'They didn't' - Ex-Leeds United man fires leaving stars shot with Farke question and 'impotent' feature must

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There's a lot of time between now and the end of the season, writes DAVID PRUTTON.

So let's not get too carried away with predictions of where Leeds United will be or where they should be.

The 'should' side of it is very much, at least in the top six. The reality at the moment is two games where they shipped a load of goals and one game where they looked defensively solid but impotent in attack. Therein lies pretty basically what the problem is and if you're a Leeds United fan, it doesn't need me to explain to them exactly what is needed.

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The squad that's been left, even if you take away Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter, is one that I think is competitive but one that I do think needs help, though.

'MISSING': Leeds United's marquee names when the chips were down, Crysencio Summerville pictured looking to make something happen in the most important loss of the lot to Southampton in May's Championship play-off final defeat to Southampton. Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images.'MISSING': Leeds United's marquee names when the chips were down, Crysencio Summerville pictured looking to make something happen in the most important loss of the lot to Southampton in May's Championship play-off final defeat to Southampton. Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images.
'MISSING': Leeds United's marquee names when the chips were down, Crysencio Summerville pictured looking to make something happen in the most important loss of the lot to Southampton in May's Championship play-off final defeat to Southampton. Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images.

Leeds, as ever, should be a very attractive proposition for any potential signing or anyone they've got any chat with between now and the end of the transfer window. You'd be mindful of the fact that there's maybe a perception suddenly that Leeds have now got 150-120 million quid to spend although a lot of that will be allotted for in different financial avenues.

But it's a tough one. You've got over 50 goal involvements there, if you take away just Summerville and Rutter as it stands. But I still kind of err on the side that they are big name players that were part of a team that still didn't get into the Premier League.

As much as there is the element of losing marquee names, they still weren't marquee names in Summerville and Rutter that got them into the Premier League were they? And they were players that were in the Premier League that didn't stand out really at all.

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I saw George's take on it all and he's a very, very likable kid, very popular in the dressing room and with the fans. But in the big games, when collectively Leeds went missing, they went missing too.

Maybe that's me being slightly cynical, but that's what happened. They came, they saw, they wore the shirt and they left, as thousands have done in the past and thousands will do in the future.

Yes, it's unfortunate. Yes, it's a bit of a kick in the teeth, but given the nature of what football always has been, when it comes to highly coveted players, these things happen, you wave them goodbye, and you get on with it, because Leeds, as ever, is the most important thing.

I think they've got a manager, of course, in Daniel Farke that knows how to do it. However, the caveat, as I've always said with him, is he knew how to do it with two players that were absolutely outstanding at this level in Emi Buendia and Teemu Pukki.

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They did perform at this level and didn't go missing in big games so they need to find a collective that does the same thing. That's a while ago now and I'm not just harping on about Farke's past at all. I'm just saying that he has been able to do it with a squad that was greater than the sum of its parts.

Yes, there is a sense of urgency between now and the end of the window but the first port of call was the weekend just gone and shoring up the defence. They did that.

The second port of call is making sure that you are effective going forward and they weren't that at all in the game against West Brom. Impotent is the word I used and it quite obviously was that. They've got the framework of a decent squad and a team. Joe Rodon talked at the weekend about confidence and maybe there is a reaction to be had from losing the play-off final in the manner that they did and losing the players that they have done.Confidence needs to be regained. That only comes from performances and, more importantly, results.

Daniel has said Leeds need new two attackers, another centre midfielder and further full back cover and him saying that is not rocket science. In key areas, you've lost your best players. Therefore, you do need to tool up once again. Whether playing Mateo Joseph up top brings something different out of Joe Piroe, we shall soon see.

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But in Joseph we are talking about a player leading the line who had very few minutes last season. He's energetic and enthusiastic enough but the proof is in the pudding as to whether he can score the goals. The same for Joel, the same for Dan James, the same for Willy Gnonto. As much as you have players there that were also highly coveted last season, the ones that are still there have got a huge job to do. Huge. There is disappointment from that season but get over it.

It's now another season and people are once again putting in the 'favourites' moniker on your back. Burnley have hit the ground running. They've got a very strong squad. Sunderland have hit the ground running. They've got a youthful squad with a new manager at this level.

There's plenty to be mindful of. But there's 44 games left. We saw what a slow start potentially did for them at the end of last season. They've got to be mindful of that, and they've got to get right back on the horse this weekend.

There will be questions asked if Leeds don't get a first win of the season there although it would obviously be in the context of players going and you have got to say that. There are fingers pointed at Farke and the substitutions and who comes on when and where, he wants to be working with the best squad possibly available and it's a better squad with Archie, Summerville and Rutter in it. But they have gone so move on.

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That's what he's got to deal with right now. He's got to hope that he's got the right relationship and reputation within the football club and within the people who've got the money to be able to fill those particular gaps. I'm not saying it's must win. But it's a team that was in the bottom three to the last couple of weeks of the season, up against a team that was one game away from the Premier League.

You would say that makes Leeds favourites in this but knowing and seeing Wednesday under Danny Rohl, they are completely different propositions to the team that potentially Leeds faced last season.

There are obviously calls for the 49ers to now splash the cash. But to play devil's advocate, Rutter cost £35m what did he do? He didn't get promoted. He was part of a team that got relegated. He might have scored and assisted a few in the Championship but for 35 million pounds, it was a paltry return so money spent doesn't equal tangible results on the pitch.

I understand the calls to splash the cash because the narrative is everyone's leaving and the squad has been cherry picked for its best players. But that was always going to happen. Every club is a selling club and if the prices are right, they're gone.

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But there is definitely work to do and it's whether the purse strings are loose enough and put in the right possible way that is then a success because over the last five, seven or eight years, Leeds United's transfer activity has been only marginally more hit than miss. Only marginally.

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