlikely to land the job on a longer-term basis after successive defeats to Brighton and Coventry.
Rumours linking Lee Clark with the vacancy intensified yesterday after Huddersfield Town’s shock decision to dismiss him with the club fourth in League One, but Leeds are not expected to approach the 39-year-old, despite his sudden availability.
The YEP understands Clark’s lack of Championship experience and repeated failure to win promotion with Town has pushed him down the list of candidates at Elland Road.
The likely identity of Grayson’s replacement remains unclear, however, with Redfearn set to take charge of his fourth match as caretaker against Doncaster Rovers this weekend.
Chairman Ken Bates, meanwhile, has denied claims Leeds are to offer Mick McCarthy the manager’s job after his departure from Wolves on Monday.
Bates said: “I don’t know Mick McCarthy’s phone number or where he lives. It’s speculation gone mad.”
Clark’s unexpected departure from the Galpharm Stadium could see Grayson make a quick return to management as Huddersfield’s next boss.
Grayson is thought to be in the running for the Terriers post having secured promotion from League One during his three years as manager of Leeds and with Blackpool.
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Comments
There are 34 comments to this article
Page 1 of 3
OzTyke
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 05:13 AM#33 dkershaw4 I agree, the club has taken a step backwards. A step backwards over the edge of a cliff! Leeds United are in free-fall at the moment, let's not mince words. Bates suddenly and publicly ramped up the pressure on Grayson back in December, all this "7th is not good enough", "we must get promotion" carry-on. Eventually Grayson gets the bullet, but we're now well into the third week without a recognised manager, and an appointment seems as far away as the day SG's dismissal was announced. Neil Redfearn probably never asked for the caretaker job, and he should be back working with the youngsters by now, not copping flak from the fans. I'm sure it's not really aimed at NR so much, it's just so bl00dy frustrating. This Saturday I'd like to see Robbie Rogers finally get a run,and Andros Townsend to start in the team, why not roll the dice and have a crack? Better to get a hiding on your feet than die on your knees. To leave poor Redfearn with no proper support as well, is terrible, Andy O'Brien might be "back in the fold" but an assistant coach he is not. What the blazes do we pay Glyn Williams for, and what is a "technical director " anyway?
dkershaw4
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 09:26 PMI think if we are all been honest here the club and the players have taken a step back wards.... after loosing the players we have promotion was never an option .... Ken has no money to invest at all and while i do dislike the man i agree with the fact that out of the 28 players we have on the books at least half of them should not be at the club and we need to clear out to start again next season.... I guess we just have to hope and pray Ken has some money for a manager who can get the best out of youth and hard work but i am not holding my breath
paz
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 09:14 PMThe first thing to do on the road to recovery after a new external top class manager is brought in is to appoint SNODDY AS CAPTAIN. What the fcuk was Grayson & Redfearn thinking in overlooking him for the captaincy?
monkey1977
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 07:00 PMthe time for finger pointing is long since over i dont care anymore who is to blame just pul your thumb out of your collective back sides and go out and win some games
jonno63
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 05:55 PMWell at least he's saying some of the right things, pity they're not doing the right thing. Their mindset is wrong, apparently, Right. I'll leave Snodgrass alone, as he's at least getting involved. Let's discuss "mindsets" for a minute. If a player has to stay at the club ie he can't just sulk and not play, would his mindset change if a panel of judges decided who was worth paying? No wages at all if you're obviously not trying to sort your mindset out. We keep on about it being a sin if a manager says who's crap, but that should work both ways shouldn't it? It's like when we watch them, we all know who's crap but nothing happens? What if you said to a player " Ok, if you don't try to do exactly what you've been told to do all week, and if you don't come off the field totally knackered because you've tried so hard,we're gonna cut the little finger off your left hand." Watch him try then.... They're spoilt little rich kids, and they don't care, and our hopes and dreams fade away, and they don't care. Our society today lets this happen, kids think that being a "spoilt little rich kid" is " cool". So what chance have we got in getting them to do the right thing? To face us, and stand up to be truly counted? I mean if you're slow, and poor, and just picking up a fat wage packet, you're gonna end up with no fingers. Grayson enjoyed employing slow, crap players. Our squad is full of them, but to the ones who should be doing better? Think yourself lucky that you can condescend to comment on why you're so poor, in another world you could've had trouble picking your own nose by April!
keith lee
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 05:17 PMAND HERE AM I THINKING IT IS ALL MY FAULT, and the chap sat next to me, hang on,wow ! there are some in the Kop even blaming themselves. OF COURSE it is not the poor players fault, forget the scapegoat being the dogsbody teaching 5th grade maths(agents) 20 squad players earning up to £400000 pa. do not need to be told how to run,pass,shoot or god forgive, defend.without being shown how.
gibbo45cdo
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 04:43 PMBang on Snoddy, atleast someone tells it how it is. If your not as talented than other players in the squad then you make up for it with sheer effort and grit, thats what isnt happning. Snodgrass for captain's spot too.
Sick of Kens lies
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 02:30 PMYes the players are massively to blame, as was Grayson, coaches, and Bates, Harvey and Lorimer. The only ones infact that aren't to blame (unless you're Bates of course) is the fans. Leeds players; TALK IS CHEAP, but in this case Snodgrass is right. In my opinion, the whole squad is of a poor quality on the whole, bar the odd 3 or 4, Snodgrass being one of them, and that obviously leaves us with a massive problem - alot of them are of League One standard, on Championship wages at a big club, so how are we ever going to shift them on ??? We aren't are we ? Alot of them aren't worth paying a fee for, and there's the wage problem on top. So we need a manager that can get the best out of a load of old rubbish - What a shame there aren't TWO MARTIN O'NEILLS...
United in Malta
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 01:35 PMWhile I respect the right of free speach (and there are many who gave their lives so that we could enjoy that right).......all these postings and player artilces are getting a bit boring now.....let's draw a line under them and go out there and score at least one more goal than the opposition, and win a game....all this is doing my head in...MOT
maidonian
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 01:29 PMSnodgrass is right, it is the players fault. What we need is a hard nosed manager who will make sure that it stops being the players fault. Having a manager the players call 'Redders' and think its great that they can have a laugh and a joke with him, is a recipe for comfort zone poor performances. As much as I am not keen on Warnock, it is the likes of him or Mick McCarthy that we need right now.
Lenboy
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 01:07 PMWinning mentality??? This is rich coming from a bunch of so-called professionals surrounded by sports psychologists. Buy them all the Tony Robbins book 'Unleash the Giant Within' and make them read it before Saturday. Then sack the sports motivator and put the wages towards a decent manager.
steven742
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 01:02 PMwho will bates blame when we lose to donny?
steven742
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 12:58 PMsnoddy for captain because i do not think he would let players be passagers in game! and would lead by example which is something we seem to be missing!
mccarthy
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 12:54 PMhow many more players are we going hear stick up for the manager. if he should be worthy of that title it strikes me they are fearfull of getting someone half decent who will see how poor they are, and kick some of them out. As for BATES saying he does not know how to contact Mick McCarthy, how ridiculous, does he not have contacts with other clubs or agents. the one thing he does not want to contact are the clubs fans. i suggest he does and quickley, before he loses a few more thousand. So who can he contact, does he have Warnocks, Jones, Davies Clarkes, Bruce, Strachen, any of there numbers, i know if i was a manager i probabley wouldent want him to have mine, i would not work for that idiot, if i was starving.
we8csum
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 12:11 PMYep your right Snod apart from youself and a couple of others they are a bunch of poor players even judging at championship level.Sad thing is they don't try and make up for their lack of skill with effort and desire.They look like they don't give a t@ss.
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