Ryan Leonard?

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sheffielder said:
I hope not, our squad feels naked as it is, without losing someone who can cover a number of positions
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Agree, suspect we’ll hold on to Leonard due to his versatility and athleticsism. Also remember he’s still quite young.

However if he’s unhappy up north then a temporary move to nearer the Kent area might be a move he’d want.
 
I don't want us to loan him out and don't think we will, but if we do I'd hope it'd be to a Championship team, ideally a local one like Rotherham.

Fuck helping Millwall out. That would be Lenny madness.
 
Ricky said:
I don't want us to loan him out and don't think we will, but if we do I'd hope it'd be to a Championship team, ideally a local one like Rotherham.

Fuck helping Millwall out. That would be Lenny madness.
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I don't think Millwall are anyone's favourite team but Len played alongside Adam Barrett for several seasons and Bomber Harris spent time with us, mostly in our injury room, as a forward. If this rumour has legs I could see the Scum being his preferred option.
 
Rootshallbloke said:
With the signing of Oliver Norwood,our rumour machine reckons he is being linked with a move to Millwall, where Neil Harris and Adam Barrett wanted to sign him when he went to Sheffield United instead. Supposedly a loan move.
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Quick, someone start a thread on this!
 
Unless he has a partner pining for the fjords of Maldon, I reckon his versatility will keep him here. Ideal player for the bench, covering various options.
 
Rootshallbloke said:
I reckon your Billy Goats gruff are safe mate. I'm lots of things, but not a troll.

And why would he be happy with that?
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He might not be. But featuring in the match day squad, regular sub appearances might lead to a start if and when injuries or loss of form happens. Given he chose to come here rather than other options he might be prepared to give it a go like that for this season. Personally I think by the end of the season he could be first choice at RCB.
 
SouthEssexBlade said:
He might not be. But featuring in the match day squad, regular sub appearances might lead to a start if and when injuries or loss of form happens. Given he chose to come here rather than other options he might be prepared to give it a go like that for this season. Personally I think by the end of the season he could be first choice at RCB.
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Agree with the above.
Get the feeling that Wilder DOES value Leonard.
He rarely starts for us but often seems to come on as sub, he’s never outstanding but always does a job.
Last season he had spells in midfield, passing and creativity wasn’t up to standard but his tackling and energy were excellent.
He seemed to shore up defensive midfield and make us more solid.

Last season he also played the odd game at right back and was decent there too.
He also had a game at centre back and was surprisingly decent (but not great) there too.

Our fans can’t say a bad word against him, although he’s not pulled up any trees and seems a bit limited
It’s his good attitude and work rate that means us fans will give him a chance.

I’m sure Chris Wilder said in an interview last season that he values Leonard due to his versatility and will try to work out his best position to help the team. I also think he’ll break into the 1st team by the end of the season.
 
SouthEssexBlade said:
He might not be. But featuring in the match day squad, regular sub appearances might lead to a start if and when injuries or loss of form happens. Given he chose to come here rather than other options he might be prepared to give it a go like that for this season. Personally I think by the end of the season he could be first choice at RCB.
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Sadly I think you're right. One of ours has just posted this:

The trouble is that a large number of Championship sides are now so flush with funds they can buy up any decent players from League 1 and League 2 because they can afford to. Buying a player also stops opponents signing them. Derby have just paid £4m for Jack Marriott he is on the bench like Lenny so far. They also signed Duane Holmes from Scunthorpe on deadline day - I doubt he will play either.

The only side to sign Lge1 players and play them appears to be Ipswich and they lost to Rotherham. I suspect they will get relegated with them.
I think most Lge1 players who move upwards are going to have to accept that they wont get selected in the first 11. It's worth it for the financial security it gives them. I think the gap between the Championship and the Premiership is narrowing but between Lge1 and the Championship grows bigger every year. If you get relegated but largely keep your squad with slight strengthening you usually go straight back up from Lge 1.

They only paid £750k for Lenny. Leeds paid £10m for Bamford and he can't get picked yet.

And with that dose of depressing realism I think I'll leave yourselves and Mr Wilder to carry on without any more of my expert managerial advice.
 
I noticed today when Leonard came on in the 2nd half he was fairly positive, got forward when he could making runs and he wasn’t scared to shoot either. He wasn’t great but it was a solid performance.

He should have scored from that powerful header that flew just over the bar.

