Leeds United: Forget Antenucci '“ it is time to look to future - Whelan

LEEDS United really needed the win against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
Mirco Antenucci, right.Mirco Antenucci, right.
Mirco Antenucci, right.

Everyone needed a little bit of a pick-me-up and a reaction from the manner of defeat – or more the first 45 minutes – against Brighton.

The second half was a little bit better at the Amex, but the manager, fans, players and everyone associated with Leeds United needed that Elland Road win.

Steve Evans has been very honest about the Brighton game.

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It was an appalling display, one that is not of a Leeds United calibre and everyone was disappointed. Obviously, we got a reaction in the second half after words were spoken. But it’s not acceptable at any level, let alone a big club like Leeds United to have that sort of 45 minutes. But that’s gone now, we wanted something from the boys on Saturday and we got it.

Mirco Antenucci got both of the goals and the Italian is the only striker at the club at the moment capable of netting the type of goals he scored.

He’s that one person that can have that moment of brilliance, that quick thinking and instinct inside the box.

He has the potential to score those wonder goals out of nothing and that’s what makes him so dangerous.

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Because I don’t think that Souleymane Doukara could, or Lee Erwin, or even Chris Wood and in addition, they are different styles of players to the Italian.

That’s why he is so important to Leeds and when he’s at it he’s a world beater.

We know that he is out of contract in the summer and I think he’s got to concentrate on doing his job at the moment for Leeds United.

We don’t know what his situation is. He might want to back home. It’s something the club have got to look at.

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But I think money would probably be best spent on a younger striker we are going to get three or four years out of, rather than just another season.

We need to look longer term now and buy some quality that’s at the right age, that is going to give us 15 to 20 goals a season, if not more.

Use the wages that we would have offered Antenucci to really get someone that is going to make that difference.

We had the various protests on Saturday and everyone has got the right to voice their opinion in whatever way they want to.

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It was peaceful, it was well organised, but unfortunately we do have a large number of supporters that are unhappy with Massimo Cellino and I don’t think that is going to change until the end of the season.

I’m not even sure if it’s going to change at the start of next season – if he’s still there.

I think now with the promises and everything regarding the club and his behaviour, it has brought the club into a little bit of disrepute and it’s news that the club didn’t really need.

Getting rid of Steve Evans is not the way forward. Responsibility has got to be taken by the players as much as the manager. It’s a 50-50 situation. The manager trains you, works with you, gives you instructions, but the players have got to go out there and implement it on the field.

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They have got to put that into practice and unfortunately they haven’t done it enough this season.

That doesn’t matter whether it’s Steve Evans or Uwe Rosler, they have been batting below par.

Too many mistakes have cost us, too many sloppy passes, not enough quality, not enough desire, not enough purpose about our jobs.

If you put all that together with inconsistent results you are not going to get anywhere but where you are now.

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I don’t think we should be looking at what Rotherham are doing or MK Dons or anyone else down at the bottom.

It’s about what we need to do, what we need to concentrate on, what we need to improve on and whether people think we are safe or not it doesn’t matter.

We have got to do our job properly between now and the end of the season.

We need a consistent run of form and some good results under our belt to give the fans a good send-off from this season.

It’s not been good enough and we have got to give them something to get their teeth into and to get excited about for the start of next season.