Casper Ankergren - Goalkeeper
The Danish keeper is entering his third year at Leeds United and will be keen to put last year behind him.  Ankergren found himself o the bench for a number of matches whilst David Lucas took his position near the sticks.  Without doubt, Ankergren is an amazing shot stopper but some nervous handling at times has shown he is not perfect.  The arrival of Higgs will push Ankergren all the way and lets hope it is to his benefit.Verdict: Sort the handling out and Ankergren could be key. 

Shane Higgs - Goalkeeper
The 32 year old signed this summer and has impressed when he has appeared in the pre-season.  He could even push to start against Exeter and whilst we have only seen a limited amount of appearances, he has already endeared himself to the fans.Verdict: A great addition to the squad. Lets hope the good form continues. 

Jason Crowe – Full/Centre Back or Midfield
Crowe is filling two expensive pairs of shoes in Frazer Richardson and Jonathon Douglas.  His pre-season form has been impressive and he comes with a wealth of experience.  Crowe started his career brightly at Arsenal and manager Simon Grayson is hoping he continues to show the form in pre-season.Verdict: A competent player who is very committed.  The fans will love him 

Patrick Kisnorbo - Defender
The Australian Centre back was a regular at Leicester City but fell out of favour last season and found himself restricted to a handful of appearances.  He needs to find his feet quickly at Elland Road where a number of defenders have crumbled under the pressure but another good addition to the squad.Verdict: Needs to show form 

Rui Marques – Defender
Marques is now in his fourth season, having established himself a fans favourite, Marques suffered a dip in form prior to Christmas last year when the defence was in tatters. The arrival of Grayson seems to have bolstered his confidence and the old Rui was back in the final stages of the season.Verdict: Has shown he can wobble but a confident Marques is a natural first choice for the team. 

Alan Sheehan – Full Back
Sheehan did not enjoy a good start to his Elland Road career and despite a confident spell under McAllister, he has failed to impress so far.  Sheehan seems to be hit a miss from game to game and if he is to push Parker for the Left back slot, he needs to work hard and get a run of form going.Verdict: Needs to do more to impress 

Lubo Michalik - Defender
The Slovakian International did not recapture the form he showed when he initially joined us on loan from Bolton and found himself pushed out to Richard Naylor in the second half of last season.  He has worked hard and impressed in pre-season and may be showing glimpses of the original player the fans loved when Dennis Wise first brought him to the club.Verdict: The old Lubo will push for a starting place and he could yet establish himself as first choice centre back, but he needs to forget last season. 

Ben Parker – Full Back/midfield
Parker came through the youth ranks and established himself as first choice left back ahead of Alan Sheehan last year.  The 21 year old has shown he is good attacking the flanks as well as defending deep and everyone is hoping for further progress this year.Verdict:  Should hold his place at left back. A competent defender 

Aiden White – Defender
Aiden White broke through the ranks of the youth system to cover at left back last year, and impressed!  He is still young at 18 years old and hopefully he will be developed this year and gradually introduced.  White could potentially go out on loan to gain some valuable experienceVerdict:  One for the future but will be competent if asked to cover. 

Richard Naylor – Defender
Named club captain again, Naylor is competent and marshals the defence well.  It is no surprise that since his arrival, the defence sorted their problems out.  He should be an ever-present this year, once he returns from minor back surgery that may keep him out of the opening fixtures of the seasonVerdict: Steady and reliable. 

David Prutton - Midfield
Fell from favour last year after a strong first season in 2007/08 but continued to perform well for the reserves.  He has featured in a limited capacity in pre-season and Grayson may yet find a role for Prutton in the first team.  Few will knock Prutton for his attitude but whether his style of play fits into Grayson’s Leeds United remains to be seen.Verdict: Could yet leave us scratching our heads as to why he was left out last year, but could also be surplus to requirements 

Neil Kilkenny – Midfield
Australian born Kilkenny struggled with fitness last year but underwent a minor procedure to aide his breathing over the summer and his role is crucial for the coming campaign.  Kilkenny has divided fans in the past but his passing and creativity is as good as it gets in this division and if he has a good season, Leeds will have a good season.Verdict:  Key man for Leeds this year. 

Jonathon Howson – Midfield
Howson established himself as a first team regular under both McAllister and Grayson last term and the product of the Academy has shown he has the skill, flair and vision to succeed.  Playing in the centre of midfield has been a challenge and at times his lack of physical presence over 90 minutes has been noted but with the right players around him, Howson is a real danger man for Leeds.  The absence of Douglas and Delph this year may be telling though.Verdict: Whether Howson and Kilkenny in the centre is strong enough remains to be seen but with the right role and the right support, this could be Howson’s year, but he needs to step it up. 