He seemed more confident and less overawed compared to last season,
Keep playing like he did today and it won’t be long before he’s on the score sheet.
 
should have scored with the header, along with others.

the best performance in a blades shirt yet but he's got some real competition in the positions he can play
 



It feels like his Blades career might have started today.

He did very well.

Much better on the ball than I've seen previously, barely put a foot wrong. Passed it well.

Definitely a good player there IMO, no doubt.
 
Some players just need a little bit of time to settle in before they show their new club what they can really do.

I suspect Leonard is one of these. He's starting to look an asset. Well done lad.
 
We are all still waiting to see what wilder sees in him or saw in him. He looks robotic and cumbersome. I really wanted to love this all action box to box midfielder but he is made to look ordinary by bash and he is never going to play ahead of fleck Coutts or Norwood. I look at it like this if he lined up against us would I worry, definitely not
 
Rootshallbloke said:
Sadly I think you're right. One of ours has just posted this:

The trouble is that a large number of Championship sides are now so flush with funds they can buy up any decent players from League 1 and League 2 because they can afford to. Buying a player also stops opponents signing them. Derby have just paid £4m for Jack Marriott he is on the bench like Lenny so far. They also signed Duane Holmes from Scunthorpe on deadline day - I doubt he will play either.

The only side to sign Lge1 players and play them appears to be Ipswich and they lost to Rotherham. I suspect they will get relegated with them.
I think most Lge1 players who move upwards are going to have to accept that they wont get selected in the first 11. It's worth it for the financial security it gives them. I think the gap between the Championship and the Premiership is narrowing but between Lge1 and the Championship grows bigger every year. If you get relegated but largely keep your squad with slight strengthening you usually go straight back up from Lge 1.

They only paid £750k for Lenny. Leeds paid £10m for Bamford and he can't get picked yet.

And with that dose of depressing realism I think I'll leave yourselves and Mr Wilder to carry on without any more of my expert managerial advice.
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Interesting observation from your fellow Southend supporter.

Len's not has too many chances since arriving, and that's tough. In relative criteria we're a team that's slowly adjusting to this division. The need to strengthen and improve has been obvious for some time, but until recently we've not been able or willing to splash the cash. Len's the type of player that all clubs need, I think Wilder recognises Len's quality but still needs to find a format and position that Len can fit into comfortably. I hope it comes soon as Len is looking better with each appearance. My thoughts compare him with Drinkwater when he was at Leicester, but that's just me, so what do I know? Len needs to retain belief in himself and be ready when the call comes. It's a lot to ask I know, but the reward will be considerable for club and player if this works out.
 
adebo said:
We are all still waiting to see what wilder sees in him or saw in him. He looks robotic and cumbersome. I really wanted to love this all action box to box midfielder but he is made to look ordinary by bash and he is never going to play ahead of fleck Coutts or Norwood. I look at it like this if he lined up against us would I worry, definitely not
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Happen not. However, you`d know he wouldn`t be easy to play against, and that in the battle he might well wear you down.
 
Thought he was steady going forward but he's pretty slow getting back. Not a quarterback type more an anchor man in this league. Then again I think I have probably seen him play four different positions for less than a game each time so far, so he's probably as confused as I am.
 
Snowman said:
Thought he was steady going forward but he's pretty slow getting back. Not a quarterback type more an anchor man in this league. Then again I think I have probably seen him play four different positions for less than a game each time so far, so he's probably as confused as I am.
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I thought he was decent tracking back, seems to be why Wilder keeps bringing him on to close out games in midfield.

Nice to see him get at least a half in his favoured position. We should give him a start against bolton if Duffy is still ill, i’d rather give him a chance over woodburn
 
It is surprising that he hasn't been in the side more before now with Coutts' injury, Evans and Lundstram's inconsistency (and inability to play together), and given how long we chased him.

For all our lack of reinvestment in the side this summer, a midfield core of Leonard, Fleck, Coutts, Duffy and Norwood is looking very good.
 



hardytm2004 said:
I thought he was decent tracking back, seems to be why Wilder keeps bringing him on to close out games in midfield.

Nice to see him get at least a half in his favoured position. We should give him a start against bolton if Duffy is still ill, i’d rather give him a chance over woodburn
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He should have a great chance of starting at Bolton.

Woodburn should have no chance of starting at Bolton.
 
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