Being a Manchester United fan, there were mixed opinions by the fans and media when I took over. I was hoping to quickly silence my critics. Having looked through the Leeds squad, the first thing I noticed was a core of great young players, players that could be developed into good Premier League players in the future. I wanted to have a go at getting to the playoffs despite being predicted to finish about 15th, so I identified the defence and midfield as an area to strengthen in the summer.
Final League Table
It wasn't as easy as it looks, I spent a lot of the time sat in positions between 1st-4th all season. Only 1-3 points seperated about 6 teams, and we only really pushed away on game 43 of the season when we beat Hull City away from home 1-3. We clinched the title at rival side Preston on the last day of the season, a comfortable 2-0 win.
Transfers
I'd recommend upgrading the defence somewhat, the two lads I brought in at the back were steals for the prices I paid. Absolute machines at Championship level. Joel Campbell was a good january loan signing too after I had TWO winger/inside forwards break their legs in November.
Signing of the Season - Galeano
This lad was the pick of my transfers, £800k, absolutely solid at the back, and had a bit of pace about him which was handy chasing a striker back when playing with a high back line. Barely missed a game and consistently performed.
Signing of the Season Runner Up - Riviere
So come January I was sitting 1st in the league, but I wasn't convinced by my striker Chris Wood. He was a target man but rarely held the ball up, and had only managed about 5 goals in 20. Most of my goals were coming from my IF's either side of him. So I scraped what I could together and went for this guy. £1.8m very well spent. Didn't quite make it at Newcastle and was available almost half price of his value. I liked his pace and acceleration. I wanted a pacey attack and he fit the bill. His goals got us promoted. He was a big player for the big games, our run in towards the end were against sides in the top 6, and he kept scoring when we looked unlikely to win. Great buy.
Formation / Strongest XI
We had a small squad, and the entire 11 picked itself. We struggled with defensive injuries in January and had a big wobble, but when 8 or 9 of these players were fit we generally dominated games with this formation. As I said earlier, I liked the young core of this squad, so I built the team around the players already there in Byram, Cook, Taylor, and Murphy.
Performance of The Season
We were under pressure to get a win, and we exited our bad run of form by pulling out this performance. We had perhaps more important results, but I've picked this as I doubt we will hit this many in a league game for a good few years now.
Next Seasons Objectives
Use the huge TV deal of the Premier League to invest heavily in the defence and attack of the team. I'm aiming to get 5-6 new players into the strongest 11 to ensure a smooth transition to the Premier League. Leeds are a big enough club to attract some good Premier League players.
Flog some of the over performers
Code:
Season | League | Position | Europe | Top scorer | Achievments
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2015/16 | Championship | 1st | N/A | Riviere (15) | Championship Winners