Bradley Johnson - Midfield
After a strong finish to the 2007/08 campaign, Johnson found himself surplus to requirements at the start of last year and was shipped out on loan to Brighton where he impressed. When he returned, he found it difficult to break into Grayson preference for a settled squad but looked bright at times when he had his chances.  Johnson can play central or out wide and his preferred role is still not clear.Verdict: Could be a good year for Johnson if he takes his chance when given. 

Andy Robinson - Midfield
The League 1 player of the year 2007/08 failed to get a consistent run in the starting eleven last season, making 34 League appearance but 14 of those were as a sub.  He is established as a fans favourite and always excites with the ball but his overall fitness is questionable.Verdict: A fans favourite who needs to get into the starting 11 and get a consistent run going.  Will always create danger. 

Andy Hughes - Midfield
Quickly establishing himself as Mr Versatile, Andy Hughes played in midfield last season before switching to right-back to cover for the injured Frazer Richardson.  There is no doubting his determination and will give 100% every game but expect him to start from the bench and be used a cover throughout the season.Verdict: Wish we had 10 more players with his attitude! 

Robert Snodgrass – Midfield/Forward
Snodgrass became the star performer in the second half of the season and has established himself as a regular in the first 11 and a firm favourite with the fans.  His attacking mindset creates havoc with defences at Elland Road although some of his final balls can go astray.Verdict: Key player for Leeds this season 

Jermaine Beckford – Forward
With his future thrown into uncertainty over the summer and the rumours still persisting, it yet remains to be seen if Beckford will still be here by the time the transfer window shuts at the end of August, let alone the January period.  Describing Beckford is simple, he gets goals! The leading scorer last season can play some amazing moves one minute and fail to control the ball the next, but still gets goals! Transfer listed at the end of last season, removed from the transfer list in pre-season, rumours of interest from West Brom and Newcastle – new contract discussions?  Will it never end?Verdict: Crucial for us to keep Beckford this season.  We would not be able to replace his goals. 

Luciano Becchio – Forward
The Argentinean did everything asked of him in his first full season in English football.  His hard work up front, ability to win headers and 18 goals in all competitions is better than most had hoped for and he should be a regular this termVerdict: Will cause problems for defences whenever he plays. 

Mike Grella – Forward
American Mike Grella has impressed in the reserves and pre-season but still has to prove himself in the first team. He is an exciting prospect and expect to see him coming off the bench when goals are needed.Verdict:  Lets see what you got?   

Enoch Showumni – Forward
A blood clot on his lung cut short the tall Nigerians season last term but he is back in pre-season and could become crucial back-up to Beckford and Becchio.Verdict: No Beckford or Becchio but could yet establish himself at Leeds  

Manager – Simon Grayson
Grayson has been here and done it before, taking Blackpool up to the Chamionship.  His arrival at Elland Road also so us amass more points than any other team in that period but it was too late to quality for the automatic promotion spots.  Grayson seem to like a settle squad but is not afraid to make changes in a match and it will be interesting to see how having a full pre-season to work wit the players will affect our style of play and confidence levels.  A mark of a good manager is always how they react when a team goes through a dip in form and we have not seen that yet, and we hope we don’t!Verdict:  The fans are behind him, and need to stay behind him.  

Chairman – Ken Bates
There are two ways to view Bates.  No-one can quote comprehend the financial turmoil the club faced when he took over, nor the considerable challenge that lies ahead in re-purchasing Elland Road and Thorpe Arch whilst developing the infrastructure of the business side of the club in general. It as task no one else wanted and to now be turning a profit is a remarkable piece of business however you view it.On the flip side, apparent minimal investment in the team whilst drawing up plans for hotels causes outrage amongst some fans with a shroud of secrecy placed around the finances at Elland Road.Ultimately though, Ken Bates should only be judged on the success he brings on the pitch. For the third year running, we are promised this is our year but at this stage there has again been minimal investment in the team.If it pays off, Leeds get promoted on the cheap and Bates is a hero.If it doesn’t, will Bates have finally worn out the tolerance of the fans?Verdict: No more excuses for not getting promoted this year.

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5 Aug, 2009 09:33

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Unofficial Leeds United (IP Logged) Unregistered User

2009/10 Season - Squad preview

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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2009:10:30:15:18:57 by Fids.

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6 Aug, 2009 18:02

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Longlostsoul The British Warrior (IP Logged) Registered User

Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Bristol Posts: 3442

Re: 2009/10 Season - Squad preview

Sounds like some of it was written by the brother of Jezza Clarkson

He is good but he is @#$%&

this car is brilliant but equally it is @#$%&!

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6 Aug, 2009 18:07

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Tony ~ Montana (IP Logged) THE BOSS!

Date Joined: Apr, 2007 Location: Cuba Posts: 17161

Re: 2009/10 Season - Squad preview

What about Kandol?

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